Sonia Lee Garber

Children’s Drama and Art Instructor

Sonia Lee Garber has many years of experience working with children ages 5-17.

She has been with Antonia Arts for 5+ years providing fun and educational programs for children and teens.

Garber has an A.A.S. from Westchester Community College in Visual and Performing Arts, and a B.S. in Communications with a Minor in Theater and Performance from SUNY Purchase, NY.

Garber has many years of additional training, with her latest studies in acting being at The Barrow Group in NYC. Garber has performed as an actor regionally as well as in Off-off Broadway productions.

She has also worked as an Assistant Director for the drama club at Peekskill Middle School.

Some of the drama classes she has taught for Antonia Arts include Shakespeare for Kids and The Stanislavski Acting Method for Kids.

Garber also enjoys doing Improvisation, and Drama Games and Activities with her students. Garber’s drama classes culminate in performances by the students for family and friends. Garber writes plays for her classes, and also uses written works and children’s books, both original and/or adapted for the stage.

www.sonialeegarber.com

MaryRose Hannan

Dance & Drama Instructor

Ms. MaryRose started Ballet at five years old.  She has also studied Jazz, Tap and Modern Dance.  In Highschool she began doing Shakespeare productions.  While in College she earned a Bachelors in Art History and a minor in Performing Arts.  She was also Vice President of her college Drama club and a member of the award winning Choir.   After college she continued studying acting at HB studios in NYC, and dancing at various studios on Long island.   She has performed in many productions with various Theatre companies including The Other Vic Theatre Company on Long Island and even Spotlight Theatre Company here in Westchester.  Ms. MaryRose has been teaching the performing arts for 27 years.  She has worked at various studios in Westchester and Putnam counties and Assistant Directed Various Youth Theatre productions in Westchester and New Jersey.  She also Spent Five years as the Drama Specialist at Westchester’s Summer Trails Day Camp. She is excited to join the team at Antonia Arts and looks forward to lots of creative collaborations. 

Tania Vallejo

Dance Instructor

Tania Vallejo, from Quito Ecuador.  Dance teacher, she began her studies in Dance 27 years ago, with Folklore Dances of Ecuador, then Latin Dances, later she began her studies in Belly Dance and Indian Dance.  She has experience as a teacher for 15 years.  12 years ago she opened her dance studio in Ecuador, where she has taught classes to girls and adults.  She has also ventured into yoga and Pilates studios.

ELISE MAURINE MILNER

Acting/Creative Writing/Workshop Instructor

ELISE MAURINE MILNER, CEO/Founder of Hanging Cow Productions is first a writer, then a producer and a director, occasionally an actress, always a comedienne, and also a teacher and an artistic entrepreneur. She began her humble creative endeavors in small town, rural, Virginia City, Nevada with a population of just 600 people. After conquering small town community theater production in high school and college, Elise went on to study writing, acting, theatre/TV production, and broadcasting for 3 years in San Francisco and for 5 years in Los Angeles. She has worked diligently and ambitiously in every aspect of the entertainment industry from performing on stage and on television and film, to being a disc jockey and news producer for KGLE/KPTL Radio (West Coast) and helped launch and develop a television pilot for Universal Studios, Hollywood. When she came to New York City in 1999 she started her own production company (“Hanging Cow Productions”) and began writing and producing her own work full time. Elise is completely self-made and started her company with 22 cents in the bank, and with no investors or trust funds, she personally raises the funds for each and every one of her productions she produces. She is self-taught in graphic and web design and many other theatrical business skills so she could live her dream on a minimal budget! Her first full scale, Off Off Broadway, holiday parody production, was produced in 2002. After her first taste of production success, she then continued prolifically writing/producing/directing firstly, audience interactive, regional dinner theater shows. You may have heard of or seen the shows, “Who Killed Mama Souprano?” “Greased Lightning a 25 Year Comedy High School Reunion,” “My Big Fat Geek Wedding,” and “The Agagamy Award Show” performing around the NY/tri state area through 2010.

In 2014, Elise began writing/producing more traditionally staged work for Off Broadway. Her exciting and successfully all produced repertoire of plays include “The Sixth Session,” “The Answers to Apathy,” “Angels Among Us,” “All Because of Infidelity,” “An Awkward Inheritance,” “Ascension Underground,” “The Accidental Awakening,” and “12 Steps the Musical!” Elise has received critical acclaim from Tony award winning Broadway producer Hugh Hayes who called Elise “the real deal” and compared her to esteemed playwright Beth Henley (Crimes of the Heart.) Elise is also the founder of the Back Door to Broadway Bootcamp Production workshop series.

From rags to ramen and to one day riches, Elise is a true inspiration and community business leader whose passion and drive is unmatched by most, yet she is humbled and so grateful for every step and every person she has encountered along the way to help make her art a success.

Why the affection for livestock? Elise has also been an accomplished, 4-H leader and professional horsewoman since the age of 14, having ridden, trained, & shown horses for over 20 years in English & Western riding, jumping, and equitation. In her spare time she enjoys her amazing long time husband Chris Berlino, travel abroad, spirituality, and collecting 80’s memorabilia. She is currently an ice dancer in training, still horseback rides, and currently owns a horse named One Tall Sully she keeps in the Hudson Valley.

www.HangingCowProductions.com