Ray Ficca - (President and Dean of Students) 
He  is a graduate of both Georgetown University (BA), The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts (AC), and was a founding member of the original Actors Repertory Theatre. Ray has been acting professionally for 20 years appearing in over one hundred productions on regional stages nationwide, including; Wayside Theatre, Totem Pole Playhouse, Olney Theatre, Charter Theatre, Theatre on the Hill, Metro Stage, Imagination Stage, and the Hanna Theatre. Ray is the Artistic Director of Totem Pole Playhouse, a professional Summerstock theater located in Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania.  Ray is also currently a company member with Wayside Theatre and Charter Theatre where he also serves as Artistic Associate and Vice President. Locally Ray is also a member of the award winning musical improv group Now This! He is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association - the union of professional actors and stage mangers in the United States - and served as co-chair of the Washington, DC Equity Liaison Committee for 7 years. Regional Credits include (partial list): Othello (Iago) Barnum (PT Barnum), No Way to Treat a Lady (Morris), Proposals (Vinni Barvasi)The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon), The Odd Couple (Oscar), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Max), The Cotton Patch Gospel(Matthew et al), A Christmas Carol (Scrooge), Tony n' Tina's Wedding (Tony), Rough Crossing (Gal), Ten Little Indians (Lombard), My Three Angels (Jules), Big River (The Duke), My Fair Lady (Henry Higgins), Greater Tuna (Thurston), Anything Goes (Moonface Martin), and What Dogs Do (Robert). Ray has served as Chair of the Theatre Departments at Calvert Hall College and Iona Preparatory School.

Nan Kyle Ficca - (Vice President and CFO, Business of Acting Instructor) at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, Washington's only accredited professional actor training studio, where she also serves on faculty teaching audition technique and the business of acting. Nan is President of the Actors Center of Washington.  Nan has been in the business of theatre for 18 years as producer (of over 50 musicals and comedies including Gypsy, Blood Brothers, Peter Pan, Forever Plaid, The Sound of Music, Sweeney Todd, No Way To Treat A Lady, My Fair Lady, The Rink, Songs for a New World, Noises Off, Sleuth, and The House of Blue Leaves (to name a few favorites), casting director, stage manager and company manager. At the Conservatory she continues to develop opportunities for artists to engage in their craft through the Artist's Project which gives free performance space and production support to artists with a vision. Nan also serves as President on the Board of Directors of the Washington Actors' Center, serving as producer of the annual Actors' Center Lottery Audition for the past three years. Recent producing credits include The Authors Voice and The Devil and Billy Markham for the Conservatory's Artist project, the world premiere of Nutshell by Callie Kimball as a part of the Capital Fringe Festival in summer 2007, the world premiere of Our Lady of Sandwich by Mario Baldessari and Keith Bridges - a co-production with Charter Theatre in Fall 2006 and the first annual Washington Actors' Expo in Fall 2006 which brought together more than 400 local panels focused on the arts in Washington DC.  She is also co-producer for Charter Theatre - Washington's only professional theatre dedicated to the development of new works for the stage. She shares her life and work with her husband of 12 years Ray, a full-time actor, co-chair of the local Actor's Equity Association Committee, senior faculty member at the Conservatory and company member with Charter Theatre, Wayside Theatre, Theatre on the Hill, NOWTHIS! improv group and Totem Pole Playhouse.

Doug Wilder - (Education Director, Improv and Acting Instructor) is a graduate of The National Conservatory and the Conservatory's advanced acting program Actor's Repertory Theatre as well as the artistic director of Charter Theatre's "New Plays for Young Audiences" series.  He has been seen in over 45 productions in the Washington DC area as well as in 28 different states in the National Tour of "Tom Sawyer" the musical.  He has been seen locally at Charter Theater, Washington Shakespeare Company,  Keegan Theatre, Imagination Stage, Theatre on the Hill, Wayside Theatre, and NowThis Improv Company among many others.  His credits include the world premieres Late Bloomers and Glory Days (Russ), Heidi (Sebastion/Mayor), Looking for Roberto Clemente (Peter), The Prince and the Troubadour (Prince), KT for Prez (Senator Spin), The Dancing Princesses Apr. 09 (Joe), and The Wakeness Monster (Wakefield), also, Doug has been seen in Forever Plaid (Francis), 1776, (Richard Henry Lee),The Princess and the Pea (The Prince) The Impossible Marriage (Jonesy), The Father (Adolph), The House on Pooh Corner (Winnie), The Imaginary Autopsee (Arlequino), Hamlet (Claudius), Othello (Lodovico), Black Coffee (Inspector Japp), Lying in State (Wally), The Devil and Billy Markham (Narrator), The Author's Voice (Gene) and many others including over 20 different cabarets.  Doug has directed with Actors Repertory Theater, Imagination Stage, Charter Theater, Wayside Theater, and Theater on the Hill, he is a member of the improv and comedy band Silly Songs with Silly Guys, and the improv group The Planeteers.  Doug's directing credits include Romeo and Juliet, Beyond the Warp, Echoes of Troy, Pyramid Man, The Author's Voice, Rumplestiltzkin, Princess Peanut's Rainy Day, The Chicken of the Family, and countless scenes and acts for local cabarets.

Rex Daugherty - (Michael Chekhov Movement, Acting) has been seen off Broadway in Disco Pigs and was recently nominated for a Helen Hayes award for Best Ensemble for his work in Disco Pigs, despite that ensemble consisting of only 2 performers.  Locally, Rex has appeared at The Shakespeare Theatre Company (Love’s Labor’s Lost, Hamlet), Rorshach Theater, Forum Theater, Imagination Stage, Journeyman Theater, Solas Nua, Washington Shakespeare Company, and at Charter Theatre as an actor, and music director. His regional acting credits include - Wayside Theatre: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Cricket, Murry Duetch), A Christmas Story (Ralph), Black Coffee (Edward Raynor),  Othello (Roderigo); Masterworks Theatre Festival: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus/Oberon); Merry-Go-Round Playhouse: The Paper Bag Princess (Prince Ronald), The Fisherman and his wife (The Fisherman), There Once Was A Longhouse (Tanawadeh); The Actor’s Speak Easy: Lonestar (Cletis T. Fullernoy); Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander/Snug), Hamlet (Player Villain), Twelfth Night (Curio); Ohio Outdoor Historical Drama Association: Trumpet in the Land (Strong Rock), The White Savage (General Hand). Rex has also directed several plays, including The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Fat Pig, The Perfect Ending, Waiting for Lefty (assistant director) and Stones In His Pockets (assistant director). Rex is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University, where he received his B.A. in Theatre. He has also studied the Michael Chekhov technique at the Moving Dock Theatre Company in Chicago. Rex is a proud member of the musical-comedy band Silly Songs with Silly Guys.

 Matthew Eienberg - (Commedia and Audition Instructor) is a Graduate of both Radford University (BA), The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, and it’s Actor’s Repertory Theatre.   He has acted professionally at many theatres locally and regionally.  They include; The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Wayside Theatre, Rep Stage, Totem Pole Playhouse, Charter Theatre, Synetic Theatre, Classika Theatre, Constellation Theatre Company, Hampstead Stage Company (National Tour),  and Adventure Theatre where he is a company member.  Some of his favorite roles/credits include: The Game of Love and Chance (Harlequin), Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom), God’s Ear (G.I. Joe/Transvestite Airline Attendant), I Hate Hamlet (Andrew Rally), Murder in the Cathedral (Sir. Thomas Becket), the world premiere of Late Bloomers and Glory Days (Byron Buckman), Impossible Marriage (Sidney Lunt), A Christmas Carol (Scrooge), The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe (Aslan, & Mr. Tumnus), and A Dream Play (The Officer), The Author’s Voice (Todd).  Matthew also performs characters regularly for Cast of Thousands, which specializes in Live Events.  Matthew is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association- the union of professional actor’s and stage managers in the United States.

David Elias - (Voice and Movement) is an actor, stage manager, and voice-over specialist. He was Assistant Stage Manager of Ford's Theatre's The Grapes of Wrath, and Production Stage Manager of Wayside Theatre's My Way, and Cotton Patch Gospel. His stage appearances include Matt Friedman (Talley's Folly), Don Quixote (Man of La Mancha), Ira Stone (Laughter on the 23rd Floor), Polpoch (Marat/Sade), Friar Peter (Measure for Measure), Frederik Egerman (A Little Night Music), Assassins, King of the Jews, Moby Dick Rehearsed, Jean-Paul Sartre (Shooting Simone) and many others at venues such as Olney Theater, Theater J, Cumberland Playhouse, The Theatre at Lime Kiln, Wayside Theatre, Washington Shakespeare Company, The Other Opera Company, Signature Theatre, The American Century Theatre, The Theatre Conspiracy, and others.  On the voice-over front, he narrates books and magazines for the Library of Congress, and does many voices and accents for industrial training films. He also acts in, and facilitates, ethics training for Continuing Legal Education courses, government agencies, and private industry, combining his current career with his former one: a lawyer. David is a member of Actor's Equity Association, and the Screen Actor's Guild.

George Grant - (Classical Theatre) has been a professional actor in radio, film, and theatre for 30 years. He has been seen at The Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC in The Tempest, Othello(w/Patrick Stewart) Peer Gynt and The Merry Wives of Windsor, and at The Washington Shakespeare Company, Catalyst Theatre, The Goodman Theatre in Chicago and The Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, among many others. He was last seen in Catalyst Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Cloud Nine playing Harry and Martin. His directorial work has been seen at Charter Theater in the renowned Am I Black Enough Yet, Gordon Productions, Actors Repertory Theater, The Kennedy Center's Page to Stage Festival and at the Washington Shakespeare Company. Mr. Grant recieved a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Lawrence University and a Master of Fine Arts from The Academy for Classical Acting.

 Sarah Melinda - (Stage Combat and Discovery) is an Actor, Singer, and Fight Choreographer in the DC Metro Area. As an actor she has performed with Charter Theatre, Wayside Theatre, Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, Theatre at Lime Kiln, St. Croix Festival Theatre, Journeymen Theater Ensemble, Tanglewood Family Entertainment, Adventure Theater, Virginia Shakespeare Company, Maryland Renaissance Festival, The Black Box Theatre, and Cherry Red Productions. Her work as a Fight Choreographer has been seen in Sweeney Todd & Company (The Kennedy Center: Sondheim Festival); 110 In The Shade, What The Butler Saw & The Gospel According to Fishman (Signature Theatre ); I Love You (Charter Theatre); Central Park West (Theatre J); A Christmas Story (St. Croix Festival Theatre); and Night of January 16th (Actors Repertory Theatre). Sarah's on camera credits include stunt work for America's Most Wanted, The Learning Channel, and The Discovery Channel. She has also appeared in local commercials and industrial training videos. Sarah is a performing member of the musical improv troupe NOW THIS!. She is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors and Dueling Arts International. In addition to being a faculty member at NCDA she is also a 2000 graduate from the NCDA ART Program.

Hope Lambert - (Acting Instructor, Education Director Emeritus)  
is the education director of the Conservatory, as well as an actress and teaching artist in the Washington DC metro area. Her stage credits include: MonkeyBoy by Keith Bridges, Chris Stezin, and Richard Washer at Charter Theatre; Building a Boat by Helen Hayes nominated playwright, Peter Coy, at Charter Theatre; The Early Miracle by Lew Holton also at Charter Theatre; Fallen from Proust by Helen Hayes award-winning playwright, Norman Allen, at Signature Theatre; MacBeth at The Folger Shakespeare Library; The Road to Mecca at Olney Theatre; Little Women at The Kennedy Center; Translations with Keegan Theatre; Twelfth Night, Pericles, and Taming of the Shrew at Washington Shakespeare Company, where she is a former company member. In New York, she appeared at New York at Cherry Lane Theatre (Cherry Lane Alternatives), The Bank Street Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Source, and Stage Door Acting Ensemble. A proud member of both Actor’s Equity Association and the Screen Actor’s Guild, Ms. Lambert has appeared in several government industrial films as well as independent features and NYU student films.  Recently, Ms. Lambert completed a feature film called Sleeping and Waking, which is currently making it's rounds at film festivals internationally. As founding company member of Educational Theatre Company, she has been teaching theatre arts classes to youth and adults for over 10 years. She is a graduate of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts.

Carl Randolph - (Realism, Make-up, and Acting) is originally from Baltimore, Carl returned in 1999 after performing for over 15 years in the Philadelphia/ NJ/ NY area.  Carl is an award winning actor, director, choreographer, and special effects make-up artist.  His film credits include leading roles such as Gabriel Utterson in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hades in Alex and Alex, Deviln the Destroyer in Sorcerers of Stonehenge School, and the lead researcher Gordon in the psychological thriller Nocturne.  TV credits include lead roles of The Prosecutors on the Discovery Channel, Civil War Combat on the History Channel and the TV movie of the week Special Forces; GSG-9 where he played SAS Captain Barry Davies for the Learning Channel.  Highlights of his theatrical credits include Eddie Lawrence in the long running comedy Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center, Bobby in the National Tour of A Chorus Line, Col.Lawrence Chamberlain in The Killer Angels, Sgt. Trotter in The Mousetrap, Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest, The Wolf and Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods, Howard in Moon Over Buffalo, Dracula in Dracula, Rev. Parris in The Crucible, The Leading Player in Pippin, Adam in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Ballet Barker in Carousel at the Fulton Opera House and had the pleasure to open for Ms. Rosemary Clooney in concert.  Locally he has performed with The Kennedy Center, Round House Theatre, MetroStage, Wayside Theatre, Washington Stage Guild, Olney Theatre, Ford's Theatre and Henlopen Theatre Project.  As a director/choreographer, his credits include A Chorus Line (winner best director/choreographer, Ritz Theatre in NJ), My Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls, and Terra Nova (winner best director, Burlington Footlighter's in NJ).  Carl was choreographer and lead dancer Sam Bones with Illusionist John Bundy and Morgan in their Halloween special Spooktacular on Tour for over 6 years.  As co-owner of Morphiage, his make-up designs have been seen in productions of The Jungle Book (winner best make-up in NJ), The Wizard of Oz, Into the Woods, Spooktacular, a national commercial for Chevy Trucks with Cal Ripken, Jr. and the feature film Breath. Carl is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association, Screen Actor's Guild and The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He is also the co-chair of the Balto/Washington DC Actor's Equity Association Liaison Committee.

John Vreeke - (Realism, Absurdism, and Acting for the Camera) was the casting coordinator, and associate producer of the award winning television series Northern exposure, and has directed the ART students in fine productions of The Marriage of Bette and Boo and The Waiting Room in recent seasons. He teaches performance and acting for camera classes here at The Conservatory, is a guest lecturer for the University of Maryland Theatre Department where he directed Our Town and You Can’t Take It With You. He directed the critically acclaimed production of Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul for Woolly Mammoth and Theatre J. He developed a new play with Joyce Carol Oates called The Tattooed Girl, also for Theatre J., and directed the world premiere of Richard Greenberg’s new play, Bal Masque. He directed Our Lady of 121st Street at the Kennedy Center for Woolly Mammoth Theatre and One Good Marriage for Metro Stage. He has two Helen Hayes Nominations for his adaptation and direction of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Ari Roth’s adaptation of Born Guilty. During his time in DC he’s directed the critically acclaimed productions of Albee's Tiny Alice for the Washington Shakespeare Company and Death and the Maiden for Theatre J. His adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, which has had several successful runs in Seattle theatres and ran for six months in Los Angeles, garnering four Drama Critic Circle Award nominations, ran in two successive WSC seasons. John has been in and around regional theatre for 25 years, including 5 years as Staff Director at the Alley Theatre in Houston, a year as associate artistic director for Arkansas Rep, and a brief stint directing the intern program for the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. He has an ongoing relationship with the New York State Theatre Institute in upstate New York, where he has developed several Projects for Young Audiences. He lived in Seattle for ten years, where he directed numerous theatre projects and worked with Robert Schenkkan on his new play The Dream Thief, which was subsequently developed at the Kennedy Center's New Visions New Voices program.