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Kathryn Gately

Master Teacher

Kathryn Gately served as Head of and/or co-teacher of 2 nationally ranked URTA/NAST and Unified MFA/BFA/BA Acting Programs. She headed the graduate program in Acting at Northern (NIU). At Mason Gross, she co-taught the MFA and BFA students with Mr. William Esper. As an actress and a teacher, Professor Gately trained extensively under Sanford Meisner and William Esper. She is a 2-year graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse, and earned an MFA in Acting at Mason Gross, Rutgers. Ms. Gately has created intensive conservatory programs for major agencies, managers, and schools in NYC, LA, Dublin, and London. She has been featured in the book Acting Teachers in America, acknowledged on Bravo’s Actor’s Studio, and recognized as a Leader in Theatre Education and one of its Most Notable Women in America by Marquis’s Who’s Who.

She has also coached for international theatre productions, Broadway, and award-winning films and television shows. She has served as a consultant for ABC, CBS, was an international program director, as well as a board member for numerous theatres across the U.S. Along with Richard Poole, she has given Master Classes in the Meisner Technique for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). She served as an artistic advisor to producer Kevin Goetz for the television film Wild Iris, starring Gena Rowlands and Laura Linney, who went on to win an Emmy for her performance in the film.

Richard Poole

Master Teacher

In New York City, Richard Poole worked as the Executive Director of The Nat Horne Theatre on 42nd Street’s Historic Theatre Row, where he expanded the Gately / Poole studio to over 200 students a year. The studio was home to three separate theatre groups, including the award-winning Manhattan Class Company.

Mr. Poole has also served as the Artistic Director for the Barnstormers Equity Theatre. He has taught in Europe and all across the United States. A few of Mr. Poole’s teaching and directing credits include the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Rutgers University, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the Philadelphia Repertory Company.

In NYC, Mr. Poole co-created the School for Film and Television, was Head of Acting for the Professional Program at Primary Stages Theatre Company, and co-head of the playwriting unit with Arthur Giron. He was also associated with New Dramatists in Chicago.

Richard Poole is recognized as one of the most successful Showcase Directors in the United States. In 2013, he became Professor Emeritus at Northern Illinois University, where he still is today.