Who is who in the Cast?

Kimberly Eilian
Producer / Director / Teacher

Kim is delighted to be opening our second branch of Little Barn in NYC after 4 years of developing the program in the Hamptons. Kim's specialty is her style and philosophy of teaching dance that is accessible and fun for the very young to teen age students. Starting at the young age of four, Kim has followed a lifelong pursuit of performing arts and theatre. After first visiting NYC with her theatre troupe from University of California Irvine, Kim was smitten with the big city and never left (her first thought upon arriving in an NYC taxi cab from JFK: “Wow, this is just like the TV show Taxi!”). After college and two musical theatre Bus and Truck Tours across the Midwest and countless dance, singing and acting classes in NYC, Kim decided it was time to settle down into a teaching career, specifically teaching children. Her first teaching job was in a little dance cabin at a sleep away camp in the Adirondacks, which she now recognizes as the beginning inspiration for Little Barn and now our beautiful studio in NYC. Kim’s notable teaching jobs include “Darien Dance Center,” “The Dance School” (her own studio), and summer camp/after school programs at “Children’s Aid Society'' in Harlem and after school program at Cademon School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where she perfected her strictly musical theatre teaching style and method. Kim would like to thank her husband, Kevin, and two boys, Jerome and Lewie, for their continued support, love and inspiration. She would also like to thank her other true love and muse: the happy, beautiful children that come alive in class and on stage doing classical musical theatre. She hopes that Little Barn will inspire her own kids and the children of New York City and Hamptons to pursue performance, become artists, and find joyful encouragement through the magic of musical theatre.

Violet Tzu-Hsuan Wang

Violet is delighted to return to Little Barn for her fifth season and very excited about the NYC opening.

Her special talent with teaching children is her ability to follow the kids and turn anything into a charming musical theatre arrangement, as well as introducing kids to more sophisticated musical theatre songs in a playful way.

Born and raised in Taiwan, Violet began her training in classical music at the age of 4, starting with piano.

She later approached the cello, which became her inseparable companion. She received her BFA in Music from the National Taiwan Normal University with a major in cello and a minor in piano.

She also studied composition and percussion for a couple years amongst her time there.

During her freshman year, a musical theatre workshop held in Taipei majorly sparked her curiosity for acting, ultimately leading her to move to the Big Apple to explore the wonder of the theatre.

After two years of expert training at Circle in the Square Theatre School’s Musical Theatre program, Violet is now professionally performing and teaching in New York City. She also has a great passion for classical drama, including Shakespeare, as well as exploring accents and dialects of speech. Violet is currently an Artist-In-Residence at the Titan Theatre Company with credits including “An Iliad” and “Radio Play Series: The Thin Man” as well as being a concert cellist for The Chelsea Symphony.

Some of Violet’s other favorite credits include “Twelfth Night: The Musical Adaptation” (Feste, Clocktower Players), Oscar Wilde’s “An Ideal Husband” (Mrs. Cheveley), and “Romeo and Juliet” (Lady Capulet, Titan Theatre Company). Notable stages include Joe’s Pub, Irvington Town Hall, 54 Below, Circle in the Square Theatre, and The Triad.

Hal Miers

Hal is excited to be returning for his third season at Little Barn!

Hal teaches dance, acting and voice coaching and has been to promoted to be our Dance Captain and Casting Director.

At only 6 years old, Hal performed in a production of “Miracle on 34th Street'' and has been singing and dancing ever since.

He is a proud member of Actors Equity and Screen Actors Guild and recently graduated with an MFA in Acting from Columbia University.

Hal also enjoys writing (particularly with his left hand) and enjoys doing stand up comedy. Some of his favorite theatre credits include: Frankenstein (Off-Broadway), A Little More Alive, His Girl Friday (Barrington Stage Company), The Sound of Music (National Tour), Chicago, Pride and Prejudice (Hangar Theatre), Fiddler On The Roof (PA Shakespeare Festival), and Grease (La Commedia Dinner Theatre). Television credits include “As The World Turns” and “Saturday Night Live.”

Hal would like to thank Kim for this wonderful opportunity in the Hamptons!

Isaac Williams

Isaac is over the moon excited to be joining the Little Barn team for his second season.

Isaac, born in Kansas, is a New York City based actor, singer, dancer, and writer currently teaching sixth grade humanities in Manhattan. Isaac recently closed Beauty and the Beast Jr. as musical director and is elated to be releasing his short film, “Iconic,” this summer.

Isaac has always been a choir kid and continued his choir journey into college where he studied Vocal Music Education and Theatre. He recorded the album “Easter: 1906,” written for the Missouri State Chorale in Lincoln, Nebraska and had the opportunity to be directed by Robert Westenberg in a production of The Secret Garden.

His pastimes include reading Walt Whitman, visiting parks, going to the gym, meditating, and studying spirituality independently.

Isaac’s favorite thing about teaching is having the opportunity to understand the experiences of the students he teaches; children seek the feeling of being understood and valued. Being able to understand others motivates Isaac to continue teaching music, voice, and performance; kids are the future of theatre.

Mary Kate McGetrick

Mary Kate is thrilled to join Little Barn this summer again in the Hamptons! Mary Kate’s love for music, theater and dance began at a young age performing throughout Westchester County and she has been involved in the performing arts ever since.

She studied musical theater at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C, where she had the opportunity to perform throughout the DC area including The Kennedy Center. After 4 years of performing, Mary Kate stepped into the teaching field as a teaching artist at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for The American Theater and a full time music and theater teacher in Washington, D.C. where she led general music classes and directed and produced all school musicals.

Since then, Mary Kate has been a musical theater educator in the New York City public schools. In addition to teaching in the classroom, she also specializes in private voice and acting lessons. She has always felt very passionately about providing children with the opportunity to create, learn and expand their love for the arts

Keivon Akbari

Keivon is very excited to be joining Little Barn Theatre this summer!

Keivon Akbari is an Brooklyn-based actor, singer, musician who received his BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts through the Atlantic Acting School. Keivon is known for roles in The Great Gatsby: Immersive (Off-Broadway), MacGyver: The Musical (Stages Houston), Tosca Tehran (Atlantic Theater Company), Bismillah (The Wild Project). TV/Film: The Night Agent (Netflix), Tehrangeles, Spectator.

He is also a classically trained concert pianist and can play many additional instruments.

He would like to thank his friends and family for their unconditional love and support.

Audrey Enright

Audrey is super excited to be joining Little Barn this summer in the Hamptons! Since the age of three, Audrey has found herself immersed in music and the arts. From classical piano to voice lessons, dance classes, and musical theatre performances Audrey has loved every moment of it.

She received her Bachelor's of Music in Musical Theatre and a Minor in Psychology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. During her time in D.C., Audrey began to hone in on her backstage skills focusing on stage managing and directing at Catholic and for a few boutique theatres around the area. She also had the chance to perform at The Kennedy Center. Throughout college, Audrey also spent a lot of her time with young children. She was a part time nanny for twins from ages 9 months to 3 years old and taught swim lessons to ages 6 months to early teens. She has always loved working with children, helping them to unlock their creativity and to grow!

Currently, Audrey has turned her passions for fitness and wellness into a full time career teaching yoga and yoga sculpt classes at CorePower Yoga and coaching personal training clients at Equinox in New York City. She is super excited to be able to step back into the music and the arts world as this world is near and dear to her heart!

Nicholas Meyers

Nicholas Meyers is an interdisciplinary artist based in New York City. He studied ballet and contemporary dance at Walnut Hill School for the Arts and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. He is a recent graduate of Columbia University, where he majored in Film and Media Studies.

He has danced with the Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Columbia Repertory Ballet, and the Barnard Dance Department at New York Live Arts. As an actor, he has performed with Columbia’s sketch comedy group, Latenite, and in several plays and musicals, including Dance Nation, Fun Home, and Columbia University’s 129th Varsity Show, for which he also provided additional choreography.

Nicholas enjoys collaboration, and building community among other artists and lovers of art. He has provided dance education to students of all levels, at several schools and community centers, including the Center for Rural Engagement and SPHERE, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of adults with disabilities. Nicholas is so excited to be joining the Little Barn family!

Julia Ruth Patella

Julia Ruth Patella (she/her) is a NYC-based choreographer, theatremaker, and educator happy to be a part of the Little Barn team! Julia choreographs and directs musical theatre, film, concert dance, and interdisciplinary performance, and holds a B.A. in dance and sociology from Barnard College of Columbia University. She provides dance instruction for a range of ages and experiences at dance studios, camps, fitness studios, and The Peddie School.

Her teaching nurtures students’ creativity and confidence and builds community through joyful shared experiences in performing arts. Outside of theatremaking, Julia loves making collages and playing percussion!

Jason Belanger

Jason (he/him) is an NYC-based music director, pianist, and arranger originally from Fayetteville, NY. He has worked and lived in dozens of cities, states, and countries over the years, and he is so excited to be joining the Little Barn NYC team!

Ever since he started playing piano and singing at age 5, Jason knew he loved music and wanted to make it a part of his life. After singing in choir, performing in musicals, and honing his skills at the piano, he spent his high school years performing with a professional theater in Syracuse, NY, before pursuing a Drama degree at Hofstra University.

After graduating and taking jobs everywhere from California to NYC, he eventually made his way to Scotland where he recently graduated with a Masters in Music Direction from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. His favorite credits include Little Women (MD/Conductor; Edinburgh Fringe), The Muny’s 101st Season (music intern), Spamalot (Keys 2/Assoc. Conductor; 6th National Tour), and Into the Woods (MD/Pianist; Royal Conservatoire of Scotland).

Outside of his music work, Jason loves working with kids of all ages as a private tutor, working on academic support, test prep, and executive functioning skills in a fun and positive environment. Jason loves the excitement and joy that kids bring to everything they do and looks forward to helping them grow artistically at Little Barn!

Jo Armstrong

Jo is thrilled to be coming back after her second season in the Hamptons and joining us in our NYC Studio.

Originally from Kansas, Jo first discovered her love of theatre, at age 12, while playing a Pink Lady in Grease. She spent many summers performing at regional theatres before moving to New York to pursue her dreams! Jo recently graduated from Manhattan School of Music with a degree in Musical Theatre and is now working professionally as a singer and actress in the city. Some of her favorite credits include Saraghina (Nine), Morticia (The Addams Family), Spiker (James and the Giant Peach), and Casey (First Date). Notable stages include Carnegie Hall, Kauffman Performing Arts Center, Starlight Theatre, and Riverside Theatre.

Jo has always loved working with children and feels most inspired around young, creative minds! She is trained in music education and childhood development and is passionate about the importance of music and storytelling in children’s lives.