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Meet Our Team
Ashley Morgan Bloom: Founder & CEO
Ashley Morgan Bloom is a professional actress, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and the founder and CEO of Bloom Performing Arts. She has taught improvisation, acting, public speaking, movement, debate, and speech in New York City’s top private schools for the past ten years. Ashley played a supporting role in a Sundance official selection film, was a New York Times top ten show leading actress, and most recently premiered the film “Alex, Stop,” in Los Angeles this past July, where Ashley plays the leading actress. Ashley made her Guest Star debut on Law & Order SVU, Season 21. To learn more about her acting work, visit ashleymorganbloom.com.
Candaceia Charles: Chief Operating Officer
iImagine Musical Movement, iImagine Movement, iImagine Musical Theater: Scene into Song, iImagine Showtime
Candaceia Charles is thrilled to be joining the BPA family. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, she grew up with the city as her playground. Some of her favorite credits have been Melody in Addy & Uno and Celie in The Color Purple. Believing in the power of giving back to the community and servicing our future leaders, she’s been a teaching artist for several years. She can’t wait to create incredible art with her students and encourage them to bloom into their beautiful authentic selves.
Amber Bartlett: West Coast Creative Director
iImagine Musical Movement, iImagine Movement, iImagine Storytelling, iImagine Acting, iImagine Showtime
Originally from sunny San Diego, California, Amber Bartlett brings positivity and sunshine to the New York City area as she begins her professional acting and directing career. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Theater Arts from Brandeis University in Boston, specializing in therapeutic theater, immersive theater, and movement studies. She has worked for numerous years with children of all ages teaching theater, dance, and voice in schools and community centers. Amber is inspired when she supports young people in meeting their full potential and dreams.
Olivia Baker: Social Media Director
Olivia was lucky enough to find the amazing BPA team while living in Los Angeles. She loves being able to bring her creativity and love for art and performance into her work here. Olivia currently works in tech sales while pursuing a career in acting. She strongly believes in the importance of fostering young minds in the arts and in the importance of performance starting at a young age.
Maddie Booth: Senior Advisory Board Member
Senior Advisory Board Member, iImagine Storytelling, iImagine Acting
An Illinois native, Maddie Booth brings her passion for the arts all the way to New York City.
With a degree in Theatre Performance from Marymount Manhattan College, Maddie is excited to share her variety of knowledge with Bloom Performing Arts’ young artists. She believes in empowering her students to express themselves in creative and compelling ways. The original team member, Maddie has been working with Ashley since day one, serving as both a teaching artist and the social media director to help Bloom Performing Arts bloom and grow.
Hope Dyra: Creative Brand and Outreach Manager
ilmagine Storytelling, iImagine Acting
Hope is originally from Nashville, but her love of performance has taken her far from home — in 2020, Hope graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Marymount Manhattan College. In 2019, she received a certificate in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). Growing up learning from incredible theatre artists has inspired Hope to share and nurture the love she has for performing with her students through Bloom Performing Arts. Let’s bloom together!
iImagine Storytelling, iImagine Acting
Sydney Tennant: Director of New Works
Sydney is so excited to be joining the Bloom team! Originally from Los Angeles, she relocated to New York in 2014. She has degrees in International Affairs and Theater from Skidmore College. Additionally, she studied Shakespearean acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. She has previously worked with SITI Company, the Geffen Playhouse, and the Los Angeles Drama Club in their community outreach and educational programing departments. She is a working actor, and a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Elizabeth Jaeleigh Davis: Senior Video Editor
Elizabeth is an award-winning film and TV director, writer, producer. As a mixed Chinese-American woman, she is passionate about telling stories that explore identity, female experience, and relationships.
Elizabeth was recently nominated for “Best in Directing” and “Best Comedy” (Stareable LA ‘22) for her comedy TV pilot, “Imposters”. Her debut narrative short, LA PETITE MORT — a subverted fairytale about girlhood — played at numerous Oscar-qualifying festivals worldwide and debuted online via Short of the Week to an audience of over 225K, and was recently featured on SLASH TV in Vienna, Austria in 2021.
In addition to her narrative work, Elizabeth directs content for education and tech brands, and creative studio CONVICTS.
iImagine Speech & Debate, iImagine Storytelling
Conner Hefner
Conner Hefner was born and raised in Macon, Georgia but found her voice in New York City! She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2020 with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre and recently became a part of the BPA family earlier this year! She’s a big goofball who combines her love of humans and acting with being silly — that way the classroom environment is always exciting and safe, and everyone knows it’s alright to make a mistake and keep going!
Rachel Krause
iImagine Acting
Rachel began performing in local theater companies and Shakespeare festivals when she was in elementary school and started seriously studying method acting when she was just 12!
She attended Walnut Hill School HS for the Arts - where she majored in theater, before pursuing her BA in interdisciplinary art at SUNY Purchase. In 2005, she joined Jessamyn Fiore's theater company in Dublin, Ireland where she went on a European Fringe Festival tour with SANDWICH, an original play that was inspired by a series of improv workshops and was eventually awarded for playwriting in NYC under a different cast. She has been a guest artist with Axial Theater, for over 20 years, performing in several productions, most notably as Nina in Chekhov's
Sadie Prenda
iImagine Storytelling, iImagine Acting
Sadie grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska where she did speech, choir, theater, and cello. She recently graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in performing arts. Now, she is an avid writer and all around creative. She can't wait to work with the next generation of storytellers and creatives!
Tyra Medina
Assistant Director of Fall Play, iImagine Storytelling
Tyra Medina, An Actor, Dancer, Model and Teacher born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Tyra started her acting journey at the age of 16 by attending a media program called Urban Arts Partnership. After graduating High School she attended LaGuardia Community College where is obtained her BA in Theater then her BFA in Acting at Pace University. In her free time she enjoys reading, working out and traveling.
Zora Umeadi
iImagine Storytelling, iImagine Acting
Zora Umeadi is originally from Enugu, Nigeria. She recently graduated with her MFA in Performing Arts at Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD). Zora is an actor, director, and educator. This past year she landed her first Co-starring role on the Amazon Prime TV series “Clean Slate”, Starring George Wallace and Laverne Cox. She is beyond excited to see what God has in store for her future and blessed to be able to help young aspiring artists bloom into their craft. Zora leaves us with her foundational quote, “You are the light of the world like a city set on a hilltop.”
iImagine Storytelling
Ima Otto-During
Ima Otto-During is a recent alumni of Marymount Manhattan College, with her BFA in Acting. She is a spirited artist who loves to she the joy of art! Her credits include, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Anthony and Cleopatra, Love & Information and Electra. Ima is so very excited to start an amazing school year with Bloom Performing Arts!!
iImagine Musical Movement, iImagine Movement, iImagine Storytelling, iImagine Showtime
Marie Zaccagnino
Marie Zaccagnino was born and raised in Buffalo, NY! She moved to NYC when she was 18 years old to attend Pace University, where she graduated with a BFA in Film, Television, Voice-Overs & Commercials. She has performed in plays with the Alpha NYC Theatre Company. She will be performing her first lead role in The Postman Always Rings Twice at the Producers Club in NYC this fall. She is an actress who strives to make audiences feel inspired and happy. The arts and storytelling are in need in our world more than ever. She is so grateful to be able to pass on what she has learned throughout her artistic career to the younger generation of artists, with Bloom Performing Arts!
iImagine Storytelling, iImagine Acting
Brittany Smith
Brittany Smith was born and raised in Orlando FL. With a devoted passion for performing arts, she found herself studying for a BFA at Savannah College of Art and Design. While she is working to achieve her own credits, she found another love for teaching and helping others reach their own dreams. She is more than thrilled to be a part of the BPA family and to help it expand and flourish in Savannah, GA.
iImagine Storytelling, iImagine Acting
Rose Messenger
Rose Messenger is a twenty-two year old singer, actor, writer, and teaching artist. Originally from New Brunswick, Canada, Rose is newly based in New York City after graduating from the BFA Musical Theatre program at The University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music (CCM). She continues to perform and share her love of theatre through education in both the United States and Canada, and is thrilled to be joining the BPA team! Rose prides herself on creating the same fun, positive, and accepting atmosphere that was created for her as a young theatre student.
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