FACULTY

Dean Armstrong

Studio Founder and Director, Dean is an actor and coach for performers in film + television. Some of his clients include Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries), Perry Mattfeld (Shameless, In The Dark), Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana), Devon Bostick (The 100), Kaitlyn Leeb (Shadowhunters), Marshall Williams (Glee), Kevin O’Leary (Shark Tank), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (The Bold and the Beautiful) and Daytime Emmy winner, Brittany Allen (All My Children).

Dean maintains an active commitment to the support and development of aspiring and established talent across North America with services in Toronto, Los Angeles, and New York.

Dean also serves as a screen test advisor, pre-production and on-set acting coach for various networks and feature film production companies including HBO, SHOWTIME, HULU, NBC, DISNEY, BET, SHAFTESBURY, DISCOVERY, PARAMOUNT, and ALLIANCE ATLANTIS.  Dean’s collaboration, in this capacity, has not only influenced the critical acclaim of many stars, but his direction has also served as the basis for casting and the subsequent development of national and international talent.

Salvatore Antonio

Sara Mitich

is Head Resident Coach and an Instructor at Armstrong Acting Studios where she continually inspires and guides her students and private coaching clients to recognize that to be an effective and magnetic actor, one has to do the work first. 

Amos Crawley

Amos Crawley has been a professional actor since he was 4 years old. He has over 150 film, television, radio and theatre credits. He has been an instructor at Armstrong since 2010, where he has taught several age groups and levels.

Lara Jean Chorostecki

Jesse Griffith

Jesse is an Instructor, classically trained actor with a BFA from Ryerson Theatre School and most recently, a Casting Director. In 2018, Jesse opened Jesse Griffiths Casting (JGC) with the goal of combining his passion for the arts, knowledge of local talent and the desire to develop and nurture the next generation of artists.

Jenny Pudavick

 is a Resident Coach and Instructor for film and television at Armstrong Acting Studios. Combing the technical understanding of the script, making bold text choices and aiding the actors to access organic emotional moments.

Sarah Gnocato

Sarah Gnocato is known for her role's in eOne's "The Millenials", YTV's second season of "Undercover High" and Tribeca Film Festival’s official selection “Bunker Burger.” She has been in the TV and film industry for over a decade, when she transitioned from stage, after years of theater training, including five years at Oakville's West End Studio Theater. Sarah has trained at Second City over the past 7 years, performing on the Second City stage and participating in the Big City Improv Fest where she received recognition as a prominent female improviser. Sarah’s enthusiasm and passion for the craft is what drives her current roles, and helps her constantly cultivate a love for the work. 

Robbie Kay 

Robbie Kay has worked in film & television for over 15 years, starting at a young age in Prague. He has experience with every theatrical medium in a wide range of environments, having shot in England, USA, Canada, Italy, Greece, Czechia and Belgium to name a few. Projects like Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time and Heroes Reborn round out an impressive resumé. Robbie has worked one to one with many reputable actors in the industry from ages 16 to 65, frequently resulting in bookings. He has the ability to elevate any performance and unlock material, identifying exactly what work needs to be done.

Andrea Runge

Andrea has been working as a professional actor and teacher for over 15 years, playing leads at theatres including Stratford, Tarragon, Segal Centre, and Canadian Stage. She received an MFA from Pennsylvania State University, and a BFA from the University of Regina.

Laura Nordin

Laura Nordin is an actor, an award-nominated director, and an award-winning producer.  Currently based in Toronto, she is originally from Vancouver, BC. Laura holds her BFA from UBC and her MFA from the joint program between Harvard’s American Repertory Theatre Institute and the Moscow Art Theatre School. In 2010, she co-founded Filmcoop Inc. as a means to collaborate with and encourage filmmakers to realize their creative vision.

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In 2016, the CFC approached Laura to produce the short dramatic film CLEO which went on to premiere at TIFF 2016.

Select Acting credits include: Darken: Before the Dark (series), God’s Baboons (feature), Ecstacy (feature), Murdoch Mysteries (TV), Angels and Ornaments (Hallmark TV Movie), Assassin’s Creed: Unity (Video Game), The Strain (TV), The Listener (TV), Pontypool (feature).

Select On-Set Coaching credits: Ghostwriter (TV – Winner Daytime Emmy Outstanding Children's or Family Viewing Series), Verizon (Commercial), Zelle (Commercial).

Select Directing credits include: OutsideIN (Winner Best Web/Pilot Las Vegas Film Awards 2020), Joey (co-director, CFF 2020), Love Sarah (Nominated for Best Director at both Action On Film Festival 2019 and at Hollywood Dreamz Film Festival 2019), 

Sharon McFarlane

Sharon holds Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Alberta and has over 20 years of experience acting in front of the camera and on stage.

Genelle Williams

Genelle Williams is a Canadian Actress with 18 years of experience. She is a Gemini Award Nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series. Her credits include Radio Free Roscoe (Family Channel), The Latest Buzz (Family Channel), Warehouse 13 (Syfy), Orphan (Warner Brothers), The Incredible Hulk (Universal Pictures), and most recently can be found on GlobalTV's new series Family Law. 

Susanna Fournier

Susanna is an award-winning writer, actor, director, and producer. Alongside her acting career in theatre, tv, and film, Susanna's script writing is supported by Canada's leading institutions and has been shown in London, Berlin, and Munich. She also works with production companies during the casting and script development process.

Michelle Alexander

Michelle Alexander is an actor and writer – she has 10+ years of experience in front of the camera as well as in theatre and has been recognized internationally for her writing. She splits her time between Toronto and Los Angeles.

Ishan Davé

Ishan Davé was born in North York, Ontario in 1989. A multiple Gemini award nominee and a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, he began acting at the age of 13 as Sandi Bhutella on the Vérité Films gritty coming-of-age series 'Renegade Press .Com.' Since then he has performed lead and supporting roles in projects including Degrassi: The Next Generation (CTV), Charlie Bartlett (MGM, 20th Century Fox), Mouthpiece (TIFF), Slasher (Netflix), Hudson & Rex (CTV), and Kim's Convenience (Netflix, CBC Gem). He is a citizen of Canada and Great Britain, and is of Gujarati, Indian descent.

Taylor Trowbridge

Taylor Trowbridge has been acting for film, TV and theatre for over 15 years. She holds a MFA in Acting from York University.

Sarah Fisher

After training regularly with Dean Armstrong Sarah quickly landed a lead role in Degrassi. She has been working regularly ever since and is delighted to now have the opportunity to give back to emerging new talent at the studio what it has given her.

Anna Hopkins

Anna Hopkins is an actor and writer who splits her time between Los Angeles and Toronto. She studied Communication & Cultural Studies (Concordia University), Cinema & Communications (Dawson College), and Feature Screenwriting (UCLA extension). Anna has worked extensively in film and television as an actor and is starting to make her mark as a screenwriter.

Steven McCarthy

Steven McCarthy is an acclaimed actor, theatre director, filmmaker, and musician. He holds two diplomas from Montreal's prestigious National Theatre School of Canada. In 2015 his first short film was named to TIFF's top ten films of the year.

Michael Greyeyes

Michael Greyeyes is an actor, director, scholar and founding artistic director of Signal Theatre. He is Nêhiyaw (Plains Cree) from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Highlits of his film work includes "Blood Quantum," (Elevation Pictures/ Shudder Original) for which he won a Canadian Screen Award for Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role, and Sitting Bull in "Woman Walks Ahead," (A24/ DirecTV) co-starring Jessica Chastain. He appeared in HBO's "True Detective" (Season 3) and AMC Television's third season of "Fear the Walking Dead".

Jamie Robinson

Jamie has been a professional artist since 1997. He is an Assistant Professor, Faculty in the department of Theatre at York University. A highlight of his credits include Condor, Odyssey 5, Earth: Final Conflict, and Murdoch Mysteries.

Jacob Blair

Jacob is a graduate of Studio 58's conservatory program, with over 15 years experience in theatre, film, and television. Jacob most recently played the leading role of 'William Pinkerton' on the series The Pinkertons which can be seen on Netflix. 

Carly Street

Carly is a graduate of Nation Theatre School and an award-winning actress, with numerous appearances at the Stratford Festival, Canadian Stage, Tarragon Theatre, Factory Theatre and other stages across Canada, the US, and on Broadway. You can also catch Carly on tv + film screens across Canada.

Joanne Boreham

Joanne has been a casting and voice director for over 20 years. She has cast numerous award nominated/winning series and features including the comedy hit Spun Out and Naturally, Sadie.  She looks forward to joining the AAS team.

Sarah McVie

Sarah is best known internationally for her role on the CBC TV series Workin’ Moms and has appeared on stages across Canada including five seasons at The Stratford Shakespeare Festival.  In her teens, Sarah worked with some exceptional coaches who set her on a path towards the professional acting career she enjoys today. Teaching is Sarah’s other passion, and she relishes the opportunity to share her knowledge of the art form with others.

Zachary Bennett

Zachary has been acting for over 30 years and has a wealth of on set and industry experience. With a laundry list of television and film credits including Maudie and Designated Survivor - we're delighted to have Zachary join the AAS team.

Tara Samuel

 Tara graduated from George Brown's Performing Arts' programme in 1997 and continued on to a successful acting career. Appearing in stage productions across Canada and the US, she moved on to work on 5 seasons on the acclaimed 'Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye program'. Tara also works as a writer, co-producer, producer and director.

Farah Merani

Farah Merani is a Muslim actor, filmmaker, educator, and advocate currently based in LA and Toronto. She is a graduate of the Drama Centre London and has performed in Canada and the US, throughout Europe and in Russia. Some of her TV and film credits include: Shadowhunters, Nikita, Lost Girl, Covert Affairs, Private Eyes and the upcoming feature film, Eat Wheaties!, featuring Tony Hale. In addition to being an actor, she has produced dozens of films with her company, Lifeguard Productions, co-founded a non-profit called Women on Screen, and serves as a diversity and inclusion consultant for film and tv with her former co-chair of the ACTRA Toronto Diversity Committee. 

Béa Santos

Béa studied literature and art history at McGill University before moving to Toronto to begin her career in film. Her credits include: the lead of the franchise A Very Country Christmas, a principal role in Season 3 of HBO's True Detective, a series regular role on HULU's the Hardy Boys, five seasons and counting as a recurring character on CBC's Murdoch Mysteries, a supporting role in the Ethan Hawke lead bank drama Stockholm which premiered at Tribeca and the female lead in the Canadian-German Co-production Coconut Hero. She is also a budding producer and director.

Mikaela Davies