Teaching Artists

Kevin Bergen is a Barrymore Award nominated actor and a member of the Resident Ensemble of Artists at People’s Light (The Persians, Six Characters in Search of and Author, Twelfth Night, Fabulation or the Re-education of Undine). Other Philadelphia region credits include: The Wilma Theatre, Arden Theatre, Bristol Riverside Theatre, and InterAct Theatre. Kevin has acted Off- and Off-off- Broadway and appeared in independent films, and on The Guiding Light. He is a graduate of the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard.

Jano Cohen is certified in The Alexander Technique by the Alexander Alliance and is a teaching member of Alexander Technique International. She has been teaching the Alexander Technique independently since 1988. She holds an M.F.A. in dance from Temple University and a B.A. in dance from Bennington College.

Melanye Finister has been a company member with People’s Light since 1991.  She has appeared in over a dozen plays at PLTC most recently Six Characters in Search of an Author, The Giver, Something You Did, Fabulation and The Member of the Wedding.  Other theatres she has worked with include Philadelphia Theatre Company, Arden, InterAct, Venture Theatre, The Wilma, and The Walnut Street Theatre. Melanye was the Director of Youth Summerstage last year, and has twenty years of teaching experience.

Elizabeth Klinger is a director, teacher, and performer who comes to People's Light, via California, where she received her M.F.A. in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from The Dell'Arte International School. Elizabeth has performed with the Dell'Arte Company across the Pacific Northwest, and has locally appeared in productions at the Prince, the Walnut Street Theatre, and with Storybook Musical Theatre. As a director, she has staged original, traditional, and adapted works.

Benjamin Lloyd is a member of the Artistic Company at People’s Light and has been a teacher here at various times since 1996. He has taught acting at Villanova and Princeton Universities, and at professional studios in New York and Philadelphia. At People’s Light, he recently performed in The Imaginary Invalid. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

Ahren Potratz has performed in four productions at People’s Light (Theophilus North, Jason and the Golden Fleece, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and 30Fest) and became the full-time Resident Teaching Artist in April 2007. He is a Barrymore-nominated actor and SAFD certified Actor-Combatant living and working in the Philadelphia region. Ahren holds a BFA from The University of the Arts.

Marcia Saunders has been a member of the PLTC acting company for 30 years. She was seen recently at People’s Light in Anne of Green Gables, The Man from Nebraska, and Six Characters In Search of an Author. Marcia received a 2004 Barrymore Award as Outstanding Supporting Actress for her role as Claire in A Delicate Balance. She is also the recipient of two Emmy awards for her narration of Teacher TV on the Discovery Channel.

Jessica Conda recently completed a residency with People's Light at Collingdale Community School in Philadelphia. Jess has been teaching creative dramatics at Montgomery Theater since 2005, and helped develop the Young Actors' Company, a year-long program where high school students create an original play with a Philadelphia playwright. From 2002-2005, Jess was on staff at Arcadia University's Camp Shakespeare, where she directed seven productions with elementary, junior high and high school students. As an actor, Jess has worked with such companies as Brat Productions, Pig Iron Theatre Company, The Walnut Street Theater, 11th Hour Theatre Company and Flashpoint Theatre Company. She holds a B.F.A. in Acting from Arcadia University.

Delanté Keys is a recent graduate of Arcadia University’s B.F.A. Acting Program. Since graduation, he has appeared in Living News at the National Constitution Center, Six Degrees of Separation at Allen’s Lane Theater, Curio Theatre Company’s The Nutcracker and What the Butler Saw, and the world premiere of Black Gold with Interact Theatre Company.