Education and Engagement Staff

Brooke Boertzel holds an MFA in Acting from the Actors Studio Drama School at New School University, and an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU. She has served on panels and as a guest lecturer at NYU, Hunter College, Baruch College, Teachers College Columbia University, City College of New York, Brooklyn College and Rutgers University, covering such topics as arts integration, assessment and evaluation, applied theatre, curricula design, and developing theatre and curricula with and for special populations, including English Language Learners and students with disabilities.  Utilizing her expertise in arts integrative learning, Brooke co-created Alice’s Story and Fair and Square, two nationally recognized interactive anti-bullying applied theater programs which were featured on the cover of Time Magazine for Kids in 2012. Brooke has designed and implemented multiple large-scale assessment projects funded by the National Endowment for the Arts which assessed the social, emotional and academic benefits arts-integrated theater curricula had on students.  She co-presented a national webinar for TYA/USA on how theatre organizations can implement a trauma-informed-framework when working with students who may have experienced trauma, based on a large-scale training model she implemented for over 85 teaching artists and Department of Education classroom teachers.  This was in connection to her role in developing the curriculum and supervising S.A.F.E. (Shelters, Arts, Families and Education) and A.R.C. (After-school Reading Club) two programs which provided literacy-based theater and music workshops for children and families in over 40 NYC homeless shelters. Prior to accepting the position of Director of Education and Engagement at the McCarter Theatre, Brooke worked for 11 years as the Director of Education at New York City Children’s Theater, previously named Making Books Sing.  She served on the Board of Directors for the New York City Arts and Education Roundtable from 2013-2018, while acting as the Chair of their Membership committee.  Brooke is thrilled to return to McCarter Theatre nearly 12 years after she completed her internship here in the education department!

Paula is a playwright, dramaturg, theater historian, and educator. As McCarter’s Artistic Engagement Manager, she oversees audience engagement initiatives including artist discussions, scholarly panels, Inside Story pre-show talks, McCarter’s Adult School class, and other events that offer opportunities for learners of all ages to deepen and enhance the experience of the work on McCarter’s stages. She also works with young adults in the community by facilitating post-show discussions, creating curricular content for McCarter’s online audience guides, and developing in-school residencies with and for high schools. Prior to joining McCarter she taught theater studies at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Paula received an MFA in Playwriting from Brandeis University and PhD in Drama from Tufts University. She is a contributing author to James Fisher's Tony Kushner: New Essays on the Art and Politics of the Plays (McFarland, 2006). Paula's short play The Breakthrough was presented at Passage Theatre's (Trenton, NJ) 10-Minute Play Festival in 2010. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Passage Theatre Playwrights’ Lab.

Mary is a theater educator, designer, manager, and technician with a particular interest in creating visual elements in unexpected ways. Mary joined McCarter in 2014 after seven years working in the production department of George Street Theatre as the Assistant Props Master. At George Street, Mary also worked as a teaching artist and production manager for their educational summer academy. Mary completed her MFA in puppetry at the University of Connecticut. She has worked as a professional puppet designer and puppeteer for the VEE Corporation, NBC Universal, and touring productions around the country, and spent 12 summers working at the O’Neill Theatre Center National Puppetry Conference.

Alexandra La Torre is a theatre educator and stage manager with a passion for crafting programming that covers both the technical and performing sides of theatre. As Education Associate, Alex provides administrative support for our After School and Residency programs and assists both the Education Projects and Curriculum & Instructions Managers. Prior to joining McCarter in 2017, Alex worked as an educator and administrator for Magic Circle Theater, Boston Latin School, High C Consulting, and SpeakEasy Stage Company. Alex is a graduate of Boston College where she studied Secondary Education, English, and Theatre.

As McCarter’s Education and Artistic Administrator and Intern Coordinator, Jennifer supports the Education and Artistic departments; works with McCarter After School, Summer Camps, and OnStage Seniors; as well as facilitates McCarter’s full-year, full-time post-graduate internship program. Jennifer holds a BA with distinction in Theater Performance from Richard Stockton College and has been involved with theater and the performing arts for more than 25 years as an actor, vocalist, dancer, and choreographer.