TOBY DEWEY has been Artistic Director of Urban Improv since its founding in 1992. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Beloit College and a Master of Education from Antioch College. Dewey is also the Director of the Charles River Creative Arts program, a multi-arts summer program for children ages 8-15. An accomplished playwright, Dewey has published six musicals written for young people.
Melissa Carubia
Actor/Educator
MELISSA CARUBIA is a composer and teacher living in Newton, MA. She holds a Masters in
Composition from the Longy School of Music, where she was the recipient of the
Creativity Foundation award and the winner of the annual Orchestral Composition
Contest. She has worked with the Zeitgeist Stage Company as musical
director, with ImprovBoston of Cambridge as a cast member and musician, and with
the Fresh Pond Ballet of Cambridge as dancer and composer. She also plays keyboard and sings in the band
"Agents of Marque."
Rachel Hunt
Actor/Educator
RACHEL HUNT, received her theatre training at the Boston Arts Academy; her recent acting credits include Mr. Marmalade, The Bluest Eye, and a role in the film "The Box". She holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Bard College. She firmly believes in the power of the arts as a means to educate and inform other disciplines, and with her experience as a photography teacher at Arts for Humanity, intensive study in modern dance and Flamenco, and a passion for translation, she is proud to add her voice to Urban Improv
Mike Manship
Actor/Educator
MIKE MANSHIPis a writer, actor and improviser from Raleigh,
NC. His plays have been featured around the country, including the 2005 Boston
Theatre Marathon. Several of his monologues also appear in Smith and Kraus' new
Audition Arsenal series. He has written over 70 short theater pieces, over 40
of which have been performed with various ensembles, and has performed and taught
improvisation for over 9 years. He proudly works not only with Urban Improv,
but also with Newton North's Spontaneous Generation improv troupe and with
Boston's Ghosts and Gravestones tour.
Merle Perkins
Co-Director/Actor
MERLE PERKINS has played a variety of roles at regional theatres in New England. TV and video credits include HBO’s Six Feet Under the films Mermaids and All the Rage, and many commercials, industrials and museum exhibits. Merle has often been requested to sing at city and state events by Mayor Menino of Boston and the Boston Red Sox organization. She received training at Boston University and Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts. Merle has been a member of Urban Improv since the program began in 1992.
Sonya Raye
Actor/Educator
SONYA RAYE is a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild. She has always had a strong belief in the conjugation between the Arts and the school curriculum. Whether it be the numerous Children Theatre tours she has traveled, the roles she has performed within plays directed toward children, or her important volunteer work at Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, one of Sonya's deepest loves is to allow a child to experience her/his own beautiful potential.
Kevin Smith
Actor/Educator
KEVIN SMITH was one of the founding members of the Freelance Players in Boston. He is a graduate of the Hollywood High School of the Performing Arts, in Los Angeles, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Smith currently teaches acting and improvisation in Boston, performs with Wheelock Family Theater's Story Troupe and with the rock band, Marie's Children.
Marlon Smith-Jones Actor/Educator
MARLON SMITH-JONES is truly grateful
to be apart of the Urban Improv
Team. He thanks God for his creative gifts & talents where he teaches the
inner city youth, in which he himself is a product of! Marlon is a Musical
Theatre Graduate of the University of Michigan. This young man also performs
professionally as an Actor & Singer various places in Massachusetts as well
as other States throughout the year. "Glory to GOD, for HE is like
Campbell's Soup......Mmm, Mmm Good!"
Faith Soloway
Musical Director/Actor
FAITH SOLOWAY fronts The Faith Soloway Trio and can be seen at a variety of Boston clubs and cafes. With her sister Jill, Faith created the musical “The Real Live Brady Bunch,” which toured nationally. In 1997-99, she was nominated for the Boston Musical Awards in the Outstanding New Contemporary Folk Artist category. Her CD, “Training Wheels,” was released in 1997. Faith is currently preparing her show, "Jesus Has Two Mommies," for its New York debut.
Zach Stuart
Actor/Educator
ZACH STUART graduated from Harvard University in 2002. He was born and raised in Jamaica Plain and has been teaching theater in the Boston Area for the past seven years, directing children of all ages in both musical, movement based and straight theater. He has been involved with Urban Improv for five years and enjoys working in his home community.
