Meet The Team

Jenny Rizzo is honored to be the Artistic Director of the Musical Theatre Department for The Montreal Children's Theatre, a school which holds a very special place in her heart! Originally from New York, Jenny is a multifaceted performer and theatre educator. Holding a B.F.A. in Music Theater from The Hartt School (University of Hartford), Jenny also studied Classical Voice and Musical Theatre Development at the Manhattan School of Music, and has been performing since she could stand! When not teaching she works as a vocalist, dancer, actor, harpist, and director in Montreal and along the U.S. East Coast. Jenny is a director and music director for the Segal Center Academy, musical theatre instructor at Danse123!, acting and musical theatre workshop instructor for Geordie Theatre School, and has their own private music studio based in NDG.

Jake Cohen (he/him) is a Montreal born and based performer and teacher. Since graduating from the theatre program at Dawson College in 2020, he has taught theatre with companies such as Montreal Children's Theatre, Segal Academy, and Geordie Theatre School, as well as numerous elementary and high schools across Montreal. He is deeply passionate about theatre education as a way of encouraging self-expression among young people, and allowing them to discover their capacity for teamwork, empathy and play! When not teaching, you can find Jake studying at the National Theatre School of Canada, working as a performer on stages across the city, or drinking hot chocolate and performing Shakespeare for no one in particular.

Daniel is a theatre creator, animator, teacher, learner and aspiring everything. Daniel is the great grandchild of a cinema owner and an apple farmer. The grandchild of nurses and quilt makers. The child of teachers and talkers. The sibling of brilliant hearted adults. And the parent of a joy ball. Daniel’s family left Ireland and France many years ago to find the great southern land, Gadigal Land, Wiradujuri land. Daniel grew up on the land of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation (Sydney, Australia), surrounded by sun stroked skin, salt water and big Christmas feasts. Daniel completed a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre making at the Australian Institute of Music, but inherited big boisterous storytelling from his community. Daniel moved to unceded Kanien’kehá:ka land, Tio’tia:ke (Montréal) for love. Since arriving here, Daniel has worked with young people to make theatre, teach theatre, perform theatre and more. Daniel has worked in this capacity with the Segal Centre, Geordie Theatre, the ELAN Artists Inspire Project, the LEARN I Belong Project, The Montreal Children's Theatre, The Vancouver International Children's Festival and others. In 2019, Daniel co-founded a theatre collective, Young Hearts Theatre, which looks to tell stories for the young and young at heart. We follow a story to where it needs to go. Outside. Into a cave. Using puppets. Singing loud.

Brendan is the founder of Hourglass Studios, a media and technology > design firm based in Montreal, specializing in the development of > custom interactive video platforms for live and virtual events, > sports, and education. > > In recent years, he has built and operated audio recording and > television broadcast studios, and has produced content for > international news agencies such as BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Aljazeera, > CGTN, and others. > > On the performance/theatrical side, he has served as the president of the Yellow Door Choir (Montreal), raising money and awareness for charitable organizations using the power of music; and as a producer > on Tragedie of Lear (Palmerston Theatre, 2017), starring Walter Borden. A strong proponent of live artistic performances, Brendan continues to work with organizations that make a difference in their communities, and couldn't be prouder of the work being done by the Montreal Children's Theatre.