MEET THE TEACHERS
Ms. Reneé L. Charlow,
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Reneé L. Charlow is new to our theatre program, but brings a wealth of experience to share. She is a seasoned theatre actor, director/producer, acting coach, and visual artist. She currently serves as an Adjunct Literature Professor at Southern New Hampshire University and Program Manager with The Essential Theatre of Washington D.C. As a professional acting coach and educator, her students have appeared off-Broadway, on professional tour, regionally, on television and in film. Recent stage roles include Jeffery Manor, Intentions, and White Fire/Black Ash. Recent movie roles include a training video with the American Psychological Association. Renée served as the personal assistant to the legendary poet Ntozake Shange (for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf) from 2014 until her death in 2018, and wrote the afterword for Ms. Shange’s last published book, Dance We Do: A Poet Explores Black Dance. Renée holds an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University and a MPS in Creative Art Therapy from Pratt Institute, and she was recently elected as Vice President of Black Theatre Network.
Mrs. Jessica Joy Satryan Shaw,

Jess Shaw has been the Theatre Arts Teacher and Director at Mount Vernon High School since August 2016 and one of the Performing Arts Department Chairs since August 2020. She began her full-time teaching career in 2009 at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia, where she taught music, theatre, and film to grades 5-12 for seven years. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Theatre from Villanova University, concentrating her studies in directing and theatre education, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Grove City College, where she was awarded Magna cum laude with High Honors in Music and received the Music Education Award for excellence in the field of Music Education. Jess also has a passion for theatre curriculum development, presenting on it at multiple conferences and serving on various committees, projects, and teams at the local, state, and national levels.
For more details, please visit Jessica's website at jsatryan.wixsite.com/jessicajoy.