The Arts Effect is an award-winning program for up-and-coming artists known for offering the highest quality acting training in an exciting, supportive environment. Our goal is to guide actors in the development of a rich, natural, emotionally connected acting style perfect for film, TV, and theater.

Whether you’re looking for a fun after school activity, an outlet for creativity, a chance to try something new and challenging, or looking to star of Broadway or the big screen —The Arts Effect has something for the actor, artist, EVEN ACTIVIST in everyone.

Great class options include: BEG., INT., ADV., Acting Classes, The All-Girl Theater Companies, Audition Technique Workshops, Musical Theater with Bob Mark, and College Level Teen Acting Courses.

Arts Effect students have appeared on Broadway (Mary Poppins, Shrek, Chaplin: The Musical, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Les Miserables, Billy Elliot, and more!), TV (666 Park Avenue, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Law & Order: SVU, The Good Wife, Deception, and more!), and in film (The Dark Knight Rises, Did You Hear About The Morgans?, New Year’s Eve, Lullaby, The Switch, Valentine’s Day, and more!) 

Katie Cappiello is a 2003 graduate of New York University, where she studied Theater at The Tisch School of the Arts along with Political Science, Women’s Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies.  Katie also studied Art History in Florence, Italy.

Katie trained at The Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, where she became fluent in method acting and eventually served as head teacher of the Young Actors Program.

Katie is the writer and co-director of four original plays including Keep Your Eyes Open, Facebook Me, SLUT, and A Day In the Life.  In 2015, she published her first book alongside Meg McInerney, entitled SLUT: A Play and Guidebook for Combating Sexism and Sexual Violence.  She has developed theater arts programming for young people worldwide, and has been honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame.  Katie was recently named one of New York’s New Abolitionists for her theater-based work to eradicate human trafficking.

Katie is also considered one of the top acting coaches and teachers in the country.  Katie’s students have appeared in numerous award-winning Broadway productions, critically-acclaimed films, and hit series including The Americans, Orange is the New Black, The Good Wife, Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order Special Victims Unit, Mary Poppins, Chaplin: The Musical, The Lion King, Matilda, Billy Eliot, Dark Knight Rises, Lullaby, New Year’s Eve, The Switch.  Specializing in performing arts school auditions, Katie is proud to announce that her amazing students have been accepted to New York University (Tisch School of the Arts), Wagner, Carnegie Mellon, UCLA, Northwestern, Emerson, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Professional Performing Arts Middle School and High School, LaGuardia High School, Frank Sinatra High School, and The Profesisonal Children’s School.

Katie is originally from Brockton, Massachusetts.

Meg McInerney is originally from the Washington, D.C. area and graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.  While at NYU, Meg studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute and received a BFA in Theater with minors in both Psychology and Applied Theater.

Since a very young age, Meg has experienced the transformative power that theater can have in a person’s life.  Meg’s excitement and passion for teaching theater developed into a career in 2004 when she worked at The Hudson Guild community center in NYC.  She created, developed, and implemented an after-school and summer theater program for 100 children, ranging from ages 5 through 14.  Through her program, Meg used theater as a tool to empower and encourage self-expression with children who had limited creative outlets.

Meg is a professional actor and for 3 years served as an Associate Board Member and the Company Manager for The PossEble Theater Company (PTC).  PTC was a New York City based non-profit that dedicated itself to producing thought-provoking, accessible, and contemporary theater.  Meg helped produce and acted in several PTC productions including Once Upon a Wolf, Mourn the Living Hector, Color of the Universe, and Cinephilia.

Meg also served as the Creative and Development Director and Lead Teaching Artist for the non-profit organization Opening Act.  (2005-2011)  Opening Act believes every student deserves a place to shine and works to bring free after-school theater programs to underserved New York City public high schools.  Students meet once a week to create original full length plays which are then performed at a professional theater in Manhattan.

Meg was recently honored, along side Katie Cappiello, by The National Women’s Hall of Fame and The United States Congress for their powerful and dedicated work with young artists.

Throughout all of Meg’s present and future endeavors, she hopes to continually inspire young people to find their voice and feel empowered to help create the change they want to see in the world!

Charlotte is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied at the Lee Strasberg Studio and learned the ins-and-outs of The Method. A stage and screen actress, Charlotte’s recent credits include Splat Goes Your Day at the Sam French OOB Festival;The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals; the Coffee Catchups webseries; Word Play at The Midtown International Theater Festival and the Radioactive Festival; Disability at the Planet Connections Festival; and the award-winning independent short film Absolute Threshold. 

Charlotte began her work at The Arts Effect in the Summer of 2010. She immediately realized the importance of teaching Method Acting to young actors because of their captivating ability to be relaxed, open and truthful in their acting. She is a firm believer that acting – whether on stage or screen – is a creative process and that great actors are, first and foremost, great artists. She is thrilled to be surrounded with the most talented and generous young artists in New York. 

Jonathan Sokolow is in his final semester as a Drama student at New York University. While there he has studied Practical Aesthetics at The Atlantic Theater Company and the physical work of Jerzy Grotowski at The International Theater Wing in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and at The Experimental Theater Wing here in New York City.  He has performed in over ten productions through NYU, ranging from self-scripted projects to several Mainstage performances. In addition to theater, he will graduate with a minor in Producing.

Jonathan has worked hard to combine his passion for working with children with his passion for theater.  For the past six summers, Jonathan has worked closely with kids at Camp Jorn YMCA in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. While there he mentored children age 8-16 as a Counselor, Leadership Counselor and in this past summer, Program Director. In addition to counseling campers, he developed the Drama program and created the Music program at Jorn.  In New York he has interned at The 52^nd Street Project, a children’s theater providing various artistic classes and private after school care in Hell’s Kitchen.  Jonathan is the other co-founder of Team Canada Sketch Comedy and Improv Troupe.  He truly believes in the powerful and positive impact the stage can have on a developing child.

Jamie Wolfe is proud to have studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She trained with the Atlantic Theatre Company Studio and in addition, studied at the Stonestreet Film and Television Studio. She spent her final semester at NYU interning with CESD Talent Agency. She worked in their legit department and was given the opportunity to assist in both their print and youth divisions as well. She also had the pleasure of working for Writer’s Theatre and Northlight Theatre, two award winning theatre companies in Chicago. She assisted in both their casting and educational development departments and was responsible for holding and running the Summer Unified Non-equity Generals for 5 Chicago Regional Theaters in July of 2010. She also experienced helping in the expansion of the MLK Theatre Project for private and public schools in Chicago. She began teaching Kindermusic at the North Shore School for the Performing Arts in Chicago and plans to dedicate her life enriching communities through this medium.

Jamie is a firm believer that comedy has the ability to heal, inspiring her to become the co-founder of a NYU Sketch Comedy and Improv Troupe called Team Canada. She has been performing improv for 7 years and has been working alongside her team writing sketch comedy for 3 years. She thrives off of physical performance and the willingness to take risks!