OUr Staff

Our core staff are all adult professionals who bring their expertise and creative enthusiasm to making this the most spectacular wizardry camp around.  

Fiddleheart Academy also conducts background checks on all adult staff members.

Kirstin Hara (she/her)

aka Professor Hobbliknob, Director, Co-Owner and Headmistress of Fiddleheart Academy. As a former professional dancer, choreographer and dance educator and current life coach and counselor, Kirstin has led multiple camps and taught countless classes and workshops for both children and adults in subjects ranging from dance improvisation & choreography to whole foods nutrition to personal empowerment and mindfulness. She was inspired to create this camp because of her kids’ enthusiasm for the Harry Potter stories and the realization that so many valuable life skills could be taught while having a blast in a world filled with magic. She has also discovered a love of wand making and is the official wandmaker at Fiddleheart. 

Doug Hara (he/him)

aka Professor Pennyworth, Co-Owner, is an actor, writer, and director who has performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre all across the country for the past 24 years.  He is also a longtime ensemble member of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company which has been creating new work and literary adaptations for decades.  Years ago, Doug fell in love with the idea of a world filled with witches and wizards, first with the Tolkein stories.  Now his kids have inspired a deeper dive into creating magical world of our own that has yielded new potion-making skills, lots of great craft projects, and the birth of Fiddleheart Academy!

Rachel Camp (she/they)

aka Professor Bazzleby, Co-Director is an actor, singer, musician, and avid teaching artist having worked in theaters throughout Philadelphia including Arden and Theatre Horizon.  She has been a J.K. Rowling enthusiast since Harry Potter entered her life back in 1997 and - with the help of a B.F.A. in Theater from Montclair State University - has tried to invoke a spirit of magic in her storytelling ever since.  Rachel teaches toddler-to-college-age classes in acting, voice, dance, and devised theater work in and around the city.  Long ago, summer camp instilled in her a strong belief in community, creativity and zeal, which she heartily shares every chance she gets.

Leigha Kato (she/her)

aka Suzu, The Mill Nixie is an actor & singer currently based in New York after having worked extensively in Philadephia at such theatres as Arden and Quintessence. She has forever loved everything sparkly and magical. She brings her immense curiosity of creativity, a lifetime of spells and skills and higher education from the University of the Arts. Before she fell in love with the magic of theatre she was enchanted and inspired by J.K Rowling's wizardly world of Harry Potter. She is enthusiastically awaiting her magical summer at Fiddleheart where she can finally frolic with her fellow magi, play with dragons and dance with the fairies!  

Jameson Foreman (he/him)

aka Professor Volpe is honored to be teaching the next generation of witches and wizards at such a prestigious magical institution. He is a Barrymore Award winning actor/singer, composer, and musical director, having earned a BFA in Musical Theatre from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and an MFA in Classical Acting from The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy of Classical Acting at George Washington University. If he is not acting in a show or practicing his Animagus transfiguration (he can transform into a red fox), he is a professor of Musical Theatre Performance at his alma mater UArts, and has also taught courses at Drexel University, and West Chester University. He lives, acts, and teaches by Albus Dumbledore’s most precious maxim: “You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be”.

Hanna Gaffney (she/her)

aka Professor De’Magia, was an avid reader of Harry Potter, The Lost Years of Merlin, The Wheel of Time and other such magical tomes as a young witch. Now, when she is not visiting her magical home of Andora, she resides in Philadelphia where she works as an actor, voice over artist, and writer. Her favorite magical classes to teach include magical zoology and dark magic defense and she also enjoys bringing her expertise to non-magical folks as a teacher of acting, movement and theatrical makeup. She received her BFA in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She is also on the vanguard of the new wizarding world fashion trend of wearing a wand gauntlette instead of a wand holster as a means of safely carrying one’s wand.

Jack McManus (they/them)

aka Keeper of the Keys is a theatre artist and educator based in Philadelphia. Holding a degree in Theatre and Political Science from Swarthmore College, Jack has always had a deep interest in how the arts can be used as a tool for the betterment of the world. Since receiving their degree, they have worked as a scenic designer, performer, and in various administrative and organizational roles around the greater Philadelphia area, including with Azuka Theatre, Team Sunshine Performance Corporation and Eat Purple Theater Co. Jack also teaches, directs, and designs as a faculty member at Westtown School. They have been an avid Harry Potter fan since reading the first book at seven years old, and their appreciation for the magical world has only grown with age. They are honored to serve as the Keeper of Keys at such a prestigious school as Fiddleheart Academy!

Danielle Levsky (she/they)

aka Professor Baba Yana Kvetchinova, is a transdisciplinary artist who has written, performed, and produced a series of solo performances, as well as devised ensemble work with institutions like National Queer Theater (NYC), Diversionary Theater (San Diego), The Conspirators (Chicago), Silent Theatre Company (Chicago), Prop Thtr (Chicago), and more. They also teach workshops in person and online on clown practice and performance, Jewish clown history, and their original creation, The Fool's Yoga, a movement class that blends vinyasa yoga, meditation, and clown exercises/games. Danielle received her clown teaching certification through The Clown School in Los Angeles and her 200-hour Yoga Alliance Vinyasa Flow certification through the Lab Yoga Studio in Chicago. They can't wait to discover and create magic with young witches, wizards, and mages this summer at Fiddleheart Academy. It's time to manage some mischief!

Former beloved Fiddleheart professors who helped shape our school

Jackie Soro (she/they)

aka Professor Hornsmith is a multimedia artist and performer based in sunny Philadelphia. Jackie kissed the Muggle world goodbye when the Harry Potter books fell into her lap as she was learning to read. She has never looked back. She holds many things in her magical arsenal, including degrees in History and Feminist & Gender studies from Wesleyan University, a deep love for working with children of all ages, and allergies to cats and the Dark Arts. She can be found onstage (most recently with the Bearded Ladies Cabaret and in the Arden Theater's Barrymore Award-winning production of Fun Home) and offstage working as a music coach for Girls Rock Philly. Jackie is a Sagittarius with a Cancer moon who enjoys dancing, baking, and perusing her tarot deck. She is thrilled to explore many new and mysterious forms of magic alongside the students of Fiddleheart Academy. 

Elena Camp (she/her)

aka Deputy Kaconure (Keeper of the Keys), discovered her magical powers as a wee witch. She has practiced her sorcery performing in a variety of venues in and around Philadelphia as a professional actor and singer. She shares her love of theatre and music working as a teaching artist and program director for several Philadelphia-area theaters and arts programs. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Rider University, where she first dreamed of becoming part of leading the next generation of magic makers. She raises her wand high for this year's Fiddleheart witches and wizards!

Brian Ratcliffe (he/him)

(aka Professor Moab) was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he developed a love for the living world by playing outside with friends, real and imaginary. A lifelong believer in the power of stories to change lives, Brian acted professionally for many years in Philadelphia. He couldn't stay away from the outdoors, however, and recently moved to central New York to pursue a Masters degree in Ecology. As professor of Magical Ecology, he can't wait to bring his love of nature and his love of stories together in the halls and fields of Fiddleheart.

Adam Sirusas (he/him)

aka Professor Erelis hails from Flemington, New Jersey: the only place that competes with Little Whinging as the most muggle town on Earth. When he isn’t casting spells and researching magical runes, he spends his days at Rutgers University where he is a student of Biomathematics and Medieval Studies, as well as a research assistant in ecological genetics. He seeks to enlighten young witches and wizards everywhere with the enchanting properties of math, the power of holistic knowledge, and the potential of the human spirit. In addition to being an aspiring educator, he enjoys playing music and hiking.

Rajeer Alford (he/him)

Bi Jean Ngo (she/her)

aka Professor Drakossa is a Philadelphia-based theatre artist and educator with a Bachelor of Science in Film from Boston University and an MFA in Acting from The Actors' Studio Drama School. She's flown through Neverland, lived in a GIANT shoe, and island-hopped by rowing traveling trunks. She also serves as a teaching artist and educational consultant for many theatre companies. She was most recently awarded the Theatre Communications Group's Fox Fellowship Award for Artist with Extraordinary Potential. She finds magic all around her, in the imagination of her students, in the alchemy of the kitchen, and in the language of her plants!

Halie Mangiaruga (she/her)

aka Professor Rosewood was born to a family of muggle parents and raised in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. It wasn't until she was 5 years old that learned of the world of witches and wizards. and discovered her inner magical powers. Halie earned a degree in Elementary Education and went on to find a true passion as a Crossfit competitor as well as trainer of CrossFit for adults and children.  She looks forward to sharing her love of exercise with the young witches and wizards at Fiddleheart as one of Fiddleheart's world class coaches of our favorite magical sports.

Michael Rodriguez (he/him)

aka Professor Wolfe, Quidditch Coach, believes in the motif that what we see depends on what we look for and has never stopped challenging himself to think outside of the box. Upon graduating from Drexel University, with a Bachelor of Science in Game Design, he became an interactive application developer to continue following his creative passions. These pursuits have allowed him to walk inside a space shuttle, explore augmented and virtual realities, and create interactive exhibits for museums across the country. Throughout all this he has been an active member of Philadelphia's quidditch community, starting out as a chaser for the local club team, before becoming a coach and now the commissioner for the Philadelphia Quidditch Conference. He looks forward to training the next generation of quidditch stars at such a distinguished institution!