Staff
DeAnna Pursai
Founder / Program Manager
DeAnna founded Angels on Stage in 2007. She was inspired after being a buddy coach at St. Francis College in Ft. Wayne, IN in 1991 while sister, Angel, was an actress with the theatre troupe “The Jesters”. DeAnna holds a Master’s Degree in Education Policy with an emphasis in special education state reform from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has been a special education teacher, general education teacher and a district literacy coach for the past 12 years. She is co-founder of the College of Adaptive Arts, a newly established non-profit arts conservatory for adults with differing abilities.
Pamela Lindsay
Director
Pam is the co-founder of The College of Adaptive Arts, a performing arts conservatory for adults with differing abilities. Pam also serves as an Academic Consultant for families of children with special needs. She holds a Master’s Degree from San Jose State University TV/ Radio/Film/ Theatre Department with an emphasis in Theatre Arts. She has published research into connections between learning objectives of acting study and those of speech/language therapy for individuals with social cognitive deficits, and has presented at various conferences. She’s an active member of the theatre community, serving most recently on boards for Silicon Valley Arts Coalition, Theatre Bay Area, and is a proud member of Actors for Autism.
Matt Tondag
Assistant Director
Matt is a Behavior Specialist and co-founder of All Hands In. He has been working with children of all ages, in various capacities, for over 18 years. The last 9 years he has been committed to the field of Special Education. Matt is currently pursuing his MA in Special Education at San Jose State University and also holds a BA in Creative Arts with a Minor in Drama. He is an avid believer in the power of play and its importance to the developmental process of a child. His work is driven by the simple belief that every child should be valued for their capabilities, not rejected for their disabilities. Matt is a former member of SJSU's School Touring Ensemble Program (S.T.E.P.) and current S.T.E.P. Alumni Chairman. He has also taught acting at the SJSU Magic Carpet Theatre Summer Camp.
Judy Bayse
Music Director
Judy has been teaching music to children for 15 years and has had lots of training and seminars as well as serving as Music Director for "Wonderland" by Peninsula Youth Theater. She is also a children's musician, singer/songwriter. Judy is a member of Regional Rep Children's Music Network, the Northern Cal. Chapter ORFF, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the Santa Clara County Reading Council. Judy has been a Girl Scout Leader and a Presenter at the Asilomar Conference Fine Arts Mini Experience. She has also been a Music for Minors Docent
Roseanne [Nina] Anderson Duncan
Production Manager
Nina is a Communications & marketing manager at Hewlett-Packard and has worked in the field of education for 15+ years and has over 16 years of musical theatre experience as an actress and director. She holds a BA in Communication Studies and Special Education from San Jose State University. She is an active member of the special needs community and has served on the executive board of the Autism Project PTA for the past 9 years. Additionally, she has served in theatre support staff roles such as costume designer, entertainment coordinator and stage manager for special needs events including Day in the Sky, Take Flight for Kids and Magic Makers. Her passion comes from being a caregiver of two children with autism.
Melanie Calabrese
Special Education Adaptations Consultant
Melanie is a special education post-secondary teacher for the orthopedically-impaired with the Santa Clara County Office of education. She has worked with her students to create a Workability Fashion Show, guiding them to write speeches through the adaptations of augmentative communication devices. She has her students perform at the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s graduation ceremony, and she works with them to enter the annual talent show put on by the county.