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EnActe School of Drama

"It has been my pleasure to have the opportunity to work with ESoD this year... and I have been nothing but pleased in every aspect. From their professionalism at the admin level to their curriculum planning to their amazing teaching staff, I have enjoyed every part of our experience working together."
Kim Cali,
Former Director of LS BEST, Harker Lower, Santa Clara

K-12 Education:

  • In a landscape where funding for arts education is progressively getting sparser, ESOD offers innovative, cutting edge, bespoke Arts Enrichment programs that not only teach theatre skills but also life skills through theatre. 

Currently roughly 1000 students avail of our programs across 20 schools annually!

  • EnActe Conservatory – year long theater program 

Adult Education:

  • We offer bespoke workshops and maven classes designed in theater and film that serve writers, actors, and other creatives. 
  • We collaborate with artists in the community to offer dance and music education in our EnActerium.

2025 Course Descriptions and Offerings

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"Our students LOVED the Voice Action for Animation sessions! The two teachers for our sessions did an AMAZING job at connecting with our students, getting them excited to participate in each week's session and work on their projects in between sessions. I was impressed with the way they interacted with our students, truly engaging them in a way that's not always so easy to do on a screen! Students are asking for this to return in the new school year and we definitely have plans to do so. "
Jessica Vance,
Enrichment and Environment Coordinator: Laurel Mountain Elementary, Austin

Our School Partners

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"Working at a school has been an adventure. I’m grateful for EnActe and its fun, school-based, after school programs. I am truly amazed at the level of commitment it has with bringing exciting enrichment that encompasses school curriculum with outside life lessons."
Lorena Martinez,
Director of MS BEST, Harker Middle, Santa Clara

EnActe School of Drama Team

Join the ESOD Team Today
Shalini Datta

Shalini Datta

Director of Education
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Xander Young

Operations Manager
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Atika Shah

Atika Shah

Communications Manager
About
"The EnActe School of Drama will go beyond learning a new skill and planting a seed for a future career option. Students who take this course not only leave with a professional clip of their work, but they discover a bit more about themselves. Students learn how to open themselves up to a real place, they learn to respect others who are different from them, they learn to work on something towards mastery, and the entire time they are fully engaged and having fun. I would recommend this course to all students bold and shy alike. Everyone who gets this opportunity will walk away with more than they had before they started."
Wendy Santos,
Teacher at Mahanay Elementary School, Alief ISD, Houston TX

ESOD Teachers

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Bianca Chestnut

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Stefan Fisher

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Nancy

Nancy Frank

About
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Gray Gerber

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Genene Griffiths Ortiz

About
Aishwarya

Aishwarya Kulkarni

About
Aditya Mahajan

Aditya Mahajan

About
Sara Pachauri EnActe Headshot

Sara Pacharui

About
Jilli Penner

Jill Penner

About
Dilip Ratnam

Dilip Ratnam

About
Atika Shah

Atika Shah

About
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Shalini is super excited to be joining the team of EnActe School of Drama as Director of Education. Shalini holds a BA in English Honors from a reputated University in India. Shalini has experience in working as an actor in regional film industry and on television in India.Shalini has won many awards on regional and national level in the field of performing arts. Shalini has also lend her voice for drama on radio. Shalini is also a trained Dancer and Stage artist.Shalini’s most recent experience in performing arts is teaching improv theatre in a summer school as an enrichment program.

Xander (he/him) is an actor, playwright, and teacher. He has recently received his M.A. at UC Santa Cruz in playwriting where he adapted the Bertolt Brecht play Mother Courage and her Children to modern day Mexico. . He wears many hats at EnActe as he is also an Operations and Curriculum Liaison dealing with scheduling and curriculum development. Pioneering the new Improv class to be part of the EnActe curriculum. 

esodops@enacte.org

Atika is thrilled to be part of Enacte School of Drama, where she blends her flair for the arts with her passion for inspiring children to dream big and let their imaginations soar. Armed with a postgraduate degree in English and driven by a deep-rooted love for the arts, she has built a successful career in advertising as a creative and copywriter.

In addition to her role as an instructor, Atika is stepping into the position of Communications Manager, where she aims to foster seamless communication between parents and teachers.  

Bianca is so grateful to be an Instructor with EnActe School of Drama! Bianca recently received her BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and has also trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and Carnegie Mellon University, studying Classical Acting and Musical Theatre, respectively. Bianca’s most recent credit is Helena with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s touring production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and works as a Teaching Artist with SF Shakes.

 

Stefan is the drama teacher at Saint Lawrence Elementary and Middle School and directs the middle school production at Woodside Priory. For twenty-one years, Stefan was an actor, director, playwright, and instructor with California Theatre Center, where he appeared in over a hundred productions and directed student actors in numerous Conservatory productions, many of which he wrote. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Dramatic Art from University of California, Davis and a Teaching Credential from Sacramento State University. Between UCD and CSUS he traveled with and performed in various circuses.

My name is Nancy Lynn Frank, BFA, AAS. I am an artist and educator with a local business for over 35 years and counting.  My firm designs and prints and specializes in writing for clients‘ advertising needs including copy and logo designs.  I have also written a children’s book and many songs (some recorded) ) with dreams of being a “rock and roll star.

With unique communication and creativity, I have managed to keep one foot and a strong arm in the education “door” which has been another passion of mine. My experience as a teacher, and proprietor bring  together all my acquired skills to be shared by client and students alike, meshing together perfectly!

Thank you EnActe School of Drama for giving me the opportunity to see my students  spread their wings and fly!!

Gary has taught and directed children’s theater for organizations up and down the peninsula including PYT, Bay Area eTc, Palo Alto Children’s Theater, and San Mateo, RWC and Palo Alto schools, as well as community theater at companies such as Hillbarn and Stanford University.  He also has extensive experience working with kids in the classroom teaching theater, science and math. His motto is that a good show is important, but a great experience for each child – one that is both fun and bolsters their self-esteem – is far more so. He’s looking forward to bringing that focus to EnActe’s community.

Genene is an instructor with the EnActe School of Drama. Genene has an AA in English from Evergreen Valley College and majored in English for Education at San Jose State. As a child. Genene played a wide array of characters in dozens of short films written and directed by her sci-fi / horror author father, Gerry. Genene is a writer, artist, painter also influenced by her great grandfather, English animator, Sid Griffiths. Genene is a mother of three, a trained makeup artist, a beauty consultant, and a licensed life agent for the State of California.

Aishwarya is a spirited Teaching Artist with seven years of experience inspiring students aged 12-18 through the magic of theatre. Armed with a Bachelor’s in Performing Arts and a Post Graduate Diploma in School Psychology from Pune University, India. She seamlessly blends creativity and psychology in the classroom. Certified in Higher Education Teaching from Harvard, Aishwarya believes in hands-on learning and active engagement—because who learns anything by sitting still? Whether crafting lesson plans or guiding students through the IB and IGCSE curriculum, she’s passionate about turning life and coffee into teachable moments. She thrives on making education meaningful.

Aditya is a globally-seasoned stage actor and writer with over 20 years of main-stage production performances. His thespian journey started at the Shakespeare (Dramatics) Society, St. Stephen’s College (Delhi), and since then, he has performed in Singapore, Dubai, London, and is a lead performer within the Bay Area theater circuit. In addition to theater, Aditya performs stand-up comedy at ticketed events, writes thought pieces for magazines and journals, and delivers classroom programs to adults and children on topics ranging from public speaking to improv. Aditya is also a teacher at the Enacte School of Drama, wherein he combines his eclectic stage experience and passion for talent development, by enabling young, fertile minds to identify and enjoy their creative potential. 

Sara is excited to join EnActe! Sara received a BFA in Acting from NYU Tisch, studying Meisner, Shakespeare, Clown, Voice, and On-Camera technique. Passionate about helping others find expression through play, her philosophy is that art is too important to take seriously. 

Behavioral Technician at Cornerstone Crisis Residential (2023-present), providing crisis intervention and managing treatment plans. Production Assistant at William Jessup University (2022-present), handling props, social media, and event planning. Residential Counselor at Boston Ballet (2022), overseeing students and managing crises. Dance and Theatre Teacher at Royal Stage Christian Performing Arts (2020-present), teaching and choreographing. Camp Counselor (2017-2021), supervising children and leading activities

Dilip is thrilled to be a part of EnActe’s School of Drama. Balancing his passion along with his technology career, he has been part of numerous South Asian Bay Area productions for the last decade, both acting and directing. Professionally, he built his career leading world-class teams to drive continuous improvements for both product and service delivery.  He has a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Bombay University in India and holds a Masters in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay in the USA.