Mr. D (aka Stephen Duffy)

FOUNDER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

& SINGING TEACHING ARTIST

Meet the creator, founder, and inspiration of Mr. D's Music Club, Stephen Duffy. Mr. D tapped into the love and inspiration of music at an early age (7 and certain stardom would hit at 9). Only as an adult and well into parenthood did he fully realize the value of music in a child's life. Not only is Mr. D an accomplished singer/songwriter, but he is also, more importantly, a valued educator and mentor. He inspires the students he teaches to create an eclectic playlist in life that isn't always obvious. As a mentor to young Teaching Artists, he always maintains the most important mantra: Make.It.FUN!

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"Stephen has a wonderful rapport with the kids, and his enthusiasm for music and performance -- not as work, but as a source of joy and fascination -- is infectious!"

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  - Ben G., Berkeley, CA

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Rolanda Bell

ACTING TEACHING ARTIST

Rolanda has taken the career route as a storyteller for the last 15 years.

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Her work & accomplishments include being a Teaching Artist locally throughout the Bay Area, a BATCC nominee for her role in the OTP production of A Thousand Ships, and serving as a director for the 2024 High School Theater Festival at Berkeley Rep Theater School. Additionally, she is a 2023 RHE Artistic Fellow recipient.

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Recent Theater Credits include: A Thousand Ships (Oakland Theater Project), Shipping & Handling (Crowded Fire Theater), Midsummer Night's Dream (Shotgun Players), POTUS (Berkeley Rep), Is God Is (Oakland Theater Project), and Paradise Blue (Aurora Theater).

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As her resume continues to grow, you can see more of her work in the original film Blindspotting, the Netflix Original film All Day & A Night & voice actor in deleted scenes for Pixar Animation films Lightyear and Inside Out 2.

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Molly Brennan

 SCRIPT WRITER

Molly continues her script-writing work at Mr. D's Music Club in The Creative Spaces. Molly has worked in all aspects of theater and film, including directing, acting, stage managing, sound, writing and more. This summer she’ll be writing a variety of wacky original plays for the kids to bring to life on stage. Sharing the joys of theater with Mr. D's Music Club is always a wonderful break from her everyday life as a student at New York University, where she studies Film and Television. She has a focus in screenwriting and just finished writing her second feature film. Molly can't wait for the kids to act out hilarious scenes together and put their own spin on her plays!

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Hailey Magsig

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Hailey has supported Mr. D's Music Club from behind the scenes since its inception in 2011. However, during the pandemic, Hailey took on a leadership role to help the business through Covid and the various pivots the company had to make. Her background in the child activity industry, tech, and operations helped stabilize Mr. D's Music Club during this challenging time. Today, she continues to run the business side of things and is excited to guide the program, staff, and future of Mr. D's Music Club into the next phase and beyond.​​​

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Dalia Bender

DANCE & ART TEACHING ARTIST

New York City native, Dalia Bender, returns to The Creative Spaces! Dalia has been a dancer her whole life through various ebbs and flows of intensity and relationship to a movement practice. She's been a Registered Yoga Teacher since 2018 and seeks to root her dance teaching into a practice of embodiment. Having studied dance in her tween years, Dalia felt the impact of a rigid style of dance teaching that had more to do with how you looked and less with how you felt. Dalia aims to instill the confidence to do something unusual or scary in the dancers she teaches and creates choreography that matches that intention. 

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Dalia is also bringing her artistic talents to The Creative Spaces and will work with the kids to create a beautiful art project that will serve as the backdrop to their final performance.

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Besides being a dancer and artist, Dalia is also a sexual health educator and doula who finds joy in building community, doing arts and crafts, and spending time in the trees.

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