Matthew (Matt) Gitkin was raised in Fair Lawn, NJ. He studied his craft at Mason-Gross (Rutgers School of Performing Arts), Montclair State University and with the California Repertory Theatre in Long Beach, CA. Having also studied in NYC with Stella Adler, he was a founding member of New York City's Unexpected Company, an award winning Off-Broadway improvisational troupe, which performed at The Village Gate, The Lambs Theatre, The Bitter End, and The Nat Horne Musical Theatre. Mr. Gitkin has also appeared in many musical productions including Little Shop of Horrors, A Chorus Line, Jacques Brel, 1776, and Guys & Dolls. In 1992, he took part in an International Tour of A Chorus Line and The Best of Broadway; a salute to musical theatre, which had performances in the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Austria. In 1996, he was part of the California Repertory Theatre's production of Bombs Bursting in Air, which performed at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival. Mr. Gitkin has also been featured in a number of national and regional commercials. He is a member of the SAG/AFTRA and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. He has also served as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' assistant talent services coordinator for three Grammy Awards telecasts held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Academically, Mr. Gitkin has held the position of special assistant to the Dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Montclair State, a creative associate member of the California Repertory Company. Mr. Gitkin has served on the faculty at California State University Long Beach, California State University San Bernardino, Riverside College, University of Redlands, and Crafton Hills College, all in California, where he has taught acting, voice, movement, and dance for their theatre arts departments. He became an Assistant Professor in the Performing Arts Conservatory at the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL) and now is a Professor at Palm Beach State College.