Jonathan Bernstein
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Directors
Jonathan Bernstein
JONATHAN BERNSTEIN’s plays and musicals have been produced all over the country. Under the auspices of the Jerome Robbins Foundation in New York City, he’s currently developing a new project (with the great Susan Misner) entitled Here In The Bright Colorado Sun, his second collaboration with her; before this, they premiered The Shape She Makes at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA.
Directing credits include material at the Atlantic Theater Company, Signature Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, New York Stage & Film, Joe’s Pub, Ensemble Studio Theater and many others. He has worked at New York’s City Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage Theater, Roundabout Theatre, Public Theater, and 52nd Street Project, where he writes, directs and teaches.
He recently participated in NYC’s 24 Hour Musicals Benefit, writing an original musical with composer Jeanine Tesori between the hours of 11:00pm and 5:45am. This was his second time writing a musical for the charity; the first time he was paired with composer David Yazbek.
Additionally, Broadway/London supervising director credits include Private Lives with Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan; The Iceman Cometh with Paul Giamatti; Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? with Dame Diana Rigg and David Suchet; and the musical Chicago, in charge of overseeing both the (still running) 1996 Broadway revival, and the many national/international companies it has spawned.
He is the Artistic Director of The Performing Arts Project (an international arts training program for ages 16-25), he founded the National Musical Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and is a professor of Playwriting and Script Analysis in the Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at NYU.
Plus, he will eat tiramisu at the slightest provocation and he is a fan of the New York Football Giants which — like anything difficult — is fundamentally worthwhile.
Neil Patrick Stewart
Neil Patrick Stewart is an actor, writer, and decorated director, and is proud to be the associate artistic director (as well as a founder and member of the faculty) of The Performing Arts Project. He is a member of the acting faculty at Texas State University, and he holds an M.F.A. in acting from the world-renowned American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, and a B.A. in theater from Wesleyan University. Recent directing credits include: the premiere production of Volleygirls: the Musical in New York City, the world-premieres of Shiner in both Los Angeles and NYC, The Elephant Man in LA (nominated for four Ovation Awards, including best production and best direction), Volleygirls at the University of Florida, and Women and War (devised for and performed by Texas State students) at the San Marcos Public Library. Neil was a founder and creative director of Back House Productions in NYC, which helped push over 40 projects from page to stage, including Broadway’s smash hit In the Heights (for two years of its workshop development process, Neil was co-director of the project). Recent acting credits include four separate tours/ engagements of Julius Caesar in multiple cities in France, and four separate tours/ engagements of Jean Genet’s Splendid’s, in NYC, Bogota, Colombia, Seoul, South Korea, and multiple cities in France. At Texas State, his directing credits include the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 BFA Acting Showcases, the Playwrights’ Lab productions of both From A to Double-D and Flood, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on the Patti Strickel Harrison mainstage, and he appeared as Oberon in the Texas State production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, presented on the Harrison mainstage and directed by Dr. Chuck Ney. Neil is an author and a former professional writer, with two books on the shelves of major bookstores: Fact. Fact. Bullsh*t! and Headlines! Headlines! Headlines?, and hundreds of articles published in magazines.
Faculty
Faculty at our sessions will include many, but not all, of those listed below — as determined by availability and program needs.
Cameron Adams
Cameron Adams has been living and working in NYC for the past 16 years. Broadway credits include: The 2000 revival of The Music Man playing Zaneeta Shinn, Oklahoma!, Hairspray (u/s Amber), Cry-Baby (u/s Allison), Shrek, Promises, Promises (Miss Della Hoya), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (u/s Rosemary), Nice Work If You Can Get It (u/s Billie & Jeannie), Gigi (u/s Liane), She Loves Me at Studio 54, and Hello Dolly!. Off Broadway: Inventing Mary Martin at The York Theater and numerous NY City Center shows. TV: ABC/Disney’s The Music Man (Zaneeta Shinn), NBC’s The Sound of Music Live starring Carrie Underwood (nun), The Americans on FX and Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris. Cameron Teaches for Broadway Dance Center, Broadway Artists Alliance and many other wonderful theater and dance organizations around the country. Originally from Myrtle Beach, SC.
Stefanie Anarumo
Stefanie Anarumo is an actor, director, and arts accessibility advocate residing in New York City. As a Fulbright scholar, she resided in Rome, Italy where she created Il Teatro per Bambini Sordi. This children’s theatre for Deaf and hearing students, fused languages signed and spoken: Italian, English, American Sign Language, and Italian Sign Language. While researching international Deaf cultures, her grant culminated with a series of performances and the creation of a fully integrated theatrical curriculum. Recent performance credits include: Kristen Chenoweth’s My Love Letter to Broadway, PublicWorks’ Twelfth Night at the Delacorte Theater, Captive Audience with NY Deaf Theatre, Slasher and A Christmas Carol at the Hippodrome State Theatre. She holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance and a Certification in Arts in Healthcare from the University of Florida.
Jessica Bedford
Jessica Bedford is a Philadelphia based actor, director, dramaturg, playwright and teacher. She was seen most recently onstage as Mollie in “The Moustrap” at the McCarter Theatre. For five years she served as Associate Artistic Director at Montgomery Theatre, where she oversaw the education and dramaturgy programs. Her play “Blessed Are” was produced by Passage Theatre (Trenton, NJ; directed by Adam Immerwahr) and was a finalist for the 2012 New York Stage and Film Founders’ Award. She is a member of the adjunct faculty at DeSales University.
Hunter Bell
HUNTER BELL earned an OBIE Award, a Drama League nomination, and a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical all for the original Broadway musical {title of show}. He is a recipient of the Jim Owles Human Rights Awardand was named one of the 100 most influential people by Out Magazine. Other credits include the books for Silence! The Musical, Bellobration! (137th Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus), Villains Tonight! (Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment/Disney Cruise Lines) and Now. Here. This. (Vineyard Theatre). He has created and contributed original material for numerous benefits and events including BC/EFA’s Easter Bonnet/Gypsy of the Year competitions, Broadway Bares 18 & 19 (Wonderland & Click It!) as well as specialty material (and host) for the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards, The Actor’s Fund’s 125th Anniversary Gala, the Vineyard Theatre’s 25th Anniversary Gala, and NYCLU’s Broadway Stands Up for Freedom. A finalist in Warner Bros. Television Comedy Writers Workshop, Hunter is a co-creator of the web series the {title of show} show and recently co-created and wrote the pilot Glass Houses for ABC Studios/Television and Cherry-Wind Productions. He has developed new works at the O’Neill Center, Ars Nova, PS 122, Weston Playhouse and the Manhattan Theatre Source. As an actor, he has appeared on and off Broadway and around the country in numerous regional theaters, as well as in the films The Men Who Stare at Goats and Goodbye Baby. He is a distinguished alumnus of Webster University, a proud member of WGA, Actors’Equity, the Dramatists Guild, and AFTRA, as well as an honorary member of the Yale Dramatic Association and a MacDowell Fellow.
Nikko Benson
NIKKO BENSON is a New York-based writer and performer. A recipient of a 2016 Jonathan Larson grant, his projects include Nikola Tesla Drops The Beat (w/ Benjamin Halstead); Start Again; In Pursuit of Magic; The Pledge (w/ Christopher Staskel); and Oklahoma Smith (Key West Theater). His songs have been featured in concerts and cabarets such as Brian Stokes Mitchell’s Plays With Music, William Finn’s Ridiculously Talented series, and Shakina Nayfack’s One Woman Show.
ASCAP, founding member of the Musical Theater Factory.
Susan Blackwell
SUSAN BLACKWELL is on a mission to free people’s self-expression. As a performer, writer and educator, she champions this cause around the world, on Broadway, off-Broadway, in classrooms and writing, and on TV, film, sound recordings and the Internet. She created and played a character based on herself in the original Broadway musical [title of show], and the off-Broadway musical NOW. HERE. THIS. (original cast recordings available on Sh-K-Boom records). She created and hosts the freewheeling chat show Side by Side by Susan Blackwell on Broadway.com. As an actor, she has appeared off-Broadway in [title of show] at the Vineyard, NYMF and Ars Nova, Volleygirls at NYMF, Speech and Debate at The Roundabout, The Kid at The New Group, Anon at The Atlantic, and Peter Patrone in The Heidi Chronicles. Television appearances include ‘Master of None’, ‘Netflix Presents The Characters’, ‘Younger’, ‘Odd Mom Out’, ‘The Night Of’, ‘Unforgettable’, ‘SMASH’, ‘Person of Interest’, ‘Onion News Network’, ‘The Good Wife’, ‘The Sopranos’, ‘Law & Order’, and the ABC pilot ‘Dangerous Liaisons’. Films: The Comedian, Margin Call, P.S.: I Love You, Birdman, Three Generations, Oppenheimer Strategies, Margot at the Wedding, and A Most Violent Year. In addition to her creative accomplishments, Susan worked in corporate management for 20 years. As the founder of Susan Blackwell & Co, she partners with likeminded, compassionate artists and thought leaders to deliver inspiring entertainment and educational offerings aimed at freeing people’s creative self-expression. As an educator, she has empowered thousands of people to identify and slay the vampires that stop them from being free. www.susanblackwell.com
Nick Blaemire
Nick Blaemire is an actor, writer, and teacher. After receiving his BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan, he performed in the Original Broadway Casts of Cry-Baby and Godspell, and composed the score for the Broadway musical Glory Days. Simultaneously, he has worked with students at the The Performing Arts Project, Making it on Broadway, Broadway Classroom, Wingspan Education and the O’Neill Festival’s NTI Program, among others. He also teaches acting and songwriting in private coaching sessions, while continuing his work on television (The Good Wife, The Big C, Crossbones) and in theater, as a writer (with new musicals A Little More Alive, Soon and Fallout) and actor (most recently as Jon in Tick, Tick… Boom! Off-Broadway, and Plankton in the World Premiere production of The SpongeBob Musical). He also recently released his 2nd EP of original songs, called the Ampersand EP, which is available on iTunes and Spotify. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Ana and their dog Leo McGarry. @nickblaemire
Kelly Bolick
Kelly Liz Bolick was most recently seen Off-Broadway in Southern Comfort at the Public Theater (U/S Carly, assistant choreographer). Other favorite credits include the First International Tour of Beauty & The Beast (swing/DC), Mary Poppins at NC Theatre (Fannie/DC/associate choreographer), Volleygirls the Musical (swing, assistant choreographer), White Christmas at Arts Center of Coastal Carolina (ensemble/DC/associate choreographer), West Side Story (ensemble), and Cats (Rumpleteazer). Kelly also teaches jazz and tap at the School at Steps and Steps on Broadway in NYC and loves spending her summers working with the exceptional students at the Performing Arts Project.
Grady McLeod Bowman
Grady McLeod Bowman is a NYC-based director, choreographer, and creative artist. Noted for being able to move in and out of genres and styles across many mediums, Dance Magazine has called him “exceptionally versatile” and “on the rise”. Grady’s work has been seen Off-Broadway, at the NY Fringe Festival, and at numerous regional theaters and universities across the country. As an Associate Director/Choreographer, Grady has worked alongside Tony award-winners Julie Andrews, Chris Gattelli, Joe Mantello & Randy Johnson.
Associate Director: A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN (Capital Repertory Theatre), THE GREAT AMERICAN MOUSICAL (Goodspeed Opera House).
Associate Choreographer: DOGFIGHT (Second Stage Theatre), IN YOUR ARMS (The Old Globe), THE GREAT AMERICAN MOUSICAL (Goodspeed Opera House), TOP HAT (NY Developmental Lab).
As a performer, Grady was in the original Broadway companies of BILLY ELLIOT, SOUTH PACIFIC (2008 Revival), HONEYMOON IN VEGAS, WONDERLAND, and THE PIRATE QUEEN. He also toured internationally with FOSSE and Pilobolus Dance Theatre, as well as appeared in the films FORREST GUMP and THE LAST FIVE YEARS. www.gradymcleodbowman.com
Dave Clemmons
Dave began his career as a performer on Broadway with roles in Les Misérables, The Civil War (original company), The Scarlet Pimpernel (original company and Chaeuvelin on original concept recording). He was seen as Jean Valjean in the National tour of Les Misérables (2 years) and the National tours of Jekyll and Hyde as well as the pre-Broadway productions of Whistle Down the Wind (by Andrew Lloyd Weber, directed by Hal Prince at The National Theatre in DC) and Jekyll and Hyde (The Alley Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, Seattle’s 5th Ave. Theatre). He was also featured as Corin/Amiens/Hymen in As You Like It at the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas. Other roles have included Che in Evita, Freddie in Chess, The Teen Angel in Grease, Dinadan in Camelot (starring and directed by Terrence Mann) and Richard in The Lion in Winter.
Dave is an in demand teacher/lecturer having taught at the premiere music theater training programs across the country as well as master classes in New York, LA, Chicago, Boston, Houston, and Orlando. He is a visiting professor at the acclaimed Elon University Musical Theatre Program and is a founding faculty member and music supervisor of The Performing Arts Project. He operates the Dave Clemmons College Advisory Program (DCCAP), preparing top high school talent to audition for the competitive field of study that is musical theater at the collegiate level.
Dave currently serves as The Dean of The Humphreys School of Musical Theatre – the educational wing of Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance and commercial music from the renowned Frost School of Music at The University of Miami, Fl.
As a producer, Dave serves as a Producing Partner for StylesFour Productions. StylesFour has been producers/investors for the Broadway productions of Once (Tony Award-Best Musical), Orphans (starring Alec Baldwin), Driving Miss Daisy (starring James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave), Spring Awakening (Tony Award- Best Musical), the critically acclaimed original New York production of Bat Boy, An Intimate Evening with Frank Wildhorn and Friends (starring Frank Wildhorn, Linda Eder and Douglas Sills), Pee-Wee Herman on Broadway, Talk Radio, and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother (starring Judy Gold).
Dave Clemmons was the founder/owner of Dave Clemmons Casting, whose Broadway projects included: The revival of Driving Miss Daisy, The Boy from Oz (starring Hugh Jackman), Brooklyn (starring Eden Espinoza), Ring of Fire, In My Life, Dracula, The Civil War, Cinderella starring Eartha Kitt and Jamie Lynn Sigler, and Frank Wildhorn’s Wonderland.
Off-Broadway shows: Bat Boy, Bare, Altar Boyz, the New York revival of Charles Mee’s, Big Love, Zanna Don’t!, Dear Edwina and the 2000 revival of Godspell at The York Theatre (starring Shoshanna Bean, Leslie Kritzer, and Barrett Foa).
National Tours: Jekyll and Hyde, Fosse (supervised by Ann Reinking), Moving Out (choreographed and directed by Twyla Tharp), West Side Story (directed by David Saint and choreographed by Joey McKneely), Evita (directed by Hal Prince), Fiddler on the Roof (starring Topol/Harvey Firestein), Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar (starring Ted Neely), The Civil War (starring Larry Gatlin and Bebe Winans), Chicago, CATS, Dr. Doolittle (directed by and starring Tommy Tune), Thoroughly Modern Millie (directed by Joey McKneely), Joseph…, Saturday Night Fever, and the new national tour of The Wizard of Oz.
International tours: Fosse (Paris/Germany-starring Ben Vereen and Ruthie Henshall), West Side Story (Germany- directed and choreographed by Joey McKneely), 42nd St. (Moscow-directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner) and The Sound of Music (Asia), The King and I (Asia).
Regional: Little Shop of Horrors at The Alley Theatre, Steel Magnolias, Chicago and The Civil War at Flatrock Playhouse, The Full Monty and Footloose at Marriott Lincolnshire, Driving Miss Daisy at Casa Manana (starring Sandy Duncan), Camelot at North Shore Music Theatre, History of the Word at the Tony Award-winning Crossroads Theatre, Making Tracks at San Jose Rep. and The Great Game (directed by Randal Milam) at The Duke Univ. Theatre Co.
Las Vegas: The American premiere of the international sensation Notre Dame de Paris which opened the Paris Hotel, The Las Vegas company of Saturday Night Fever and the Las Vegas engagement of Fosse.
As a music/vocal director/supervisor Dave has worked on the Broadway production of The Civil War, National Tours of Jekyll and Hyde and The Civil War, Little Shop of Horrors at The Alley Theatre, The Civil War at The Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. and casting director/vocal director/arranger for The Presidential Gala performance of The Civil War at The National Theatre in Washington, D.C. starring Trisha Yearwood, Clay Aiken, Larry Gatlin, Hal Holbrook, Bebe Winans, and Maya Angelou.
Dave Clemmons has conducted the Broadway Gospel Choir and the Dave Clemmons Choir in performances at Carnegie Hall, The Today Show, the Bravo Network, The Palace, and Gershwin Theatres on Broadway as well as the Linda Eder album/DVD “Christmas Stays the Same.”
Dave served as a Minister of Music at First United Church Methodist in Miami.
Gavin Creel
GAVIN CREEL won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best Actor In A Musical for his starring role as “Elder Price” in the London production of THE BOOK OF MORMON. He has been twice nominated for a Tony Award–for his performances as “Claude” in HAIR and “Jimmy” in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. Additional credits include the Broadway productions of SHE LOVES ME, THE BOOK OF MORMON, and the 2004 revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, as well as The Goodman Theatre/Kennedy Center production of BOUNCE, A.R.T.’s World Premiere of PROMETHEUS BOUND, and both HAIR and MARY POPPINS in London’s West End. He also co-starred alongside Julie Andrews in the television movies “Eloise at the Plaza”and “Eloise at Christmastime.”
Creel has recorded three original albums, “GoodTimeNation,” “Quiet,” and “Get Out,” and he cowrote and released the single “Noise,” to raise money and awareness for the national fight for marriage equality. Creel is a member of the Broadway Inspirational Voices Choir and a graduate of The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Gavin will appear on Broadway this spring as Cornelius Hackl in the highly anticipated revival of HELLO, DOLLY! starring Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce.
Zachary Fine
Zachary Fine acting credits include; Broadway; China Doll with Al Pacino. Off-Broadway; credits include The Acting Company, Red Bull Theater, Theater for a New Audience, New York Classical Theater. Regionally, credits include work at the Guthrie Theater, Folger Theater, Playmakers Rep, Asolo Rep, Fulton Theater, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Franklin Stage and the Clarence Brown Theater. TV/Film/Commercial/Voice-Over credits include: Person of Interest, BlackBox, One Life to LIve, Z-Rock, Grand Theft Auto 5 and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (New Book Press). Zachary has been creating original work since 2011 when he premiered his solo show Walled In based on Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Since then he has gone on on to make Manifest Destiny with Lucas Caleb Rooney and Aitor Basauri (Spymonkey co-founder and professional idiot).Other directing/writing credits include; Thin Air Shakespeare Festival, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Manifest Destiny IRT Theater, Walled In IRT Theater. Zachary teaches clown and games at NYU as well as numerous training institutions around the world.
David Furr
David Furr was recently nominated for Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his appearance on Broadway in Noises Off. Previous Broadway appearances include The Importance of Being Earnest, Accent on Youth, Cymbeline, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Rivals, and King Lear. He has appeared in NY Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park productions of Cymbeline and As You Like It, for which he won Actors Equity’s St. Claire Bayfield Award. Other notable off-Broadway credits include Equivocation and The Explorers Club. David has also worked extensively in regional theatre, appearing in well over half of Shakespeare’s canon. On film, David has been seen in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Liv, Anche Se E Amore, Non Si Vede, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Evening. TV: Braindead, The Good Wife, Elementary, Odd Mom Out, The Americans, State of Affairs, Royal Pains, The Mentalist, NCIS: LA, Michael J. Fox Show, Private Practice, Law and Order: SVU and many others.
Connor Gallagher
CONNOR GALLAGHER (Choreographer) Selected Credits: The Robber Bridegroom (Roundabout Theatre Company, 2016 Astaire Award); FOUND (Philadelphia Theatre Company); Camelot (Westport); Tangled (Disney Cruise Line); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Ogunquit Playhouse); The Twelve (Denver Center); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Bucks County Playhouse); The Fabulous Lipitones (Goodspeed); Spidermusical (The Mint); Perez Hilton… (FringeNYC, Barrow Street Theatre, Joe’s Pub); Babes in Toyland (Lincoln Center); and over a dozen shows for Theatreworks USA. Connor has created choreography for Glidden Paint, Luxxotica Eyewear, Hanky Panky underwear, The Writers Guild Awards, and the HIFA Festival in Zimbabwe. Associate: Into the Woods (Public Theatre), Beauty and the Beast National and International Tours, Meet Me In St. Louis (Papermill Playhouse.) Connor is a graduate of The Cincinnati Conservatory and made his Broadway debut as a performer in Beauty and the Beast. He is currently developing a new project as a director for Disney Creative Entertainment for the fall of 2017. www.connorgallagher.com
Alexander Gemignani
Currently: Hamilton (King George III), Chicago Company. Broadway: Violet (Father), Chicago (Billy), Les Misérables (Valjean, Drama League nomination), Sweeney Todd (Beadle, Drama Desk nomination), Assassins (Hinckley, Theatre World Award), The People In The Picture (Moishe), Sunday in the Park with George (Boatman/ Dennis). Off-Broadway: Road Show at the Public (Addison Mizner, Drama League nomination), Headstrong at EST (Nick) and Avenue Q at the Vineyard Theatre (Brian). Favorite Regional: The Three Sisters (Andrei) at Cincinnati Playhouse, Oklahoma! at THE MUNY (Jud Fry), The Boys From Syracuse (Sergeant) at The Shakespeare Theatre of D.C. and the title character in the world premiere musical Saint-Ex at The Weston Playhouse. Concerts: 1776 at New York City Center Encores! (Rutledge), The N.Y. Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall, The N.Y. Pops at Carnegie Hall, The L.A. Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl and the American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center. He has premiered solo shows at the Kennedy Center (Barbara Cook’s Spotlight Series), The Sheen Center, Birdland and Feinstein’s. TV/Film: Empire (recurring), Homeland (recurring), Chicago Fire, The Good Wife, Empire State (pilot) and the film The Producers. As a composer/lyricist, he is currently developing four new musicals and has composed the incidental music for several plays. As a musical director, he is currently in development for productions with The Public Theatre and Roundabout Theatre Company. He is on the faculty at NMTI at The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and a proud graduate of the University of Michigan.
Emily Goldman
Emily Goldman is a music director, writer, and teaching artist based in NYC and Ithaca. She has been a guest lecturer at both Cornell University and Ithaca College, and she was previously Assistant Music Director at Texas State University. She holds an MFA from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Emily is also a MacDowell Fellow in Literature, a Johnny Mercer Songwriting Fellow, and a past participant in the Writers’ Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. Her work has been featured at Barrington Stage, the Hangar Theatre, Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, the Aspen Music Festival, and many other venues.
Nina Goldman
Nina recently returned from assisting Arthur Pita at the Paris Opera Ballet for the world premiere of Iolanta / Casse Noisette. In the summer of 2015, she originated the role of the Polish Mother in The Garsington Opera’s Death in Venice. She performed in Susan Stroman’s world premiere of The Little Dancer at The Kennedy Center. Her Broadway credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Contact, Swan Lake, The Red Shoes and The Phantom of the Opera. Off-Broadway appearances in Belle Epoque (Lincoln Center), Bloomergirl (City Center) and A Dybbuk (Public Theater).
Nina originated the role of Mrs. Samsa in Arthur Pita’s The Metamorphosis at The Royal Opera House in London. National and international performances include The Shape She Makes at American Repertory Theater and Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, The Car Man and Edward Scissorhands. Both The Metamorphosis and Swan Lake were filmed and aired on SKYArts TV. Nina has worked at the Signature Theater, Baryshnikov Arts Center, NY Theater Workshop, Great Lakes Theater Festival and the Manhattan Theater Club. Nina danced with the National Ballet of Canada, Feld Ballets, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal and The Altogether Different Series, and did pre-production work with Susan Stroman for her ballets for NYCB and Pacific Northwest Ballet. She was rehearsal director for Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and assistant rehearsal director for The Cedar Lake Dance Company. Television appearances include the Fame TV series and the Oscar and TONY awards telecasts.
Teaching credits include Sarah Lawrence College, The Metropolitan Opera, The Juilliard School, Barnard College, Dance New Amsterdam, Peridance/Capezio Dance Center, Dancewave and Joffrey Ballet School. Guest teaching for The Cedar Lake Dance Company, Random Dance, Rambert and New Adventures Dance Companies. Bachelor of Arts from Empire State College. Inaugural class of Hunter College’s Arnold Graduate Dance Education Program. Nina is the associate choreographer for The Phantom of The Opera National tour.
Deidre Goodwin
Deidre Goodwin has been in eight Broadway shows including A Chorus Line (Shelia Bryant) and Chicago (Velma Kelly) and Nine (Our Lady of the Spa), the films Chicago (SAG 2003 Best Ensemble Award), Across the Universe, It’s Complicated, Magic Mike XXL, Every Little Step, and has made TV appearances on Madam Secretary, Search Party, Broad City, 30 Rock, and Law & Order SVU.
In addition to performing, she is also an educator, choreographer, and director. Connect with Deidre via Instagram and twitter @dababadoo and facebook.com/deidregoodwinclasses.
Tyler Hanes
Tyler Hanes is currently starring as Rum Tum Tugger in the Broadway revival of Cats. His other Broadway credits include Gabey in On The Town, Larry in A Chorus Line, Link Larkin in Hairspray, Charlie in Sweet Charity, The Frogs, The Boy From Oz, Urban Cowboy, Oklahoma! His Off-Broadway credits include Stephen Sondheim’s A Bed and A Chair: A New York Love Affair opposite Bernadette Peters, Johnny Boyle in Juno, and American Dance Machine for the 21st Century. Other theatrical favorites: Mary Poppins (Bert), Spamalot (Sir Galahad), All Shook Up (Chad), Cabaret (Clifford Bradshaw), Kiss Me Kate (Bill Calhoun), Les Miserables (Enjolras), The Studio (Jackie), The Drowsy Chaperone (Robert Martin), 42nd Street (Billy Lawlor), Footloose (Ren McCormack, Jeff Nomination), Fosse (First National Tour). TV/Film: Hail, Caesar!, The Blacklist, Ms. Guidance, In The Blood, 30 Rock, Phoebe in Wonderland, One Life To Live, Rose, The Tony Awards. As a choreographer, Tyler has choreographed for Dancing With The Stars, The American Country Awards, and Kristin Chenoweth’s Some Lessons Learned World Tour. @thetylerhanes
Kaitlin Hopkins
Kaitlin Hopkins currently heads the musical theater program at Texas State University. Hopkins is an award-winning actress, director, and educator. She has worked on and off Broadway, in film, television and radio for over 35 years. Favorite Broadway credits include: Noises Off, Anything Goes (w/ Patti Lupone), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original cast/ “Mama Who”). Off Broadway she can be heard on the original cast albums for: Bare: a pop opera, The Great American Trailer Park Musical and Bat Boy-The Musical for which she received a Drama Desk and Ovation award nomination. Other notable credits: Disney’s On The Record (1st National Tour/Ovation nomination/cast album), Dirty Dancing (American Premiere, 1st National Tour). She has made over 50 film and television appearances including: Confessions of a Shopaholic, The Nanny Diaries, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, three years as Dr. Kelsey Harrison on Another World, JAG, Spin City, Rescue Me, Star Trek: Voyager and Deep Space Nine, and all three Law and Order shows. Directing credits at Texas State University include The World According to Snoopy (premiere), Anything Goes, Urinetown, All Shook Up, Hair, The Wild Party, A Little Princess, and Oklahoma. Her productions have been recognized multiple times by the Austin Critics’ Table Awards including winning twice for Best Musical Production. Her recently acclaimed TEDx talk “#TeachMentalHealthNow: An Artist’s Approach” focuses on her efforts to advance mental health education as a standard part of higher education, particularly as it relates to the training curriculum for performing artists. In 2016 she received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching from Texas State University, and was recognized by the Broadway Dreams Foundation as one of the 6 top innovative women educators in the performing arts. Kaitlin is also the proud creator and President of Fontus Dry Throat Lozenges. www.KaitlinHopkins.com
Ryan Kasprzak
Ryan Kasprzak – Currently making his Broadway debut in the new musical Bandstand under the direction of two-time Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler. National Tours: Billy Elliot (Associate Resident Choreographer / Dance Captain), Fosse (Dance Captain). TV: Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. Choreography credits include Southern Comfort (Public Theater), NBC’s Smash (Asst. Choreographer), David Blaine’s Real or Magic, Brave New World: the Musical (NC Stage), Mary Poppins (NCT). NYMF award winners Academia Nuts, Cloned, Volleygirls. Creator with multi Drama Desk Award nominated Parallel Exit: Physical Comedy Theater. Marymount Manhattan College professor and alumnus. Thanks to LL, Sally, LDC, and fam. www.ryankasprzak.com
Kelly King
Kelly King was a Radio City Rockette for 12 years and has performed extensively for television, stage, and film. She toured nationally with Fosse and Anything Goes and performed in Gregory Hines In Concert with Gregory Hines and Busker Alley with Tommy Tune. Her other credits include Alvin Ailey NY, Sinatra “His World, His Way, His Voice,” The Tonight Show, MTV Music Awards, NBC’s WOW Awards at Lincoln Center, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Today Show and with the Pussycat Dolls at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
As a teacher, King held the resident faculty choreographer position at the Broadway Theatre Project for 11 years at the University of South Florida. She now is involved in The Performing Arts Project as part of their dance department and as a guest teacher for Broadway Dance Center in NYC. She recently finished teaching at GENDARC Dance Summer Intensive, with over 50 apprentices, held at Alvin Ailey in NYC. King is also an adjunct teacher at Pinellas County Center for the Arts Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg where she sets pieces for the dance department spring galas.
Currently King stays very busy at Patel Conservatory where she serves as Head Contemporary Teacher for Next Generation Ballet and as Director of the Patel Conservatory Popular Dance program. King established this program 4 years ago which provides dancers with the education in other forms of dance for additional job opportunities in the dance industry, the program has grown to now have a two week summer intensive where dancers can continue their studies in the summer. King guest teaches at over 9 studios in the Florida tri-state area and in other states, she is currently apart of the Florida Dance Association and instrumental at bringing artist together in the Florida area amongst schools, universities and studios. King continues to serve as a judge and teacher at various dance competitions.
Lynzy Lab
Lynzy Lab is a Texas-based dancer/choreographer and has been a proud member of the resident faculty at The Performing Arts Project since its inception. In 2003, at the early age of 17, Lynzy became the youngest principal dancer to sign with the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company in history, and she performed and taught with the prestigious professional company for seven full seasons. Last year, Lynzy began dancing with Verge Dance Company, a nonprofit Austin-based contemporary company.
Some of her other performance credits include Texas Contemporary Weekend at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston, The Pink Ribbon Project, Liz Lerman’s Hallelujah Project, The Grier School Gala in Pennsylvania, The Commissioner’s Ball for the 2004 Super Bowl, Pink! The Musical, industrials for Walmart, Levi’s Jeans and Paul Mitchell, Fort Worth Dance Festival, Intercoiffure Hair Show at the Waldorf Astoria, and APAP Conference in New York City. Film credits include her appearance as a featured dancer in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some!!, and she was the choreographer for the feature film Be Not Afraid.
Shortly after starting her professional dance career, Lynzy began teaching and choreographing for some of Houston’s most notable dance studios, including Houston Metropolitan Dance Center, Houston Academy of Dance, and West University Dance Center. Since her departure from The Met in 2010, Lynzy has left her mark on numerous schools, conventions, intensives, and pre-professional and professional companies all over the nation, including Manhattan Dance Project, Heifetz International Music Institute, Exclamation Dance Company, Houston Met Too, Sole Discretion, Lindsmir Productions, West University’s Performing Company, and International Ballet of Houston where she signed on as Resident Choreographer in 2012 and held the position until the company’s final year in 2015. More recently, Lynzy has had the privilege of choreographing productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ajax in Iraq for the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas State University, where she is currently an adjunct dance instructor.
Aside from her work in the dance world, Lynzy has also begun a career in the health and fitness industry. She works with private clients across the nation as a certified International Sports Science Association fitness trainer and nutrition specialist, and she recently signed with international fitness modeling agency Naturally Fit Models.
Mary Ann Lamb
Mary Ann Lamb teaches and choreographs all over the world. She recently (Summer 2016) taught with Elizabeth Parkinson setting the Jerome Robbins Suites in Amsterdam and more recently completed teaching a series of Master Classes (Fall 2016) at NYU. Mary Ann choreographed (with Lisa Gadja) Gypsy with Harbor Lights Productions and A Nightingale Sang at Westport Playhouse. She was Associate Choreographer for Susan Misner and Jonathon Bernstein’s, The Shape She Makes at ART Theater in Cambridge, and for JoAnn Hunter on Barry Manilow’s Harmony and Oliver at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. As a performer Mary Ann has played Young Claire in John Kander and Fred Ebb’s, The Visit, starring Chita Rivera and John Cullum. She danced in the film, Rock of Ages, with Tom Cruise. On Broadway she played Mona Page in Curtains starring David Hyde Pierce and in the Paper Mill Playhouse production of Curtains, choreographed by JoAnn Hunter. Other Broadway credits include: Contact; Seussical; Fosse; Chicago; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; Jerome Robbins’ Broadway; Song and Dance; Goodbye Girl; Starlight Express; and Carrie. In addition to Broadway, Mary Ann has danced in eight productions at New York’s City Center in the prestigious ‘Encore series. She has played the lead role of Anna in the York Theater’s off-Broadway presentation of New Girl in Town; Lola in Sacramento Music Circus’s production of Damn Yankees; and Cerraine at Boston’s Huntington Theater in Lady From Maxims. She has danced in a variety of television roles, commercials, and films: Among these are the Oscar Award-winning film, Chicago; also Rock of Ages; The In Crowd; Portrait of a Showgirl; As the World Turns; and this fall she was honored to dance with The Muppets in their latest adventure film, Letters to Santa. Mary Ann’s extensive dance career is on display in a PBS documentary titled, Working Dancers II. Her vision of dance is shaped from working with the following choreographers and directors: Jerome Robbins, Graciella Daniel, Gwen Verdon, Ann Reinking, Kathleen Marshal, Susan Stroman, and Rob Marshal. These luminaries of the theater in addition to many others have inspired Mary Ann to pass on her artistic passion to others where she has taught dance all over the world in universities and master classes, and she is on the faculty of Showstopper Conventions. Mary Ann has taught at several of the top universities including NYU, Penn State, and Julliard. She also teaches and choreographs for FineLine Theater Arts with Scott Wise and Elizabeth Parkinson. In the summer, Mary Ann is part of the dance faculty for three prestigious summer theater camps: TPAT at Wake Forest University, Triple Arts, and the Marthas Vineyard Musical Theater Summer Workshop.
Ana-Maria Lucaciu
Ana-Maria Lucaciu was born in Bucharest, Romania. After graduating from the National Ballet School of Canada she joined Canada’s National Ballet and went on to dance with the Royal Danish Ballet, Germany’s Augsburg Ballet, Lisbon’s Contemporary Portuguese Dance Company and most recently, with New York’s Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, where she danced for seven years. Lucaciu has performed works by Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter, Jiří Kylián, Alexander Ekman, Jo Stromgren, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and many others. Ana Maria assists Alexander Ekman with new creations and stages his work around the world. She also teaches and collaborates frequently with artists and companies in the US and Europe. Lucaciu has a BFA in dance from Empire State College.
Michael Maresca
Michael Maresca has worked with tens of thousands of singers across the globe changing how they understand the human voice and how to build it. As the creator of the One Voice theories, techniques, and training, he has certified multiple coaches who now teach throughout the United States. He teaches in person exclusively for the Texas State Musical Theatre Program, and along with the other certified One Voice Coaches, he trains commercial singers worldwide online and in master classes. He has served as faculty on The Performing Arts Project, Broadway Theatre Project, and the Tennessee Arts Academy. He has been a guest artist and taught numerous workshops for the International Thespian Festival, as well as the Texas, Tennessee, and Missouri State Thespian Festivals. Michael appeared in the Broadway National Tour of Mamma Mia! and the National Tour of Saturday Night Fever.
Susan Misner
SUSAN MISNER (actor, choreographer) currently plays Dr. Nora White on Hulu’s new TV series Shut Eye. She’s also recently been seen as Sandra Beeman on FX’s The Americans, and Terri McCue on Showtime’s Billions.
A dance play that she co-conceived entitled The Shape She Makes received its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in the Spring of 2014.
She is the veteran of four Broadway musicals: Guys And Dolls, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, and Dream.
She has appeared in many films including Chicago (for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award), Hope Springs, The Forgotten, The Hoax, Walking On The Sky (Best Supporting Actress Award, New York International Independent Film Festival), Something’s Gotta Give, Somebody’s Hero, Everybody Says I Love You and most recently, Being Charlie directed by Rob Reiner and the upcoming Assassination Nation.
A long list of guest-starring credits on TV such as multiple appearances on all three series of the Law & Order franchise, as well as both CSI shows, Nashville (recurring), Gotham, The Blacklist, Banshee, The Following, Person Of Interest (recurring), The Good Wife (recurring), In Treatment (recurring), Without A Trace (recurring), Rescue Me (recurring), Blue Bloods, Sex In The City, Elementary, NCIS, White Collar, Royal Pains, Fringe, and she portrayed Gretchen Martin in the miniseries The Bronx Is Burning opposite John Turturro.
Julia Murney
Julia Murney last appeared on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked after playing the role on the national tour for which she received an Acclaim Award. Other New York credits include Lennon, The Wild Party (Drama Desk nomination), The Vagina Monologues, Falling (Drama Desk nomination), A Class Act, The Landing, Saved, Crimes of the Heart, Queen of the Mist, and Time and Again (Lucille Lortel nomination). She’s been seen regionally all over the U.S.- Signature, Muny, Williamstown, Reprise!LA, Sacramento Music Circus, NCT, Lyric, Rubicon and Goodspeed, to name a few-and in concert she has performed solo shows nationally as well as in NYC at Feinstein’s/54 Below, Birdland, Joe’s Pub & Ars Nova. Symphony appearances have ranged from Carnegie Hall to The Kennedy Center, Caramoor to Town Hall, from Malaysia to Maui & a lot of spots in between. Among her TV credits are Madam Secretary, 30 Rock, Sex and the City, Elementary, Brothers and Sisters, Ed, NYPD Blue, all the Law and Orders, First You Dream and about a gazillion voiceovers. A Syracuse University graduate, her recordings include the original cast albums of The Wild Party and A Class Act, the Grammy nominated Actor’s Fund Benefit of Hair and her first solo album I’m Not Waiting, which is available on iTunes & on her website, juliamurney.com. Twitter: @juliamurney Instagram: @pepamama
Lucas Near-Verbrugghe
LUCAS NEAR-VERBRUGGHE has appeared on Broadway in Bloody Blood Andrew Jackson and The Ritz. Other New York credits include Love Labour’s Lost and Macbeth (The Public), Permission (MCC), The Common Pursuit (Roundabout), Leslye Hedland’s Assistance (Playwrights Horizons) and the world premieres of boom at Ars Nova and Oohrah! at the Atlantic. Los Angles theater credits include Icebergs (Geffen), Seminar (Ahmanson) and Need to Know (Rogue Machine). Film credits include Our Idiot Brother, A Birder’s Guide to Everything, The Bad Guys, Lazy Eye and A Woman, A Part. On television he has appeared in Grimm, Law and Order, and Law and Order SVU, and the upcoming Ten Days in the Valley on ABC. Lucas has been a part of various web collaborations with The Kloons, as well as the web series’ The Wallflowers and The Chances. Lucas has an MFA from NYU.
Navarra Novy-Williams
Navarra Novy-Williams hails from New York City. She graduated from The Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance in 2006 and has danced with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal 2006-2009, The Batsheva Ensemble 2009-2010, and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet 2010-2015. She is currently dancing with Zoe|Juniper and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and has worked recently with choreographers Mark DeChiazza, Mary John Frank, Sonya Tayeh, Manuel Vignoulle, and Gregory Dolbashian. She has recently taught contemporary movement at New York University; New Dialect: Nashville, TN; Cedar Lake 360: NYC; The Performing Arts Project: Winston Salem, NC; Edward Ellison Ballet: New York, NY, and The Southern Vermont Dance Festival: Brattleboro, VT. She also teaches Gaga in NYC at Mark Morris Dance Studio, Gibney Dance Center and has taught master classes at Hunter University, SUNY Purchase, NYU and The Juilliard School.
Troy Ogilvie
Troy Ogilvie has danced for and collaborated with choreographers – Andrea Miller, Sidra Bell, Zoe Scofield, Gabriel Forestieri, Idan Sharabi, Itzik Galili, Shannon Gillen, Margie Gillis (as a participant in the The Legacy Project/Le Projet Heritage), Austin McCormick, Harumi Terayama, Patricia Noworol, and Belinda McGuire; violinist – Liv Heym; theater company – Punchdrunk (in the role of Lady Macbeth in the immersive production of Sleep No More); and director – Peter Sellars (in the role of Mary Magdalene in The Gospel According to the Other Mary). She teaches an improvisation class at Gina Gibney Dance and Peridance and has recently given workshops at Velocity Dance (Seattle), Breaking Ground (New Orleans), New Studio on Broadway (NYU), and The Playground NYC (Gibney Dance). Troy is one of the creative directors for The McKittrick Hotel’s (home of Sleep No More) SUPERCINEMA and McKittrick Masquerade parties. Additionally, Troy is on the board of Springboard Danse Montreal as well as a Founding Collaborator & Associate Director of NYC’s Movement Invention Project. She was one of Dance Magazine’s 2011 Top 25 to Watch and graduated with a B.F.A. from the Juilliard School in 2007. www.troyogilvie.squarespace.
Kelli O’Hara
Kelli O’Hara has unequivocally established herself as one of Broadway’s great leading ladies. Her portrayal of Anna Leonowens in the critically acclaimed revival of The King and I recently garnered her the 2015 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, along with Drama League and Outer Critics nominations.
The year before was an exceptionally busy year. She starred as Mrs. Darling in NBC’s Live Telecast of Peter Pan, alongside Allison Williams, Christopher Walken and Christian Borle and on New Years Eve, Kelli made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the production of The Merry Widow with Renee Fleming. In 2015 she opened in Broadway’s musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County. Her performance of Francesca earned her nominations for a Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
Recently, she joined Showtime’s Master of Sex as Michael Sheen’s long-lost love, Dody, completed shooting the upcoming series The Accidental Wolf, and can be seen in a recurring role on CBS All Access’ The Good Fight.
A native of Oklahoma, Kelli received a degree in opera, and after winning the State Metropolitan Opera Competition, moved to New York and enrolled in the Lee Strasberg Institute. She made her Broadway debut in Jekyll & Hyde and followed it with Sondheim’s Follies, Sweet Smell of Success opposite John Lithgow, and Dracula. In 2003 Kelli committed to a production of The Light in the Piazza at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre, beginning a sixteen year working relationship with Bartlett Sher. The show landed on Broadway in 2005 and earned Kelli her first Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations. She moved from one critical and commercial success to another when she joined Harry Connick on Broadway in the 2006 Tony award-winning production of The Pajama Game, for which Kelli received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Award nominations. Kelli starred in the Tony Award-winning revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center, enrapturing audiences and critics alike with her soulful and complex interpretation of Nellie Forbush, and garnering Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Award nominations. She later teamed up with Matthew Broderick in Broadway’s musical comedy Nice Work if You Can Get it, earning Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations, as well as the Fred Astaire Nomination for dance.
Kelli has worked regionally & Off-Broadway in Far from Heaven at Williamstown Theater Festival & Playwrights Horizon, King Lear at the Public Theater, Bells Are Ringing at City Center Encores, Sunday in the Park with George at Reprise, My Life With Albertine at Playwright’s Horizons & Beauty at the La Jolla Playhouse. Kelli received critical acclaim for her performances at the New York Philharmonic’s productions of Carousel & My Fair Lady as both Julie Jordan & Eliza Doolittle respectively. She has sold out her solo show at Carnegie Hall & Town Hall and performed with symphonies and orchestras across the country.
She is a frequent guest artist on the PBS Memorial Day and July 4th telecast and has performed several times as part of the Kennedy Honor tributes for Barbara Cook, Jerry Herman and Barbra Streisand. Her solo concerts continue to sell out and receive critical acclaim across the country.
Among her film and television credits are Blue Bloods, Sex & The City 2, Martin Scorsese’s short The Keyto Reserva opposite Simon Baker; The Dying Gaul, All Rise (NBC pilot), Alexander Hamilton (Maria Reynolds) starring Brian F. O’Byrne (PBS), NUMB3RS (CBS), All My Children, the animated series Car Talk, and numerous live performances on national television shows. Kelli’s voice can be heard on many cast album recordings including The Bridges of Madison Country, Nice Work if You Can Get it, South Pacific (Sony), The Light in the Piazza (Nonesuch records; Grammy nomination), The Pajama Game (Sony; Grammy nomination), The Sweet Smell of Success (Sony), My Life with Albertine (PS Classics), Dream True (PS Classics), Jule Styne Goes Hollywood (PS Classics). She has released two solo albums including Always & Wonder in the World.
Erin Ortman
Erin Ortman is a New York City-based theater director and teaching artist. She has directed and developed new plays and musicals in collaboration with The LAByrinth Theatre Company, Ars Nov, the Pittsburgh Foundation, Prospect Theatre Company, NMTI at the O’Neill, New Georges, Pipeline Theatre Company, The Roundabout Underground, New York Stage and Film (Epstein Fellowship), The Ensemble Studio Theatre, Pan Asian Rep, The Lincoln Center Director’s Lab, Dixon Place, The York Theatre, Weston Playhouse, The Theatre Company at CAP21, as well a development and productions at New York University, Sarah Lawrence College, Powerhouse Theatre/Vassar College and Texas State University. She serves at the Curator of Theatrical Works at The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture where she regularly directs new plays, concerts and cultivated residencies for emerging playwrights.
Erin serves on the faculties of The National Musical Theatre Institute at The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center and New York University, where she teaches both acting and directing, in addition to guest artist positions for Broadway Classroom and Point Park University. Previous teaching credits include: five years on the acting faculty at New York University, as well as guest faculty positions at The Performing Arts Project, Powerhouse Theatre/Vassar College, Next Step Preparatory School, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Senior Conservatory at The Paper Mill Playhouse, Director and Acting Instructor for the Grandstreet Theatre School Teen Conservatory, three years serving as the Education Director for The Play Group Theatre, and Co-Founder of The Wide Awake Theatre Project. She is a proud member of The Drama Club, providing theater programming to incarcerated youths as a means of developing empathy, promoting academic growth and empowering the individual through self-expression.
Erin graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, holds an MFA in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College, is a member of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab, and an associate member of The Stage Director and Choreographer’s Foundation. www.erinortman.com
Lee Overtree
Lee is an NYC and LA based writer and director. With co-writer Hunter Bell, he received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Book of a Musical for FOUND. He has directed at the Atlantic Theater Company, Williamstown Theater Festival, Center Theater Group, New York Stage & Film, the American Music Theater Project, Goodspeed, the Kennedy Center, the Geffen Playhouse, Berkshire Theater Group, the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Lee is co-founder and Artistic Director of the educational theater and media company Story Pirates, for which he hosts and directs the weekly Sirius/XM show Story Pirates Radio. He has taught at the Atlantic Acting School and currently serves on the faculty of the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neil Center, where he teaches improvisation. Lee is an alumnus of Northwestern University and member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers union.
Andrew Palermo
Andrew Palermo is a director, choreographer and creator of new works for the stage.
Credits include Allegiance (Broadway, Longacre Theatre and The Old Globe), Nickel Mines, (Co-author, The Duke on 42nd St/NYMF), The Other Josh Cohen (Papermill and Soho Playhouse), Kristin Chenoweth/Carnegie Hall, The Frank Loesser Songbook/New York Philharmonic (Lincoln Center), The Mikado (Carnegie Hall), Ace (The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theater of St. Louis), Miss Julie (Geffen Playhouse), Lyrics and Lyricists (92nd St. Y), Bright Lights, Big City (Prince Music Theater), Vices (Theatre Aspen), The Aluminum Show (international tour), For The Record/Paul Thomas Anderson (Rockwell, LA), 125th Teachers College Gala (The Apollo Theatre), Aida (Music Theater Wichita), Man of La Mancha (Sacramento Music Circus), Two Gentlemen of Verona (University of Cincinnati/CCM), Hair and The Wild Party (Wichita State), She Loves Me (Westminster Choir College), Spring Awakening, Sweet Smell of Success, Parade and Nickel Mines (UCI).
Andrew has choreographed multi-million dollar industrials for Toyota, episodes of Comedy Central’s Stella, promos for Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union and commercials for Showtime Network and G-Shock watches.
Along with childhood friend Taye Diggs, Andrew is the Co-Founding Artistic Director of dre.dance, a contemporary dance company. With performances around New York City and North America, dre.dance has received multiple commissions, residencies, grants and rave reviews for it’s powerful and compelling works.
One such work, beyond.words, which focuses on the autism spectrum, has led Palermo to be a leader in the field of movement therapy. These unique classes, entitled Creatively Able, have been taught around the country, both for children with special needs and their caregivers. Palermo is an in demand collaborator in the fields of medicine and computer technology regarding the integration of the arts and special needs issues.
Andrew is also the Founding Artistic Director of The SpringSpace: A Broadband Theatre Lab. Co-Founded with Executive Director and Broadway Producer Elliot Masie, The SpringSpace provides artistic teams with a focused and fully supported global opportunity to create and hone new work. Located at MASIE Productions LAB in Saratoga Springs, NY, The SpringSpace leverages cutting edge technology that digitally brings together creators from around the world.
Past life performing highlights include original Broadway companies of Wicked and Annie Get Your Gun (‘Tommy Keeler’, Bernadette Peters revival), as well as How To Succeed…(Matthew Broderick revival), national/international tours of West Side Story, Michael John LaChiusa’s Little Fish (2nd Stage), numerous regional and concert productions.
Steven Pasquale
Steven Pasquale is widely known for starring on the hit FX series RESCUE ME as firefighter “Sean Garrity” and as “Detective Mark Furhman” on FX’s award-winning series AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE PEOPLE V. OJ SIMPSON. He is also known for HBO’s Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning drama SIX FEET UNDER as well as his recent role on Showtime’s BILLIONS. Additional television credits include NBC’s DO NO HARM and UP ALL NIGHT, CBS’s THE GOOD WIFE, Netflix’s BLOODLINE, A&E’s COMA and Lifetime’s MARRY ME. He has also appeared in Sofia Coppola’s PLATINUM, and he can currently be seen as a series regular on CBS’s legal drama series, DOUBT, opposite Katherine Heigl and Laverne Cox.
A regular on the theater scene, he recently starred in Alex Timbers’ off-Broadway production of THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM at the Roundabout Theatre in which he received the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical. Previously, he starred in the Encores! production of THE WILD PARTY and as “Billy Bigelow” in Chicago Lyric Opera’s production of CAROUSEL.
Pasquale starred opposite Kelli O’Hara in the original Broadway production of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (Drama Desk and Drama League Nominations). Other recent credits include FAR FROM HEAVEN at Playwrights Horizons and Tony Kushner’s THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL’S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES at the Public Theater.
He starred on Broadway in Neil LaBute’s REASONS TO BE PRETTY, as well as A SOLDIER’S PLAY (Second Stage), Neil LaBute’s off-Broadway hit, FAT PIG (MCC), the Ahrens/Flaherty/McNally musical A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE (Lincoln Center, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations), BEAUTIFUL CHILD (Vineyard Theater), THE SPITFIRE GRILL (Playwrights Horizons), SPINNING INTO BUTTER (Lincoln Center), and Andrew Lippa’s THE WILD PARTY (MTC).
Pasquale also created the role of “Fabrizio” in Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’s Tony Award-winning THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. He starred in THE SECRET GARDEN (World AIDS Day Concert) and A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Roundabout, opposite Victor Garber, Natasha Richardson, and Vanessa Redgrave). Pasquale co-starred in Ricky Ian Gordon’s THE GRAPES OF WRATH at Carnegie Hall, and starred in the national tour of MISS SAIGON.
Pasquale’s film credits include Twentieth Century Fox’s ALIEN VS. PREDATOR: REQUIEM, AURORA BOREALIS and Jonathan’s Segal’s THE LAST RUN. His debut solo jazz album, Somethin’ Like Love, was released in 2009 by the Grammy-nominated record label PS Classics. It was produced by Jessica Molaskey and John Pizzarelli.
Jessica Patty
Jessica is a seven-time Broadway veteran, teaching artist, and yoga instructor. She is currently on Broadway in Bandstand where she plays Jo and understudies Julia played by Laura Osnes. Jessica understudied and performed the title role of Eva Peron in the Broadway revival of EVITA starring Ricky Martin. She was also the Cassie Alternate in the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line where she performed the role every Sunday. Other Broadway credits include The Boy From Oz starring Hugh Jackman and the original companies of The Addams Family, The People In The Picture, and 9 to 5. Jessica has toured nationally w/ Cats & Fosse. She has numerous regional and NYC credits including City Center Encores and the NY Philharmonic, and numerous television credits including four Tony Awards telecasts, Dancing w/ The Stars, The Kennedy Center Honors, The View & Good Morning America. Jessica holds a BFA in Music Theatre from Florida State University and is certified Yin Yoga. Her passion for teaching runs just a deep as her passion for performing. She is dedicated to passing on her love for the arts to the next generation of aspiring artists. www.jessicaleapatty.com
Ron Piretti
RON PIRETTI received his MFA from the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago (now DePaul University) and a BFA from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. Ron is an actor, fight director, director, and teacher. He appeared as Officer Krupke in the Broadway production of West Side Story and in numerous soaps, commercials and films. Ron has worked as a fight director for many theatres around the country and for the Broadway shows: In the Heights, West Side Story, The Miracle Worker with Abigail Breslin, Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo with Robin Williams, The Performers with Henry Winkler and The Last Ship music and lyrics by Sting. He currently teaches acting at The Barrow Group School and has taught acting, stage combat and directed at such colleges as Actors Studio MFA program at Pace University, Wagner College, Marymount College and many other colleges and universities around the country.
Jim Price
Jim Price has amassed numerous Broadway, Off-Broadway, and national touring credits over his 25 years in show business, including the original Broadway cast of The Civil War and Ring of Fire, national and international tours of Les Miserables, as well as being an original cast member of the off-Broadway hits Bat Boy-the Musical and bare:a pop opera. As a playwright, he was selected to be a Lark Playwright¹s Workshop Fellow for 2007-2008 to take part in a year-long development program run by renowned playwright Arthur Kopit. Jim’s play, Collision Course (semi-finalist, O¹Neill), has had readings/workshops produced at the Actor¹s Studio(P/D workshop), Stanford University, The Shotgun Players in Berkeley, the Lark Theatre in New York City, and most recently a new one act version was premiered at Texas State University. He is the composer/lyricist of Cold Feet, a musical (finalist, O¹Neill NMTC), which is now licensed by Miracle or 2 Productions in New York City He has taught master classes in acting, musical theatre, and playwriting at colleges all around the country and is currently the Head of Playwriting at Texas State University.
Mark Price
With a 20 year career on Broadway, television, film, and concert stages, Mark has helped provide a methodology for students to secure their own Broadway, film and television credits, as well as get accepted into the countries best Undergrad and M.F.A. programs (A.R.T., A.C.T. and more). Pulling from a variety of sources, including Viewpoints, Meisner, and sense memory, Mark helps create process-oriented results in a supportive environment that’s sustainable and empowering. Past college/University guest teaching credits include Ithaca College, Wake Forest, Texas State, Heifetz Institute, and AMDA. He is currently part time faculty member at New York Film Academy. He’s also the co-founder and creator of Base Camp, a coaching intensive for creatives with life coach Di Ana Pisarri. And, as a Vedic Meditation teacher, he’s helped students re-engineer their creativity and life from the inside out. www.aboutmarkprice.com, www.alchemycollective.org
Monica Raymund
MONICA RAYMUND is best known for her roles as Gabriela Dawson on NBC’s Chicago Fire, Ria Torres in the Fox crime drama Lie to Me, starring Tim Roth, and as Dana Lodge in the hit CBS series The Good Wife. She has appeared on television on Blue Bloods, and Law & Order: SVU. On stage, Monica has appeared regionally in productions such as Jose Rivera’s Boleros for the Disenchanted (Huntington Theater), Elizabeth Meriwether’s Oliver Parker! and alongside John Larroquette (Cherry Lane). As a producer, she produces full seasons of theater as a member of the LA-based company The Mechanicals Theatre Group, and with her solo venture Sisu Theatrical Productions, LLC, is currently producing the brand new musical Volleygirls, was an investor in the smash-hit Broadway production of Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino, is co-producing and starring in a 3-D film Subkid, headed by DemandZ Productions, and is an investor in the current Broadway production of Godspell. As a teacher, Monica serves on the faculty of the Communications program at the Heifetz International Music Institute, is a former acting teacher at the Broadway Theatre Project, and volunteers at the non-profit organization Hollywood Arts where she also serves as a member of the Board of Directors.
Alejandro Rodriguez
Alejandro Rodriguez is an actor, writer and organizer. On staff at Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP), he helps emerging and established artists harness their talents to empower youth around the world. His writing has been featured in collaborations with musicians, choreographers and filmmakers all over the globe, including his most recent work, Sorry, which premiered at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center in New York. Performance credits include the world premiere of Ghetto Babylon (National Latino Playwrights Award) at 59E59, the premiere of Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas’ Bird in the Hand at Theater for the New City, King Lear opposite Billy Porter, the title role in Romeo and Juliet for The Acting Company, and many more. Regionally, he’s worked at The Kennedy Center, the Guthrie Theatre, Denver Center Theater, Baltimore CenterStage, the Humana Festival and The Chekhov Project at Lake Lucille, among several others. Film and television credits include Nurse Jackie (Showtime), Dates from Hell (Discovery ID), and the feature film Emoticon ;). Trained at Juilliard.
Robbie Roth
Robbie Roth’s music has been heard on stage, screen and radio all around the world. His songs have made the Billboard charts in America and been featured on a number of television programs (including ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Last Comic Standing). Robbie has also lent his production ear to a myriad of award-winning artists.
Robbie has written music for feature films and documentaries, and his solo songwriting has been heard on recordings alongside Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and Johnny Cash.
Robbie co-wrote and produced the debut album of Tony-nominated Broadway actor Gavin Creel, as well as his highly acclaimed sophomore record, Quiet.
Robbie has also written with and/or produced records for Ron Sexsmith, Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode), Marcus Hummon (Dixie Chicks) and numerous others.
Robbie is the composer and co-lyricist of the stage adaptation of the film, Flashdance, scheduled to open in North America in the summer of 2012.
Robbie has been hired as composer/lyricist for the stage adaptation of Drumline, a 2002 Fox feature film, and Barbie Live, a Mattel musical set to tour Asia through 2014.
Robbie is the co-producer and co-host of Making Mondays, a live online variety show in NYC, recently featured in The Wall Street Journal.
Robbie is a client of the Paradigm Talent and Literary Agency.
Margo Seibert
Broadway: In Transit, Rocky (Drama League Nomination). Off-Broadway: Tamar of the River (Drama Desk Nomination), Undeniable Sound of Right Now (Rattlestick). Select Regional: The Last Five Years (ACT), Ever After (Papermill Playhouse) , Candide (Goodman Theatre). Television: Elementary, Boardwalk Empire. www.margoseibert.com.
Madeline Smith
Madeline Smith is a music director, pianist, conductor, and vocal arranger based in New York. Broadway: Waitress (Pianist/Music Asst./Copyist), Frozen (Music Asst.); Off-Broadway: 1001 Nights (upcoming – MD), Futurity (Assoc. MD), An Octoroon (Assoc. MD), The Light Princess (MD). TV: The Wiz! Live (Music Asst.). Regional: Witness Uganda (ART; Music Asst./Rehearsal Pianist), Spring Awakening (Gloucester Stage Co.; Asst. MD). Madeline has music directed readings at NYMF, NAMT, and MTF as well as concerts at 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, and the Laurie Beechman. B.A. from Harvard University in Music and Classical Civilizations.
Abigail Spencer
Abigail Spencer’s Recent Film and TV credits include:
2016-2017 Timeless (TV Series)
Lucy Preston
2013-2016 Rectify (TV Series)
Amantha Holden
2016 Comedy Bang! Bang! (TV Series)
Vanna
2016 The Sweet Life
Lolita
2011-2016 Suits (TV Series)
Dana Scott
2015 True Detective (TV Series)
Gena Brune
2015 H8RZ
Laura Sedgewick
2015 A Beautiful Now
Romy
2014 The Forger
Agent Paisley
2014 This Is Where I Leave You
Quinn Altman
2007-2014 How I Met Your Mother (TV Series)
Blahblah
2013 NTSF:SD:SUV (TV Series)
Caroline
2013 I Kilimanjaro
Yvonne
2013 Oz the Great and Powerful
May (as Abigail Leigh Spencer)
2013 The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia
Lisa Wyrick
2012-2013 Burning Love (TV Series)
Annie
2012 Chasing Mavericks
Brenda Hesson
Jermaine Maurice Spivey
Jermaine Maurice Spivey was born in Baltimore, Maryland USA and is a graduate of Baltimore School for the Arts and The Juilliard School. From 2002-present, Jermaine has lived and worked predominately in Europe but recently returned to make his home base in USA. He has been a company member of Ballet Gulbenkian and Cullberg Ballet, worked as a freelance/guest artist for Hofesh Shechter Company, Robyn Live 2016, The LID, Arias Company and The Forsythe Company from 2013-2015 as well as a cast member of American Repertory Theater’s original production The Shape She Makes conceived by Susan Misner and Jonathan Bernstein. Most consistently since 2008, Jermaine has been a member of Crystal Pite’s company Kidd Pivot. He has also worked as rehearsal assistant and/or staged Crystal Pite’s work for companies such as Cedar Lake Ballet, Carte Blanche, Hessisches StaatsBallett Wiesbaden and Netherlands Dance Theater. Jermaine has instructed dance all across North America and Europe for professional companies, universities, studios and training programs including The Juilliard School, UCLA, NYU Tisch, Baltimore School for the Arts, The Playground NYC, Edge PAC, LA Dance Project, The Performing Arts Project, MOVE NYC, No)one. Art House, Nuova Officina Della Danza, Dance OUT, Salt Contemporary Dance and GöteborgsOperans Danskompani. He is a 2001 Princess Grace Awardee and a 1998 National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts 1st Level Awardee. At this moment in his career, Jermaine is very grateful for the opportunity to explore choreography, having most recently created for Westside Dance Project as well as a full evening work premiered at Disjecta in Portland, Oregon with his partner and co-creator Spenser Theberge titled Rather This Then.
Photo credit: Michael Slobodian
Aimée Steele
Bio:
Aimée received her BA in Music/Vocal Performance from Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also a graduate of the Maggie Flannigan Acting Studio where she studied the Meisner technique. As a private voice teacher and vocal coach Aimée caters to all levels and all ages. She ensures that each student comes away from every lesson with a solid vocal technique and tools they can use with confidence. Singers are enveloped in a nurturing, encouraging and non-judgmental environment that promotes vocal, physical and emotional confidence. Aimée is a member of Actors Equity Association (AEA), the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), The New York Singing Teachers’ Association (NYSTA), and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Her students are featured on Broadway (The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, The Addams Family, Bonnie and Clyde, Bye Bye Birdie, Fiddler on the Roof, Motown, Newsies, Book of Mormon, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeny Todd to name a few), Off-Broadway (Bare, Lady from Dubuque, Dirty Dancing),National Tours (American Idiot, West Side Story, Anything Goes, Mamma Mia, Flashdance) and in regional theaters as well as in the recording industry, film, and TV. Aimée is especially known for producing her Master Classes at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater where students give interactive performances and are seen by industry professionals on the iconic stage. She is on the voice faculty of NYU Tisch, The New Studio on Broadway and teaches private voice in Manhattan. www.aimeesteele.com
Dan Walczak
Dan Walczak is a dancer, performer and teacher based in New York City. He spent the majority of 2008-2014 working intensely as a core member of Andrea Miller’s Gallim Dance where he had the opportunity to participate in the creation of multiple world premieres and perform at prestigious venues such as the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Joyce Theater, New York City Center, Chutzpah! Festival, Theatre National de Chaillot and many other venues across Europe, Canada and the United States. He has taught at universities and conservatories such as the Juilliard School, Tish School of the Arts, Barnard College, Montclair University, University of Tulsa, Columbia College of Chicago and Connecticut College, among others, and frequently works with Brooklyn based youth dance program, Dancewave. Now a freelance artist, Walczak has worked with MADBOOTS DANCE, LoudHoundMovement, Terndrup/Belchum Productions and Patricia Noworol Dance Theater and continues teaching in New York City.
Mary Walkley
Mary Walkley has long-established voice studios in Miami, Tampa and New York City, where she teaches professionals, amateurs, and other singing teachers her wonderful technique, “The Connected Voice,” which allows the singer to easily develop a healthy, commercial sound which resonates with strength and beauty and does not become fatigued. Mary’s students work on Broadway and in the music industry, because she teaches them to develop a marketable, workable voice that can compete in today’s music and entertainment world.
Mary is the founder and music director of the original Broadway Theatre Project, a 21-year old training program in musical theatre, which became known in New York as “Musical Theatre Boot Camp,” and which has literally generated today’s performing Broadway stars. Playbill has called Broadway Theatre Project “the premiere training ground for musical theatre in the country.” Mary’s students include Ashley Brown, originator of Mary Poppins on Broadway, Mandy Gonzalez, winner of the Audience Awards for best performance as Elphaba on Broadway, Sarah Amengual, Maria in West Side Story on Broadway, and Natalie Cortez, Anita in West Side Story on Broadway, to name only a few.
Mary founded The Speech Level Singing Institute in Los Angeles, where she was program director the first five years. She travels throughout the world doing lectures, workshops and lessons, was Artist-in-Residence at Green Voices, an International Voice Seminar in Munich, Germany, and lectured in New York City at Columbia University’s continuing education program through the New York Singing Teachers Association. She is vocal consultant to Busch Gardens Entertainment, a founding member of the Florida Institute for Vocal Health, recipient of a Benedict Foundation Grant and an Honored Alumni Award, is listed in Who’s Who of American Teachers, Who’s Who of American Women, and is a member of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the New York Singing Teachers Association, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. For further information about Mary, see her website, www.floridasings.com, or contact her via Facebook.
Stephanie Wells
Stephanie Wells is a musical director and music educator. Starting out in Chicago, she went to Columbia College Chicago to study Musical Theater Performance. After spending several years in Chicago playing in several bands and freelance music directing, the energy of NYC started to beckon. Since moving to NYC 13 years ago, she has played with several bands, and music directed with appearances at the Beacon Theater, NYU Skirball, NYU Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, the stage of the UN, NYMF, La MAMA and more! She is currently adjunct faculty at Kingsborough College where she teaches music, vocal training and is the musical director for the Theater Department, She also gets to connect with the youth of NYC teaching with TADA Youth Theater in NYC public schools. In her spare time, she loves to get down as a Pon de FLO instructor at the new studio in Manhattan. So happy to be a part of TPAP!
