Alumni Round-up: BA Drama Majors
This attempt at gathering new from BA Drama alums started fairly small, but has grown to a listing of over 120 former students. For high school students looking at the major, and for the naturally curious as well, this round-up will shed light on the amazingly varied career paths (in the performing arts and out) that our alums in the BA Drama degree have discovered.
For this round-up, I rely mostly on e-mails from former students. I don't always get to updating as often as I should, but I try to make some efforts at least once a semester. So if you're not in here and want to be, drop a line! And if you're not doing theatre, that's more than fine!
-- Dr Jack - last update: 12 September 2007
Whitney Adams (‘03) formed a company called DAVAI, where she has produced several productions with fellow alums Christina Pickard (‘03) and Logan Tracey (‘03). One of their recent efforts was Going Home, written by Christina and featuring Whitney, at the Tank Theatre in New York City. Whitney was also featured in Julianne Caesar at Teatro La Tea in New York City. In August 2004 Whitney was featured in The Slant Theatre Project's NUEVA CANCION, a tapestry of highly charged vignettes woven together by music by Aurin Squire, exploring the political and social climate of Chile in the 1970's and the events surrounding the election of Salvador Allende, at The Phil Bosakowski Theater in NYC. In 2006 Whitney was back at Slant Theatre Projects’ Couchworks where she appeared as the "Trumpet Expert" in Mat Smart's piece, "Music for High Ceilings".
Brantley Aufill ('99) has been for the past several years a producer at an ad agency, making TV commercials. Recently Brantley spent two weeks in New Zealand shooting a Vicks commercial, and when I caught up with him in the summer of 2007, he told me he fell in love with that country. He was also involved in the nationwide search for the new Maytag Repairman. They did American Idol-style open calls in LA, Chicago, and NYC, then placed videos on the website. Brantley was the on-camera host and can still be seen at www.nextmaytagrepairman.com, under Auditions and Meet the New Repairman!Brantley's one act play, which had its world premiere at the Kitchen Theatre, won Best Production and Best Director awards at a festival in Manchester, England! And later in 2007, watch for a short film that Brantley will direct!
Allison Barber (‘04), after working and backpacking in Scotland, and living in London, is now specializing as a Celtic singer, and one with a really beautiful voice! Allison celebrated the release of her debut album, Traveling Home, at Ulysses in downtown Manhattan on 12 May 2007. As of June 21 I received my copy of the CD, so I know you can all purchase it now, and I highly recommend it!
Cecelia Behar-Bush ('95), after appearing in several plays and TV shows in NYC (including: All My Children, As the World Turns, Ed, & Will and Grace), decided that she wanted to try something new (and wanted to be able to eat solid foods & carbs again) and applied to Hunter College Grad School. She completed her degree in Counseling, with a specialty in School Counseling. As of January 2005 she became a licensed therapist. Cecelia was also the co-director of the NYC cat rescue group "NYC Siamese Rescue". Cecelia is happily married to fellow Ithaca College Graduate Jesse Bush (also '95, but a BFA...no relation to George). The two of them used to live in Washington Heights with their two, you guessed it, Siamese cats. In Fall 2005 they moved to Ithaca and Cecelia is a new mom as of Fall 2006 – she and Jesse produced a beautiful baby named Harper June!
Pete Boisvert (’99) founded Nosedive Productions five years ago and it’s still going strong. For Nosedive's 5th anniversary season, Pete produced two full length plays:For Nosedive's 5th anniversary season, Pete is producing two full length plays:The Dying Goldfish, about the effects of a stroke on an English professor and the way in which it effects his very literary extended family when they gather for his daughter's wedding, and McTeague, adapted from the turn of the century Frank Norris novel, about a dentist driven to madness by his miserly wife. A Very Nosedive Christmas Carol opened in December 2004 at UNDER St. Marks. This new, loose adaptation of Dicken's story is told from the perspective of Marley and the Ghosts, who are actors trapped in a neverending cycle -- they must perform for Scrooge every Christmas to open his eyes yet again! A number of other alumni are involved in this (as in all) Nosedive Production: Patrick Shearer (’99) is playing Scrooge (and is involved in the artistic direction of the company); alum Melanie Adelman played a number of smaller roles, including the Cratchit's daughter Martha. Ali Golden and Chris Daly designed sets and lights respectively and Maggie Coleman (‘03) helped out on the production/management end. In June 2006 their play The Adventures of Nervous Boy (A Penny Dreadful) opened at the Gene Frankel Underground.
Jillian Buck ('05) early in 2007 ended a three year run with Carnival Cruise Lines, sailing all over the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and along the Mexican Riviera. She was promoted to Senior Entertainment Tech while there, specializing in automation tech, dealing with cutting edge equipment! This world traveler (Cannes, Dubrovnik, Capri and Florence among a few recent visits) is now in Toronto. It seems she met a "really great Canadian guy" and is now there, looking for work!
Heather Budman (December 06) immediately landed a job at Sony Pictures in Los Angeles and began work there in January 2007. In August 2007 she was hired by another IC BA Drama alum, Lesley Anne Stone, as her assistant at the prestigious Marketing Group!
Kerry Campbell (‘01) is studying law at McGeorge Law School in Sacramento, CA. She recently made Law Review, and put her acting training to use as a finalist in the first-year Mock Trial competition. She attended Oral Argument at the Supreme Court and met with Justice Kennedy to talk about The Law. Kerry had planned to go to Austria in summer 2005 to study international law with Justice Kennedy, but in making Law Review she was forced to stay in Sacramento, writing reviews of upcoming California legislation.
Ian Carnathan ('95) has for the last several years been trading bonds for a pension fund manager - as he says, "It's a pretty good gig!" He spent his vacation at the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival.
Kevin Carr (’96) has been living in Boston and was working at the Huntington Theatre Company as House Manager and at the Boston Ballet as Operations Coordinator, but is currently in Grad school. He finished a a PhD in English Lit at UMass Boston, and is now working on another advanced degree at Florida State! He has also done shows with a theatre group at Lesley University in Cambridge, both as an actor and director – he played Dr Faustus and directed The Laramie Project and The Glass Menagerie. In fall 2005 he took on Orton’s savage farce, What the Butler Saw.
Kristin Carter ('03) is living in San Jose, California. And in fall 2006 she started the second half of massage therapy school at the National Holistic Institute. She also has an internship at this place called Tranquility Dental.
Ashley Clements ('07) was accepted at her two top choices for grad school -- ART/Harvard Advanced Institute and UC San Diego/Old Globe -- and chose the latter! She began in fall 2007, and at the very beginning of her term she auditioned for a mainstage show at the prestigious Old Globe -- and got a role! Ashley will Kat, the 16 year old runaway, in a production of Howard Korder's Sea of Tranquility, directed by Michael Bloom. It will run at the Old Globe in January and February 2008. Drop by and catch Ashley's act!
Jay Cohen (‘05) was accepted into the prestigious Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab for the summer of 2006. In spring 2007 he directed a reading of fellow BA alum Janine Nabers' latest play.
Maggie Coleman (‘03) has worked for a documentary film organization in Manhattan, and has volunteered her time at a number of theatres, including New Dramatists. She is involved in management with Pete Boisvert’s Nosedive Productions. In spring 2005 she attended the National Theatre Institute. We went to the theatre in London during fall semester 2005, and she has recently been accepted into NYU's prestigious grad program which focuses on writing for the musical theatre -- she began there in Fall 2006, and is thriving in the program as of spring 2007. She had her first 10-minute musical, Memento Mori, produced at theLaurie Beechman Theatre in the West Bank Cafe in April!
Elaina Cope (‘02) has been busy ever since graduation, mostly in music direction. In summer 2004 she toured Guatemala with an ARTBridge tour of "Cabaret Chicago," comprised of songs from Cabaret in act one (en espagnol) and songs from Chicago in act two (in English). Elaina remains musical director of the Weathervane Theatre in New Hampshire, and in September 2005 she was Associate Conductor for the national tour of 42nd Street. Late in 2006 she returned to an ArtBridge tour with Evita, for which she was the music director and also transcribed, charted, directed the chorus, conducted and played piano, all with a Spanish libretto! Her life in 2007 has been a whirl! She did another ARTBridge tour of Evita, and was honored at the New Hampshire Theatre Awards, where she was named Best Professional Music Director for her work on MISS SAIGON at the Weathervane Theatre in August 2006, as well as Best Original Musical for JUMP N JIVE, a show she created with the artistic director in June 2006. She returned to her birthplace, Rio de Janiero for the first time ever, and also became engaged to her boyfriend Justin Joseffy. As of September 2007 she is back in NYC, working at Pace University where she is accompanying and doing vocal coaching! She has also begun a website, www.elainacope.com, so head there for more exciting details!
Jen Cox Canole (’99), English major by day, honorary BA dramaturgical wonder by night! Jen went from a dramaturgical internship at Actors Theatre of Louisville to Trinity Repertory Company (in Providence, RI), where she is the Associate Director of Development. Her duties include overseeing all of the grants writing and annual fund activities, organizing and motivating volunteer solicitors, and managing day-to-day departmental antics. Jen got married in May 2005 to a wonderful guy who is in no way involved in theater, but who appreciates it very much.
Alexandra Creighton (’02) has been actively working on new play development (as an actor & co-collaborator) in the San Francisco Bay Area, as a company member of San-Francisco-based Crowded Fire Theatre Company (www.crowdedfire.org). Other members include I.C. alums Linda Jones and BFA designer Mellie Katakalos. The company is well recognized in San Francisco and recently has been noted in American Theatre Magazine for its work with playwright Erik Ehn. In summer 2005 Alex performed in David Edgar's adaptation of Dickens'The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby at Cal Shakes, and in spring 2006 she appeared in Crowded Fire Theatre Co’s world premiere production of Juan Gelion Dances for the Sun, a play by Dominic Orlando. In May 2007 Alex received a great review in the West Coast premiere of I Have Loved Strangers by Anne Washburn, at Just Theatre in Berkeley. Alex is considering a PhD program in Performance Studies at Northwestern U as a possible next step in her career!
Karla Crowley (’04) was awarded a full scholarship to work on a Master’s degree in Education (with a focus on Marriage and Family Therapy) at the University of San Francisco in Fall 2004.
Erin (Cunningham) Manzanares (’97) worked in NYC at many small theatre jobs shortly after graduation. She was hired by Signature Theatre Company as their Company Manager/Business Assistant, which she describes as a “great job!” After 3 years in the city Erin moved to New Mexico, and that move literally changed her life. She "stumbled" upon teaching and discovered her true calling! She recently earned her Masters in Education; M.S. - Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment -- and is now a dynamic educator! More importantly, she met her husband and has been married 7 years. And MOST importantly she gave birth to her third child! Her son Rio is 4 years old, daughter Anya is 2-1/2 and newest addition Aiden was born in summer 2007!
Kevin Deiboldt (’99) Upon moving to NYC after graduating from Ithaca, Kevin worked at both the York Theatre Company and the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. In 2001, he got a job as the Writers' PA on the NBC television show "Ed". After moving up to work as a writers' assistant for seasons three and four of "Ed", Kevin got a position at The Levinson/Fontana Company – working for Emmy-award winning writer/producer Tom Fontana. They are currently in production on a pilot for NBC entitled "M-O-N-Y", with Spike Lee directing. In his spare time, Kevin also does web & graphic design work – which can be seen at IthacaMafia.com & ElevationalComputing.com. Kevin and I caught up at the Ithaca Ale House in summer 2007 -- still with Fontana, there is one important new person in his life -- his lovely wife Amy!
Morgan Dentch (‘03) is in her fourth year on tour with VEE Corporation. She started as an Assistant Company Manager, but she has been promoted to Company Manager. Her show is Sesame Street LIVE's Out of this World, which runs through May of 2006. An earlier VEE Corp show was Bear in the Big Blue House LIVE, which played the West coast and the UK. In what little spare time she has, she also stage managed a two Equity showcases in NYC. Before that she was a production coordinator at Wolf Trap Amphitheater for their 2003 summer concert season.
Kali DiPippo ('07) has decided to stay local for a bit, and is a stage management intern at Ithaca's own Kitchen Theatre Company!
Adele Dodds (’03) finished an MA at Northwestern University with concentrations in Children's Theatre and Literary Adaptation for the Stage. She tookclasses with Mary Zimmerman, Frank Galati, Rick Snyder from Steppenwolf, and Rives Collins, a leading scholar and practitioner in Theatre for Youth. Recently Adele co-created, directed, designed the set and built puppets for "The Fable Company," which opened to great write ups in Phoenix Arizona in mid-January, 2005. As of Fall 2006 Adele is employed as an Assistant Stage Manager at American Girl Place, Los Angeles, working with roughly 50 girls and 14 adults putting on anywhere from 13 to 29 productions a week. She is also working on two musical projects, one based on the children's novel "The City of Ember" and the second based on war letters and diaries.
Eileen Duffy (’93) worked as a casting director for Harriet Bass Casting (formerly Bass-Vsigilio). Her latest major effort was August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, seeing it through two years of regional productions to its Broadway run in Fall 2004. For a time, Eileen traded the world of theatrical casting for casting executives, same principle, but much more lucrative! But the lure of the theatre brought her back into casting as an associate at Harriet Bass in 2006.
Dave Edson ('95) after a stint in Chicago, has been living in New York City. In August 2006 Dave performed in How 2 Men Got On in the World at the New York International Fringe Festival. In early 2007 he performed in Measure for Measure in New York City.
Aaron Epstein (’00) has become a successful photographer in New York City, His work has appeared in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, and he has shot photos for Samsung Electronics and Liz Claiborne, but he keeps his hand in the theatre scene as well. His images have been used to market major theatrical productions in the U.S. and the U.K. Clients include The Public Theatre and Manhattan Ensemble Theatre, but he has also remained loyal to Ithaca, and shoots for Nosedive Productions and The Starving Artists’ Collective, both of which organizations are run by fellow BA alums.
Logan Ernstthal ('92) auditioned in NYC in Jan. and got offers from WVU, CSU Long Beach, and UKC. It was a tough choice but he's decided on University of Missouri, Kansas City. He was at Creede Repertory Theatre in Colorado last summer for its 40th season and now Logan's in grad school.
Stephanie Federico ('00) graduated from Law School and clerked for the Rhode Island Supreme Court for one year. Then she headed to the City of Providence Law Dept where she spent two years actively pursuing the litigation track. She successfully tried around 3 dozen cases in 2 years - a very large number for a young litigator. In summer 2006, however, Stephanie was offered the position of Deputy Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Providence, in which capacity she oversees the operation of 15 departments and 6,000 employees! On the political trail in spring of 2007, Stephanie is acting as coordinator for Hillary Clinton’s Campaign in Rhode Island and is starting up the mayor’s campaign for governer in 2010!
Emily Fischer (’06) has been working on the soap As the World Turns, first in casting, and as of June 2007, she is production coordinator!
Katie Fleury (Eldridge) ('01) got married, and finished her Masters in Social Foundations of Education, an interdisciplinary degree in Educational Policy and Leadership combined with an outside field, at University of Iowa. For Katie, that outside field is theatre arts. Katie and her husband Andy have returned to the Ithaca area, and in August 2006 she gave birth to a handsome boy named Liam Markham!
Liz Fox ('05) was personal assistant to Mark Subias at the Mark Christian Subias Agency in NYC since her graduation, and has landed, as of May 2007, a fine job with New York Stage and Film. She's salaried, gets benefits, has two interns in her charge, and gets to spend two months each year at the Powerhouse Theatre in Poughkeepsie!
Logan (Tracey) Frankel (‘03) has been working constantly since May 2004, first in Granola! the Musical (NYC FRINGE) featured on ABC News, and then in Hair at the Gallery Players. Logan played Sheila Franklin and fellow alum Ben Tostado was a member of the Tribe. Sold out for the entire run. theatremania.com wrote: “As Sheila, Logan Tracey is stirring in one of the score's best songs, "Easy to be Hard." Currently Logan is working on a short play in a festival produced by Vital Theatre Company, written/directed by two former classmates from NTI, Chisa Hutchenson and Chris Kloko. In May 2005 she was featured in a production at The Gallery Players. I had a brief but welcome visit with Logan at Field Studies 2007!
Emily Franzosa (’96), after editing at Applause Books, doing dramaturgy at the Working Theatre, and and arranging partnerships at Arts and Business Together, in Fall 2004 began work on a Master's degree at The City University of New York.
Erin Frederick (’01) immediately after graduating went to work with Moises Kaufman as his assistant, working on the HBO version of The Laramie Project. She then moved to the prestigious New York Theatre Workshop, where she became an artistic associate, responsible among many other things for organizing readings of new plays. After leaving NYTW in August 2004 she worked Fashion Week in midtown Manhattan, and on the first Tribeca Theatre Festival. Before the election she spent lots of time in Ohio and PA working with various Political Action Committees to get out the progressive youth vote for Kerry/Edwards. Erin is now in LA working for HBO films!
Lindsay Friedman (‘03) is living in Philadelphia where she works as a legal assistant and is taking classes part-time to get a Certificate in Paralegal Studies.
Richard Furlong (’96) spent 10 months in 2003 as part of the Actor's Theatre of Louisville Apprentice Company. There he played the role of the firefighter in Omnium Gatherum, by Theresa Rebeck and Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros during the 2003 Humana Festival. Since then some doors have opened up for Rich in New York and he’s been cast in a Law & Order Criminal Intent episode and in an independent film.
Sheila Garg (’00), after spending several productive years in the Philadelphia Theatre scene, interning at the Arden Theatre, performing throughout the city, as well as working in management at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, has been very active in Chicago, where in February 2006 she was cast in The Moving Dock company’s world premiere adapted from Jeff Brumbeau’s books The Quiltmaker’s Gift and The Quiltmaker’s Journey. She remains associated with Moving Dock, training in the Michael Chekhov technique. As of Spring 2007 she is understudying for the premiere of Cynical Weathers by Douglas Post at the highly reputed Victory Gardens Theater. Sheila was also hired by the Chicago Office of Tourism for one year as the manager of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Oasis while it is in residency in Chicago. Sheila also narrated a downloadable audio tour for the City of Chicago!
Rachel Gold ('04), after doing all sorts of work in LA, including red carpet interviews and spots on the Tyra Banks Show, is in spring 2007 applying to a grad program in decorative arts at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in NYC!
Scott Goldman ('04) stayed on and got his master's degree at Ithaca, and headed for immediate employment, to the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick NJ, where he was Company Manager. As of August 2007 Scott was to have begun work at the prestigious Roundabout Theatre in New York as a Marketing Assistant, but the Artistic Director of the George Street made him an offer he could not refuse: a promotion to Executive Assistant to the Artistic Director! So Scott is now in his third season in the well-known NJ theatre company.
Seth Goldstein (’99) is busy producing and general managing in NYC. His company, The Splinter Group, opened an office in Times Square in 2004 and is currently general managing a host of commercial productions including The Riot Group's Pugilist Specialist (The Culture Project, San Francisco's Magic Theatre) and A Tale of a Tiger (59E59 Theaters). Upcoming projects include Fascinating Aida in Absolutely Fascinating and Confessions of a Mormon Boy scheduled for Off-Broadway runs respectively in the Spring and Fall of 2005. The Splinter Group has commissioned King MacBush II: A Shakespearean Tragedy of War, Greed & Strategerie from playwright Randall David Cook which it hopes to produce in the Fall of 2005. Before starting the Splinter Group, Seth was managing director of the Manhattan Ensemble Theatre and produced fellow alum Joe Calarco’s Shakespeare’s R&J for a tour of Britain and a successful run in London. Seth married former IC-student Molly Stuart on September 19th of 2004. In February 2005 this busy young man was asked to be on the committee that lobbied for the Olympics to be held in New York City! In summer 2005 Seth produced a play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe called Christine Jorgensen Reveals. In spring 2007) Seth produced Gutenberg: the Musical! in NYC, and came to Ithaca on 5 Fridays to teach our TAMs about producing in NYC!
Lindsay Gonzales (’02) lived in England and Ireland for over a year after graduation. She’s in Boston now and has been performing improv and theatre (and stand-up) regularly. Lindsay is a performer at Improv Boston and she formed a theatre company with some friends. In summer 2007 she wrote, “I feel like I have finally found my niche.”
Teresa Gozzo (‘04) was at work since graduation at Hartford Stage, where she spent the entire 2004-05 production season as dramaturgical intern, as well as doing several other tasks at the theatre. She is now living in Boston, where she did administrative work for Chamber Theatre Productions, which does runs of short stories for student groups, doing dramaturgical work for small theatres such as Zeitgeist Stage Company. In late August 2006 Teresa landed a job as Assistant to the Managing Director of the prestigious Huntington Theatre in Boston and in less than a year has been promoted to Company Manager there!
Sivan Grunfeld (05) has been doing some stage management since graduation, but has discovered that she is more interested in academic theatre studies and is looking at Ph.D. programs.
Jarred Haas (‘05) is a married man, and still finds time to have received a Master’s degree in Education from Simmons College, to be teaching Social Studies to 7th graders at Peabody Public Schools, AND to be studying in the Professional Licensure Program in History at Salem State!
Natalie Habalou (‘99) left the Geva Theatre in Rochester for a job as Audience Services Manager at the Weston Playhouse in southern Vermont.
Heather Haney ('01) has been dancing and acting regularly in the Washington DC area since graduation.Heather has participated in the 48-Hour Film Festival in DC the last two and has been working with a lot of young indie filmmakers in the DC area. She did the voiceover work for the Panim el Panim website, a Jewish civics group for high schoolers, a training film for the Air Force, she’s working on an Internet TV series with g14 productions (my second this year); and on her first feature-length film, "Festivale", a mockumentary about small-town film festivals. And in summer 2007 Heather played one of the witches in the Washington Shakespeare Company production of Macbeth! Finally, she is working on the Capitol Fringe Festival piece, "Nutshell" based on Eliot's "The Waste Land" in which she plays a disfunctional elephant. As she wrote me, "Only an actor can say that!"
Brian Hashimoto ('07) headed back to the prestigious Eugene O'Neill Center, one of the top workshoppers of new plays in the U.S. In August he was hired as Executive Assistant for the O'Neill Center for a full year!
Bob Hatton ('02) last I heard, was working on farms all over South America in exchange for room and board.
Marla Haut (’01) is working at Innovative Artists in the on-camera commercial department. She’s been an agent there since 2002, and as she wrote me recently she has "a very nice group of IC alums!"
Billy Heh ('03), AKA Oztier the magician, has booked a slew of upcoming performances, including TV appearances! Be sure to visit his website www.oztier.com to find out more!
Kevin Higgins ('93) is a Social Worker at Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, NJ, with a little private practice on the side. He's produced a few dramas here and was the AD on Noises Off! recently. Kevin completed his Masters in Social Work at Penn, and developed a touring improv group at another New Jersey high school whose focus was drug prevention, child safety, etc.as part of his fieldwork. He says he just can't shake that theatre bug!
Jeff Horton ('04) has lived in Japan since graduating, working for the first two years as an English conversation instructor in a company called NOVA. He is now teaching basic English grammar to junior high schoolers in the Yokahama area of Japan! Jeff has also kept at the performance game and has done extra work in a film called Sushi Oji. He has also had a role on TV, in Galileo! Jeff has offered to take me to some Kabuki theatre when I visit, and I plan to take him up on his offer!
Elizabeth Ingram (’04) is working on her Master’s Degree at Idaho State University. She was cast there as a prisoner and a Moor in Man of La Mancha, and in December 2005 Liz directed a production of The Worthy Master Pierre Patelin.
Jonathan Kanter (‘06) worked in business sales with Best Buy Inc. in Boca Raton FL, then moved to Orlando to start working on Business School applications. His future seems to lie in Business so that's where he’s headed, but he’s not forgetting theater roots. Jonathan is tracking down some community theater positions in Orlando and is also thinking about taking a theater teaching job of some sort too.
Hope Kelly ('00) has been stage-managing during the past year at Maine's Public Theatre in Lewiston/Auburn (the L/A of the east). The theatre is an SPT. It seats 315 and is located in an old movie theatre that used to be called The Ritz. In March 2005 they are performing an Irish play titled Moonshine by Jim Nolan. Hope was asked back for the 2005-06 season. During the summers, she has been at Shakespeare & Company acting as Assistant Box Office Manager, but for summer 2007 has been hired as a stage manager!
Resa Kipp ('03) got married in January 2007, then moved back to Israel, where she has been working for BWC since 2004!
Rachel Kobrin (‘96) is in her third year of rabbinical school at the University of Judasim in LA. She describes it as a TON of work, and she has three more years to go, but she loves it. However, the brightest part of her life is her daughter, Noa.
Camille Lannan (‘03) is currently living in Dublin Ireland, studying for her Masters of Philosophy in Popular Literature at Trinity College.
Don LaPlant (’91) is busy teaching at Emory & Henry College, a small liberal arts school in Virginia affiliated with the Barter Theatre, the State Theatre of Virginia. He teaches Script Analysis, Directing, Theater History, Intro to Theatre and occasional Special Topics courses in Theory and Criticism. He also directs two or three shows a year, and in 2005-06 he’ll do Stop Kiss, Picnic, and Much Ado About Nothing.
Margot Leitman ('00) has become a very successful comedienne. Recently she contributed was a contributing author to a new book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jokes, now available on line and in stores, and The Party Project, a film she was in, was screened at Village East Cinemas in Manhattan. She was featured in a hilarious spread in the November issue of Glamour, and a bit she did on the Conan O’Brien Show about rejected X-men characters is a hit on YouTube! Margot will perform at the IC Homecoming weekend in fall 2007. She is in search of a “back to college” fix and may even observe my history class! She has just begun offering a one time only four session class in in NYC that focuses on storytelling and solo work called "Four Weeks to Tell the Story of a Lifetime." To find out more, visit Margot’s website (www.margotleitman.com)
Jeremy Levy (‘03) took Atlantic City by storm after graduation, working for Harrah casinos, giving away such gifts as free shopping at Macy's for life, a BMW a year for life, and $100,00 a year for life to 3 “very undeserving” people. He presented these gifts at huge corporate events simulcast in every Harrah's owned casino in the U.S. But Jeremy is bidding Atlantic City adieu, and as of fall 2006 he is performing and writing in New York City.
Erin Loomis (’03) is performing, often in student films, in Los Angeles. She supplements this by working as a production assistant on reality television and assisting a special effects make-up artist. In addition Erin somehow finds time to wait tables in a bar, and holds down a retail management position with Urban Outfitters. She has also been developing a clothing line that may actually get off the ground. In spring 2007 she is applying to MFA writing programs.
Katie Maguire ('07) headed to South Africa in August for a month of theatre in fall 07, with among others BA alum Jeremy Pickard. Katie is also investigating studying theatre in Russia!
Brian (“Duck”) Maillard (’99) has been a busy guy. He provides hundreds of voices for many of today's favorite cartoons! He can be heard (although probably not recognized) on shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokeman, F-Zero and Kirby, through a company called 4Kids productions. He specializes in bad guys with low, gravelly voices and bad Brooklyn accents. In addition, he is cast regularly for voice overs and commercials, and still pops up on a TV show now and then (a recent appearance was as a porn producer on "Law & Order: SVU!”) Duck lived in the upper East Side with his girlfriend, Jessica, a cat and not enough closet space, but recently took Jessica (and presumably the cat) to LA.
Jenn Mancini ('96) has been in internet advertising since 2000 and is currently (as of September 2007) working for MySpace, building up interactive sales for entertainment clients. She works with all the major film studios and TV networks! Jenn planned to study law and did for a time after graduation, but she discovered that "Performing every day as a salesperson is much more fun!" She lives ("in sin" as she wittily puts it) with IC theatre design alum Breck Armstrong in Brooklyn, where they are the proud parents of two cats, one 16 pounds, the other five pounds!
Michael Mandel (‘00) has been living in Tucson AZ working for the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault, beginning as a community educator (where his theatre skills came in handy!) and rising to the job of Communications Director. He was the youngest person to receive a Tucson Business Edge 40 Under 40 Edgie Award, which recognized young business and community leaders. Michael has also found time to continue his theatrical activity, playing Bosie in Moises Kaufman’s Gross Indecency, teaching an adult acting workshop, and directing David Hare’s Blue Room at the Wilde Playhouse. He was the first person to stage manage a live performance in the newly restored Vaudeville-era Fox Tucson Theatre. He has organized V-Day productions of The Vagina Monologues and received the newly created Vagina Spirit Award to recognize his work as a man to end violence against women. He has also started his own consulting/coaching firm! For more on that, visit his website, www.m2powered.com.
Abby Marcus (’99) worked with Nosedive Productions in production/ management for several years. In 2004 Abby left Nosedive to work with another Off Off Broadway company, Vampire Cowboys Theatre, and she's also company Manager for the LAByrinth Theatre Co. As of our chat in spring 2007 I discovered that busy young Abby is also manager of the Dramatists Guild!
Jamibeth Margolis (‘95) has been very busy in New York City, as a casting director with the prestigious Johnson-Liff Casting Agency until it closed its doors, then forming her own casting agency with another former Johnson-Liff director. In addition she has been building her directing resume, workshopping several new musicals as well as evenings featuring young singers and young composers. In Spring 2005 she returned to Ithaca College as guest director of a new musical, Owl Creek, composed by Ben Cohn, an alumnus from the school of music. As of September 2007 Jamibeth remains in casting, but continues to direct as well. Her latest effort is being produced by the prestigious New York Musical Theatre Festival in early October 2007. It's called Warsaw, and deals with a young Jewish man trapped in the Warsaw ghetto and separated from his Catholic fiance. Fellow IC theatre alum John Bell is music director.
Jessica Martenson (’01) attended the Drama Studio London immediately after graduating, and as soon as she finished there she was cast in a five month English-language tour of Italy in a children’s play, Aladdin, geared to teach young Italian students English. She then went almost immediately into rehearsals for a play based on Steven King’s Misery, performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in summer 2004. Jessica, a native of Finland, lives in London, where in Spring 2005 she played Helen of Troy and Aphrodite in a new play about that famous Trojan war. Jessica headed back to the Edinburgh Festival in summer 2005, producing as well as acting in an original piece titled Eve & Lilith. She also landed a role in an international animation, which will be recorded in Finland. In it, she plays a little girl, Isabella, who speaks English! In February 2006 Jess was cast in the world premiere a play in London called Strangers. She played a Danish woman who has traveled the world in quest for something she doesn’t find until she settles down. In addition to this major role Jess also plays, in her own words “a Brazilian beautician, a Venezuelan beggar, a drug addict and a slut from London!” In August 2006 Jessica traveled to Brazil with a friend from NTI Moscow, and spent a full month. In spring 2007 she and the same friend traveled even farther - to Nepal! I caught up with Jessica at the Barbican Center in June 2007, and she, Tim Kidd and I dined and went to the theatre together in August!
Megan McCoy ('02) did a program at Stella Adler after graduating. In NYC she worked at Bloomingdale's and began auditioning, getting roles in student and indie films. She was in a workshop called the Menstrual Show and had a great internship at the Looking Glass Theatre - which included some great classes - and an "itty bitty" show there. Megan did three plays in summer 2005. She hosts an ongoing children's series as well as playing Grandma in "Little Red Girl from the Hood" - the hiphop version of little red riding hood She works in a Scottish bar/restaurant where she is forced to learn about and therefore taste all the Scotch! Megan is also compiling a list of all the women run/owned businesses in NYC and will start a website listing them. She goes regularly to the gym so she can keep up this hectic schedule!
Seth Meier ('96) has been working steadily in LA since his graduation, and has most recently been cast as yet another cop, this time in an upcoming episode of Without a Trace on CBS! His cop-name has been changed from Jim Sheridan to Jim Pokawsky, to protect the innocent!
Rebecca Merritt ('07) was accepted at both Emerson's and The New School's graduate programs in Creative Writing! She chose The New School, where she has just begun classes. Rebecca is living in Astoria and working as Assistant to the Manager at The Yoga Room and at Martha's Country Bakery!
Blythe Miller (‘04) is living happily in Brooklyn, and has a day job which she loves at Planned Parenthood, working with teens and writing newsblurbs for them on their website. Blythe is taking a scene study class at HB studio in the village as well as working with her class from the National Theatre Institute to produce a play one of them wrote. Late in 2006 Blythe did an off-off Broadway show at a little theatre on the lower east side and has been doing showcases in midtown. She has connected with a commercial agent from talentworks and is investigating that potentially lucrative market.
Colin Miyamoto (’03) is back home in Hawaii, where in December 2004 he played The Cat in the Hat in Seussical at Diamond Head Theatre, to rave reviews.
Chris Mollica (‘03) and his group, the Poor Artists Collective, are happily celebrating their first year together. They have completed three successful productions: Static, a night of one acts; Tiger in the Park, a performance at the fountain in Central Park; and Couch, a new full length play written by Chris. They also have a rehearsal space located in the heart of Times Square. Chris recently had a one act of performed in the Silver Spring play festival in Washington DC and has appeared in a spot for Court TV as well as extra work on Guiding Light. He will soon be filming a short film adaptation of another play, Girl and Boy, with In The Garage Productions as well as shooting a documentary on the Fulton Fish Market. In March 2005 his Poor Artists' Collective produced fellow BA alum Brian Silliman's play, The Colonel's Holiday.
Jenn Montigny (Yuenger) (’99) lives in New Hampshire, is married to Jeremy Yuenger), received her Master's Degree in Education at the University of New Hampshire, and started teaching social studies at Nashua High School North. Jenn is in her third year as Drama Club advisor/director there. In 2004 she presented All in the Timing by David Ives, and this spring 2005 she’ll do Christopher Durang's 'Dentity Crisis, which will be taken to the New Hampshire Educational Theatre Guild Festival in March. Jen has a son, Ethan, born on November 6, 2003. Recently, Jenn moved to Las Vegas, where she is doing corporate training at the Bellagio!
Patti Moore ('07) is off to Hollywood, but before she goes she read the lead role in her friend's final playwriting project at SUNY Purchase!
Zhana Morris (’94) left Ithaca to work as a stage manager for Seacoast Rep in Portsmouth NH, and for nearly ten years she has bee Production Manager for The Music Hall, an important and historic venue in Portsmouth. She is also the archivist for that organization, and in that capacity co-authored a book called The Music Hall, Portsmouth. During that time she’s moonlighted as costume designer for the New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Youth Repertory Company, and when time permits, she stage manages for other local theatres.
Larry Mudge (‘05) submitted a play Deviled Sausage to a festival performed in Brooklyn, for the Gallery Players and it was accepted! Directed by Autumn Clark, it got a positive review on nytheatre.com. In spring 2007 he accepted a literary internship at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, where he will begin in Fall 07. Rumor has it that he has kidnapped fellow BA alum 'Phie Randolph ('05) and will spirit her off to Florida as well!
Kim Mueller ('05) has been very busy in 2006. In the summer she attended Stanislavsky Summer School where she played Varvara in Ostrovsky’s The Storm. This fall she is in Happy Hour at the Michael Chekhov Theatre in NYC, and also Biloxi Blues in New Haven CT. She has recently played the title role in Cinderella Wore Combat Boots, an interactive children’s play. She wants to study in Russia and is also taking a Russian language course!
Kate Michaela Mullen (’04) has worked with Kidspeace, as a childcare counselor with girls aged 13-17. She’s pulled long, tiring shifts there since January, and has been a tremendous help to these kids, who have, in her own words, “strayed from the norm.” More recently she has acted as program supervisor at the Charles River Association for Mentally Retarded Citizens. Kate is now enrolled in a graduate program at Lesley University, focusing on Special Education, pre-K to 8th grade.
Janine Nabers ('05) is in graduate school for playwriting at the New School in NYC. In fall 2006 she entered her second year and a ten minute play that she wrote was produced in midtown in September! The ten minute play was a part of a series of plays titled "...In Bed.." done by The Crowne Theater at the PRODUCERS CLUB! In spring 2007 a reading of one of her plays was produced, and a full production of another one-act was also presented!
Richard Nathan (’99) to Los Angeles after graduation and began doing some extra work. He got involved associate producing a project that was going to star Jack Nicholson, Woody Harrelson, John Goodman, and others, but it fell through after a year of pre-planning. After that Richard worked for IFC Films, in its distribution and marketing department. He worked on the marketing of "Memento", "Donnie Darko", "Y Tu Mama Tambien", and other films. Since then Richard has been involved in acting, standup, writing, and production. As of December 2004 he is working in post-production as a P.A. for Last Comic Standing 2 on NBC while taking acting classes.
Kate Nipko (’03) got one of four spots in the MFA Youth Theater/ Directing program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and began classes there in August 2005.
Marianne Nonna ('05) has been in an internship at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York, which specializes in new plays. While she has to clean toilets and take out the garbage, she also gets an acting/directing/playwriting lab once a week as part of the deal.
Jen Noterman (’02) graduated early, in December 2001, and worked through the spring of 2002 in stage management at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. Since then she has been stage managing in New York City, notably Mrs. Farnsworth at the Flea Theatre, which starred Sigourney Weaver and John Lithgow. In March 2005 she was production stage manager for T.A.C.T.'s concert reading of Home, by David Storey, and in November 2005 Jen was ASM on Hilda at 59 E 59th Street Theatre A. She refers to it as an "absurd noir." In fall 2006 she was back at the Flea, stage managing the revival of The Guys, and then the premiere of A.R. Gurney's new play, Postmortem. At an all too short meeting at Field Studies 2007 Jen told me that she'll work as a PA on the new Disney musical The Little Mermaid!
Tom O’Brien ('04) left Boston in November 2005 and moved to Washington Heights, up north of Central Park. He lived with Happy Anderson (1999 Ithaca Acting Alum) and dubbed the neighborhood "little Ithaca" because alums Kate Hamill and BA Janine Nabers lived two streets away and Kimberlee Walker, Jade Guerra and Keith Williston only half a block away. He worked at Tavern on the Green for the Holiday Season. In summer 2006 Tom booked a tour with Chamber Theatre Productions out of Boston for the fall. He toured around the country to different cities doing adaptations of literature (ie Poe, Irving, Twain) for grades 6-12. Tom wrote that it tours to real theatres and not school cafeterias! Tom moved to Washington DC in 2007 and while auditioning he is working at one of my favoriteDC watering holes, The Old Ebbitt Grill. Check Tom's website, www.cube-side.com.
Brian O'Connell ('05) works in Binghamton NY for the Mental Health Association, where among his duties he is charged with creating a musical on themes related to the work of this worthy group. He wrote one in 2006 and in summer 2007 he produced his second, from 25 to 2 June, at Tri-Cities Opera!
Matt Omasta (‘02) enrolled a graduate program at Emerson College. He was offered an adjunct faculty position, and in Spring 2005 he taught an undergrad course on Writing as Performance, a performance-centric way for students to fulfill their research writing requirement. In early 2007 Matt is in a PhD program, Theatre for Youth, at Arizona State University!
Nicole Orne (’04) lives in Brooklyn with her very large dog. She works in the fashion industry for an accessories company in Manhattan. Her division is in the process of launching a new handbag line, and her firm also has the license for Playboy Handbags...yes, they make handbags. As of spring 2007 Nicole has been traveling a good bit, including to China, where she is looking for new markets!
Sylvia Pabon (’00) has led an exciting and varied life after college. She trained at the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre in California and performed with Mum Puppettheatre in Philadelphia and touring, including a stint at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2001. She moved to Los Angeles, where she trained to become a prenatal yoga instructor. Skilled in Kundalini Yoga, she plans to train as an RN in 2007 and apply her many abilities as a healer.
Christina Pickard (‘03) spent some time since she graduated in New York City, where she worked with the DAVAI Ensemble, and in London, where she acted in a production of Company, where in Fall 2005 she began classes in London for musical theatre. As of Fall 2006, Christina is engaged to a mountain climbing Aussie! They will be married in Italy in the summer of 2008. Christina recently finished her program at the London School of Musical Theatre. She had three weeks of private agent auditions and has had two agent offers! In spring 2007 she was cast in a tour of Italy, doing abridged versions of Macbeth, Dorian Gray and Jekyll and Hyde, geared to help young Italians hone their English language skills. In June 2007 Christina and I met for dinner in London, and a show at the Gate Theatre after! We JUST missed each other in London and in Edinburgh in August 2007, but I will definitely see her in summer 2008, as I will attend her wedding, to be in a palazzo in Santa Margherita Ligure, on the Italian Riviera!
Jeremy Pickard ('04) produced a workshop of URANUS in Ithaca in January 2007. This project is about the things we get rid of It’s an experiment in storytelling and a launching pad for what I like to call "green theatre", in which every production element is recycled, found, or donated. One of Jeremy’s collaborators is Danny Gardner, an IC '05 alum. Jeremy has also been cast in Susan Lori Parks’ 365 Plays in 365 Days, taking part in spring 2007 at Boulder Colorado. In fall 2007 he has plans to spend a month doing theatre in South Africa, along with, among others, VERY recent alums BA Katie Maguire ('07), and BFA actor Teeny Lamothe ('07)!
Daniel Prince (‘04) fled the country after graduation, got a teacher certification in Poland, and found his way to Vietnam and, currently, Taiwan, where he helps schoolchildren to learn English. He's also proofreading dissertations and scientific research, selling online English learning software, and taking care of his dog - a handsome yellow lab. He will return to the US in summer 2007 to get married, and he has just applied to law school.
Lexy Randolph ('07) is heading to Russia in fall 2007, to study at the National Theatre Institute Moscow Art Theatre Program!
'Phie Randolph ('05) is bound for Sarasota in fall 07 -- she will be doing a costuming internship at the fine Florida Studio Theatre!
Allie Reinman ('07) spent the summer at the prestigious Eugene O'Neill Center, one of the top workshoppers of new plays in the U.S, where she had worked in summer 2006 as well.
Ian Richetti (graduated December '00, but is spiritually a grad of 01) will begin law school at the Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville in fall 2007!
Joey Riela ('05) is a manager at Kenneth Cole, which consumes much of his time, but he still tries to find time for theatre. Last I heard, in Fall 2005, he was looking at a random acts of kindness/goodwill tour sponsored by Volkswagon.
Alison Riley (‘98) is teaching Theatre Design and Stagecraft as well as English Literature at Notre Dame High School by day, and by night getting her Master's in Education at Arcadia University, just outside Philadelphia.
Sarah Rolleston ('07), performed in Beauty and the Beast just after graduation at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, and is investigating (along with fellow alum Katie Maguire) further theatre training in Russia!
Jamie Romito ('05) is taking classes at Dowling College in Oakdale NY, working on her masters’ degree in English Education. In March 2007 she treated me to a play at CSC in NYC -- this is a lesson in kindness and generosity that ALL my alums should take to heart!
Sarah Rosenbloom (‘04) began working in an early childhood program at a day school shortly after she graduated, fell in love with it, and is applying for a graduate degree at University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. She has also taken a job as a production assistant on the Jerry Springer Show! She wasn't sure at first but she claims it's valuable experience!
Christian Rosselli (’04) spent the summer he graduated from IC in Ithaca and worked as an Artistic Intern at the Hangar Theater. From August 2004-Feb 2005, he worked as a casting assistant at Bernie Telsey Casting in NYC on the "Rent" Movie. Since August of 2005, Christian has been an Executive Assistant at The Weinstein Company where he works for two executives; the SVP of Casting and Production and the VP of Business and Legal Affairs. He wrote me in summer of 2007, “I basically do everything.” Christian is currently living in Astoria and hopes to stay for a while!
Julie Rossnagle (‘04) spent some time in her hometown, Allentown PA, working at the Crowded Kitchen Theatre after graduation, but she is now in Philadelphia, in a job at the prestigious Wilma Theatre, about which she is very excited. In fact in summer 2007 Julie received a promotion. She is now Group Sales and Special Events Manager! In case you want to check it out, the theatre's website is wilmatheater.org. Her most recent official function was quite exciting for her. Blanka Ziska, the artistic director, asked Julie to create a birthday card for Tom Stoppard, who happens to be a personal friend of Ms Ziska! Julie did so, and is now prepared to also become a personal Stoppard pal!
Giulia Rozzi ('00) has worked in LA and NYC at the Comedy Store as co-producer of Mortified NYC. Her comedic act centers around positive body image and self-esteem. Together with BA alum Margot Leitman she wrote Namedroppers, a show which ran for three months at the Upright Citizens' Brigade
Melissa Savage Charych (’00) was married July 3 2004 to Erik Charych, pronounced "Cherish"! They live in Morristown, NJ where Melissa is a tenured faculty member, teaching Drama and English at West Morris Central High School, and directing the big spring musical. She teaches a theatre history unit in Dramatics I and always tells her students the OG story. In summer 2006 Melissa taught English as a Second Language. In the fall she began teaching IB (International Baccalaureate) theatre courses at her school. Her husband Erik is on a postdoctoral fellowship at Rutgers, and Melissa says “Domestic life is very happy!” And in an exciting new move, as of April 2007 the bright young Melissa has just been accepted to the prestigious Columbia University School of Social Work!
Kendra Scaletta (’03) moved out to Arizona after graduation and began teaching Freshman English and Drama class. She was also in charge of directing the theatre productions and the school's drama club. She was named Department Chair of English in her last year there, was also named to Who's Who of American Teachers all three years that she taught! Kendra is now moving towards counseling, and has been accepted for a Fall 2007 in a grad program in that field.
Danielle Scarpa (Norris) ('05) just after graduating did a stint at the Public Theatre where she worked with director Mark Lamos, She worked with the New Jersey Opera in Princeton during summer 2005. After exploring international opportunities, Danielle chose the U.S. instead, and is now a married lady! She is currently working at the fine Two Rivers Theatre in New Jersey as Development and Special Events Associate!
Michael Schmidt (’05) was hired as Audience Services Manager at Ithaca’s own Hangar Theatre for the summer of 2006.
Alex Seal ('03) was at the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Lousiville, where she met Chuck Mee. Alex also did a stint at the Colorado Festival of World Theatre, where among other things she met Peter Shaffer there and got him to sign and write a nice note in a copy of Equus – all for me! As of Spring 2007, Alex has founded a company in New York City -- Prevail Theatre. Alex is in the first play Prevail is presenting, Hanging Women by Donna Spector. Alex has also directed a reading of one of four short plays written in response to Spector's play, and the company is conducting improvs nightly after the show. In fall 2007 Prevail is producing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. For more info, check out the website, www.prevailtheater.org!
Elizabeth Seldin ('07) remained in Ithaca just after graduation as part of the excellent Tin Can Fantasy Factory!
Dara Serber (‘00) is in New York City, where she directed at a play P.S 122 that went up as part of their season Feb. 24th to March 6th 2005. It’s a musical of sorts, a new innovative play with music. Dara directed a piece of this play last February for APAP with theatre department professor Greg Bostwick in it. Dara was at BA alum Michelle Lanou's ('00) wedding in September, and had some IC alums helping out with the benefit she produced in December 2004.
Danielle Sertz ('96) and Ken Wyman ('96) married in the fall of 2003 and moved back to Ken's old Vermont stomping grounds. Ken is utilizing his fine carpentry skills building homes and manages additional gigs as a scenic designer, actor, and member of an improv troupe. Danielle is utilizing her directing degree (MFA UMass, Amherst '03) freelancing as a director, choreographer, and teacher. They also spend a significant portion of their time brushing snow off their cars.
Michelle Sertz ('02) is continuing her quest to spread theater to young audiences as Assistant Theater Manager of the retail Mecca "American Girl Place" on Fifth avenue across from Rockefeller Center. She's come a long way since her first appearance in NYC as "Princess Pretty of FAO Schwartz"... but she's managed to maintain a presence in the toy business. In fact she just got promoted! As of July 17th 2006 she will officially be the Theater Manager (corporate jargon for Managing Director)/Casting Coordinator (Casting Director) for American Girl Place Theater. She will now be working with actors (both on stage occasionally directing and off stage in contract negotiations), taking the challenge of meeting casting needs head on, while keeping the books balanced. Michelle can also be found teaching drama and directing young thespians at the PolyPrep Performing Arts Summer Camp each July, and volunteering at CampExclamationPoint each August in Vermont with her sister, Danielle, and brother-in-law, Ken Wyman ( see just above!)
Patrick Shearer ('99) is Artistic Associate with Nosedive Productions (see also Pete Boisvert) as an actor/director/producer/sound designer. He has also been doing a ton of sound design work throughout Off-Off-Broadway, along with my acting and directing gigs. Patrick is in Brian Silliman's new play, The Magic of Mrs. Crowling, which opened on July 24th 2007 (visit the website www.mrscrowling.com) & featuring a number of Ithaca alums. He has also been working with the New York Innovative Theater Awards, which recognize the outstanding accomplishments each year in Off Off. (www.nyitawards.com). He’s an office assistant at The Dramatists Guild (thanks to Abby Marcus, who's their General Manager). And on top of all of that, he is writing the libretto to a musical adaptation of a novel (which he can't name right now, but will in the future) as well as a stage version of a Philip K. Dick novel that he hopes to put up in 2008!
Jonathan Shuey ('07) spent his first summer after graduation at Utah at Robert Redford's Sundance Institute, working in its theatre program! In fall 2007 he heads south to the New Stage Theatre in Jackson Mississippi, where he will be engaged in an acting internship!
Brian Silliman (’01) has been writing plays since graduation and getting some of them produced at, among other places, the largely IC alum organization Poor Artists’ Collective. In summer 2004 Brian’s and fellow alum Larry Lees’ piece, Jonestown the Musical, played the NY Fringe Festival, and it featured musical theatre alum Matt Cavenaugh. In March 2005 Poor Artists' Collective produced his play, The Colonel's Holiday, to excellent notices! In 2006 Brian wrote a musical called 16 Days, about that mysterious time period in which Katie Holmes disappeared, then resurfaced as a loyal scientologist and all ready to marry Tom Cruise. His partner in crime, Larry Lees, is also an IC theatre alum. The piece was given a workshop at Ithaca College in December 2006. In summer 2007 his play The Magic of Mrs. Crowling opened in NYC with Patrick Shearer (see just above) and a number of other IC alums! I heard from Brian in early September. He is gearing up for adapting a two man show (of this great Jonathan Lethem story) for the promiscuous play project, doing some other acting work, getting 16 Days ready for recording and trying to concoct a plan to get his equity card by Christmas!
Rich Simon (‘97) has been running his own theatre, The Mosaic, in South Florida since soon after he graduated. He continues to keep it alive and well. He has been nominated frequently for Carbonells, the local theatre awards, and won for his production of Art. In May 2006 he opened a production of Oleanna at the Mosaic, and I notices that in Spring 2007 his theatre is up for yet another Carbonell! Check out the website: www.mosaictheatre.com.
Alexander Smith (Wemyss) ('07) played Caliban in The Tempest at Virginia Shakespeare in Fredericksburg VA just after graduating, and in fall 2007 will be a literary intern at the fine Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, along with fellow BA alum Larry Mudge.
Dan Stermer ('07) headed off to Chicago immediately after graduating to work with Northwestern U's famed summer high school theatre institute, "The Cherubs!"
Lesley Anne Stone (’02) worked at SpotCo, a major advertising agency for Broadway, since graduation in May 2002. In addition, she found time to run her own production company, Pie Stone Productions, L.L.C. After months of negotiations, Lesley Anne recently sold her Broadway Intern Group to the American Theatre Wing. She was also hired to continue to run the group under the American Theatre Wing as consultants. The group will be re-named the American Theatre Wing's Theatre Intern Group. Furthermore, she was hired as a consultant at a brand new talent management company based in Hackensack, New Jersey called T3 Entertainment. The company is currently signing actors, singers, musicians, comedians, and writers. Finally, Lesley Anne was nominated and accepted into the League of Professional Theatre Women, their youngest member. In summer 2005, she moved from New York to LA in summer 2005 to work for LaPlaca Cohen, a cultural advertising/ marketing/branding agency that handles non profit theatres, arts organizations and museums. Their west coast clients include the Getty Museum, the LA Philharmonic, the Mark Taper Forum and more! Lesley Anne left LaPlaca Cohen to become Los Angeles Account Executive for Universal Pictures at Allied Advertising & Publicity, and in Fall 2006 made another onward and upward move to TMG -- The Marketing Group -- as a Senior Account Executive!
Rachel Strayer (‘04) is working at the Lauren Green Modeling Agency as Laura Green’s assistant.
Mohammed Tantawi (’02), has been living in Egypt for the past year and a half and joined the world of dubbing! He was the production manager for the Arabic dubbed version of Disney's Brother Bear and the Executive Producer of the Arabic dubbed version of Disney's The Three Musketeers. After that he joined Sesame Street Egypt as its dubbing producer and the Associate Producer, as well as a member of the scripts and content department.
Kim Tierney ('01) is in Philadelphia at Blue Sky (which will soon change its name to First Person Arts) working as the Program Associate in charge of Development & Special Events, Grantwriting, Production & Company Management, and Performing Arts & Music Programming. Its major program is the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art. The festival is multi-disciplinary and takes place in all sort of weird and wonderful location in Philly for ten days in June. In addition to this busy life, Kim is also gestating on some personal projects.
Aubrey Tighe (‘04) was hired immediately after graduating as an "actor/educator" for a company called Children's Stage Adventures. In 2004-05, Aubrey and BFA acting major (‘04) Mike Cyr were on the road for the next 9 months casting (children ages 5-18), directing, and acting (along with several other fun duties) in a children's version of Midsummer Night's Dream. After some struggles with that company about issues of pay, Aubrey won a lawsuit against them! In Fall 2006 Aubrey was in a play at Albany’s Curtain Call Theatre, The Foreigner by Larry Shue.
Michael Toscano ('04) has, as of mid-April 2007, been accepted into Columbia University's graduate program in film as well as Boston U.'s! He has chosen Columbia and will begin there in fall 2007.
Liz Ulmer (’03) started out applying for dramaturgy internships in NYC, working at Ernst & Young, and doing a couple of readings here and there in Manhattan. She spent the summer of 2005 in Poughkeepsie, NY, workshopping a musical with New York Stage and Film (and getting her Equity card!) The musical is Dangerous Beauty, based on the 1998 movie. After that she'll be back in New York, pounding the pavements again.
Sara Valentine ('97) went straight to Minneapolis after graduating, where she worked for a wide variety of theatres. More recently she has been living and working theatrically in Delaware, and we were lucky enough to have her here where she gave a workshop for the BAs. She performed in summer 2006 at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, playing Nerissa in Merchant of Venice opposite fellow BA alum Steve Weitz
Gaelyn Walker ('04) has been accepted at SUNY Brockport’s grad program in Dance – but she has so many contracts with dance studios in Atlanta that they have agreed to defer her until Fall 2007, at which time she goes back to being a student!
Katie Weinberg (’04) is still living in Albany but plans to make the big move to either NYC or LA sometime in the next year. In Albany she’s been getting some great roles; most recently Libby in I Ought to be in Pictures, and Biondello in Taming of the Shrew both at local Albany community theaters. Katie serves on the Board of Directors at the Albany Civic Theater and is heavily involved in each production, on stage or backstage.
Steve Weitz ('95), in addition to acting at Colorado Shakes this summer (see Sara Valentine above) is beginning the dissertation stage of his doctorate.
Maureen White ('05) is the Intern to the Artistic Director at City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh during 2006-07. The company provides an artistic home for new plays of substance and idea that engage a diverse audience... mostly new plays that deal with different social issues. She also works at Joseph Beth Bookstore in Pittsburgh!
Corey Whitesell ('99) is in Pennsylvania at Penn State's International Student Services as the Program Coordinator. To use theatre terminology, she's a company manager and cruise director for about 4000 international students and their families. She advises student-run nationality clubs, organizes and funds their events and activities throughout the year, creates cultural adjustment programs, develops city visits throughout their stay at PSU. In general, the position is a catch-all for any other new projects that come up.
Ken Wyman ('96) -- see Danielle Sertz!
Galeit Sehayek (Yeshayek) (’02) joined Actors Equity in February 2005. She is also a member of SAG. She has done some work for independent films, Law and Order, and most recently, she played Ruth in Michael Weller's, Moonchildren, at the Kraine Theatre. She is working free lance with the Ann Wright agency.
Rachel Zack (‘03) has been working since February 2004 as a production assistant at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. She did The Chosen w/ Theodore Bikel, Baby w/ Norm Lewis, Carolee Carmello, LaChanze, Michael Rupert, & Chad Kimball, Guys and Dolls w/ Karen Ziemba, and Robert Cuccioli, Of Thee I Sing, directed by Tina Landau, and She Loves Me. In December 2004 she moved to New Haven, CT at the Long Wharf working as a production assistant on a new play, Singing Forest by Craig Lucas. Later in the spring she took over for an ailing stage manager on another project, was given her Equity card, and took the production to Playwrights Horizons in NYC, in May 2005. As of early 2007 Rachel is part of the stage management team of the Broadway hit, The Drowsy Chaperone!
Shara Zeiger (‘05) has been VERY busy in New York since her graduation. She has performed in plays at PS 122, Cube City Productions La Mama Etc, the American Globe Theatre Festival and Theatre Flamboyan. Look for her also in film and TV, where she has been featured as Elizabetta in The Hunters, directed by Paul Williams, played a party girl in M Night Shyamalan’s The Lady in the Water, and can be an ice skater in Episode 11 of The Sopranos 2006! Most recently. Shara studied with Paul Michael Valley from Julliard as well as doing on camera audition techniques with Jonathan Strauss (head casting director of Law & Order SVU) to prepare for a trip to LA to try the waters in the world of film and tv. Once there she completed the National Actors Intensive, got a good deal of interest from Progressive Artists Agency and shot two short films. In Spring 2007 she toured with the National Theatre for Arts and Education, playing Toinette in The Imaginary Invalid! As of May 2007 Shara is being submitted by Claro and AMA Talent Agencies on projects in NY and Philly. She is working a small part in a big budget SAG feature called "Our Lady of Victory" in Malvern, PA and later in the summer will be shooting a bigger role in a currently untitled SAG Low Budget Short Film. As August 2007 turns to September Shara will be performing in a sketch comedy show called WaWaPalooza! with IdRatherBeHere Productions at The Society Hill Playhouse as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
