Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee (Book), whose collaboration spanned more than 50 years, were among the most prolific playwriting teams in the American theatre. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Inherit the Wind, their major stage works include Auntie Mame, the books for the musicals Mame and Dear World, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, The Gang’s All Here and First Monday in October. They won two Peabody Awards for Distinguished Achievement in Broadcasting and the American Theatre Association Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1990, they became members of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre at The Kennedy Center and were inducted into the National Theatre Hall of Fame. The Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute was established at Ohio State University in 1986. Dedicated teachers of playwriting, they communicated to their students a passionate belief that the theatre must be a forum for ideas and issues of social significance.
Jerry Herman (Music & Lyrics) remains one of the most iconic and beloved composers in the American theatre. His legendary scores have spawned such standards as “I Am What I Am,” “The Best of Times,” “Mame,” “If He Walked Into My Life,” “We Need a Little Christmas,” and “Hello, Dolly!” His first Broadway musical, Milk and Honey (1961), ran for 543 performances. He made history in 1964 with Hello, Dolly! (ten Tony Awards including Best Musical, a Broadway record held for 37 years), which was followed by yet another smash, Mame, in 1966. With Dolly! and Mame still running, Herman had the rare distinction of having three Broadway shows playing simultaneously when Dear World opened in 1969. In 1974, Mack & Mabel opened (and remains one of his best-loved scores), and was followed by 1979’s The Grand Tour. Herman’s most recent Broadway show, La Cage aux Folles, became another phenomenon, winning the Tony award in 1984 for Best Musical. It was successfully revived in 2004 and 2010, winning the Tony for Best Revival each time. Two of Herman’s most cherished songs from Hello, Dolly! are the emotional highlights of the Disney-Pixar classic Wall-E, cementing Herman’s place in American popular culture. His countless awards and honors include multiple Tony Awards, Grammys, Olivier Awards, Drama Desk Awards, the Johnny Mercer Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, the Oscar Hammerstein Award, the Frederick Loewe Award, membership in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Theater Hall of Fame, and most recently, The Kennedy Center Honor. Charles Repole (Director) is happy to return to North Shore Music Theatre. He directed the highly acclaimed concert versions of Dubarry Was a Lady starring Faith Prince and Robert Morse and Call Me Madam starring Tyne Daly for the prestigious City Center Encores! series. Other Broadway directing credits include the revival of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (which originated at the Goodspeed Opera House), The Lauri Strauss Leukemia Foundation Benefit at Carnegie Hall with and the New York Pops conducted by Skitch Henderson and for 7 years, Mr. Repole conceived and directed the annual fund raising gala for the 92nd Street "Y" including the Lyrics and Lyricists 25th Year Celebration hosted by Angela Lansbury and starring Rosie O'Donnell, Joel Grey, Bebe Neuwirth, Jerry Herman, Cy Coleman, Stephen Schwartz and Sheldon Harnick. Also an accomplished on-stage performer, Mr. Repole has appeared before Broadway audiences starring in Doubles, Whoopee! (which he earned a Drama Desk nomination) and Very Good Eddie (which earned him a Tony® nomination and a Theatre World Award). Off-Broadway credits include Olympus On My Mind and the concert version of Magdalena. He was also "glimpsed briefly" on the sit-com "Encore Encore!." Mr. Repole was the Chairman of the Drama, Theatre and Dance Department at Queens College for eight years and was honored in 2014 with the President’s Award for Outstanding Teaching. Michael Lichtefeld (Choreographer) has choreographed six Broadway Musicals, including The Secret Garden, The Sound Of Music (revival), Sweeney Todd, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Little Women, nine Off-Broadway musicals and at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Camelot, Fiddler On The Roof, Man Of La Mancha, The King and I, Guys And Dolls, The Music Man, and as director/choreographer, South Pacific and My One And Only. He directed/choreographed, How To Succeed..., Guys And Dolls, Sweet Charity, and Evita for The Drayton Festival, Canada. He was nominated as best director for the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award for Bye Bye Birdie at North Shore Music Theatre and won the IRNE as best choreographer for Birdie and 42nd Street at NSMT and was nominated for La Cage aux Folles and Guys and Dolls. His choreography has been nominated for three Outer Critic's Circle Awards, as well as the Drama Desk Award and The LA Ovation Award. He is currently at work on a new musical, Stardust Road, featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael. Milton Granger (Music Director) has previously served as Music Director in NSMT productions of A Christmas Carol (’14 – ’17), 42nd Street, Young Frankenstein, The Music Man, West Side Story, Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Poppins, Saturday Night Fever, Anything Goes, Cats and Swing! As pianist/conductor: Broadway: Mary Poppins, The Woman in White, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Cyrano the musical, and Camelot (with Robert Goulet). National tours: Sunset Boulevard, Big, The Phantom of the Opera, Only a Kingdom (with Sally Struthers). Off-Broadway: A Fine and Private Place, Fermat's Last Tango (CD and DVD), Company, Different Fields. International: West Side Story in Paris and Berlin; over one hundred productions in regional theaters. As composer/lyricist/librettist: Two first-place awards from the National Opera Association; Castle Walk a Next Link selection in the New York Music Theatre Festival; Bronze Mirror a selection of the Manhattan Theatre Mission festival; Peter Rabbit and the Garden of Doom winner of the Actors' Playhouse competition. Eight chamber operas which have been produced by 50 college opera workshops and small opera companies in U.S. and Canada. www.miltongranger.com Kyle Dixon (Scenic Design) Kyle’s scenic artwork may be seen across the United States, from NYC to Las Vegas. Recent scenic designs include: 42nd Street, Young Frankenstein, The Music Man, West Side Story (North Shore Music Theatre), Camelot (Westchester Broadway Theatre), The Broadway Classic Music Dance Review (Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, Beijing, China) The Producers, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Music Man, Beehive, Buddy, West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, Sister Act, and Young Frankenstein (Theatre By The Sea, BroadwayWorld Regional Award), Growing up 70’s starring Barry Williams (Off Broadway), Angelina Ballerina, The Musical (NYC, Toronto, National Tour), Fancy Nancy, the Musical (NYC, National Tour), StinkyKids (Off Broadway Alliance Award), It Shoulda Been You (starring Kim Zimmer) and The Wizard of Oz (Gretna Theatre, BroadwayWorld Regional Award), Xanadu, Doubt, The Secret Garden and The Merchant of Venice (Williams Center for the Arts), and many more. Kyle has designed concert events for Faith Prince, Tommy Tune, Pam Tillis, and the NC Gubernatorial Inauguration Gala (Telly Award). In addition to theatre, he is the designer of NC’s historic Elizabethan Gardens’ Winter Lights, a ten-acre holiday display. www.KyleDixonDesigns.com Gregg Barnes (Original Costume Design) Broadway: Pretty Woman: The Muscal, Mean Girls, Disney’s Aladdin, Tuck Everlasting (Tony nom.); Something Rotten! (Tony nom.); Aladdin; Kinky Boots (Tony nom., Olivier Award); Follies (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award); Elf; Legally Blonde (Tony nom.); The Drowsy Chaperone (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Award, Olivier nom.); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Flower Drum Song (Tony nom.); Side Show. Other: Dreamgirls (Olivier nomination), Sinatra (Radio City), Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Pageant (Olivier Nomination), The Kathy and Mo Show. TDF Young Master Award. Paula Peasley-Ninestein (Costume Coordination) has worked in the costume department at NSMT since 2008 as the costume coordinator, costume designer or wardrobe supervisor for over 50 NSMT productions. Some of her favorite productions are: Miss Saigon, Billy Elliot, Les Misérables, Sister Act and Bye, Bye, Birdie. Her costume designs for NSMT's productions of Guys and Dolls and Legally Blonde earned IRNE nominations. Other credits include Lake Dillon Theatre Company, Stoneham Theatre, Opera Carolina, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Boston, and La Jolla Playhouse. Paula enjoys volunteering at her son Tripp’s school, Rockport Elementary, and is a Co-Chair of the Rockport PTO. Kirk Bookman (Lighting Design) has designed the lighting for numerous New York productions, including Charles Busch's The Confession of Lily Dare, The Tribute Artist, The Divine Sister. Off-Broadway: What Then at the Ohio Theater, The Cook at Intar Theatre 53, Recent Tragic Events at Playwrights Horizons (starring Heather Graham). For the National Actors Theatre on Broadway: The Sunshine Boys (Jack Klugman and Tony Randall), The Gin Game (Julie Harris and Charles Durning), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Right You Are. For the Irish Repertory Company in New York, his presentations include Bedbound, Playboy of the Western World, Eclipsed, The Importance of Being Earnest and Major Barbara. Other New York productions include Mondo Drama, Havana is Waiting, Force Continuum (Atlantic Theater Company), My One Good Nerve (starring Ruby Dee), The Green Heart at Manhattan Theatre Club, The Shawl, Rude Entertainment, The Book of Liz (David and Amy Sedaris), Les MIZrahi (Isaac Mizrahi), Hope is the Thing with Feathers, As Thousands Cheer and June Moon. Regionally, Mr. Bookman has designed at such notable theaters as Goodspeed Opera House, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Pittsburgh Public theater, Repertory Theatre of St Louis. Ballet credits include the English National Ballet, Santiago Ballet, the Cincinnati Ballet, Kansas City Ballet and Hungarian National Ballet. Projects with the San Francisco Symphony include The Thomashefskys, Of Thee I Sing, Oedipus Rex, The Nightingale and A Flowering Tree directed by Peter Sellars. Upcoming: American Dance Machine at the Joyce Theater, Pioneer Theater Company (in Salt Lake City) and 3 seasons with Utah Shakespeare Festival Don Hanna (Sound Design) is happy to be returning to North Shore Music Theatre for Mame, where past credits include the recent production of 42nd Street, Evita, Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, West Side Story, and Billy Elliot. Up and coming projects include: Wizard of Oz 2017-2018 International Tour (Sound Design, Apex Touring). Other notable credits include: The World Premier of Heartbreak Hotel (Sound Design, Ogunquit Playhouse, Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Sound Design, Ogunquit Playhouse), Priscilla Queen of the Desert Regional Premier (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse/Ogunquit Playhouse), The Million Dollar Quartet (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse), Saturday Night Fever Regional Premiere (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse), Billy Elliot (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse), Rock of Ages Regional Premier (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse), Young Frankenstein Regional Premier (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse/Ogunquit Playhouse). Touring Credits include: Pippin (Associate Sound Designer/Head audio, Apex Touring), Fame the Musical (Sound Design), The Million Dollar Quartet National Tour (Head Audio), Smokey Joes Cafe 20th Anniversary Tour (Head Audio). Don is a freelance Sound Designer and Engineer in the NY Tristate area. Other freelance production includes Frontier Show Productions, The Engman Theatre, Shades of Buble: A Three-Man Tribute to Michael Buble, among others. A special thank you to my friends, family and Bethany for their continual love and support. Gerard Kelly (Wig and Hair Design) Broadway: Disney’s The Lion King (Tony© Award - Best Musical), Hair (Tony© Award - Best Revival of a Musical). Gerard's hair and wig design has been seen at North Shore Music Theatre since 1999 as well as many other Regional Theatre's and Shakespeare Festivals across the country. Gerard has also created many wigs for performers such as Harvey Fierstein, Felicity Huffman, Laura Linney, Marlo Thomas, The B-52's (including the cover of their album Funplex), Varla Jean Merman, Charles Busch, S.Epatha Merkerson, Jennifer Holiday, RuPaul, Woopie Goldberg, and The Lady Bunny. Gerard's work can be seen in films such as Transamerica, Girls Will Be Girls, The Ten, The Savages, King Bolden, Notorious, The Conjuring and The Other Woman. Natalie A. Lynch (Production Stage Manager). With NSMT: The 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 Musical Seasons. Other Credits Include: Capital Repertory Theatre, Reagle Music Theatre, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, New Repertory Theatre, Pioneer Theatre Company, STAGES St. Louis, Stoneham Theatre and Maples Repertory Theatre. National Tours: The Magic Tree House: The Musical and A Christmas Carol. Natalie began at NSMT as the SM Intern in 2005 and is thrilled to return once again to her theatrical home. She is a graduate of University of New Hampshire and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Special thanks to her parents, her family and friends, and to Rachel for all of the endless love and support. Dakotah Wiley Horan (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be back for the 2018 Season having worked as the Assistant Stage Manager on A Christmas Carol ’17 & ‘16, 42nd Street, Evita, Young Frankenstein, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Music Man, West Side Story, Spamalot and Singin' In The Rain, and as the Production Assistant for Mary Poppins and Funny Girl. Some of her previous Stage Management credits include: Capital Repertory Theatre: Marvelous Wonderettes, Cactus Flower, 33 Variations, Leslie Uggams in Uptown Downtown, Man of La Mancha, and Single Girls Guide. Pendragon Theatre: Clean House, Twelve Angry Men, A Christmas Story. CPS: The King and I. She is a graduate of SUNY Postdam and Universidad de Sevilla. She would like to thank her parents for instilling and encouraging her love of theatre, her very supportive friends and Natalie, Tom, and Kevin for this amazing opportunity. Luke Flood (Rehearsal Pianist/Assistant Music Director) happily returns to North Shore Music Theatre for his sixth consecutive season! Recent regional credits include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Music Man, Mary Poppins, Sister Act, Billy Elliot, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Wizard of Oz (North Shore Music Theatre), Sister Act (Gateway Playhouse), Wonderful Town, and Carousel (Reagle Music Theatre). Mr. Flood has also subbed on the National Tours of The Sound of Music, Finding Neverland, Kinky Boots, and Sister Act. He holds an MM in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati – CCM and a BM in Piano Performance from UMass Amherst. Matthew Chappell (Casting) is honored to join this remarkable creative team as resident Casting Director for Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre and Theatre By The Sea. An accomplished performer, he is fortunate to have worked all over the world in more than 30 productions, including several shows at NSMT, as lead vocalist in Stephen Schwartz’s Magic To Do for Princess Cruise Lines, and appearances at Feinstein’s/54 Below, The Duplex, Carnegie Hall, and The Metropolitan Room. For many years, Matthew worked as a talent agent, casting associate, and photographer for Heyman Talent Agency, specializing in TV/film, commercials, runway, print and voiceovers. He is a former Associate Producer for Encore International, casting and producing shows for theme parks, cruise ships, and corporate events. Bill Hanney (Owner/Producer) is honored and proud to have been responsible for the re-opening of the nationally renowned North Shore Music Theatre in 2010. He began his career in show business at age 19, leasing and developing movie theaters, including his first multiplex in Quincy, Massachusetts. Before long, he was booking rock shows (Jefferson Starship, Rush) and other types of live entertainment, which eventually led to the presenting and producing of Broadway productions. One such show was an appearance by the legendary mime artist, Marcel Marceau. As president of Broadway Productions, Bill presented national tours such as Annie, Amadeus, Dancin', Peter Pan, Rocky Horror Show and Mark Twain starring Hal Holbrook, throughout New England including Worcester, Springfield, Portland, Maine and Boston. Aside from his work operating North Shore Music Theatre, one of Bill's crowning achievements was the 2007 purchase and re-opening of Theatre By The Sea, a landmark 500 seat professional summer theatre and restaurant, which is in its twelfth year of operation in Matunuck, RI (theatrebythesea.com). Throughout his career, Bill has stayed focused on his movie theatre chain having bought, built, owned, operated and sold more than 30 cinemas. His company, Entertainment Cinemas, currently operates seven movie complexes in four states. In 2009, Bill was elected President of the Theatre Owners of New England. Bill's ongoing work with NSMT inspires him to consider acquiring additional performance venues at which he plans to someday share his productions between his theatres. Bill has been named to the North Shore Top 100 by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce. In 2012, he was recognized by both the Beverly Chamber of Commerce and Salem Chamber of Commerce as Business Person of the Year. He is the recipient of the 2015 Leslie S. Ray Hall of Fame Award, presented by the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce. Bill is a member of the League of Broadway Producers and was involved with the recent revival of Pippin, as well as developing several new musicals. Kevin P. Hill (Producing Artistic Director). Born and raised in Waltham, Massachusetts, Kevin began his theatrical career as dancer and actor. He appeared in National Touring companies of Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing, Leslie Uggams and Michele Lee, Anything Goes and the International Touring Company of A Chorus Line. New York audiences have seen him in the Off-Broadway production of Party. Regional credits as a performer include: West Side Story, Good News! A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady and Marvin in Falsettoland. Kevin has directed and choreographed over 100 productions across America. He has had the privilege of working with such stars as Marin Mazzie, Joanne Worley, Kathleen Turner, Josh Groban, Jonathan Groff and Tony Award winner, Cady Huffman. In New York, he was the assistant to the director of On the Twentieth Century at the New Amsterdam Theatre and assistant to the choreographer on the revival of Guys and Dolls. He directed and choreographed A Christmas Carol, Young Frankenstein, Mary Poppins, and Sister Act here at NSMT, and Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Sister Act, Young Frankenstein, Mary Poppins, and Grease at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea in Rhode Island, where he is also Producing Artistic Director. Kevin has been nominated as Best Director/Choreographer for his work on Smokey Joe's Café, Rent, The Full Monty, Chicago, and Edwin Drood, and was awarded the NH Theatre Award for Best Choreography for West Side Story at the Papermill Theatre. Future projects include an original danced play called Standing Still. As a Professor of Dance, Kevin has been on faculty at Pennsylvania State University, Kansas State University and most recently The Boston Conservatory of Music. He currently owns Hill Studios Dance and Fitness Center located in Newton, Massachusetts, and is a proud member of SDC, AEA and Dance Masters of New England, Chapter 5. Tom Amos (Associate Producer) returns to North Shore Music Theatre once again in his role as Associate Producer. Joining in 2005, Tom began in the Electrics Department and quickly moved into Company Management. Prior to working at NSMT, Tom received his Bachelor's Degree from Westfield State University and his Masters in Arts Administration from Boston University. Tom's passion for theatre and social justice issues motivated him to establish a LGBT Scholarship fund at Westfield State University where he created a Social Justice Theatre program to raise funds needed to maintain the scholarship. A big thank you to Bill, Kevin, Karen for their support and guidance. Tams-Witmark is an American company that provides to professional and amateur theaters license to Broadway musical scripts and scores. Among the many notable properties handled by the company are Kiss Me, Kate; My Fair Lady; Gypsy; Bye Bye Birdie; Hello, Dolly!; Cabaret; Man of La Mancha and A Chorus Line. The company has also acquired numerous properties often inspired by or based upon motion pictures or comic strips, such as 42nd Street, The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me In St. Louis, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Li'l Abner. The company has also prepared for licensing simpler, shorter derivative works for performance by elementary and middle school students, such as an abbreviated version of Bye, Bye Birdie. Actors' Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) Since 1955, NSMT has become one of the most attended theatres in New England, with approximately 250,000 patrons annually. With a national and regional reputation for artistic achievement, NSMT has received numerous industry awards including Elliot Norton Awards, IRNE Awards, the Rosetta Le Noire Award from Actors' Equity, and the Moss Hart Award. NSMT produced the World Premiere of Memphis in 2003, the show went on to win four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Under the new ownership of Bill Hanney in 2010, NSMT continues to annually produce a musical subscription series and an annual production of A Christmas Carol along with celebrity concerts, children's programming, and year-round education programs for all ages. |
