Summer Ed Staff 2009
(Check back often for 2009 staff additions!)
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Education Director &
Lead Teacher |
Linda
St George
began her career in
theatre nearly 30 years ago as Linda Bray. She received a BFA in Acting &
Directing from Montclair University in New Jersey and performed in various
summer stock and dinner theatres, including the Dam Site Dinner Theatre in
Tinton Falls, NJ; Creative Theatre in Englewood, NJ; Vincennes Summer
Theatre in Indiana, and the Westgate Dinner Theatre in Toledo, OH.
For a number of years she could be seen on the Brockport Summer Theatre
stage, playing favorite roles such as Nancy in Oliver!, Charity in Barnum,
Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and "Fred" in Once Upon a
Mattress. She is no stranger to the DCT stage, having performed
as Sister Leo in Nunsense II, Agnes in I Do! I Do!, and as
part of the ensemble in Puttin' On the Ritz. She
also designed costumes for the acclaimed, Godspell, and has
performed in several staged readings. Summer 2005 marked her NYC
debut in a production of Last Period, written by her husband, Dick.
In the fall of 2007, Linda designed costumes and props for In the Beginning,
and created five new puppet characters for the production. |
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Lead
Teacher |
Spencer Christiano
graduated Cum Laude from SUNY College at Brockport
in Spring 2009, earning his Bachelors of Science in Theatre. He is thrilled
to be returning to the Education Program for a second year. He has received
awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
(Certificate of Merit in Improvisation - The Complete Works of William
Shakespeare [Abridged]; Certificate of Merit in Directing - Waiting for
Godot), from Geva Theatre Center (Young Playwright Award), and from the SUNY
College at Brockport Theatre Department (Department Transfer Award). He was
also a two time semifinalist in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre
Festival Irene Ryan Acting Competition. Recent acting credits include Vladimir - Waiting for Godot; Guy - Some Girl(s); Michael Evans - Dancing at Lughnasa; and The Man - Epiphany. Recent directing credits include Waiting for Godot for Harlequins Student Theatre Association; Plague of Idiots for the SUNY College at Brockport Mainstage; and Loving Parents for Flour City Theatre Company. Spencer also served as the Directorial Observer for the 2009 production of The House in Hydesville at Geva Theatre Center, and was the Production Stage Manager for The Cover of LIFE at SUNY College at Brockport. Spencer can be seen on stage in the Downstairs Cabaret Theatre's production of Flanagan's Wake, playing Mickey Finn. |
Lead Teacher |
Patty
Selig
returns to the Summer Education Program for a
third season. She has had extensive experience working with children and has performed an
assortment of roles in numerous theatrical productions. Most
recently, she has served as costumer for the Brockport Middle School
musicals for the past 7 years. She majored in Graphic Design from
Buffalo State and has taken course work in Arts for Children. In
addition, Patty holds a Masters in Elementary Education from SUNY
Brockport. For the past 9 years, Patty has taught pre-kindergarten,
kindergarten and 4th grade. Currently, she is the pre-school
coordinator for St Andrews school in Rochester. |
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Musical Director |
Leora Bernstein has been in theatre for as long as she can remember, and in music for even longer. Starting piano at the age of 4, she has played in several pits for musicals such as Violet and The Last Five Years. She is a Senior at SUNY Geneseo, majoring in Musical Theatre and minoring in Piano Pedagogy, and is heavily involved in several musical groups spanning a large range of genres -- from the Geneseo Chamber Singers to the Musical Theatre Club. She comes from Albany, NY, where she was recently the musical director of The New York State Theatre Institute's SummerStage, and before that, had been an acting teacher and assistant stage manager. She has also performed in numerous productions; favorite roles include Joanne (Company), Gertrude McFuzz (Seussical), and Little Sally (Urinetown). |
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Voice Instructor
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Ashley Close Ashley Close just graduated summa cum laude from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam with a BM in Music Education and a Music Business minor. She has been involved with theater and dance her whole life and has recently played roles such as Little Becky Two Shoes in Urinetown and the lead role of Kate in a new musical called The Highwayman by Garth Bardsley and Ben Parry. She has performed in Master Classes with influential singers such as Stephanie Blythe and Melody Racine and is continuing her studies at the masters level as a vocal performance major at the Cleveland Institute of Music. At SUNY Potsdam she has held leading dance roles in faculty dance concerts and the original opera The Sailor Boy and the Falcon with music by Paul Siskind and libretto by Alan Steinberg. Ashley has also directed ensembles such as the a cappella group The Potsdam Pitches and is looking forward to her second summer with DCT! |
Dance Director & Choreographer
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Jessica
St George
has grown up in theatre, having performed on the SUNY Brockport Summer Stage at the age of five, and even making her DCT debut when she was 8. Jessi received ballet training with
Nancy Burhyte , studied tap with Courtney Andrews World, and modern and jazz with Samantha Kenney. Currently, she is a BFA candidate at SUNY Fredonia, with a concentration in Acting, and a Dance minor. |
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Improvisation Instructor |
Andrew Antao
is excited to join DCT’s Summer Education program as
improvisational instructor. Andrew has had a love for the theatre since he
can remember. He is heavily involved with Brockport’s on campus Improv
troupe “Barrel of Monkeys” and currently holds an officer position as
rehearsal leader. Andrew has also had the opportunity to work with children
as a fellow actor and rehearsal leader in a variety of shows such as
Seussical The Musical and POCCP’s productions of The Music Man and
Brigadoon. He is also currently appearing in DCT’s production of Flanagan’s
Wake (Brian). Some other favorite roles include Estragon (Waiting For Godot)
Lenny Ganz (Rumors) and Robert (The Curtain Call). |
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Acting Coach |
Keenan Bloom is excited to begin his first summer at Downstairs Cabaret. He has been seeing shows since he was in the womb, and acting since the sixth grade. He is a second year acting major at SUNY New Paltz. He has most recently performed at SUNY New Paltz as Claudio in Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare. Other credits include: Pride and Prejudice at Geva Theatre, at SUNY Brockport: Dancing at Lughnasa, and at Blackfriars Theatre: Grapes of Wrath. Keenan has also had extensive experience in the technical side of theatre. He has been the Assistant Stage Manager for both Bat Boy, at the JCC, and Little Women at Blackfriars Theatre. He designed the lights for Stage Door at Brockport High School, as well as being an electrician and a carpenter for Company, Measure for Measure, and Blood Wedding at SUNY New Paltz. |
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Acting Coach
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Acting Coach
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Master Class Artists |
Our days are filled with fun and learning! On occasion, we bring in area professionals to teach a class or seminar. Master Classes help students to appreciate different art forms, and exposes them to a variety of skills, strategies, and styles that they can apply to their work. |
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YOUR PICTURE HERE! |
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? We'd love to offer our students Master Classes in all sorts of subjects -- Mime, Auditions, Voice, Dialects, Dance - all genres, Acting, Directing - you name it! If you have a skill to teach, please contact us! We can trade theatre tickets or student tuition! We may also be able to arrange a small stipend. Email us if you are interested!
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Dance: Tap Courtney Andrews World |
Courtney Andrews World - Courtney World is a dance performer, choreographer, and teacher based in Rochester, NY. She holds an MFA in Performance and Choreography from The College at Brockport and a BA in Dance from the University at Buffalo. She has performed at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the International Dance Festival NYC with James Hansen’s Assemblage Dance Company and has performed in numerous works choreographed by Bill Evans, including both tap and modern dance. She currently performs with BIODANCE, Geomantics Dance-Theater, and Kista Tucker Dance, in addition performing in her own work, which has been presented at by ArtWalk Alive!, American College Dance Festival, ImageMovementSound Festival, and Rochester Contemporary Dance Collective. Courtney has a wide range of experience teaching a variety of dance forms to students of all ages. She is currently an adjunct lecturer at The College at Brockport and Nazareth College. For many years she taught at private dance studios and has taught creative movement in after-school care programs at St. Monica’s School and St. John the Evangelist School. She has taught master classes offered by Hamlin Recreation, DanceRochester!, The College at Brockport’s Student Dance Organization, and Downstairs Cabaret Theater’s Summer Education Program.
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What
a CRAZY STAFF!
This pic is from our "Fantasy Day" during Theme Week in Session 2 (2007). Notice all the Harry Potter fans? We've got Molly Weasely, Trelawny, Flitwick, Hermione, and a couple of Hogwarts' girls. We've even got a muggle! (And then there's Belle, Tiger Lily, and the Snow Queen!) |
