Academy (2009)

John wrote the music for Glimpses of the Moon which recently completed an encore run in the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel. Last summer, his musical Myth was selected to be developed at the O’Neill Music Theater Conference where John was awarded the Georgia Holof Lyricist Award for Myth. He also has received grants from the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation and the Gilman-Gonzalez-Falla Foundation for his work in musical theatre. He wrote the music and co-wrote the book to Diva Diaries which has been produced at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, as well as the Lakeshore Theatre in Chicago. Last fall, his prep school musical, Academy, was chosen to be developed at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, and funded by a MacArthur grant. Other productions:  1001 Nights, The Riverhaven Book Club, (Lyric Theatre, Florida); A Time to Be Born (Fringe Festival 2006). John has received degrees from the Eastman School of Music and NYU, and attended the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Writing Workshop. http://www.johnmercurio.com

Andrew is Artistic Director of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, South Florida’s largest award-winning regional theatre.  He has been Coordinating Producer on the Tony Awards for the last six years (winner of three Emmy Awards).  He has produced many Broadway concerts including Chess in Concert starring Josh Groban; the Twentieth Anniversary Concert of Dreamgirls; and the Tenth Anniversary Concert Version of Into the Woods, among others.   He was an Associate on the Broadway productions of Jelly's Last Jam, Angels in America and the off-Broadway productions of Bomb-itty of Errors and Cryptogram, and has conceived, developed and/or directed many new musicals, including Switch!, 1001 Nights, Street Songs/Madhattan and Diva Diaries.

John Carrafa is the two-time Tony Nominated choreographer of Into the Woods and Urinetown the Musical on Broadway. He also won an Obie Award, Lortel Award and Dora Award for Urinetown, as well as nominations for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Other Broadway choreography includes Dirty Blonde, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Dance of the Vampires and Dance of Death. He also directed the Beach Boys musical Good Vibrations. He has worked extensively Off Broadway at the Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theater Club, with writers such as Wendy Wasserstein, A.R. Gurney, Terrance McNally and Paula Vogel.  He has choreographed more than 20 feature films, including The Thomas Crown Affair, The Last Days of Disco, Earthly Possessions, Love! Valour! Compassion! The Polar Express and the recent Bride Wars, starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. For television, he directed the BBC/PBS Great Performances Special Thou Swell, Thou Witty: The Songs of Rodgers and Hart and was choreographer for Sex And The City. His work with New York City Center's Encores! series includes The Pajama Game, Out of This World and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. He choreographed A Little Night Music as part of the Sondheim celebration at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is active in the development of new musical theater. Recent developmental workshops he's directed include Meanwhile On the Other Side of Mt. Vesuvius by Jay Reiss and Scott Murphy, commissioned by the Yale Repertory Theater, Dani Girl by Chris Dimond and Michael Kooman at American Conservatory Theater and Kennedy Center.

Steven Kane is thrilled and honored to be a part of NYMF! He is currently in his freshman year at Marymount Manhattan College, where he is studying acting and musical theatre. Notable theatre credits include I’m Gonna Love You Forever at the Gene Frankel Theatre and performances at the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center. TV: Law & Order: SVU. Steven has trained with Ann Ratray, Larry Singer, and at CAP 21's summer program. He sends infinite thanks and love to his teachers, Arnold Mungioli, Celeste Simone, Nancy Carson and his family.

Off-Broadway: Next to Normal (U/S Gabe,Henry), Altar Boyz (Matthew).  Regional: Revolution, Altar Boyz (1st National Tour).  Corey hails from Wisconsin, so he loves pepper-jack cheese and Miller High Life.  You know who you are.  Thank you for getting me here.  Towey.

National tour: My Fair Lady (freddy u.s.). regional: Bowery Boys- world premier (Marriott Theatre), A Christmas Carol (North Shore), A Funny Thing… Forum (Idaho Shakespeare), Love’s Labours Lost (ISF), Christmas Carol (Great Lakes).  A graduate of Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music and a Kentucky native; special thanks to THE MINE, Bob Cline.  All my love to my friends and family.

Antonio is a recent graduate from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and is happy to be a part of such a wonderful group of performers.  Antonio was last seen at Town Hall for its summer concert Broadway Rising Stars and in a reading of a new musical Band Geeks directed by Gordon Greenberg. He wants to thank all of his family, Friends, Talent House, and most of all his teachers for their love and support. 

Jason is thrilled to make his NYMF debut in Academy! Credits include: National Tour; Stephen Schwartz' Captain Louie (Ziggy).  Regional; High School Musical 2 (Ryan, North Carolina Theatre); Hello Dolly! (Barnaby, Arkansas Rep); Oliver! (Dodger, White Plains); A Little Night Music (Henrik), Beauty and the Beast (Lefou) and Grand Hotel (Erik, Maine State); The Producers (Leo Bloom) and All Shook Up (Dennis, Surflight).  Jason also just finished shooting a new movie called "Rising Stars".  Many thanks to everyone involved!

F. Michael Haynie graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.  While there F attended both the Lee Strasberg Institute and CAP 21 studios.  Recent credits: NY: "Kyle" in Snow, "Agamemnon" in Sweet Cassandra. National Tour: Michael in "The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks" (TWUSA).  F. Michael is also a New York based songwriter and works as a promotional singer for Activision’s Guitar Hero. Thanks: M's, D, JP, N'Harms, Shaina, 1610, FF&FA.

Lyle Colby Mackston, a sophomore at Pace University in New York City, is thrilled to make his NYMF debut in ACADEMY! Recent Theater Credits: “Peter” (DARLING), “Bruce” (The Smoking Gun), Spiderman: The Musical (Reading), “Alan Swann” (My Favorite Year). Recent Film/TV Credits include: Michael & Michael Have Issues, The Naked Brothers Band, The Guiding Light, The Picture of Dorian Gray.  Numerous commercials. Thanks to family, TEG, FBI, the cast and creative team for making this experience so memorable! Break Legs!

B’way and touring credits include West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Grease, Wicked, Big. Other favorite credits include Seven Brides... (Gideon)/Lyric Theatre of OK and The Muny; An American in Paris/Alley Theatre; White Christmas/Fox Theatre; Cats (Coricopat/Mungojerrie)/The Muny; Joseph....Dreamcoat (Benjamin)/Sacramento Music Circus; Over the Tavern/San Jose Rep.  Thank you to my friends and family both near and far, and also to my friends at KSR. 

Gabriel studied musical theatre at Belmont University in Nashville, before being plucked from obscurity to join the Broadway cast of Spring Awakening as Otto (the one with the mohawk).  He's performed in various community productions throughout his hometown of St. Louis, MO, including Seussical, Lucky Stiff and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown.  Mucho love to his friends, family, Mrs. Bolt, Mrs. Halbert, Liz Caplan and The Mine!

Alexander Rovang (Music Director) is thrilled to be working with this phenomenal cast on John Mercurio’s “Academy”!  A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, Mr.Rovang moved to New York 12 years ago hoping to become the Nebraskan Glenn Gould.  Instead, he found himself working with an incredible variety of groups such as the Boys' Choir of Harlem, the off-Broadway political satire “Bush Wars”, and the Susan Marshall Dance Co. among others.  He’s played opera in Israel, tango in Argentina, and "Swing" in Chatham, NY.  Someday Mr.Rovang hopes to get a real job like his mother (a cardiologist) or throw in the towel and race motorcycles like his dad.  Other than Glenn, he will probably be survived by everybody.  

Recent credits include ELLA a musical about jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald which is appearing in cities all across the country, critically acclaimed productions of 1776, Big River and Camelot for Goodspeed Musicals, Barnum for The Asolo Rep’s 50th anniversary season, American premiers of Frank McGuinness’ Gates of Gold and The Bird Sanctuary, Oklahoma! starring Kelli O’Hara and Will Chase celebrating The Oklahoma State centennial and National and International Tours of James Taylor’s One Man Band.  Upcoming projects include the world premier of the new Duncan Sheik/ Kyle Jarrow musical Whisper House opening at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre in January 2010.  Online portfolio:  www.msportfolio.com

Recent Credits:  Caesar and Cleopatra (Clurman Theater at Theatre Row), ReWrite (Urban Stages), Things to Ruin (Second Stage & The Zipper Factory), The Black Suits (SPF The Public Theater) and  Lit and Messy and Not At All Ashamed (written by Joe Iconis).  She has a designed many productions for New York University such as Candide, King David, Violet, Floyd Collins, Urinetown, The Merry Widow, A Little Night Music, Parade, A New Brain, and new works: I’ll Be Damned, Like You Like It, Blood and Other Humours, Odin and 29. Additional theater credits include 42nd Street, Man of La Mancha, Nunsense, California Suite (Plays in the Park), The Univited, Let Him Sleep (Brea Theater League), and The NJ Renaissance Festival. Assistant Costume Designer for Una Calle sin Salida (Film by LMF Productions). Michelle was a costume designer for Knott’s Berry Farm Theme park for several years and costumed many stage performances such as Tales from the Crypt and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.  She has worked as a celebrity dresser and worked on Madonna’s “Girlie Tour”.  Michelle is on the board of directors for Theatreworks USA.

Rachel got her start in professional theatre working with Beauty and the Beast, the Broadway Musical. Rachel has worked as the Company Manager for several regional theatres and national tours including Barrington Stage Company and Theatre by the Sea, and Windwood Productions.  Rachel now resides in Florida and has worked at the Lyric Theatre, and is currently the Associate Producer at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.   Rachel holds a BFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.  She is a writer of many short stories, plays and screenplays, and recently directed a production of Barry Manillow’s  Copacabana.

Dave grew up outside of Boston, spending summers on the Cape and Islands. His first foray into professional theatre was as an assistant property master and stage manager for Sarah Caldwell's Opera Company of Boston, after which he continued stage managing at Syracuse Stage in upstate New York and the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut. He has a Bachelors of Science in Drama from Syracuse University and a Masters of Fine Arts in Performing Arts Management from Brooklyn College (CUNY). From 1992 to 2003, Dave was based out of Manhattan, managing Broadway productions - including the Pulitzer Prize winning play Angels in America, Street Corner Symphony, and The Full Monty - as well as first-national touring productions - including Kiss of the Spider Woman, Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Music of the Night, Grease, Showboat, Sunset Boulevard, and Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida. In 2004, Dave moved to South Florida and joined the management team at the Performing Arts Center Authority in Fort Lauderdale - first as Theater Manager of the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, and subsequently as Director of Operations at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Working at the Broward Center was a highlight in his career; but Dave is even more thrilled to be overseeing operations at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, which he believes is destined to be one of the preeminent regional theaters in the United States.

Jaclyn Miller is grateful for the opportunity to be part of this project.  She most recently served as the Swing/Dance Captain on the National Tour of Happy Days the Musical.  Then, finished up the summer as the Assistant Dir./Choreographer of Joseph...Dreamcoat at the Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma. 

Andrew comes to us straight from The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival where he just finished Twelfth Night with David Bell. The former resident of The Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Andrew worked under the amazing Artistic Direction of Andrew Kato (Coordinating Producer - Tony Awards). Some of his favorite productions were Same Time Next Year (dir. J. Barry Lewis), Smokey Joe’s Café (dir. Bill Castellino), Master Class (dir. Marcia Milgrom Dodge), Noises Off (dir. David Bell), and Barnum (dir. Gordon Greenburgh). Originally from New York, other favorite credits include former National Director of Stage Management Blue Man Group where he coordinated a stage management team for the 2002 Grammy Awards, Off-Broadway: The Countess by Gregory Murphy (Beckett/Lambs Theatre), Museum (dir. Carl Forsman), National Tours: Beehive and Brief History of White Music (dir. Rick Seeber), Regional: Swine Palace Productions; Flesh & Blood, Rocky Horror, suBurbia (dir. Barry Kyle), Geniuses (dir. Steven Soderburgh), San Francisco production of Shear Madness (dir. Bruce Jordan), San Jose Rep. The Road To Los Angeles (dir. Kim Eulle) Long Wharf Theatre: The Good Thief (dir. Carl Forseman), New Vista Theatre: The Sunshine Boys (with Bruce Adler) just to name a few.  Andrew dedicates this production to his parents, who just celebrated 50 years of marriage.

Carolynn Richer recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in Film, Television and Theatre.   She participated in several departmental shows at Notre Dame in a variety of capacities.  During her senior year, Carolynn served as the stage manager for Spurt of Blood and The Brilliant Dr. Wogan and as dramaturg for Guernica.   This past summer, she worked on the stage management team for Twelfth Night under the direction of David Bell at the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival.  Carolynn thanks her family and friends for their love and support.

Glen received his bachelor's degree in Music Theory & Composition and Music Education from Palm Beach Atlantic (then) College and went on for his master's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Florida in 1980. He was a music educator in the Palm Beach County School District for several years, but later moved to the Department of Research, Evaluation and Assessment for the School District. That’s his day job.  By night, he’s generally performing on one of the 72 musical instruments he plays, either in area big bands or in early music ensembles.  Most recently, Glen performed with the Florida Stage in this season’s hit Cagney as well as The Sisters of Swing and Beyond the Rainbow.  His next gig will be as Musical Director of Swing at the Lake Worth Playhouse.

Jennifer Sardone-Shiner has done it all.

She has worked with rock stars and presidents. And she plays a mean game of soccer, too.

Jennifer has marketed sporting events, concerts, lectures, theatre, comedians, trade shows, fund-raising events and special events. Her experience has taken her to the Florida Citrus Bowl, UCF Arena, Coral Sky Amphitheatre, Mizner Park Amphitheatre, Pompano Beach Amphitheatre and the Carefree Theatre, and she has worked with many venues throughout Florida and the United States.

For more than three years, she was director of marketing at Fantasma Productions Inc., where she handled a lecture series with former President Clinton, as well as concerts with Elton John, Britney Spears, Tony Bennett, Tim McGraw, Billy Joel and many more.

Jennifer, who earned a bachelor’s advertising/public relations at the University of Central Florida, currently serves as Director of Marketing for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, a two-time Carbonell Award winner for “Best Musical.” Jennifer handles and oversees all aspects of the marketing department for the not-for-profit regional theatre, including stage works, the theatre’s Conservatory of Performing Arts, limited engagements and children’s performances.

Jennifer is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Mako Soccer Club in Port St. Lucie, and served as the Scholarship Chair; Board Member for the Northern Palm Beach Cultural Alliance; member of the Young Professionals for the Northern Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce and member of the Community Outreach Committee, and is a team member of the women’s soccer league in Jupiter and Port St Lucie. 

Scott Simmons is a Palm Beach County native who is constantly amazed at the beauty here, and the cultural diversity of our region. He was with The Palm Beach Post for nearly 17 years, and for nine years was the editor of the newspaper's TGIF magazine. He also originated the "Look What We Found" antiques column that appears each week in the newspaper's Florida Home section, and helped create the Palm Beach ArtsPaper.

Originally from Colorado, Jeff spent much of his life growing up overseas in various areas, including 11 years in Jakarta, Indonesia, and three years in Caracas, Venezuela.

Jeff has always been very involved in theater, both onstage and behind the scenes. His love for theater and the performing arts continued throughout college, where he was involved in several student produced plays and films. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from Florida International University, concentrating in creative advertising.

Jeff is absolutely thrilled to be working in a theater, especially one as cool as the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, and is looking forward to growing with the Theatre family!