Evan pappas (Artistic Director)

Evan brings nearly four decades of expertise to the Argyle Theatre as its Artistic Director and has directed Guys and Dolls, Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Producers, The Full Monty, Miracle on 34th Street for the Argyle Theatre. Evan is represented as a director with Off-Broadway’s A Letter to Harvey Milk, Liberty (Theatre 80 and 42West); Wonderful Town and DuBarry Was a Lady (both for Musicals Tonight!); Evita, West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate, The Barber of Seville, and The Daughter of the Regiment (Opera North); The Color Purple and Sister Act (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina); Lucky Stiff (Arizona Broadway Theatre); Murder for Two and My Way (Depot Theatre); Funny Girl and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (San Francisco’s Broadway By the Bay). Both of these last productions garnered Evan a Best Director nomination from the Bay Area Theatre Critics, with Seven Brides winning the award for Best Production. Additionally, Evan has directed many benefits, readings and cabarets in New York City, including the Drama League’s benefit honoring Kristen Chenoweth, and several evenings of musical comedy at Feinstein’s/54 Below. IG: @theevanpappas T:@theevanpappas www.evanpappas.net

 

Alan Menken (Composer) 

Theater: God Bless You Mr Rosewater, Little Shop Of Horrors, Real Life Funnies, Atina: Evil Queen Of The Galaxy, Kicks, The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz, Beauty And The Beast, A Christmas Carol, Weird Romance, King David, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, Sister Act, Leap Of Faith, Aladdin and Newsies. Film: Little Shop Of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, Newsies, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Hercules, Life With Mikey, Lincoln, Home On The Range, Noel, Enchanted, Shaggy Dog, Tangled and Mirror Mirror. Songs: Rocky V, Home Alone 2 and Captain America. Awards: 8 Oscars (19 nominations), 11 Grammys (including Song of the Year), 7 Golden Globes, Tony® (plus 4 nominations), Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, New York Drama Critics, Olivier and London’s Evening Standard Award, Drama League. Honors: Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, Doctorates from New York University and University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

 

Howard Ashman (Lyrics) 

Best known as a pivotal creative mind behind the renaissance of Disney animation and his work on The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast (which is dedicated to, “Our friend, Howard Ashman, who gave a Mermaid her voice and a Beast his soul…”) Ashman’s first love was theater. Ashman was a founder of off off Broadway’s renowned WPA Theater, where he conceived, wrote and directed God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, as well as the classic musical, Little Shop of Horrors (both music by Alan Menken). In 1986, he wrote and directed the Broadway musical Smile (music by Marvin Hamlisch). Lamented as a lost treasure of the 1980’s theater scene, Smile remains popular on High School and College campuses throughout the country. Howard Ashman died in 1991 from complications of AIDS. For more information, please visit howardashman.com.

 

Glen Slater (Lyrics)

Co-created Disney’s 2010 worldwide smash Tangled (2011 Grammy Winner, 2010 Oscar and Golden Globe nominee), as well as the Broadway and international hit musicals Sister Act (2011 Tony nominee – Best Score) and The Little Mermaid (2008 Tony nominee – Best Score, Grammy nominee – Best Cast Album), and, most recently School of Rock (2015). With longtime collaborator Alan Menken, he is Executive Producer and Lyricist for the ABC-TV musical comedy series Galavant, and has also written songs for the Disney animated film Home On The Range (2004) and the Broadway musical Leap of Faith (Tony nominee – Best Musical, 2012). In the West End, Glenn provided both book and lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies (2010 Olivier nominee – Best Musical), the sequel to Phantom of the Opera. Other work includes an Emmy-nominated song for the ABC-TV comedy The Neighbors (2013), and the stage revue Newyorkers at The Manhattan Theatre Club (Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations). Glenn is the recipient of the prestigious Kleban Award for Lyrics, the ASCAP/Richard Rogers New Horizons Award, and the Jonathan Larson Award. He is an alumnus of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, and a member of both ASCAP and the Dramatists’ Guild.

 

Doug Wright (Book) 

GLAAD Media Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Drama League Award and a Lucille Lortel Award for I Am My Own Wife. His screen adaptation of Quills was named Best Picture by the National Board of Review and nominated for three Academy Awards. Doug was cited by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and awarded the Tolerance Prize from the Kulturforum Europa. Currently, he serves on the board of the New York Theatre Workshop and serves as Secretary on the Dramatists Guild Council. Works include: Interrogating the Nude (1988), Quills (1995), Unwrap Your Candy (2001), I Am My Own Wife (2003), Grey Gardens (book) (2006), The Little Mermaid (book) (2007), The Pavilion (2009).

 

Tara Jeanne Vallee (Director / Choreographer) 

Tara Jeanne is happy to return to the Argyle Theatre, where her choreography for Guys and Dolls was seen in the Opening production in 2018. She has received 4 Helen Hayes Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography in the Washington, DC area for work on Elf, On the Town, The Producers, andKing and I. Tara Jeanne serves as an Artistic Associate at the Olney Theatre Center in MD, where all of those shows were produced. Her work has been seen on Broadway with Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, and on the National Tour/Grand Ole Opry productions of Cirque Holidaze, where she also served as Associate Director. Other regional credits include: The Little Mermaid (Olney), The Sphinx Winx (Theatre Row, NYC), Triumph of Love (OTC), Annie (TUTS, Houston), Mary Poppins (OTC), and They’re Playing Our Song (Surflight, NJ). You can also see her work onboard NCLs Getaway in Cirque Dreams and Steam. Recently, she began working as a creative with Walt Disney World Live Entertainment. Associate credits: Singin in the Rain and 42nd Street (Goodspeed Opera House), the National Tour of The Music Man and White Christmas (Denver Center). Proud Dance Break alumni and SDC member. www.tarajeannevallee.com

 

Jonathan Brenner (Music Director)

Jonathan is thrilled to be opening up the Disney Vault this season at the Argyle to re-release this classic. Jonathan is a New York based composer, music director, arranger, and pianist. Music arranger for musicnotes.com. NYC Music Director credits include: Argyle Theatre; Legally Blonde, Spring Awakening, Hairspray; Engeman Theatre; Singin’ In The Rain, Annie, NYMF; The Runaway Clone, Shelter; Readings: Fetching Water, Fluffy The Pine and Gun Show; Concerts; 54 Below Presents: Dame Julie Andrews. Music Director/Arranger for L’Oréal Paris gala performance of One Night Only, featuring Aretha Franklin. Producer, Composer and Music Supervisor for Jordan Roth’s: The Birds & The BS. Composer(theatre): Sapien Sapien Sapien (NY Theatre Barn), A Fully Seasoned Life (Baby Crow Productions), and The Runaway Clone (NYMF). Composer(film/TV): The Filth (Toronto Film Festival). Accompanist at The Manhattan School Of Music. Current Music Supervisor for Broadway Artists Alliance. Current Music Department Head for ApplauseNY. Music arranger for The Broadway Collective. Pianist for the Broadway Sings concert series. Music Director/Arranger for Co/Lab Theatre Group annual benefit concerts at Rockwood Music Hall and Green Room 42. Additional charity work includes: Gathered NYC: The Broadway Collective, The Easter Bonnet Competition (Minskoff Theatre), Music for Autism NYC, and Chickenshed NYC. BM, Composition & Theory, Boston University: College Of Fine Arts. For full bio, videos and recordings visit www.jonathanwintonbrenner.com

 

John Salutz (Lighting Design) 

is a New York based Lighting and Sound Designer. His work has been seen and heard in New York at the York Theatre Co., Ensemble Studio Theatre, Urban Stages, Queens Theatre in the Park, the Tank, Hard Sparks, Atlantic Acting School, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, as well as regionally at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Connecticut Ballet, Argyle Theatre, Southeastern Regional Ballet Association, Centenary Stage Co., Southeast Alabama Dance Co., and Provincetown Theater. Additional information can be found at: www.johnsalutzdesigns.com

 

Kurt Alger (Costume & Wig Design) 

Credits include: Hairspray & Legally Blonde (Argyle). Regional highlights include: Next to Normal, Evita, Glass Menagerie, Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray, Chicago, Funny Girl, Newsies, Sunset Boulevard, Singing in the Rain, Miss Saigon, South Pacific, Young Frankenstein, Dreamgirls, Gypsy, The Wiz, Spamalot, Mary Poppins, The Music Man, 1776, The Drowsy Chaperone, Smokey Joes, Hello Dolly, and Jerry Springer the Opera at Carnegie Hall. Recently designed Ben, Virginal and Me… The Liberace Musical in NYC, where he received an award for Outstanding Costume Design. His designs have graced the stages of Walnut Street Theatre, Riverside Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre (IRENE Nomination), Maine State Music Theatre, The John W. Engeman Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Sharon Playhouse, Pennsylvania Shakespeare, Orlando Shakespeare, Beef and Boards, Surflight, Theatre By The Sea, The Wick, Allenberry Playhouse, The Fulton Opera House, and Drury Lane (Jeff Nomination). Designer of the Broadway bound musical SuperYou! Costume Coordinator work on: Finding Neverland, Shrek World Tour, RENT on tour and Broadway for 10 years, Hairspray National Tour and the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Tour. Designed and taught at the Academic level at NYU, Julliard, Wager, University of Alabama, and The University of Maine. Happy to be a part of the season here at the Argyle!

 

Carlos Dias, Jr. (Sound Designer)

Carlos has worked professionally as an audio engineer and sound designer for 20 years. As a live sound engineer, he has toured with artists like Grammy-nominated Average White band and has had the privilege to work with distinguished artists such as Diana Ross, The Chainsmokers, Duncan Sheik, Sierra Boggess, Jon Batiste of the Late Night Show and many others, and has also had mixes featured on MTV and VH1. He has sound designed events or theater productions for Centenary University, Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, Yale University and organizations such as the Red Cross, and the American Cancer Society. Recently, he has toured with number one Smooth Jazz Billboard Artists Vincent Ingala and Jonathan Fritzen as tour manager/front of house engineer and was a full-time audio professor/sound designer at Five Towns College. Carlos is currently sound designing at various Long Island theaters and is working at Princeton University.

 

Michael Cassara, CSA (Casting Director) 

Michael is pleased to return to the Argyle where he and his team have cast all mainstage productions since the theatre’s founding. Recent credits include: An American in Paris (International Tour, dir. Christopher Wheeldon), Spamilton (NYC/Chicago/US tour/album), Enter Laughing (York Theatre), Forbidden Broadway (numerous editions/ albums), and many more. Resident Casting Director for the New York Musical Festival (2007-2019) and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre since 2013. Native Clevelander, member of the Casting Society of America. BFA, Otterbein University. MichaelCassara.net / @michaelcassara

 

Krista Swan* (Production Stage Manager) 

Krista Swan most recently Production Managed the National Tour of Sasha Velour: Smoke and Mirrors and is thrilled to return to the Argyle to PSM her third production. Select Off- Broadway Credits: Vilna (Production Stage Manager), The Office! A Musical Parody (Production Stage Manager), Babette’s Feast (Production Stage Manager), Friends the Musical Parody (Production Manager), Lili Marlene (Production Manager), Baghdaddy (Assistant Stage Manager) The Babies (Production Stage Manager) & (Sophie). Krista’s passion for stage managing and is equal to her love of performing. She has been featured on TV Shows including Nickelodeon’s Danny Phantom (Danielle Phantom), Showtime’s Dexter; and Feature Films including Transformers, Blades of Glory, Santa Claus 3, Meet the Robinsons.

 

Mackenzie Trowbridge* (Assistant Stage Manager)

Mackenzie is happy to be working on her first show at the Argyle Theatre. Recent credits include works with Hangar Theatre, ARC Stages, New York Stage & Film, Lincoln Center Theatre, The Space at Westbury, Live Source Theater Group, Atlantic Theatre Company, Upstart Creatures. Mackenzie also works as a sound engineer, props artisan, and dog-walking extraordinaire. She also serves as the resident production stage manager for Adelphi University’s Department of Dance. Proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.

 

Allison Savino (Prop Master / Production Coordinator) 

Select Off-Broadway credits include: SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (Production Assistant), THE ZOMBIES! A MUSICAL (Assistant Stage Manager) and THE FALLEN (Assistant Stage Manager). Favorite Long Island credits include: LEGALLY BLONDE (Prop Master/PA), MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET (Assistant Stage Manager/Prop Coordinator), THE PRODUCERS (Stagehand/Deck Scenic Artist), TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Assistant Stage Manager), MY LIFE IS A MUSICAL (Production Assistant), THE TEMPEST (Assistant Stage Manager) and TRAVESTIES (Prop Assistant). Alison is currently attending Columbia University pursuing her MFA in Stage Management.

 

Danielle Sue Jordan (Associate Director / Choreographer) 

Previously in Guys and Dolls here at The Argyle. Broadway: Follies. 1st National Tours: Cinderella, The Music Man. NY Theatre: Dog Sees God, The Innocents Crusade Regional: Carousel, The Music Man (Arena Stage), Oklahoma!, Kiss Me Kate (Paper Mill Playhouse), Ragtime, Peter Pan (Pioneer Theatre), Hairspray (Cape Playhouse). Other favorites – Chicago, White Christmas, Sante Fe Opera, and COW. Special thanks to my MCS family and TJV! – @danisuejordan