Ira Gershwin, the first songwriter to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize, was born in New York City on December 6, 1896. In 1917 The Evening Sun published his first song ("You May Throw All The Rice You Desire But Please Friends, Throw No Shoes"). Four years later Ira enjoyed his first major stage success, Two Little Girls in Blue, written with another Broadway newcomer, Vincent Youmans. In 1924 Ira and his brother, George, created the smash hit Lady Be Good and went on to continue their remarkable collaboration through a dozen major stage scores, producing such standards as "Fascinating Rhythm," ... read more
George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898, and began his musical training when he was 13. At 16 he quit high school to work as a "song plugger" for a music publisher, and soon he was writing songs himself. "Swanee," as introduced by Al Jolson, brought George his first real fame and led to his writing a succession of 22 musical comedies, most with his older brother, Ira. The Gershwins' shows include Lady Be Good, Oh, Kay!, Strike Up the Band, Girl Crazy, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Of Thee I Sing. From his early career George ... read more
Larry Blank is a composer, orchestrator and conductor, based in Los Angeles, New York and London, whose career has found him working with some of the most respected names in theatre, film, television and music, as well as exciting new talents.
More recently, Larry was instructor for the first master class in film orchestration and conducting in Matera, Italy. He also orchestrated the West End Musical BEAUTIFUL AND DAMNED and was the Music Director for Katie Couric's HOLLYWOOD HITS BROADWAY aboard the QM2 in New York Harbor, Larry also arranged and orchestrated JOHN BARROWMAN SWINGS COLE PORTER for the acclaimed West ... read more
Rob Berman is an Emmy and Grammy Award-winning, New York-based conductor and music director. For fifteen years he was the music director of Encores!, New York City Center’s acclaimed series of great American musicals in concert, where he conducted over thirty productions, including the recent revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods, which transferred to a Broadway run and for which he received a Grammy Award as co-producer of the original cast recording.
For nine years, Rob was music director of the Kennedy Center Honors, for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction.
Other Broadway ... read more
DOUG BESTERMAN is a three-time Tony Award winning musician with a career spanning across theatre, film, television and recording. As a Composer, Producer, Arranger, and Orchestrator, he has been privileged to work with some of the most recognizable names in the industry, including composers Mel Brooks, Alan Menken, and Marc Shaiman; recording artists Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow; and directors Rob Marshall and Susan Stroman.
A veteran of 25+ Broadway shows, Besterman won the Best Orchestrations Tony Award® for Fosse, The Producers, and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and was nominated for The Music Man (2000), How to Succeed in Business, and Bullets ... read more
Jay Binder has cast over 70 Broadway productions, including the Tony Award winning productions of The Lion King, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Dames At Sea, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Gypsy, The King and I, Lost in Yonkers and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. In addition, he was fortunate enough to cast every Neil Simon play from 1990 through 2009. Mr. Binder was one of the founders and continues to be a driving force behind the highly-acclaimed Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert series at City Center in New York City. His work casting this series led ... read more
Broadway: A Gentleman’s Guide..., Dames At Sea, Lion King, Nice Work..., A Chorus Line, Gypsy, 39 Steps, Journey's End, Virginia Woolf, Wonderful Town, Movin’ Out, 42nd Street, Iceman Cometh, Beauty & the Beast, Chicago, King & I, Lost in Yonkers, and Jerome Robbins' Broadway. Film/TV/Other: NY City Center Encores!, Carousel (PBS), Six by Sondheim, SYTYCD, West Side Story (SF Symphony), Dreamgirls, Chicago, Nine. Twelve time Artios Award winner. An RWS & Associates company. ... read more
SARA BRIANS is an award-winning director, choreographer, dancer and educator based in New York City. Her work spans Broadway theatre to film, live events and industrials. She has extensive experience conceiving choreography for large-scale productions as well as intimate venues, always with the purpose to develop and deliver original, inventive and imaginative theatre through artistic collaboration and galvanizing inspiration.
Sara directed and choreographed GODSPELL at Theatre Aspen and choreographed FOLLIES at the Astoria Performing Arts Center, for which she received the Outstanding Choreography Award by the NY Innovative Theatre Awards.
On Broadway, Sara was the Movement Assistant for Michael ... read more
Currently serving as the Stage Manager for the first national touring production of Jersey Boys.
Broadway credits include Chitty Chitty, Bang, Bang, Avenue Q, Boeing-Boeing, Guys & Dolls and Irving Berlin's White Christmas and the infamous out-of-town tryout of Lone Star Love.
New York Workshops include Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Babes In Arms and Brigadoon.
Off Broadway credits include Max Morath: Ragtime & Again, Two Bare Arms, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Best Of Both Worlds.
National touring credits include South Pacific, tick, tick... boom, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Godspell, The King & I, The Goodbye Girl, Cirque du soleil's ... read more
PAMELA PRATHER has coached at The Alley Theatre: The Elephant Man, Death of A Salesman, Boeing-Boeing, The Gershwins’ An American in Paris, Othello and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Other credits include: Hartford Stage Company (Our Town dir. Gregory Boyd), Yale Repertory Theatre (Happy Now? dir. Liz Diamond, Black Snow dir. Evan Yionoulis, Miss Julie dir. Liz Diamond,Fighting Words dir. Liz Diamond, The Psychic Lives of Savages dir. James Bundy), Primary Stages (Happy Now? dir. Liz Diamond), Underwood Theatre (Fighting Words dir. Liz Diamond), The Play Company (Trust dir. Erica Schmidt), The Edge Theatre Co. (Living Room In ... read more
Mr. Schmidt has designed nearly 60 Broadway shows and dozens of regional productions for the Guthrie, The Old Globe, The Alley Theatre, and Seattle Rep, among others. He has three Drama Desk Awards (Into the Woods, Veronica's Room, Over Here!), three Tony nominations (The Front Page, Into the Woods, 42nd Street), an Obie, and many other awards. ... read more
