A New Brain
JUSTIN LEADER (Executive Producer, Graphic Designer), in the Spring of his Sophomore year, founded Cornell’s largest, independent theatre group, the Melodramatics Theatre Company. In the fall of 2004, he produced, directed, and appeared in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, the MTC’s premier production. He then produced and appeared in MTC productions of Into the Woods and Bat Boy: The Musical. In the spring of 2006, he organized An Evening with Jeff Marx, in which he brought the Tony Award-winning composer of Avenue Q to Ithaca for a series of events. Upon graduation this Fall, Justin will be seeking an M.F.A. in Theatre Arts Management.
JUSTIN NISLY (Executive Artistic Director) is in his fifth season with the MTC. Justin directed the MTC’s production of Into the Woods and served as Music Director for the MTC’s production of Assassins. At Cornell, he studied directing with David Feldshuh, with whom he was Assistant Director for the Schwartz Center Mainstage production of All My Sons. He was also the music director for the Schwartz Center sponsored workshop of Egg: The Musical, and he spent the summer music directing and accompanying the Hangar Theatre production of Go, Dog. Go! He is a double major in English and Music at Cornell University, and is writing an honors thesis on the music of Bob Dylan.
JOSH BURLINGHAM (Executive Director) is in his fifth season with the MTC. Having graduated from the Pingree School in his home state of MA, Josh is now a Junior Theatre Arts Major in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University. In the past six years alone, Josh has been involved in over thirty productions, including performing in MTC productions of Assassins as John Hinckley, Into the Woods as Cinderella's Prince, and directing the MTC’s Fall 2005 production of Bat Boy: The Musical.
CHARLOTTE EVANS (Executive Music Director, Conductor) is in her third season with the MTC. Company credits include Bat Boy: The Musical (Mrs. Taylor, Music Director). Other credits include Company (Marta) at Ithaca College Triple Threat Theatre, Wonderful Town (Ruth Sherwood), and Into the Woods (Cinderella). Classically trained in piano for 15 years, Charlotte graduated from the Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore, MD. She is currently a Sophomore music major at Ithaca College.
ROBERT BERG (Associate Producer) is in his fifth season with the MTC. Company credits include Lead Creative Consultant for both Assassins and Into the Woods, and Associate Producer for Bat Boy: The Musical and An Evening with Jeff Marx. Other credits include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Davis), Romeo and Juliet (Lord Capulet), Barnum (Amos Scudder), Fiddler on the Roof (Yussel), and Alice in Wonderland (King of Hearts). Robert recently graduated from SUNY Purchase, majoring in Liberal Arts, with a focus on Film Studies.
ARIEL REID (Associate Producer) is excited to be in her first MTC production. Other credits include The Secret Garden (Mary Lennox), Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel), Ragtime (The Little Girl), and Honk! (Ida). She is currently a Freshman ILR major at Cornell University.
MICHAEL TEDESCO (Associate Producer) is in his third season with the MTC. Company credits include Bat Boy: The Musical (Pan, Ned). Other credits include Grease (Danny Zuko) and The Long Voyage Home (Nick). In his first year at college, Michael was a member of Anything Goes, a musical theatre troupe on campus. He is currently a Junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University.
SARAH FOSTER (Choreographer) is in her first season with the MTC. Other credits include performing in the Family Fare productions at the Kitchen Theatre, Wide-Eyed Dance Theatre (Choreographer), and the biannual Ithaca Choreographers Showcase at CSMA (Co- Director).
MICHAEL GARRETT (Technical Director, Scenic Designer) is in his third season with the MTC. Company credits include Bat Boy: The Musical (Master Carpenter). Other credits include Festival of One Acts (Director), Robber Bridegroom (Technical Director), and The Cradle Will Rock (Sound Crew). Michael has been trained in Technical Theater at The Hill School. He is currently a Sophomore in the Agriculture and Life Science College at Cornell University.
TOM REINSTEIN (Stage Manager) is in his fifth season with the MTC. Company credits include Assassins (Sam Byck), Into the Woods (Stage Manager), and Bat Boy: The Musical (Stage Manager). He is currently a Junior History major at Cornell University.
BECKY WADDLE (Assistant Stage Manager) is in her third season with the MTC. Company credits include Assassins (Artistic Director) and Into the Woods (Assistant Stage Manager). She is currently a Senior Animal Science major in the College of Agriculture and Life Science at Cornell University.
ROGERIO YOON (Business Manager) is in his first season with the MTC. He is currently a Junior Economics major at Cornell University.
SUSAN CARDINALI (House Manager) is in her first season with the MTC. Her previous credits include Prop Master for the Bishop Kearney High School productions Little Shop Of Horrors, No No Nanette, and Les Miserables. She was both Prop Master and Assistant Director for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Assistant Director for the Webster Shakespeare Festival’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream this past summer. She is currently attending Cornell University as a Freshman in the College of Engineering.
BRIAN MAYER (Director of Marketing for Cornell University, Property Master) is in his first season with the MTC. Other credits include No Sex Please, We’re British (Brian Runnicles) and Romeo and Juliet (Lord Montague). Brian is also the Props and Sets Co-Manager for Risley Theatre. He is currently a Senior Psychology major in the at Cornell University.
ERIN LEMIRE (Director of Marketing for Ithaca College) in her second season with the MTC. Company credits include Bat Boy: The Musical (Ruthie Taylor). From North Hampton, N.H. her credits include Neil Simon’s Fools (Sophia), You Can’t Take it With You (Alice), Grease (Sandy), Into the Woods (Lucinda), Nissa (Nissa, Katrina), and Bye Bye Birdie (Margie). Erin has been trained in theater at Prescott Park Arts Festival’s Academy. She is currently a Freshman in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College.
JENNIFER WILLIAMS (Dramaturg)
DEVLIN SHAND (Events Coordinator) is in his first season with the MTC. Other credits include Godspell (Jesus) and The Fantasticks (El Gallo) with the Admit One Players, Pippin (Player) and Company (Peter) with Ithaca College Triple Threat Theatre, and Me and My Girl (Bill) and Rumors (Glen Cooper) at Cornwall Central High School. He is currently a Sophomore Drama major at Ithaca College.
ELANA EDELSTEIN (Costume Designer)
VLADA KAGANOVSKAYA (Costume Designer)
ERIC MARTIN (Lighting Designer) is in his first season with the MTC. Other credits include The Skin of Our Teeth (Assistant Stage Manager), Metamorphoses (Automated Lighting Programmer), Othello (Ensemble), and The Cradle Will Rock (Light Board Operator), all at the Schwartz Center. He is currently a Sophomore at Cornell University.
WIN WHARTON (Assistant Lighting Designer) is in his first season with the MTC. He is a Freshman at Cornell University.
STEPHEN DEMMINGS (Sound Designer) is in his second season with the MTC. Company credits include Bat Boy: The Musical (Light Board Operator and Sound Board Operator). Other credits include Same Time, Next Year (Stage Manager), Frankie and Johnny (Sound Operator), Little Shop of Horrors (Properties and Assistant Stage Manager), Stepping Out (Stage Manager), The Freedom of the City (Properties and Assistant Stage Manager), and The Real Thing (Light Design and Operation) in Kingston, Canada.
AMY COHEN (Makeup Designer) is in her second season with the MTC. Company credits include Bat Boy: The Musical (Make-Up Artist). Other credits include Publicity Associate, Programs, and Displays for the Ithaca College Theatre Department. Amy is also the founder and artistic director of ICircus, Ithaca College’s Circus Arts club. She is currently a Theatre Arts Administration major at Ithaca College.
JEFFREY LIPTON (Master Carpenter) is in his first season with the MTC. Other credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Master Carpenter/Assistant Technical Director), and Blood Brothers (Master Carpenter) and The Crucible (Master Carpenter) at Hamden Mainstage. He is currently an AEP major in the College of Engineering at Cornell University.
CHRIS WHITE (Webmaster) joined the MTC in the fall of 2005 as Sheriff Reynolds in Bat Boy: The Musical. Other credits include Potiphar in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He graduated from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College with a B.A. in Journalism in May 2006 and is currently a producer and reporter for ABC 7, WVII-TV in Bangor, Maine.
JULIE REFKIN (Construction Crew, Run Crew) is in her first season with the MTC. She is currently a Senior Human Development major at Cornell University.
CLAIRE BARBOUR (Run Crew)