Core Program - Core Teaching Artists

Bios

John Bronston
John Bronston has worked across the country as a musical director, actor, director, and teaching artist. His work as a musical director has been featured in the east coast tours of Enough For All and Lady of Copper for Theater Garden, in the new musical Liberty at the Workshop Theatre Company in Manhattan, and for productions of Into the Woods, The Wiz, Carousel, and Little Shop of Horrors.  He has served as a teaching artist for City Lights Youth Theatre and the Children's Aid Society in New York, as an adjunct faculty member at Earlham College, and on the staff of the Dayton Jewish Community Center. Some of his major performing credits include The Rocky Horror Show (multiple regional productions as Dr. Frank-N-Furter), Hair (multiple regional productions as Hud or Walter), Ain't Misbehavin (as Man 2), Into the Woods (as Cinderella's Prince/Wolf), Edward II (Leicester) at the 14th Street Theatre and Cyclone (and the Pig-Faced Lady) at the York Theatre and the National Comedy Theatre in Manhattan. In addition he has worked as arranger and pianist for cabaret performances with Broadway stars Michael Cerveris, Judy McLane, and Trisha Jeffrey at the Copacabana and the Triad and for special performances with the members of the Broadway casts of All Shook Up, Wicked, and A Chorus Line.  Current projects include directing and chroegraphing Pippin for City Lights Youth Tehatre, musical directing Celebration for re:Directions Theatre Company in January, and supervising a new studio recording of the original musical Fairy Tale (libretto Joshua Robinson, music and lyrics John Bronston). Webpage link:
www.myspace.com/johnbronstonmusic

Dina Ann Comolli
Dina is a very proud and grateful member of the City Lights Core and In-School Teaching Artist Team, without which, she wouldn’t smile so much. Other recent teaching work includes The Creative Arts Team’s ELTA Program, Queens Theatre in the Park’s CASA Program and teen acting classes with The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She has created and conducted Professional Development Workshops for The Weston Playhouse in Vermont, The American Place Theatre and Counseling In Schools. Dina spent three years at PS/IS 123 in the Bronx as a Crisis Counselor for Project Liberty. As an Actress, Dina currently stars in an open ended run Off-Broadway as Clare Boothe Luce in The Rise of Dorothy Hale.

Amanda Curry
Amanda is a graduate of Ithaca College's Theatre Program.  In NYC, she has produced arts programs for The Women's Project, Women Transforming the Arts, Standing Ovations Musical Theatre and The Leadership Program.  Before coming to NYC, she was the Educational Director of the Young People's Theatre Workshop in Colorado and has performed with Glimmerglass Opera, Orpheus Theatre, Backstage Theatre, Lake DIllon Theatre, Seacoast Repertory, The Kitchen and Theatre Studio, Inc.  Her life in the arts began when she created a dance and theatre school in her backyard at the age of 13.  She continues it today by traveling to her hometown upstate to teach annual workshops to communities lacking in the arts.  Amanda is pysched to be in her 4th year in the City Lights Family!

Rosanna Ferro
Rosanna Ferro is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. She earned her degree in Composition and Piano with Master’s Studies in Orchestral Conducting and Film Scoring. Rosanna was selected to participate as a composer in the BMI-Musical Theatre Workshop in New York City. She is currently composing an original musical adaptation of “Ivanhoe” to be presented in New York this spring. Rosanna has directed several musicals and has years of experience teaching piano and vocal lessons.

Andy Hertz
Andy is a composer/lyricist, music director, and pianist living in New York City. He recently worked in Hollywood on the concert version of Jesus Christ Superstar (starring Ben Vereen) and with the Sacramento Music Circus.  He has authored a variety of full-length and one-act musicals including Flipside (with lyricist Mike Pettry), the recipient of a 2007 Frederick Loewe Award.  Andy's new musical, Torah! Torah! Torah! (co-authored with Steven Levenson) premiered this summer in Providence, RI. Andy currently serves on the faculties of Brown University and Montclair State University.

Qui Nguyen
Qui is a profession playwright, fight choreographer, and Co-Artistic Director of the award winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company.  Plays include: Men of Steel (Vampire Cowboys; Theater Wit; published by Broadway Play Publishing); Living Dead in Denmark (Vampire Cowboys; National Asian American Theatre Festival); Stained Glass Ugly (MITF; Noho Studios; Louisiana Tech University; Fourth Wall Productions); A Beginner's Guide to Deicide (Vampire Cowboys); Vampire Cowboy Trilogy (Vampire Cowboys; FringeNYC; Channel Z Productions; Montbonne University; published in PLAYS AND PLAYWRIGHTS 2005); Bike Wreck (Youngblood; Metropolitan Playhouse); Stand-up Absurdity (Wing & Groove Theatre); and the Off-Broadway production of Trial By Water (Ma-Yi Theater/Queens Theatre in the Park; dueEast Theatre/A-Squared; published in SAVAGE STAGE). Qui is an Advanced Actor/Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and works regularly as a stage-combat instructor & choreographer for LAByrinth Theater, Ma-Yi Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Public, HERE Arts Center, NAATCO, Partial Comfort Productions, The Brick, Nosedive Productions, Desipina, and The Rabid Vamps Fight Studio. He is a co-director of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab and an alumni of Youngblood. MFA: Ohio University.  Company website:  www.vampirecowboys.com

Shari Lee Polis has been a City Lights teaching artist for eight years. A choreographer, Shari's work has appeared in NYU, University of Michigan, The Soho Playhouse, Pantheon Theater, and more. Shari is founder and Artistic Director of a children's dance company called UpBring Dance Company. Composed of 75 students and in its eighth year, UpBring is a Cobble Hill, Brooklyn-based dance troupe for children ages 2-15 which performs for the Brooklyn community. Recent NYC performances include The Vagina Monologues, Lysistrata, The Minotaur. Shari currently dances at and performs with Broadway Dance Center.