NJ School of Dramatic Arts Staff : Acting Teachers in New Jersey

Summer Camp 2008

THE ACTING STAFF

In addition to Directors Beth Baur and Robert Sapoff, our staff of acting teachers includes:

Michael Aquino has been teaching acting and playwriting throughout NJ for the past 7 years. He was last seen performing in Ellis Island Living Theater’s production of Liberty Dance. Favorite credits include: Ghosts (Luna Stage), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (American Globe Theater) and Compensation: a Liturgy of Fact (NY International Fringe Festival). Michael also has had the pleasure of working with Sheldon Harnick on the professional premiere of Dragons at Luna Stage. Michael graduated from Montclair State University with a BFA in Theater and is a member of Actors Equity Association.

Toni DiBuono has appeared on Broadway in The Boys From Syracuse and Wonderful Town. Her Off Broadway credits include Forbidden Broadway (Drama Desk and Outer Critic Circle Awards), Bad Habits with Nathan Lane and Up Against It at the Public Theatre. On television, Toni starred as Pat Tuesday in the award winning PBS series Mathnet, co-hosted Lifetime's Our Home, guest starred on Law and Order, Law & Order SVU and has done numerous commercials.

Tricia Burr's recent regional theater credits include: One Way Ticket to Hell at The NY Musical Theatre Festival; The Rainmaker (for which she was nominated as Best Featured Actress in a Play by The Star-Ledger), Bright Ideas, and the critically-acclaimed Inside Out at 12 Miles West Theatre Company; Immortal Interlude and The Giant Princess at NJ Rep; Kindertransport with The Women’s Theater Company; Present Laughter at Surflight; On Golden Pond at The Bickford Theatre; and seven seasons with Pushcart Players. A graduate of the William Esper Studio, Tricia is also a classically trained singer and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in voice and Music Education from Temple University. Tricia serves as Managing Director for 12 Miles West Theatre Company.

Maury Ginsberg's extensive theatre, film and television work includes roles on Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Without a Trace, Friends, NYPD Blue, among others. His film credits include last year’s Sundance Winner, Rocket Science, directed by academy award nominee Jeffrey Blitz as well as The Girl in the Park with Sigourney Weaver and Lansky with Richard Dreyfus among others. Recent projects include the film Greta with Hilary Duff and Ellen Burstyn and an episode of the upcoming television series New Amsterdam. Theatre credits include a twenty year working relationship with Olympia Dukakis that have included Mother Courage, The Seagull, and The Cherry Orchard. Other stage work has included plays at the Pasadena Playhouse, Southcoast Rep, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Old Globe, and three seasons with the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Maury will later this year re-team with Olympia Dukakis on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Christa Justus graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. She appeared on Broadway in LES MISÉRABLES and TITANIC. Other credits include leading roles at such esteemed regional theatres as the Guthrie in Minneapolis, the O’Neill Theatre Center in Connecticut as well as at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Christa was nominated for a Barrymore Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance in PAL JOEY at the Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia. In addition to her stage work, Christa has also appeared in film, television, concert halls and on numerous recordings. Her most recent endeavor was the Manhattan Theatre Club workshop of the Broadway-bound musical, NINE TO FIVE, with a score by Dolly Parton based on the 1980 movie.

Gary Lynch is a two time National Broadway Award nominee for his performance in Mamma Mia! He originated the role of Sam Carmichael for the North American Premiere of Mamma Mia! in Toronto, the U.S. Premiere in San Francisco and the 1^st National Company. On Broadway, Gary performed the role of Inspector Javert in Les Miserables. His Off Broadway credits include; Destry Rides Again- York Theatre, Goose- Musical Theatre Works, Lux In Tenebris -Lincoln Center, Let It Ride - Lambs Theatre, Lola - Lark Theatre Co. Numerous Regional credits include; The Thing About Men (Tom),1776 (Adams), Olympus On My Mind (Jupiter), The Threepenny Opera (MacHeath), A Little Night Music (Carl Magnus), Rags (Saul), Guys and Dolls (Sky), Nine (Guido), 3 Guys Naked...(Ted), and most recently (Orin and everyone else) in Little Shop of Horrors at the Westchester Broadway Theatre.

THE MUSICAL THEATER and DANCE STAFF

Danielle Aldrich has been involved in all aspects of the theater. She has worked with the 4th Wall Musical Theatre Company on
La Cage Aux Follies (Perry Award Best Musical), Music Man (Perry Nomination Best Choreography), Bat Boy– The Musical,
and Dames at Sea. In addition to this, her extensive choreography experience includes such shows as Children of Eden,
Stepping Out, Quillow-The Musical (World Premiere), The World Goes Round, and Snoopy-The Musical as well as many others.
As a director/choreographer shows include Urinetown and Footloose.

Deborah Martin spent 11 seasons as Musical Director at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival (now the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ). She is the Founding Artistic Director of the 4th Wall Musical Theatre (Working, Pippin, Company, and Nine) and has served as Musical Director with the Fire Island Pines Arts Project (Little Mary Sunshine and Dames at Sea with Charles Busch). Off Broadway credits include Inside Out as Musical Director. Her work with the Montclair Operetta Company includes Evita, Pirates of Penzance, Kismet, and Cabaret. She is also a composer: The Princess, The Poet and the Little Grey Man (book by Joseph Robinette) was published by Dramatic Publishing Company.

BJ Solomon assistant directed Angels in America: Perestoika under Broadway Director Leah Gardiner for the Connecticut Repertory Theater. As a choreographer he choreographed the NJ premier of Cats at The Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ as well as productions of Mame, 1776, and The Full Monty. BJ studied acting at the University of Connecticut and Musical Theatre at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He has studied under such notable performers as Judy Blazer, Joe Deer, Jean Ballantine, Tina Landau and Theresa McWillaims. BJ has performed throughout the country in productions of Big River (Paper Mill), Annie, Cats, Fiddler, Miss Saigon, Dreamgirls, Merrily We Roll Along, and Show Boat.

Jonathan Tuzman is an accompanist, keyboardist, musical director, composer, and arranger.
He served as Music Director for Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at the University of Miami, where he received a Bachelor's Degree
in Music Composition with an emphasis in Media Writing and Production. While at Miami, he musically directed "Edges: A New Song Cycle" with Qauntum Entertainment. Jonathan has also been the musical director for several shows in the area including the NJ School of Ballet and NJPAC's Young Artist Institute.

Pat Woodward is a member of the Theatre faculty at Pace University in Manhattan where she has taught classes in Acting for the Musical Stage, Acting, Advanced Acting, Directing, Senior Showcase and Current Theater in New York. She has directed over 50 productions in Off-Broadway, community and academic theatre and appeared onstage in an equal number of roles. She was a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star nominee for Best Choreographer for their production of Sweet Charity. For ten years, Ms. Woodward was Artistic Director for the Off-Broadway company Stage Left, Inc. Shows that she has directed for Off-Broadway/Stock include The Play’s the Thing, A Little of What You Fancy, Company, Into the Woods, Pippin and Eccentricities of a Nightingale.