Melissa Lewyn is a New York based director and theatermaker.  Melissa has directed at Fordham University, The Chain, Under St Marks, Stevens Institute of Technology, Actor’s Temple Theatre, The Tank, and Soho Playhouse. She has assistant-directed at the New York Musical Festival as well as the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival. She is also the proud co-founder of The Episodic Theatre Project, a new collective dedicated to creating serialized theater in New York City.  She is a NYC native, and a proud graduate of Northwestern University (Go Cats!). She is also an alum of the National Theatre Institute’s Advanced Directing Semester at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center (2019) and the Kennedy Center’s Directing Intensive (2024).

Alex Tobey is a Brooklyn-based stage director and creative producer thrilled to be working with the Mimes and Mummers! His work primarily focuses on new play development, musical theatre, queer collaboration, and immersive, non-traditional audience experiences. Alex is also the Associate Producer or Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College (where Alice by Heart was workshopped in 2018) and the Resident Director of the INKubator New Play Program at Art House Productions. www.alextobey.com

Jack Cline (they/he) is a genderfluid pianist, music director, audition accompanist, and professional sweetie based in New York City. They are a gifted improviser and student of free jazz. Staff at Manhattan School of Music and TADA Youth Theatre. All power to the people. @jackclineee

Joshua Feder is a director, choreographer, educator, and arts manager, currently serving as the Producing Director for Art House Productions in Jersey City, NJ. Recent directing credits include South Pacific (MacBeth Concert Series), The Impracticality of Modern-Day Mastodons (Emerson Stage), Love’s Labour’s Lost (World’s Elsewhere Theatre Company), The Honky Tonk Angels (Cornwell’s Dinner Theatre), How I Learned to Drive and The Comedy of Errors (UC Irvine). Josh worked with the New London Barn Playhouse for 16 years, where he directed Sylvia, Over the Pub, and over 30 productions with their teen company, in addition to serving as Education Director and Artistic Associate. Assistant Director credits include Huntington Theatre Company, Paper Mill Playhouse, and South Coast Rep; previous positions include Assistant General Manager of Emerson Stage and Director of Theater at the Kingswood Oxford School. He earned his BA in Theater from Dartmouth College and his MFA in Directing from UC Irvine, where he also received his Certificate in Arts Management.  www.joshuamfeder.com

Stacy Hawking is a Houston, TX based director, choreographer, and educator and is very excited to be working in New York for the first time with the Mimes and Mummers on She Loves Me! She has worked regionally at Theatre Under the Stars, Stages Houston, Stageworks Houston, and San Pedro Playhouse. Stacy holds a MFA in Directing from Texas State University.  She would like to thank the incredible cast and team who have collaborated on this production. Always thankful to Will, her family, and two fur babies for supporting her! stacyhawking.com

D. MICHAEL O’DELL is a Manhattan-based musician, composer / lyricist, and vocal coach / educator. National Tours: Blippi: Join the Band; In the Mood (dir. Alex Sanchez); ...Spelling Bee. Recent MD credits: Sunday in the Park with George; Fun Home; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Into the Woods; See What I Wanna See; Next to Normal; Young Frankenstein; Pinkalicious (Off-Broadway). FACULTY: National Theatre Institute / Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center; PACE University. NYC jazz pianist / piano bar entertainer. Original musicals: The Velocity of Arrows (Harmony Prize Finalist); Stud Country Shuffle; Solo-darity; WEIRD; Maxton Fink Extraordinaire; The Reunions; and The Intersection of Transient Souls, a musical comedy inspired by Michael's adventures as an Uber / Lyft driver in Los Angeles. BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (composer / lyricist); a proud graduate of BerkleeNYC (MA in Writing and Production for Musical Theatre). dmichaelodell.com

Marc David Wright is a director/producer of theatre and film, community creator, and teaching artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Co-founder and Artistic Director of The Village Collective, developing artwork-in-progress and connecting emerging artists with New York audiences at twelve sold-out Salon events and counting (iminthevillage.org). Theatre: The Children’s Hour (Fordham U), HAIR NOW: A Musical Concert for Palestine (Judson Church), Self Tape (Downtown Urban Arts Festival - Winner! Best Play 2024), Planet W: A Science-Fiction Musical (Ars Nova ANT Fest 2024, Cast Album Now Streaming), The Stella Show (IRT/The Village), Singfeld! A Musical Parody About Nothing (Now Playing Off-Broadway), Sanctuary City (Pasadena Playhouse, AD), Dark Play or Stories For Boys (Edinburgh Fringe). Thank you to everyone in the cast and crew for a wonderful experience! It’s been an honor to work with the Mimes and Mummers. Fordham Theatre 2019.

Trevor Bourland is a multi-hyphenate artist with degrees in music composition and music directing for theatre. His debut play, The Family Home: A Russian Play, was a finalist at the 2023 OC-Centric New Play Festival. Recent music directing credits include The Prom (UCI), Alice’s Wonderland (SCR), Carrie (SBCC), Assassins (UCI) and In The Heights (Broadway Palm). Theatre compositions include a score for An Iliad (dir. Lucas James Nelson) and original musical Carmilla. Find more at trevorpbourland.com or on Instagram @trevorp.bourland

Mike Meaney is a Brooklyn-based director. Past credits include productions of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, bare: A Pop Opera, The Robber Bridegroom, Wonderful Town, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Bonnie & Clyde, and Hello Dolly! As an associate and assistant director, Mike has worked with J2 Spotlight, MasterVoices, Red Bull Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, and Redtwist Theatre. Next, Mike will be working Off-Broadway as an associate director for the upcoming season at J2 Spotlight. Mike would like to thank the Mimes and Mummers for being so welcoming and a joy to work with. 

Emilia "Emi" Lirman is a bilingual Argentinian American director, writer and all-around-theater-artist based in NYC. Growing up in Miami, FL she adopted the native "Spanglish" language and has been spewing a hodgepodge of words and phrases ever since. Do those strung together words always make sense? No, but neither do humans most of the time and that's art kids.

Emilia is dedicated to creating works that address our contemporary landscape and elevate underrepresented voices. As a director, she aims to foster collaboration, creativity and conversation. She takes pride in creating joy and connection through her work. Her absolute favorite thing is developing new plays and musicals that focus on empathy to reach across cultural divides and find common ground among individuals.

Abigail Galleta Canafe is a NYC-based music director, keyboardist, keyboard programmer, accordionist, vocal coach, and arranger. Recent music directing credits include Heathers at Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center and 350 Parts Per Million at San Francisco's Gateway Theatre. Abigail has worked with a number of nonprofit performing arts organizations, such as Broadway Dreams Foundation, Korsa Musical Theater, Brooklyn Children's Theater, One Stage Theatre, and Sing for Hope. In addition to musical theater, Abigail enjoys working on operatic productions and has served as a collaborative pianist for Gian Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, Owen Klein's Frankenstein (world premiere), and Tom Pan's The Little Prince (world premiere). 

Abigail received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music (Honors) and Cognitive Science from the ​University of California, Berkeley, where she studied piano, harpsichord, and chamber organ ​performance. She is a recipient of the Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prize in Music as well as the ​Joan C. Reutinger Prize in recognition for piano performance. abigailgalletacanafe.com

Rick directed Neil Simon’s Rumors for the Mimes in the Fall of 2021. and The Importance of Being Earnest in Fall 2023 He is pleased to be back in Collins with this hard-working group of theatre makers. University: Carousel (Yale), Company, (Johns Hopkins), Copenhagen (Stevens Institute of Technology), Into the Woods and The Baker's Wife (Rider University). Regional: Ragtime, Merrily We Roll Along, Bat Boy, Metamorphoses, The Odyssey, Songs for A New World, Spitfire Grill, Man of La Mancha, and South Pacific. International: Wit at the Fringe Club in Hong Kong,

Rick has an MFA in Directing from the Actors Studio, an MBA from Columbia, and a BA from Dartmouth. He is grateful to the Mimes for the return engagement, for their unfailing good humor and talent.

Acadia Barrengos (she/her) is a freelance director based in NYC. She is so excited to be working with the Mimes and Mummers! Directing credits include: Casual, Indecent, Roe, and In the Blood. Acadia has directed workshops at the TANK, the Sheen Center, and Spooky Action Theatre. She has assisted directors including Braden Abraham, Scott Zigler, Elizabeth Dinkova, Graham Smith, and Gary Griffin. Acadia has worked as a guest director/associate at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Rutgers University at Mason Gross, and now Fordham University! Acadia has been a Directing Fellow at The Kennedy Center, a Literary Fellow at Bay Area Playwrights Festival, a Casting Intern at Stephanie Klapper Casting and is a 2024 TheatreMacher with the Alliance for Jewish Theatre. She is also an alum of La Mama's International Directors Symposium (sponsored by the Kenan Institute for the Arts).

Tor Campbell is a trailblazer in the theater scene and the Artistic Fellow at Northlight Theatre. Hailing from Chicago, this director and choreographer, armed with an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University, recently rocked the stage with "The Prom" as their epic final Thesis Project. Dedicating themselves to education, Tor has enlightened minds at prestigious institutions like the University of California Irvine, Northwestern University, and Juilliard, sharing wisdom on movement, acting, and directing. And is truly happy to add Fordham University to the prestigious list! Behind the scenes, Tor has left their mark on productions like "A Hero Within" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, assisted on “Birthday Candles" at Northlight Theater, and brought magic to "A Christmas Carol" at The Goodman Theatre. Beyond borders, Tor has wowed audiences with musical revues in locations abroad like the Venetian and Sands Macau. Tor Campbell stands as a dynamic force, leaving an indelible mark on the arts scene both locally and globally.

He/They. NYC based composer, arranger, music director, and pianist. Writing credits include The Pyramid: A Dance Moms Parody Musical, MEDUSA: A New Musical and Don't Forget Me: A New Musical. They have also provided a full-length original score for UNCG School of Theatre's "Theatre for Young People" production of Roald Dahl's The Witches, directed by Chad Parsons. James's work is also found at the Industries of the Blind Public Art Piece located on West Gate City Blvd. in Greensboro, NC, where he composed a piece based off of artwork by Krystal Rothermund and Daryl Wells, helping tell the story of the artwork to those who are visually impaired. In addition to composing, James has provided arrangements for performers such as the Las Vegas Youth Saxophone Ensemble, The Moanin' Frogs, Lindsay Kesselman, the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet. His arrangement for the UNCG Saxophone Ensemble performed at the 41st Annual International Saxophone Symposium hosted by the United States Navy Band. He has also had the pleasure to provide arrangements and orchestrations for The Blumey Awards, an award ceremony in excellence in high school musical theatre in the greater Charlotte, NC area. James currently serves as the music director for Megan Dwinell, Henry Platt, Drew Korn, Carolina Rial, and Alyssa Wray.  @jamesstryska

Kaitlin Davis is so thrilled to be back in Collins! A proud Fordham graduate, she is a director, choreographer, actor, educator, and–most importantly–former Mimes Business Manager. Recent projects include Acceptance Pending (Edinburgh Fringe), The Prom (Stevens Institute), and Zombie Prom (NYU). 

(he/they) is so honored to be directing The Laramie Project with the Mimes and Mummers. The message of this story is so relevant even 25 years after the events seen on stage and I hope this production gives you H.O.P.E. Other Credits Include: Stormy Weather (RAVE Festival), Dog Sees God, Zanna Don't, Sordid Lives, RED: A Crayons Musical (Out Front Theatre), The Laramie Project, 35mm (Independent Artists Playhouse), 54 Sings Kesha (54 Below), The Underlying Chris (Second Stage). The Tap Dance Kid (New York City Center), American Son (Broadway and Netflix), A Soldier's Play (Broadway), Children of a Lesser God (Broadway).

​COLEMAN RAY CLARK is a New York-based director and producer of plays and musicals. Last year, Coleman directed the site-aware production of Bare at St. John’s Lutheran Church in NYC. Other directing credits include The Chairs, Detroit, and Punk Rock (Marymount Manhattan College); Kiss Me, Kate (The Arts Center of the Ozarks); The Nina Variations (The Bridge Production Group); Stop Kiss (The Hatchery); Into The Woods, Moon Over Buffalo, Completely Hollywood: Abridged, Charade, and The Iliad, The Odyssey, and All Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less (New Threshold Theatre); The 39 Steps (Trike Theatre). Assistant directing credits include: Frankenstein (Classic Stage Company) and His Eye Is On the Sparrow (Portland Center Stage) with director Timothy Douglas, The 24 Hour Plays On Broadway (Broadway) with director Mark Brokaw, and Superior Donuts (TheatreSquared) with director Sean Patrick Reilly. BA Marymount Manhattan College. SDC associate member. Coleman is the Deputy Director of The 24 Hour Plays, where he produces time-limited theatre all around the world. www.colemanrayclark.com  

Carter Letsky (Music Director) is thrilled to be a part of The Mimes and Mummers’ production of Jesus Christ Superstar! Originally from Massachusetts, Carter graduated from the University of Rochester where he studied Music and Audio Engineering. Since graduating, he has worked as a Music Director, Accompanist, and Arranger for a variety of theatre companies throughout the northeast. Some favorite credits include The Little Mermaid (The Palace Theatre), Anything Goes (ATNY), and Merrily We Roll Along (Little Victory Theatre). 

Margaret Lee (Director) (she/her) is a Hawaii-grown, NY- based director/choreographer. Her work has been seen at Ma-Yi, 2G, Moxie Arts, The Old Globe, IRT Theater, and BRIClab. Current: Install Director of Scarlet Night (Virgin Voyages’ signature show). Past: Associate/Resident Director of virtual immersive nightclub-theatre Eschaton; Assistant Director to Kathleen Marshall, David Mendizabal, Ellie Heyman, Victor Malana Maog at theatres such as MCC Theater, Long Wharf Theatre, and The Old Globe. Margaret is a Drama League Directors Project Fellow alumna, a Black Girl Theatre Magic Director’s Circle member, and SDC Associate Member.

Kelsey Robins (Director) (she/her) is thrilled to be joining Mimes & Mummers in Urinetown (the musical, not the place, of course). She is a New York based director with favorite credits including She Loves Me, Cabaret, 1776, Ghost Quartet and Grounded. As an assistant director she has worked at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, The Goodman, and Hip to Hip. Kelsey is a graduate of Northwestern University. To check out more of her work, please see kelseyrobins.com!

Sophie Huisken (Music Director) is a NYC-based Actor and Music Director, and has had an absolute blast working with the students of Fordham on Urinetown! She graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education (voice emphasis) from New York University, where she trained in Tisch’s New Studio on Broadway during her freshman year. Favorite Music Directing Credits include Seussical and Little Shop of Horrors. She Vocal Directs the Spring Musical and teaches Glee Club at Weehawken High School, and is an active performer, voice/audition coach, and teaching artist with Broadway Bound Kids. More at sophiehuisken.com. 

Kathryn Markey is an NYC based director, actor and writer. Her theatrical adventures have taken her across the US to venues from dive bars in the American South to the Broadway stage. She is one-third of The Chalks, a satirical country band, and is the co-curator of PLAYS FOR US. She is a child of New England and a grandchild of the Bronx, and is grateful for this opportunity to work with the Mimes and Mummers. Kathrynmarkey.com

Matthew A.J. Gregory (Director) is thrilled to be directing SHREK with the Mimes & Mummers, a group he last worked with a decade ago and the experience was so wonderful he had to come back for more!  Matthew is an interdisciplinary theatre artist whose current theatre work explores the nexus between art and politics, specifically through use of the comedy as a lens for investigating modern civil issues. He is theatre generalist with expertise in direction, acting, theatre history and costume design, but is interested in holistic approaches to theatre-making that transcend the boundaries of traditional disciplines. He has directed numerous productions at venues around New York including NYU, Theater for the New City, the cell and the Culture Project. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Saratoga Shakespeare Company and Off-Broadway at the Mint Theater. His costume designs have been seen at the Juilliard School, the Wheeler Opera House and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Matthew also worked as a costume artisan on various films including “X-Men”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, and “Charlie’s Angels”.  He has been on the faculty at NYU, The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, SUNY Albany, Siena College and CUNY - Kingsborough. Currently, Matthew is on the faculty at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) and the Waterwell Drama Program.

Heather Edwards (Music Director) graduated from Berklee College of Music. She works as a pianist/songwriter/recording artist who has performed with many types of bands, from funk and rock to jazz and country. Heather writes and performs her own music as well as conducts, directs, and regularly performs in musical theatre around the New York area. In addition to educating children in the performing arts through her non-profit company, AhHa!Broadway Inc., she also enjoys working as a Musical Director, teaching private piano and vocal lessons. She has released several albums, and has also played a wide range of characters as an actress in television, film, and theatre. Heather is a member of AFM Local 802 and Actors Equity Association. www.AhHaBroadway.org,

Eric Gelb is a NYC based Musical Theatre Director, Producer and Manager. Broadway/Off-Broadway: WICKED (Stage Management Intern), Head Over Heels & Little Shop of Horrors (co-producer). Select Directing: at NYU - Beauty and the Beast, The 25th...Spelling Bee, Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins. Select Regional/Tour: A Christmas Story Nat’l Tour, Footloose (Fordham University), Xanadu (The Rose Theater - Omaha, NE), Maples Repertory Theatre (Macon, MO), Walt Disney World & SeaWorld Live Entertainment. Alum: TEDxBroadway ‘17, Broadway For Racial Justice & Baseline Theatrical Cohorts ‘21. B.S in Educational Theatre, New York University ‘20.

Nick Stamatakis is a pianist, music director and composer who has worked with professional, educational and community organizations, striving to create collaborative environments that foster the exploration, interpretation and execution of music in theater. Credits include work with Pittsburgh CLO, City Theatre, Quantum Theatre, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Carnegie Stage, Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Arcade Comedy Theater and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Ryan Buchanan is a freelance composer, educator, and performer based in New York City. Working as a teaching artist, he specializes in musical theater, Shakespeare, choral music, improvisation, and social-emotional learning. He has worked for the Conservatory program at the Dwight School (in NYC and abroad), as a TA for Wingspan and LEAP, and most recently as a music director at Fordham University at Rose Hill and the Play Group Theater in White Plains. He has played piano for classes at NYU, Columbia, Brooklyn College, and his compositions were most recently featured in Lincoln Theater Library's Across a Crowded Room series. Ryan also currently performs with Brooklyn Theater Club and sings with Inspire: A Choir for Unity. BM & MA, NYU.

Sam French is a Brooklyn-based writer and director. Previous work has been seen at FringeNYC, the Brick, Habitat Theatre, Tiny Rhino, the National Theatre for Student Artists, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Third Space Theatre, Atlantic Acting School, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, the Gallery Theatre, the People’s Improv Theatre, the York Theatre, and more. He has assistant directed at Playwrights Horizons, Vineyard, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Williamstown, and Hartford Stage, for prominent directors including Oliver Butler, Anne Kauffman, and Darko Tresnjak. Sam is a former member of the Williamstown Directing Corp and a former Robert Moss Directing Fellow at Playwrights Horizons. He is a core member of Third Space Theatre. Education: BFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon University. No relation to the play publisher beyond a mutual respect for top hats. Samuel-French.com

Emily Jackson is an artist and organizer whose work focuses on collaboration, fundamental theatricality, and character narrative. Her directing credits include for The Mimes and Mummers at Fordham University: Into the Woods; for Kitchen Theatre Company: I and You, The Soup Comes Last, Physics Fair, Count Me In; for Holmdel Theatre Company: Little Women the Musical; for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, They Promised Her the Moon (assistant director); for Cider Mill Playhouse: Urinetown, Stage Kiss; for Sanguine Theatre Company: Jessica; Hamlet Isn’t Dead: Julius Caesar; for After Darks, PTP/NYC: Scenes of Ascending; for 2X4 in Repertory: Haunted; for Rhapsody Collective: How Steve Died; for Writopia Lab’s Worldwide Plays Festival: Crazy Like a Pumpkin, How to be a Dad. Emily has served as the Artistic Director for Sanguine Theatre Company in New York City and the Artistic Associate and Director of Audience Services for Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, NY, has been a member of Lark Theatre’s Literary Wing, and has adapted the works of Italian playwright, Dacia Maraini. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Emily received her BFA from The University of Oklahoma’s Peggy Dow Helmerich School of Drama. www.emilyjackson.org 

Richie Pepio is a director, improviser, writer, and a member of Actors' Equity. He recently directed the Mimes and Mummers' production of Arsenic and Old Lace and a touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for Hofstra University's 70th Annual Shakespeare Festival. Additional directing credits include: Durang's Titanic and The Actor's Nightmare (Hyper Aware Theater/The Access Theater), Le Cid (The Gene Frankel Theater), and Shall I Continue? (PIT Loft). Performance credits include productions with the Helen Hayes Award winning Synetic Theater, Theatreworks/USA (directed by Kevin Del Aguila), Synapse Theatre Ensemble, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Washington Improv Theater, the Hudson Shakespeare Company, MRB Films, and improv festivals around the country. He holds a BFA in Performance from Hofstra University.

Eric Paul Vitale is a New York based director, choreographer, and producer. Currently he produces for Emmy Award winning comedian Jim Gaffigan and is a member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Foundation 2019 Observership Class. Recent directing credits include The Signature Project Off-Broadway premiere, The Sycamore Street Kite Flying Club Lincoln Center, Carolee Carmello at the Metropolis, and the Camp Broadway National Tour. Other credits include Jim Gaffigan's 2019 Amazon Special Quality Time, National Tour: Annie (Associate Director), International Tour: An Evening with Charles Strouse The Pheasantry, London, Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo (Russian & European Tour, Associate Director), The Addams Family Fordham University, Curtains Georgetown Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Olympics Uber Alles MIT, Immortal Journey Theatre Row, Passion YAA.

Michael Flanagan is a New York-area director and Associate Professor at The College of Westchester. He has been very fortunate to have directed The Mimes in Bedroom Farce and Noises Off (2017) and even led an improvisation workshop. Away from The Mimes, he is Associate Producer of Gi60 Live US Edition, the international one-minute play festival. He’s directed for other colleges and universities such as The College of Mount Saint Vincent (Seussical, The Rose Tattoo) and Brooklyn College (Reckless, Side Man). Michael has directed for Off-Off Broadway theater companies like The 13th Street Repertory Company (Kerouac, Nunchuck Ninja Nuns), the Boomerang Theater Company (The Travel Plays) the Prospect Theater Company (Scribbles), and TheatreRats, where he won Best Director for In the Jar. He was the founding Artistic Director for the Roosevelt Island Shakespeare Festival. He has an MFA in Theatre from Brooklyn College.

Travis Greisler directed the Mimes production of COMPANY in the Spring of 2009, THE WILD PARTY in the Spring of 2011, and most recently our production of CABARET in the spring in 2016. 

​

The Mimes invite you to learn more about Travis!

www.travisgreisler.com

travis@travisgreisler.com