MEET THE Collective
Madeline Bender, FOUNDER, Director
Madeline has had a rich career as international opera singer, writer, director and producer. She specializes in devising original work with multi-generational, multidisciplinary groups, and has been producer and director of multiple Creative Stage Collective productions such as: Instrumental Storytellers, in collaboration with Concert Artists Guild; Creative Stage Spectacular (2018-2024), Summer Shebang! (2018-2023); and Musical Madlibs for Carnegie Hall Fall Family Day (2018) and with the NZ Trio in Auckland New Zealand (2021).
As a performer, Madeline has worked with notable opera directors such Sir Peter Hall, Robert Wilson, David McVicar, Paul Curran, and Sir Jonathan Miller. Career highlights include performances as Euridice in Orphée et Euridice ( Le Theatre du Chatelet, Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting); Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream (La Monnaie, Brussells, Glyndebourne Festival Opera); Konstanza in Mozart's Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (Baden Baden, Aix en Provence); Violetta in La Traviata (Santa Fe Opera); Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (New York Philharmonic), and Handel's Messiah (Toronto Symphony Orchestra, with Sir Andrew Davis conducting).
Also a passionate performing arts educator, Madeline founded Creative Stage in 2012. Her innovative arts curricula in the fields of music, theater, dance, and filmmaking are taught across Manhattan in esteemed private and public schools, alike.
Madeline, along with partner Timothy Long, is the Founder and Director of Voices of Hope, an annual opera gala event that has raised over $250,000 to provide life-changing education to severely underprivileged children around the globe. This gala has hosted esteemed international artists such as: Anna Christy, Erin Morley, Meagan Miller, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Gordon Geitz, John Belemer, Bryan Register, Jonathan Boyd, Christopher Herbert, and Paul Whelan, to name just a few.
Madeline received her Master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. She lives in NYC with her husband, operatic bass Paul Whelan, and their 14-year-old son. In addition to directing and producing numerous CSC productions, she also contributes to the writing team and is the company’s chief lyricist.
francisco alvidrez, ACTOR
Francisco holds a degree in Architecture from Columbia University. When he is not building his latest model, he can be found across various stages across NYC performing and directing works ranging from Shakespeare to Sketch Comedy. With a strong history in musical theatre His most notable credits include Alva in Wededkin’s Lulu, the 123rd Varsity Show, Ren in Footloose, and an upcoming role as Lewis Hale in Trifles by Glaspell.
Francisco has performed in many Creative Stage Collective performances, and has also served as Assistant Director. His performances with CSC include; Creative Stage Spectacular (2019-2023) Summer Shebang! (2021-2022), and Instrumental Storytellers. He also contributes to the writing team.
TANYA BANNISTER, PIANIST
The director of the Concert Artists Guild, an award-winning solo pianist with a distinguished international career, and Founder and Director of the Alpen Kammer Musik Festival in the Austria Alps, Ms. Bannister’s career includes recitals at: the Salle Cortot in Paris; Teatro Communale in Bologna; Tokyo’s Nikkei Hall; London’s Wigmore Hall; The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Her extensive recordings include chamber versions of Chopin Concerto No. 2, Mozart Concerto K. 449 and Schubert Adagio and Rondo, as well as recordings with both Naxos, and Albany Records.
Tanya is a Creative Stage Collective Board Member, and has partnered with the collective for Musical Madlibs! at Carnegie Hall Fall Family Day, was a co-producer of Instrumental Storytellers, has performed in Creative Stage Spectacular (2022), and serves on the CSC Advisory Board.
heather buck
Heather Buck’s operatic adventures range widely, from creating such roles as Alma in Wuorinen’s Brokeback Mountain at Madrid’s Teatro Real, Ku in Prestini’s Gilgamesh, and Haroun in Wuorinen’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories; to singing US stage premiers of Lachenmann’s Little Matchgirl, Rihm’s Proserpina (title role), and Dusapin’s Faustus, the Last Night (Angel); to enjoying standard repertoire such as Magic Flute (Queen of the Night), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tytania), and La Bohème (Musetta). She appeared as the Marquise de Merteuil in Francesconi’s Quartett, the title role in Argento’s Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night, and The Maid in Adès’ Powder Her Face, which she performed in Boston, Aspen, Brooklyn, Metz, Bilbao and London. She performed Joan of Arc in Dello Joio’s Trial at Rouen, and the recording garnered a GRAMMY nomination.
Heather appeared at the Kennedy Center and Trinity Wall Street in Glass’ Symphony No. 5, Marinsky Theater in Tan Dun’s Water Passion after St. Matthew, the Concertgebouw in Dusapin’s Faustus, the Last Night, Boston’s Symphony Hall in Handel’s Messiah, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre with the NAC Orchestra in Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, and Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra. Other concert performances include Bernstein’s Songfest (Trinity Time’s Arrow Festival), Salonen’s Five Images After Sappho (Utah Symphony Orchestra), Druckman’s Counterpoise (Los Angeles Symphony New Music Group), Orff’s Carmina Burana (San Antonio Symphony, North Carolina Symphony), and the US premier of Saariaho’s Leino Laulut (Orchestra of the League of Composers).
Heather is a member of the CSC Advisory Board member, and performed in Creative Stage Spectacular at Symphony Space in 2022.
Janey Choi, Violinist
Canadian violinist and teaching artist Janey Choi gave her Carnegie Hall recital debut in 1997 as a winner of the Artists International Auditions, and continues an active career performing on recital and chamber series, on Broadway, and with such groups as the Ardelia Trio, the Teaching Artists Ensemble of the New York Philharmonic, and the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra. The recipient of numerous awards including the Chalmers Performing Arts Grant from the Ontario Arts Council (Canada) and National First Prize in the Canadian Music Competition, she has participated in such festivals as Mostly Mozart, Norfolk, Taos, Bar Harbor Music Festival, the Spoleto Festivals in the U.S. and Italy, Festival Musical de Santo Domingo, the Santa Fe Opera and the Sarasota Opera.
An avid inter-arts and cross-genre collaborator, she is the Music Director of Thomas/Ortiz Dance, and has performed numerous times with the Parsons Dance Co., most notably at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and at the New Victory Theater in Times Square. She also initiated a collaboration with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Binghamton University Music Department. She has also worked developing and presenting an annual “Music + Art” show, commissioning artwork based on chamber works. She has recorded and appeared with such mainstream performers as Bono (U2), Quincy Jones, Adele, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Enya, Elton John, Jay-Z, Sarah McLachlan, Lenny Kravitz, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean and Stevie Wonder, on the Grammys, MTV, Saturday Night Live, the Today Show, at Live 8, Radio City Music Hall, and Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
Janey Choi helped to create and perform Musical Madlibs for Carnegie Hall, Fall Family Day (2018).
JIM CONROY
Jim Conroy (SAG-AFTRA) is an Actor/Writer/Producer. His 20+ years in the industry runs the gamut from Voice Overs featured in commercials, cartoons, animated film and video games, to OnCamera work in film, television, commercials and interactive gaming. His work for “Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman” on PBS has garnered Jim five Emmy Nominations over the 100-episode series. Currently, Jim can be seen as the spokesperson for TD Ameritrade’s Green Room campaign, heard as the Animated Spokescreature for Xiidra, and is featured in the new HBO MAX Animated Series, JELLYSTONE, where he plays the roles of Huckleberry Hound and Captain Caveman. Other recent credits include The Casagrandes (Nickelodeon), The Cuphead Show (Netflix) and the Marvel audio epic, Wastelanders: Hawkeye. He’s currently working on two animated series for a major network and awaiting the release of two others this year.
Jim has participated in Creative Stage Spectacular performances (2019-2024).
byron Singleton, SINGER
Byron Singleton is becoming widely known for his "powerful and compelling interpretations" of the romantic tenor repertoire. He has performed in opera and concerts throughout the United States in leading roles in La Boheme, Gianni Schicchi, and Madama Butterfly, among many others. Performance venues include Carnegie Hall, The Rose Theater, David Geffen Hall, and The Metropolitan Opera, and Byron was awarded a Grammy certificate for his work in the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera's Grammy award-winning recording of Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelung.
Byron is the President of the CSC Executive Board and has performed with the collective in Creative Stage Spectacular (2020-2024).
sierra nelson, actor / singer
Sierra Nelson is an innovative singer, dancer and actress with an extensive range and repertoire. She enjoys singing all genres, telling as many stories as possible, and she is thrilled to be joining this season's Summer Shebang! Sierra also has a growing following on YouTube. She has released 150+ music videos since 2014. Learn more about her body of work at this link.
Sierra has appeared in Creative Stage Spectacular at Symphony Space (2024), participated in Summer Shebang! (2023), and will be appearing in upcoming performances of Summer Shebang! (2024).
ty norris, actor
Ty Norris is originally from Yorktown, Virginia and is a graduate of Christopher Newport University with a BA in Musical Theater. He moved to New York to pursue Acting and is happy to say he just closed his first Off-Broadway show, All Because of Infidelity, with Hanging Cow Productions. His favorite roles include Man in Chair from The Drowsy Chaperone and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors. Before moving to the city, he directed and taught acting classes to kids 10-15 for two years.
Ty made his debute with CSC for Summer Shebang! (2023). He appeared in Creative Stage Spectacular (2024), and will be will be joining the troupe again this year this September for Summer Shebang! (2024).
ISABELLA OLIVIA, Actor, Writer
Isabella Oliva is a writer, performer, and story-lover based in Brooklyn, NY. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Barnard College, where she not only developed a taste for political theory, but also creative writing and the performing arts. She has appeared in theatre productions at Columbia and The Tank; her most notable credits include Connie | La Tierra in Luis Valdez’s Bernabé, and the E train in Emma Gometz’s The Delay, which premiered at the Tank's Darkfest in 2019. Additionally, Isabella was a frequent writer, director and performer in Latenite Theatre’s biannual anthologies.
Isabella made her CSC debut over quarantine in our Zoomtacular and was both a writer for and performer in the 2021 Summer Shebang!
joel oramas, ACTOR
Joel Oramas is an actor/singer/dancer based in New York City with credits including the tour of the critically acclaimed show The Prisoner's Dilemma (London), Oliver Twist and The Princess and the Pea (Northeast and Canada). His NYC credit include: Twelfth Night (Duende Productions), The Rape of Lucrece (New York Shakespeare Exchange). Selected Regional Credits: Ashe in Johannesburg and Romeo and Juliet (Burning Coal Theatre), Pippin and Man of La Mancha (Jean's Playhouse), Taming of the Shrew (Orlando Shakespeare Theatre), Avenue Q (Hippodrome Theatre), and Striking 12 (Company of Fools). Joel has an MFA from the University of Florida.
Joel has performed in numerous Creative Stage Collective performance—including Musical Madlibs at Carnegie Hall Fall Family Day, Instrumental Storytellers at Symphony Space with Concert Artists Guild, Summer Shebang! (2018, 2021, 2022) and Creative Stage Spectacular (2019-2024).
INNA DUKATCH, OPERATIC SOPRANO
Inna Dukach (operatic lyric soprano) performs both regionally and internationally to critical acclaim. In 2018, Inna made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, traveled to Taiwan to sing Mimì in La Bohème with the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, and created the role of Ina in the world premiere of Steal a Pencil for Me with Opera Colorado.
Inna is a frequent collaborator with CSC, performing in Creative Stage Spectacular performances at Symphony Space from 2019-2022.
Fred Redd, operatic baritone
Fred Redd (operatic baritone) has an operatic career that has seen him grace the stages of both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He’s toured internationally as a vocal performer, as well as having been featured nationally on both radio and television commercials.
Fred is a CSC Advisory Board member, and has contributed in many CSC performances, including Creatives Stage Spectacular. (2020, 2022, 2023).
MARISa Ryan, Actor, writer, Producer
Marisa Ryan is a veteran performer of both stage and screen. Ryan made her screen debut in the 1983 film Without a Trace. From 1989 to 1993, she starred as Elizabeth Cooper-MacGillis in the NBC sitcom Major Dad opposite Gerald McRaney. She later went to star in the Independent films Love Always, Slaves to the Underground, Taylor's Return, and With or Without You. In 1998, Ryan joined the cast of Fox police drama series, New York Undercover as Det. Nell Delaney, during the show's fourth and final season. He guest-star credits include appearances on The Practice, Sex and the City, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order. Ryan co-starred as Abby Bernstein in the ensemble cast satirical comedy film Wet Hot American Summer. She reprised her role in the Netflix prequel series, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp in 2015. She has also appeared in films Don's Plum (2001), Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), and Brooklyn Lobster (2005). Ryan made her directorial debut with the independent short film Three Women of Pain, which she also co-wrote.
Marisa has performed in Creative Stage Spectacular performances from 2019-2024. She is also a regular at CSC Troupe Meetups and contributes as a writer.
todd faulkner, Actor
Todd Faulkner has impressive credits ranging from film and television to the New York Film Festival! You may have seen his work on shows such as The Americans, Nurse Jackie, Blue Bloods and Law & Order. His theater credits range from Quince in Midsummer Night’s Dream with Vital Theater to Nudists in Love with the New York Fringe Festival!
Todd has performed in multiple Creative Stage Spectacular performances (2019-2022).
Caroline StrangE, Actor/Singer
Caroline Strange has graced the stage as singer, dancer and actor in roles such as Maureen in The Bluest Eye at the Guthrie Theater, as well as iconic fairy tale roles such as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella in Into The Woods with Red House Arts, to name just a few. Caroline has both a MFA in Acting Performance from the University of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and a BA in Vocal Performance from the University of Connecticut.
Caroline performed with CSC in Summer Shebang! (2021, 2022).
jordan bak, Violist
“A star in the making.” (Seattle Pi) Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak is considered one of the most outstanding musicians of his generation. Bak is a winner of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, and a Sphinx Competition alum and Sphinx MPower Artist Grant recipient. Bak is a member of the celebrated New York Classical Players, and guest artist with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. Career highlights include a Young Artist Residency with Minnesota Public Radio’s Performance Today; showcase recitals in both New York and Tel Aviv; performances with A Far Cry and The Knights; and a 2020 concerto premiere by James Ra with the New York Classical Players.
Jordan performed with CSC in Instrumental Storytellers—a 2020 collaboration with Concert Artists Guild.
Nicole Johnson, cellist
Nicole Johnson has performed with both the Cassatt String Quartet and the Avanti Ensemble, has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician throughout the U.S. and Germany. She has appeared in performances with the Vermeer Quartet on their series in Chicago, on the Composers’ Guild concerts in New York City and at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina.
Nicole has contributed to the creation and performance of multiple CSC performances including Musical Madlibs at Carnegie Hall, and Instrumental Storytellers at Symphony Space.
Katherine Mcclintic, Choreographer, DanceR
Katherine McClintic is a New York City based Choreographer and Dancer. She most recently choreographed Medea for Columbia University’s MFA Directors program (Dir. Miriam Grill). She also choreographed and developed Spy in the House of Love, a full-length play based on the novel of the same name written by Anais Nin. Katherine’s choreography has been featured in the short film Spies?, the music video Under the Sky of Your Tough Lov”, and a concept film adapted from her work in Medea. Katherine has trained in Ballet, Contemporary, Musical Theater, Tap, Swing and Hip Hop since age 5. Katherine dances back-up for the stunning drag queen Pattaya Hart (Plu Sayampol), most recently at The Vic Theater in Chicago, IL and The Borgata in Atlantic City, NJ. Favorite dance credits include ASL: Rocky Horror Picture Show (DeafTheaterofNY), Singin’ in the Rain (NCT) and Grease (TheLoveShow). www.katherinemcclintic.com
Katherine collaborated with CSC as choreographer for Instrumental Storytellers, and Creative Stage Spectacular (2019, 2020).
Octavio Warnock-graham, Filmmaker
Octavio Warnock-Graham is an award-winning producer, director, and cinematographer. He works with a variety of clients including CUNY TV, Twelve Publishing, Simon and Schuster, and Grand Central Press. Most recently, he produced and directed a 2021 Emmy-nominated story about 13-year-old banjo virtuoso Nora Brown as she prepares for the release of her debut album, Cinnamon Tree.
His film, Silences, won Best Documentary in national film festivals, including the San Francisco Black Film Festival. The film has aired on Black Entertainment Television and Al Jazeera English, and is currently distributed by New Day Films. He served as lead cinematographer on Jezebel Productions’ (Before Stonewall) feature documentaries U.N. Fever and No Dinosaurs in Heaven.
Previous to producing and directing, he worked for over 10 years as a lighting technician and gaffer. His experience includes Yo! MTV Raps, The Howard Stern Show, The Apprentice, the 2004 Olympics, and The RuPaul Show, as well as many other major network and cable programs. In 2006, he received his MFA from the City College of New York's documentary film program.
Octavio collaborates with CSC as videographer for our performances. He also filmed the CSC short film, Dino Wars.
CATE SMIT, ACTOR, WRITER
Cate Smit has an impressive resume that marks star turns in Regional Theaters and Off-Broadway. Along with extensive improv experience, and directing over 500 short films, Cate has numerous acting credits to her name, ranging from a recent role in the hit feature film Hustlers with Jennifer Lopez, as well as television appearances in Bull, Law and Order, and The Detour. She has also appeared on the David Letterman show five times…once as his wife! Cate has performed in numerous Creative Stage Collective performances.
Cate is a member of the CSC Advisory Board. She has contributed to countless CSC Troupe Meetups, workshops, and performances, including Instrumental Storytellers, Summer Shebang! (2021), and Creative Stage Spectacular (2019-2023).
TONNA MILLER, Soprano
Hailed by the New York Times as “fresh” and “sweet-toned,” and described in Opera News as having a “sugar-tipped soprano,” Tonna Miller is equally at home in the major opera houses of America and on Broadway, Ms. Miller has been heard at the Metropolitan Opera as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and as the fiery Carlotta Giudicelli in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera for her Broadway debut. With New York City Opera, she has been heard as Johanna in Sweeney Todd, as Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Frasquita in Carmen, and Helen Niles in Mourning Becomes Electra.
Ms. Miller has been heard as Marilyn Monroe in Do Not Go Gentle with Phoenicia Festival of the Voice; Fortuna in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Los Angeles Opera; Jano in Jenufa and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Houston Grand Opera; Nannetta in Falstaff with Glimmerglass Opera; Naïade in Ariadne auf Naxos with Santa Fe Opera; and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier with Michigan Opera Theatre. She made her debut at 54 Below, singing Music of the Marx Brothers. Ms. Miller was a finalist at the Birgit Nilsson Competition; winner of the Fred Mathias Award and finalist at the MacAllister Awards for Opera Singers; grant winner at the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation competition; and regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Tonna performed in Creative Stage Spectacular (2023 and 2024), and also participates in CSC Troupe Meetups and events.
MARYUM OPA, ACTOR
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. As the oldest of 9 children with many relatives, life was full of drama and vivid characters. Performing arts and creative writing are a few ways she loved to express her opinion and voice. She is an advocate for creative outlets for youth. Currently, she lives in Harlem where she and her husband encourage their two children, Miles and Marlie, to be courageous, faithful, and pursue their hearts' desires.
Maryum Opa is a member of the CSC Advisory Board, she appeared in Creative Stage Spectacular (2023), and frequently contributes to CSC as a lyricist.
Gerry Vega, Actor, Singer, Writer
Gerry is a NYC-based Singer, Actor, Writer who has most recently self-produced two of his own solo-cabarets: Growing Up? and Pennies From Heaven -- performed at The Duplex Cabaret Theater and Feintstein’s/54 Below. He has also participated in several exciting workshops and readings: Steadfast Tin Soldier (dir: J. Quinton Johnson), ‘Twas The Night (dir: Ted O’Gorman), and, most recently, Actor Therapy sings Spring Awakening at Feintstein’s/54 Below (Moritz/Ensemble) -- to name a few. An Actors’ Equity Association members since 2014, Gerry is an active participant of Lindsay Mendez and Ryan Scott Oliver’s Actor Therapy community, where he has coached with Lindsay, Ryan, and other industry professionals like Kirsten Wyatt, Stephen Sposito, and Peter Duchan, and he proudly writes for the Actor Therapy community blog, we less #basic.
Gerry performed in the 2019 performances of Creative Stage Spectacular, and the 2023 performance of Summer Shebang!
ELLA SMITH, Actor
Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Ella moved to NYC to study drama at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She studied at the Stella Adler Studio and, in her junior year, was selected to attend the Shakespeare program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In addition to her classical training, Ella studied improv and sketch at the Upright Citizens Brigade, where she fell in love with comedy.
Ella wrote, starred in, and produced a short comedic film titled Period. and wrote an 8-part mockumentary web series about non-union-regional-summer-stock-low-budget theater called “This is B.S.” which she also acted in and produced. The series is currently in post-production.
Her production company ‘Funny Girl Productions’ is currently in its second year and launching a children’s branch titled ‘Funny Kid Productions’. Ella is also an active member of the sketch comedy group Stupid Hot and, when not acting, finds great joy teaching acting classes at Rikers Island Correctional Facility.
Ella can be a local hire in NYC, Minneapolis, and Toronto and has dual American and Canadian citizenship.
Ella is a frequent contributor at CSC Troupe Meetups, she is a member of our writing team, and she has performed in Creative Stage Spectacular (2022, 2023).
Tim Long, Conductor, Pianist, Emcee
Timothy Long is a pianist and conductor of Muscogee Creek and Choctaw descent who is Music Director of Opera at Eastman School of Music. Tim has performed as a pianist and harpsichordist at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall in London, and the Mostly Modern Festival, to name just a few.
Tim conducted the world premiere of Missing, an important new opera by Marie Clements and Brian Current about the 3,000 missing Indigenous women in Canada, at City Opera Vancouver and Pacific Opera Victoria in 2017. Other recent performances include the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra with the great dramatic soprano Christine Goerke; Tulsa Opera’s 70th Anniversary Gala starring famed mezzo-soprano Susan Graham; Die Zauberflöte and Le Nozze di Figaro at the Prague Summer Nights Festival; Don Giovanni and Ricky Ian Gordon’s Tibetan Book of the Dead at the Eastman Opera Theatre; a rock concert with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic; and an experimental theatre piece, Dream Seminar, with the Trondheim Sinfonietta in Norway.
Tim lives in Brooklyn and Rochester with his husband, baritone Christopher Dylan Herbert, and their sweet basset hound mix, Pumpkin.
Tim is a member of the CSC Advisory Board, and served as the emcee for Instrumental Storytellers at Symphony Space in 2020.
Andrew Dolan, Actor
Andrew Dolan’s acting credits include American Daughter (Broadway), Strictly Dishonorable (Vineyard), Pink, Ted Kaczynski (SPF), What Then (Clubbed Thumb), Tree House (NY Stage & Film), Measure for Measure (Target Margin) UK: Edmond (National Theatre). The Woods (National Studio), Boy from the Book (English Touring Theatre). Regional: Mamba’s Daughters (Spoleto Festival), Burn This, Marco Millions, Cyrano, 12th Night, Hapgood (ACT), Substance of Fire. Savage/Love (Magic Theatre), Loot, Amadeus (Arizona Theatre Co.), Road to Nirvana, Down the Road, Boy’s Life, Coming Attractions (Encore Theatre). TV/Film: “Chicago Med”, “Your Honor”, “Search Party”, “The Good Cop”, “The Americans”, “The Good Cop”, “Elementary”, “Blue Bloods”, “The Tick”, “Bull”, “Good Wife”, “Black List”, “House of Cards”, “Person of Interest”, “Conviction”, all “Law & Orders”, “Madoff”, “Jezebel James”, Handsome Harry (Tribeca ’09) Unstoppable, Partners in Crime, 28 Days, Ash Tuesday. Deal Breakers (Sundance ’07), Training: Bowdoin College, American Conservatory Theatre. Andrew is a former SAG Board Member and former Artistic Director of Encore Theatre Company. As a writer he has written and produced several award winning short films and optioned several film scripts. His play The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King won the Ovation Award for Best Play in Los Angeles. His play That Good Night won the David Calicchio Award at Marin Theatre Company. His work has been developed with Playwrights Horizons, Clubbed Thumb, EST West, NY Stage & Film, Berkshire Playwrights’ Lab, Intar, Road Theatre, Mile Square Theatre, and Barrington Stage Company. In addition to the Stella Adler Studio, Andrew Dolan has taught at ACT, AMDA and the American Academy of Dramatic Art.
Andrew has appeared in Creative Stage Spectacular performances (2023, 2024) and is a frequent contributor to CSC Troupe Meetups.
Kathryn Olander, Pianist
Kathryn Olander’s collaborations include New York City Opera, Juilliard Opera Center, Metropolitan Opera Educational Outreach, Dicapo Theater Opera for Kids, Reaching for the Arts, and Creative Stage. In addition, she is a vocal coach and has her own studio of enthusiastic and creative piano students.Kathryn performed with CSC in Summer Shebang! (2021), Creative Stage Spectacular (2020, 2022), and is a familiar face at CSC Troupe Meetups.
Tiffany Iris, actor, singer
Tiffany Iris received training from Alan Langdon at Circle in the Square Theatre School, with theatrical projects ranging from straight plays to short films. Also a singer, Tiffany played the role of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, for which she was nominated for an Irene Ryan acting scholarship. She recently performed in Riddles of the Trilobites at the New Victory Theater, as well as the Halloween The Wildlife Witches Super Scary Halloween Show at the Bronx Zoo.
As a proud Latina, proving to the world that you can create beautiful, meaningful and fun content without having to be stereotyped drives Tiffany to continue in this unpredictable, yet rewarding, career path. Read more about Tiffany HERE.
Tiffany has participated in countless CSC Troup Meetups, she is a member of the writing team, and has contributed as a performer in Creative Stage Spectacular (2022-2024), and Summer Shebang! (2021-2023). She is scheduled to be part of the upcoming Summer Shebang! performances in September.
Robert Manning, Jr., Actor
Robert Manning Jr. has performed frequently on television, in film, both on and off Broadway, and at numerous Regional theaters across the country. He is the winner of numerous NAACP Theatre Award Nominations. You can see Robert in upcoming performances in The Enemy Within on NBC and the web series, Mars and Venus.
Rob is a frequent advisor and collaborator with CSC, has contributed to Meetup devising sessions, and has performed in multiple productions of Creative Stage Spectacular (2020, 2022, 2023).
Katelyn Candiello, Singer, Actor
Katelyn Candiello is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She recently finished touring the with the international company of the Wizard of Oz as the dance captain and the understudy for Glinda and the Wicked Witch. She is now the associate choreographer for the production as it travels to China, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
Katelyn has performed in the Creative Stage Spectacular (2020-2024), and Summer Shebang! (2021, 2022).
Yoonah KiM, Clarinetist
The first solo clarinetist to win CAG in nearly 30 years, Yoonah Kim became the first woman to win first prize at the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition in 2016. She is also a member of Ensemble Connect, a highly selective two-year fellowship program under the joint auspices of Carnegie Hall, The Weill Institute, and The Juilliard School.
Yoonah performed with CSC in Instrumental Storytellers—a 2020 collaboration with Concert Artists Guild.
Stephanie Peña, Dancer, Choreographer
An Afro-Latina dance artist who earned an MFA in Choreography at University of Roehampton in London, Stephanie has performed at Jacob’s Pillow, Hibernian Hall, New York Live Arts and MIT. Her choreography was showcased in NY, Baltimore, Switzerland, and the U.K. She is currently teaching Contemporary and Latin Social Dances in K-12 public schools and senior centers.
Stephanie is a member of the CSC Advisory Board, and was a guest Choreographer for the 2020 Creative Stage Spectacular, and the 2021 Summer Shebang!
Yi-Nuo Wang, pianist
Chinese pianist Yi-Nuo Wang was selected as first prize winner of the 2018 CAG Competition, which is just the latest in a series of impressive first-prize performances, along with the 2017 Wideman International Piano Competition in Louisiana.
Yi-Nuo performed with CSC in Instrumental Storytellers—a 2020 collaboration with Concert Artists Guild.
seth weinstein, pianist & music director
Seth Weinstein graduated from Harvard College with honors in music and has been a classical and theatre pianist in New York for more than 20 years. He was the musical director and composer of the Off-Broadway musical How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes (New World Stages, 2006). He has toured internationally with Fosse and Ivan Jacobs’s The Phantom of the Opera and in the USA with Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver. He has been the musical director of Black House (Zagreb, Croatia), Do I Hear a Waltz? (Arvada Center), and Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Connecticut Repertory Theatre), among other shows, and he has played for Holland America Line and Hapag-Lloyd cruises. Seth wrote and recorded “The Chagall Suite” (eight piano movements inspired by Marc Chagall’s artworks) and “Conversations” (a musical meeting between Chagall and Elvis Presley) and has performed them in France, Germany, and the USA. He plays regularly in a burlesque opera show and is the pianist for the MAC and Bistro Award–winning Screen Gems: Songs of Old Hollywood (featuring Sarah Rice) and Operation Opera (baritone Adelmo Guidarelli’s amusing tribute to opera and a participant in the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe). For more information, visit sethweinstein.com.
Seth has served as Music Director and arranger for both the Creative Stage Spectacular (2023, 2024) and the Summer Shebang! (2022, and 2023). He also regularly contributes to CSC Troupe Meetups and other workshops.
Paul Whelan, Operatic Bass
Lyric Bass Paul Whelan has performed all over the world in numerous bass roles ranging from Wotan in Das Rheingold (Aukland Philharmonic) to Collatinus The Rape of Lucretia for Opera Norway to Seneca L’Incoronazione di Poppea in Lille and Dijon. He has performed leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera House, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Ópera Nacional De Chile, and Grand Theatre Geneve, to name just a few. Paul is a winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World Lieder Prize. Conductors with whom he has collaborated include Sir Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, Richard Hickox, Yehudi Menuhin, Valery Gergiev, Gary Bertini, and Vassily Sinaisky. Recordings include A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis (Philips), Kurt Weill’s Silber See under Markus Stenz (BMG), recordings with the BBC Philharmonic for Chandos and with the BBC Scottish Symphony for Hyperion.
More recently, Paul spent time in his native New Zealand, where he performed in Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem in his hometown of Christchurch with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra; as Rocco Fidelio with Wellington Opera; the roles of Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Captain James Cook in Ihitai ‘Avei’a —Star Navigator; and the roles of Cadmus and Somnus Semele for Opera New Zealand.
Paul has lent his voice to Creative Stage Spectacular performances in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
MADELEINE WITMER, singer / actor
Madeleine Witmer is a singer, actor, dancer and songwriter from Broadway, Virginia. She graduated with a degree in Musical Theatre and Dance from Christopher Newport University, and then went on to tour multiple productions, including children’s theatre, with Virginia Repertory Theatre. She spent the last two summers at The Ferguson Center for the Arts as part of the company of the “New Musicals Lab,” workshopping multiple productions, as well as the world premiere of Drew Gasparini’s We Aren’t Kids Anymore. Since moving to the city, you may have caught her singing at The Green Room 42, Feinstein’s/54 Below, or as a featured songwriter in Gasparini’s “New Voices” series—which you can find on YouTube along with more of Mads’s original music.
Madeleine has performed in Creative Stage Spectacular (2023, 2024) as well as Summer Shebang! performances (2022, 2023).
VICTORIA GIBBS
Victoria grew up dancing classical ballet from the age of four years old. She trained at a pre-professional level at the Princeton Ballet School, directly under The American Repertory Ballet, the professional company of New Jersey. She attended summer intensive programs with American Ballet Theatre, as well as trained in the South of France with students from the Paris Opera Ballet. After an unfortunate knee injury, her focus shifted, and inevitably decided to attend Dartmouth College. While at Dartmouth, she participated in the dance ensemble. After college, she stopped dancing completely and turned her love of movement into a passion for yoga. She is now a yoga instructor, model for Alo Yoga, fitness influencer, and health and wellness entrepreneur. This is her first time dancing in any capacity since college and hopefully a new beginning to pursue her former passion.
Victoria joined the Creative Stage Collective in 2024 as a member of the dance troupe performing in Creative Stage Spectacular.
SHERI GRAUBERT
Sheri Graubert is an accomplished Anglo-American actress, who has performed all over the world. Her portrayal of Isabella in Measure for Measure, was described as ‘immaculate,’ by the New York Times.
She has worked extensively, in a wide variety of styles, from the classics to the very new, and with a range of companies and directors on both sides of the Atlantic. Sheri has toured the world performing Shakespeare with Cheek by Jowl, worked on the oldest story known to man (Gilgamesh) with the National Theatre in London, performed at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York City, and originated parts in numerous modern plays with companies such as Clubbed Thumb in NYC and Theatre Royal, Stratford East in London.
Sheri Graubert is also an award-winning, published playwright. Her plays have been produced in New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., London, Tokyo, the Philippines, Australia as well as many other countries and cities.
Sheri’s debut middle grade, historical fiction novel, Molly Shipton, Secret Actress, was published by Clear Fork Publishing on September 27th, 2022. It has already won a LitPick 5-Star Award, a 5-Star review from Author’s Reading Weekly and several 5-Star Amazon reviews. Sheri’s children’s play, Rick Spacey & the Space Cadets continues its eleven year run in New York City children’s hospitals. The company approached Sheri to write the sequel.
Sheri joined the Creative Stage Spectacular cast in 2024. She is also a vital contributor to the CSC writing team, and frequently helps in devising sessions with the youth troupe.
SAMANTHA GREENLUND - CHOREOGRAPHER
Samantha Greenlund is a graduate of Oklahoma City University, specializing in Dance. Her performance career ranges from large scale residency shows in Las Vegas and Paris, to dancing for names such as Jennifer Lopez and Olivia Newton-John in Los Angeles and New York and everything in-between. Dance has given her the opportunity to both travel and live all over the world! Her Passion is choreographing and has done so for musicals, as well as individual projects and showcases. Along with performing here in NYC, she teaches youth throughout the boroughs. She loves sharing the joy of dance!
Samantha joined the Creative Stage Collective as Choreographer for Creative Stage Spectacular 2024, and is a regular contributor at CSC Troupe Meetups.
NICOLE GREEVY
Nicole Greevy (actor) has a resume that spans from regional theater to appearances on network television. Boasting a degree from NYU Tisch, you may have seen her work anywhere from the New York Fringe Festival to Bravo TV’s ‘Pregnant in Heels’. She is author of numerous plays, songs and puppet shows about conservation and natural history, along with co-creating the pilot Living in Captivity, the webseries Exorcists Local 667, and her narrative writings “Smart” and “Nerd: The Next Generation” can be heard at NoYouTellIt.com.
Nicole has appeared in Creative Stage Spectacular (2019-2024), and is a frequent participant in CSC Troupe Meetups and devising sessions. She is also a major contributor to the writing team.
BRITT HEWITT
Britt Hewitt is a New York City based soprano. Her work as a performer has been described as “poignant,” “brilliant,” (OperaWire), “vocal alchemy” (Parterre Box), and “charismatic” (New York Classical Review). A devoted experimentalist, she is often working with composers on new pieces, or writing herself. She holds a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, and is a staff chamber choir singer at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Hewitt is fortunate to have performed numerous roles, including Pamina in The Magic Flute, the Spirit in Dido and Aeneas, Miles in The Turn of the Screw, the Mother in Hansel and Gretel, Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Chrissy in the musical Hair, Blanche de la Force in a devised work entitled There's Blood Between Us, based on Dialogues of the Carmelites. She has created many roles as well, such as Dawn in Everything for Dawn, written for television, and Fatuus/Paulus in Gracchus. Hewitt has performed with many organizations across the world, including National Sawdust, Le Château de Versailles, Opera Holland Park, The American Opera Project, Opera Harmony, Artpark, The Stone, BeComEnsemble, and Experiments in Opera. She was the first vocalist to be a young artist at the historic Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, which she attended in 2020 and 2021.
Hewitt is also an accomplished singer/songwriter, composer, and music producer. For more information, and for inquiries, please visit www.britthewitt.com.
Britt made her CSC debut this year in the Creative Stage Spectacular (2024).
DAVID LUTKEN - Actor, Musician
David is a versatile actor and musician. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, The 92nd St Y, at Cooper Union, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, with the North Carolina Symphony and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, on NPR, the BBC, Pol- skie Radio Troika, ORF Austria, Voice Of America, and The Louisiana Hayride.
With Woody Sez, he and his company have toured Europe, the British Isles, China, the Middle East and The United States. David won the Helen Hayes and the Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best Actor for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie.
Broadway performances include: Inherit the Wind; Ring of Fire; and The Civil War; The Will Rogers Follies. He has also performed with New York City Opera as Paul Bunyan.
Other performances include: Our Town; Man of La Mancha; Big River; Elmer Gantry; Finian’s Rainbow; The Will Rogers Follies; Fire On The Mountain; Lost Highway; Buddy; Pump Boys and Dinettes; The Love List; The Man Who Came to Dinner; On Golden Pond; Mark Twain’s River of Song; Almost Heaven, and most recently, a ‘play-with-music’ from an original story by his wife, Director/Choreographer Sherry Lutken: The Porch on Windy Hill (nominated for four 2021 Connecticut Critics’ Circle Awards).
David performed with CSC as both an actor, musician, and bandleader as part of the Creative Stage Spectacular, 2024.
JOHN PANNINAR - DRUMMER
Jon Panninar: musician/singer/songwriter. Jon is originally from Arkansas and graduated from New York City College with a degree in jazz percussion. He has performed nationally and internationally in all styles of music. He currently co-leads and performs with the Shrine Big Band (jazz) and Johnny Arkansas and Blackout Diamond (country/blue grass). He also performs regularly with Erick Plaks, Ayumi Ishito, and Daniel Carter.
John joined the CSC Troupe in 2024, performing in Creative Stage Spectacular.
ISAIAH RICHARDSON, JR.
Isaiah Richardson Jr plays clarinet, saxophone, and harmonica. Isaiah’s group Brown Rice Family was awarded #1 NYC band by NPR/WNYC's “Battle of the Boroughs" competition defeating 524 NYC bands. Isaiah studied classical clarinet at Juilliard School of Music, attended LaGuardia High School for Music and Art, and performed before 6 current and former US Presidents, including President Bill Clinton for a second time in 2018, as well as the Prime Minister of Japan and the President of South Korea as a member of the United States Marine Corps Band. At age 18 Isaiah won the NAACP'S ACT-SO Competition for jazz.
As a musician often performs at Lincoln Center, Blue Note, BAM, Carnegie Hall, has performed at venues such as Mets Citifield Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Kings Theatre, Kennedy Center, NPR Tiny Desk at NPR Headquarters with Grammy Award winning band Monsieur Perine, and performs at festivals such as Summerstage and Celebrate Brooklyn. Isaiah was also a long time member of the band Maku Soundsystem previously signed with Glitterbeat Records whose 2016 album "Mezcla' was voted #1 in World Music Charts Europe for 3 months in a row.
Isaiah has performed extensively internationally, including performances with Billboard Live Tokyo. He often performs with multi-grammy award winning and Billboard 100 artists such as Fred Hammond, Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker, Donald Lawrence, Myron Butler, Kim Burrell, Kelly Price, Tye Tribbett, and Meli’sa Morgan to name a few. Isaiah has also been featured in Season 4 of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, HBO’s Vinyl, and Hulu’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. He currently plays in the pit with the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestra at Lincoln Center as an extra musician on saxophone.
Isaiah performed in the Creative Stage Spectacular (2023, 2024).
SATISH ROBERTSON
Trumpeter/composer Satish Robertson is a fixture on the NY music scene, blowing his horn in a multitude of genres: jazz, gospel, Latin, funk, blues, R&B, and hip-hop. He has performed in prestigious venues such as Blue Note, Rockwood Music Hall, Brooklyn Bowl, and Sony Hall. In addition to leading his own jazz groups, Satish has performed and/or recorded with such names as jazz saxophonist James Carter, jazz pianist Marc Cary, R&B icon Meli’sa Morgan, and hip-hop artist Skyzoo to name a few.
Satish performed in the Creative Stage Spectacular (2023, 2024).
SARAH SALZBERG
Sarah Saltzberg’s career highlights include: a creator and original cast member of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (now in development with Rideback Ranch/Disney Plus for a live-action film), a creator/actor of off-Broadway's Don't Quit Your Night Job; co-author of off-Broadway's Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage, and additional material author on the Broadway musical Gettin’ The Band Back Together. With Sandy Rustin, she adapted I Married an Angel for New York City Center’s Encores series. Sarah has invested in seven commercial shows, five of which went on to Broadway runs with multiple Tony wins including three for Best Musical. In her other life, Sarah co-founded and runs a boutique residential real estate firm, Bohemia Realty Group, focused on sales and rentals in NYC with an emphasis on employing actors and artists.
Sarah join the collective in 2024 as part of the cast of Creative Stage Spectacular at Symphony Space.
CHRISTA SCOTT-REED
Christa’s acting credits include Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours, Regional Theatre, Film, and TV. In New York she has performed at Second Stage, Atlantic Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, FPA, Irish Repertory Theatre, Keen Company, New World Stages, and more. Her TV appearances include roles on FBI, The Good Fight, The Other Two, Madam Secretary, Elementary, The Loudest Voice, 30 Rock, Gossip Girl, Law and Order, and Law and Order:SVU.
Christa starred opposite Richard Dreyfuss in Mark St. Germain’s Relativity at TheatreWorks and she has also performed regionally at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Two River Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Barrington Stage, Bucks County Playhouse, and many more.
Christa is the Literary Manager for Fellowship for Performing Arts and a Part-Time Faculty Member at the School of Drama at the New School. She holds a BA in Theatre from Whitman College and an MFA in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory.
Krista made her debut with Creative Stage Collective as part of the Creative Stage Spectacular in 2022.
IRLEY VALLEJO
Irley Vallejo is excited to join the Creative Stage Collective for this super fun Spectacular!!! With degrees in mathematics and musical theatre she is also a graduate of IAMT. Her most recent credits include Carmela - Carmela Full of Wishes (The Growing Stage), Butterfly-Something like a Fairytale (Aurway Reparatory Theatre), Yolanda - In the Heights (Pheonix at The Count Basie). She is grateful to her family for their support.
Irley joined the Creative Stage Collective in 2024 as a member of the dance troupe performing in Creative Stage Spectacular.
CATALINA WALSH
Catalina R. Walsh is a triple threat, MELT Method Instructor, New Jersey native who creatively works in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Beginning her dance training at age three, she is a classically trained Ballet dancer who studied under the direction of Barbara Sandonato and The School of the Pennsylvania Ballet, performing in the Pennsylvania Ballet’s The Nutcracker from 2004-2011. She is a 2020 graduate from The Institute for American Musical Theatre (IAMT) where she studied under the direction of Michael Minarik. In May of 2018, Catalina graduated with a BFA in Dance from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. There is where she had honor and privilege of preforming in many of Christina Castro-Tauser’s works who she has been dancing for since 2014. In 2021 Catalina joined The International Ballet Exchange as a dancer, costume/head piece/ prop designer and constructor and a board member under the direction of Christina Castro-Tauser. Additional work includes performing in the Philly Fringe Festival and dancing with the Willington Ballet’s Nutcracker in 2011, 2016 and 2017. As a part of the inaugural class, she trained with the Joffrey Ballet School Musical Theater Summer Intensive NYC throughout her entire college career. During her time at Temple University, Catalina interned for BalletX (Spring 2015) and the Disney College Program in Walt Disney World (Spring 2017). Catalina is a Lifetime and Gold Award Girl Scout who currently works for the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey as their Girl Champion Coordinator who cultivates relationships with women professionals who desire to share their story, time, and talents with aspiring young future leaders. She loves working creatively with other artist and her creative mind pours into every aspect of her life including her newfound love of running Disney World half marathons in carefully curated Disney inspired race outfits.
Catalina joined the Creative Stage Collective in 2024 as a member of the dance troupe performing in Creative Stage Spectacular.
