Teaching Artists
Patrick Vassel
Kate Grant
Tracy Bersley
Nicole Kempskie
Erin Ortman
Kimberly Grigsby
Denis Jones
Carmel Dean
Jared Stein
Ben Cohen
Lorin Latarro
Josh Rhodes
Eric Woodall
Patrick Goodwin
Patrick Vassel is a director, writer, and teacher in New York City. Directing credits include A Few Good Men, Inventing Van Gogh, Two Rooms, Blocked and Blocked, War (SoHo Playhouse), Waiting for Lefty (Working Theatre Director's Salon) and the first NYC revival of The Little Dog Laughed (The Gallery Players). Assistant credits include We the People: America Rocks!(TheatreWorks Nat'l Tour), Arts & Crafts (Joe's Pub), and WORKING the Musical at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago. Upcoming projects include Nothing Left to Burn (Ars Nova) and Blogologues (Under St. Mark's). Patrick is a certified special education teacher in New York City and has taught for several years at Explore Charter School, a high-achieving K-8 school in Brooklyn, New York. He is also a teaching artist with Opening Act, a leading performing arts education organization in New York City.
Kate Grant has spent a life in the theatre as a teacher, writer and actress. After graduating from Juilliard, she appeared in over one hundred plays at such theaters as the Roundabout and Public in New York. Her first full-length play, THE WOUND OF LOVE received the Berilla Kerr Award in playwriting and went on to full productions at at the Actors Studio, Penguin Repertory Theater, the John Houseman Studio Theater and Provincetown Repertory. Her newest play received readings at the Barrow Group Theater and the Abingdon. Her screenplay THE PRACTICE ROOM is in development with Brooklyn Independent Studios. She recently acquired her Doctorate in Arts and Letters at Drew University. She teaches acting and writing for performance at St. Francis College in Brooklyn.
Tracy Bersley: (Director/Choreographer). New plays/adaptations: SUNJATA (Loft Theatre); TIBET: THROUGH THE RED BOX (HERE Theatre, Lincoln Center Lab); AWFUL ROWING TOWARD GOD & ANATOMY OF TOUCH (Ontological), RAPPACCINI’S DAUGHTER (Jim Henson Festival), LORD OF THE FLIES (McCarter Theatre First Stage Co.). Other plays: BLOOD WEDDING (Provincetown Playhouse, NYU), A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, WINTER’S TALE (McCarter; Princeton Univ.), MACBETH (Syracuse Stage), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Arcadia Shakespeare; Philadelphia), MEASURE FOR MEASURE AND GREEN BIRD (Purchase Repertory Theatre), Musicals: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (Syracuse Univ.), SECRET GARDEN (College Light Opera Co., Cape Cod). Operas: COSI FAN TUTTE (American Singers Opera Project), THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER (Lincoln Center Lab). Choreography: PARIS COMMUNE (The Public, dir: Steve Cosson/Civilians), PERICLES, REVENGER’S TRAGEDY & WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN (Red Bull Theatre, dir: Jesse Berger), LOVE CHILD (Primary Stages, Dir Carl Foresman); ST. JOAN OF THE STOCKYARDS (PS 122, dir: Lear DeBessonet), JANE ERYE & TEMPEST (The Acting Company, dir: Davis McCallum), MAX & RUBY (Lortel/Theatrewrorks USA, dir: Randy White), ROMEO & JULIET (Williamstown, dir: Will Frears), WINTER’S TALE (Juilliard, dir: Harris Yulin), OLIVER (Experimental Theatre Wing, NYU, dir: Lear DeBessonet). Tracy most recently wrote and directed a new adaptation of ALICE IN WONDERLAND for the Dorset Theatre Festival and will be choreographing ON THE LEVEE for Lincoln Center (LCT3) this spring. MFA in directing; Syracuse & faculty at Princeton University; also a Drama League Fellow.
Nicole Kempskie is a professor of Educational Theatre at the City College of New York and the Manager of School and Family Programs at The Paley Center for Media. In addition she is the Co-founder of Brooklyn Children’s Theatre and has been a lead educator and moderator for BAM’s Film Literacy Series and BAM’s Live Performance Series since 2004. Over the past ten years she has served as a facilitator, director/choreographer, and curriculum developer for Broadway Classroom, BAX, Arts Connection, TADA, Music Theatre International, North Shore Music Theatre, Tams-Witmark, Disney, TheatreworksUSA (Max & Ruby National Tour), The Kaufman Center, The Young Woman’s Leadership School, Poly Prep, and The Brearley School. Along with composer Robby Stamper, she has written six children’s musicals that have been produced in New York. They will be premiering their full-length musical, Helen on 86th St., based on the 1997 New Yorker short story, in NYC this spring. She has also worked extensively as aprofessional actor both regionally and in New York. She holds a M.A. in Theatre and Sociology from the Gallatin School at New York University, and is a guest lecturer in the fields of theatre, media literacy and arts education at Hunter College, New York University and Whitworth College.
Erin Ortman serves on the Acting Faculty at CAP21 where she teaches Vocal Performance, Music Scene Study, Script Analysis and directs the Fourth Year Industry Showcase. Most recent directing credits at CAP21 include THE SONGS OF ANDREW LIPPA and A PERFECT COUPLE written by Brooke Berman. Outside of CAP21, she serves as a teaching artist for Broadway Classroom and has a thriving private acting studio in Manhattan. Previous teaching credits include Guest Artist at Next Step Prep, three years serving as the Education Director for The Play Group Theatre, Monologue Coach for the Senior Conservatory at The Paper Mill Playhouse, Director and Acting Instructor for the Grandstreet Theatre School Teen Conservatory, and Co-Founder of The Wide Awake Theatre Project. Her directing experience began in 2003 with a directing internship at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, where she continued to work through 2005. EST credits include assistant directing mainstage productions of THICKER THAN WATER and TOOTH AND CLAW, as well as directing numerous readings of new plays. She continues to create new works with various actors in New York; recent projects include REJECTED SHOWGIRL (with Tory Ross), …MY SAD REPARTEE (with Benjamin Magnuson), QUIET GIRL (with Nikki Renee Daniels) and GETTINGGONE (with husband, Alexander Gemignani) and is currently collaborating again on a piece to be presented at the Kennedy Center in February 2011. Other credits include production and sales for Eve Ensler’s THE GOOD BODY on Broadway, as well as associate producer credits for THE SCREEN DOOR SERIES (EST), GETTING WET (EST) and the EST Summer Conference. Erin graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and is a member of the Lincoln Center Director's Lab.
Kimberly Grigsby is the music director/conductor for Julie Taymor and U2's Broadway musical SPIDERMAN. She was conductor and music director of Broadway's SPRING AWAKENING (music by Duncan Sheik) and supervised the London production. She was also music director of Broadway's recent revival of GREASE. Music directing/conducting credits include, on Broadway, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (lyrics & music by Adam Guettel); CAROLINE OR CHANGE (music by Jeanine Tesori); THE FULL MONTY (music by David Yazbek); YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN and TWELFTH NIGHT (music by Jeanine Tesori); and Off-Broadway, SPRING AWAKENING (music by Duncan Sheik), TWO GENTLEMAN OF VERNONA (Shakespeare In the Park) ; SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED (various composers, lyrics by Mark Campbell); JUNIE B. JONES (music by Zina Goldrich); THE IMMIGRANT (music by Steven Alper); RADIANT BABY (music by Debra Barsha); and TWELFTH NIGHT (music by Duncan Sheik). For her work on CAROLINE OR CHANGE in Los Angeles, she received the 2005 Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle Award for Music Direction; and for The Philadelphia Theatre Company's production of ELEGIES (lyrics & music by William Finn) she received the 2005 Barrymore Award for Music Direction. Additional regional credits include FLOYD COLLINS (music by Adam Guettel) and THE FIRST PICTURE SHOW (music by Jeanine Tesori). Other collaborations include MY LIFE IS A FAIRY TALE and ORPHAN OF ZHAO, both with lyrics & music by Stephin Merritt for Lincoln Center Festival; LOVE'S FIRE (Adam Guettel); O PIONEERS! (Kim Sherman); FOOLS RUSH IN (Steve Marzullo); TELAIO: DESDEMONA (Susan Botti). Ms. Grigsby holds degrees from Southern Methodist University and Manhattan School of Music.
Denis Jones was the Associate Choreographer to Jerry Mitchell for Broadway’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Legally Blonde. More recently, he has choreographed the Broadway concerts of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, On the Twentieth Century and A Wonderful Life as well as Charles Busch and Julie Halston Together on Broadway, Coraline (Lucille Lortel Theater), High School Musical, The Full Monty and Meet Me in St. Louis (Paper Mill Playhouse), Pirates! Or Glbert & Sullivan Plunder’d and She Loves Me (Huntington Theater/Williamstown Theater Festival), The Boy Friend (Maltz Jupiter Theater, Carbonell Award for Best Choreography), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Cape Playhouse) and Everyone Loves a Winner (Westport Country Playhouse). Other credits include choreographing The Kennedy Center Honors (CBS), Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (Bravo), Rosie Live (NBC) and national commercials for Staples and Glade. Denis is proud to have served for the last four years as the director of Broadway Bares, benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Carmel Dean hails from Perth, Western Australia, where she received a B.Mus from the W.A. Academy of Performing Arts. She is currently the Musical Director of the Broadway musical AMERICAN IDIOT, based on the songs of the Grammy Award-winning band Green Day, with whom she also performed on the 2010 Grammy Awards. Carmel came to the USA in 2001 on a Fulbright Scholarship, and in 2003 graduated from NYU with a Masters in Musical Theatre Writing. She has worked closely with the Tony Award-winning composer William Finn, and was the Vocal Arranger and Associate Musical Director on his musical, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, which ran on Broadway for almost three years. Carmel has also served as Chita Rivera's musical director for many of her national and international concert appearances. Other New York credits include: EVERYDAY RAPTURE; VANITIES; ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE, and co-composer of SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE with William Finn.
Jared Stein most recently served as Associate Musical Director of Broadway’s AMERICAN IDIOT. He was the Music Director and Conductor for the First National Tour of SPRING AWAKENING and conducted the Broadway National Tour of RENT. Other music direction credits include A NEW BRAIN, THE WHO'S TOMMY, SERENADE, URINETOWN and CHILDREN OF EDEN. He has recorded with Lauren Molina ("doo- be-doo"), David Reiser ("A Storyteller's Ball") and Declan Bennett ("An Innocent Evening of Drinking" and "The LoFish Sessions"), with whom he continues to play. Jared holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
Ben Cohn is the Associate Music Director of Broadway's WICKED. He has also played for AVENUE Q and WONDERFUL TOWN, STREAKIN, THE GOREY DETAILS and I SING. He holds a BM in Music Education from Ithaca College and a BFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU. Ben is also a composer and arranger and teacher, coaching for many shows and actors. Ben also has played on several albums and demos for pop/rock/theatre artists including Clay Aiken. Ben plays and teaches classes at NYU's CAP 21 and Musical Theatre Writing Program.
Lorin Latarro grew up right outside New York and spent her childhood shuttling in and out of the city for dance class and seeing every show possible. She hand-wrote her Juilliard application on the bus to New York, auditioned, and was accepted to Juilliard. Upon graduation, Lorin danced with The Martha Graham Company. She then traveled the world with MOMIX, a company full of theatrical tricks and visual play. Swing! was Lorin’s first Broadway show. It was a dream come true, and when the show closed, She cried and cried at the closing night party, sure her career was over. She thankfully, proudly, just finished her 12th Broadway show. Lorin approaches her dancing from a character's point of view and has had the opportunity to explore wonderful roles - from “Brenda” in Movin’ Out to “Lady of the Lake” in Spamalot. Every show equipped her with new perspectives and unique tools toward becoming a choreographer. Lorin has worked with a wide array of inspiring Broadway artists including Kathleen Marshall, Mike Nichols, Twyla Tharp, Rob Ashford, Jerry Zaks, Scott Ellis, Casey Nicholaw, Rupert Holmes, John Kander, Ann Reinking, Bob Avian, Michael Blakemore, Gary Griffin, Andy Blankenbuehler, Jonathan Kent, Rob Rischer, David Loud, David Chase, Patrick Vachariello, Rob Berman and Paul Gemignani.
Josh Rhodes’ choreography credits include Broadway: Three Generations at the Kennedy Center, Working at the Old Globe, Barnum at the Asolo Rep, 1776 at the Papermill Playhouse, Neil Sedaka’s musical Breaking Up Is Hard To Do at the Ogunquit Playhouse, Chess, and Dreamgirls at the North Carolina Theatre, Bonnie & Clyde for the New York Musical Theatre Festival, All Singing All Dancing and Broadway By the Year -1954 at Town Hall, and numerous opening numbers for Broadway Care’s Gypsy of the Year, Easter Bonnet, and Broadway Bares. Josh was the assistant choreographer for the Broadway, West End, and national touring productions of The Drowsy Chaperone, and he was the associate choreographer for the workshop of the upcoming Broadway musical, American Idiot with music by Green Day. His performance credits on Broadway include: Fosse, Bells are Ringing, Sweet Smell of Success, Urban Cowboy, Man of La Mancha, The Boy From Oz, and Chicago.
Eric Woodall is a casting director with Tara Rubin and Associates. His casting credits are numerous, including the Broadway productions of MARY POPPINS, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, BILLY ELLIOT, SHREK, GUYS AND DOLLS, THE COUNTRY GIRL, ROCK N’ROLL (US casting), THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION,YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, LITTLE MERMAID, MARY POPPINS, MY FAIR LADY, PIRATE QUEEN, LES MISÉRABLES, HISTORY BOYS (US Casting), SPAMALOT, JERSEY BOYS, 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, PRODUCERS, MAMMA MIA!, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, GOOD VIBRATIONS, BOMBAY DREAMS, OKLAHOMA!, HAPPINESS, FLOWER DRUM SONG, IMAGINARY FRIENDS, METAMORPHOSES, FROGS, CONTACT, THOU SHALT NOT, and A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE.
Patrick Goodwin joined Telsey + Company in 2006 after graduating summa cum laude from Drew University with degrees in Theatre Arts and Political Science. Telsey + Company’s Broadway casting credits include MEMPHIS, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, ELF, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, 9-TO-5, A LIFE IN THE THEATRE, REASONS TO BE PRETTY, BLITHE SPIRIT, NEXT TO NORMAL, ROCK OF AGES, RENT, WICKED, IN THE HEIGHTS, SOUTH PACIFIC, HAIRSPRAY, LEGALLY BLONDE, COMPANY, NOVEMBER, GREY GARDENS, THE COLOR PURPLE, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, ALL SHOOK UP, TARZAN, and SWEENEY TODD and the upcoming productions of SPIDER-MAN, SISTER ACT, GODSPELL, and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. Film credits include JONAH HEX, MARGIN CALL, MAINSTREET, HOWL, LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE, SEX AND THE CITY 2, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, DAN IN REAL LIFE, PIECES OF APRIL, RENT, and many more. Telsey + Company is also responsible for casting several national tours, off broadway productions, regional theatre productions, commercials, and television projects. Patrick is a member of the Casting Society of America.