Biography: Michael is a proud member of AEA. Some performance credits in Judas... Jesus Christ Superstar... Porgy in Bess ..... NJ State Opera....John.... Miss Saigon....Pedro....Man of La Mancha Horse.... in Full Monty including many revues in Vegas, Guam, and Carnival Cruise Lines. Choreography credits include Oklahoma, Chicago, A Christmas Carol, Amahl and the Night Visitor, Kismet, All Shock Up and AIDA. His choreography has won many gold and platinum awards.
Courses Taught: Jazz, Musical Theatre Styles Dance and Intro to Acting
Biography: Sal is a popular and skilled Yoga teacher on Staten Island. He has 10 years of Yoga teaching experience, and is a Classic Hatha Yoga Teacher certified through Integral Yoga Institute in Buckingham Virginia. He plans to provide students with yoga techniques to improve focus, concentration and awareness to help achieve a successful academic career. Along with maintaining a healthy body and mind, which will lead to general wellness and overall balance and inner strength.
Courses Taught: Yoga
Biography: Susan has taught at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California, Paper Mill Playhouse in NJ, and has been a teaching artist for schools in NYC. She operated her own public relations freelance firm in the Washington DC area for 11 years and has coached clients in presentation skills. A member of AEA and SAG, Susan has appeared in film and on stage with companies that include L.A. Actors Theatre, LaMama, Twelfth Night Repertory Co. and Cherry Lane. Susan currently is the artistic director of Sundog Theatre, which produces original and contemporary works and provides arts-in-education programs for schools.
Courses Taught: Acting II, Public Speaking
Biography: Cecilia is a graduate of The Ailey School in NYC, is Founder and Artistic Director of Floorwork Dance Company, and holds certification in Horton Pedagogy from The Ailey School. Among her performance credits are Seraphim Dance Theatre, Westside Dance Project, A Winter Explosion (Alvin Ailey), Wella, The Ed Lover Show at the Ed Sullivan Theatre, and featured dancer in an AOKI's CLOTHING commercial in Japan. Her most recent project is Staten Island Modern, a showcase for up-and-coming modern choreographers.
Courses Taught: Modern Dance, Jazz 1
Biography: Margo enjoys the whimsical title of "Professor-of-Tap-Dancing" at Wagner College. She's also been busy with NYC's American Tap Dance Foundation, performing and choreographing for Tap City's tap events (2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010). In addition, Margo is an actress and writer and a proud member of AEA, SAG and AFTRA.
Courses Taught: Tap
Anabella Lenza
Courses Taught: Ballet, Dance Criticism, History of Dance
Biography: Emilia is from the NYC area where she works as a hair stylist and wig artisan. Recent credits include supervisor on God of Carnage, swing for Mama Mia on Broadway, and supervisor for Vanities at 2nd stage. This past summer Emilia designed the regional premier of Sunset Boulevard at the Ogunquit Playhouse. She is a Wagner College alumna of the theatre design and technology dept; other training is from the Juilliard School professional Intern program hair/ wigs and makeup, and is a licensed cosmetologist from Aveda Institute here in Manhattan. Recently became a member of IATSE Local 798 as a hair stylist.
Courses Taught: Stage Makeup
Biography: David (adjunct faculty, acting) is a director and playwright whose recent work includes devising Brooklyn Underground: Theatrical stories from the Green-Wood Cemetery with The Artful Conspirators where he is Artistic Director. Company member with Amphibian Productions in Fort Worth, TX, Drama League Directors Project alum, MFA in Directing from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Courses Taught: Acting
Brian Patrick Murphy
Courses Taught: Musical Theatre Dance
Biography: Vicki is an Easton, PA based scene and lighting designer whose work has been seen in professional theatres and colleges from Philadelphia to New York City. In addition to Wagner, she has been a guest designer at Lehigh University, Lafayette College, The College of New Jersey, Beloit College, Nazareth College, and Northampton Community College. Her professional credits include work for the New York Music Theatre Festival, The Pearl Theatre Company (NYC), Primary Stages (NYC), St. Bart’s Players (NYC), Snug Harbor/Actors’ Harbor (Staten Island), and Venture Theatre (Philadelphia).
Courses Taught: Introduction to Design, Lighting Design, Advanced Lighting Design, Design Studio, Period Styles in Design, Senior RFT, Theatre Appreciation, Scene Painting, Prop Design/ Construction
Biography: Arturo E. Porazzi, a member of Actors’ Equity Association, has worked as a stage manager on Broadway since 1974. Currently he is the Production Stage Manager of the 2010 Tony Award winning musical Memphis. His other Broadway credits include Xanadu, Chita Rivera, The Dancer’s Life, Marie Christine, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Triumph of Love, Victor, Victoria, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, Jelly’s Last Jam, Me And My Girl, Singin’ In The Rain, The Three Musketeers, Zorba, Marilyn, An American Fable, 42nd Street (1980 & 2001) Angel, and Shenandoah. His other professional credits include special events for television and corporations.
Courses Taught: Stage Management
Alan Michael Smith
Courses Taught: Costume Design
Lee Strausland
Biography: Lee Strausland, over an award winning 45 year career (Emmys, Broadcast Desginers’ Association, ITVA & Art Director’s, Society of Illustrators), has produced and directed state-of-the-art media and television graphics for network broadcasts (NBC, PBS) and major corporations (TimeWarner, Mercedes Benz, Motion Picture Academy, Merck, TV Guide, Newsweek, Telebrands, Astro Jet, to name a few). For the last 29 years Lee has been President and executive producer of VISUAL IMAGES, Inc., which she created after leaving NBC as Graphics Director for the network news division. Prior to with at NBC, Lee was Art Director for Time Inc., PepsiCo, International, Hallmark, Dimensional Communications and Playscope.
Lee graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA degree in drawing / painting with additional courses at NYU, MIT and Pratt Manhattan Extension. Upon gradation, Lee studied fibre sculpture and tapestry weaving abroad with Elsa-Marie Jacobsen, the leading artist of the day in Europe, before returning to the U.S. to begin her long career in the commercial graphic arts industry.
Courses Taught: Arts Administration: Management and Financing; Non-Profit vs. For-Profit
Courses Taught: Acting, Speech
Fred Tessler
Courses Taught: Musical Theatre History, Acting V
Biography: Dan is a doctoral candidate in Theatre at the CUNY Graduate Center, working on a dissertation on Shakespeare in Germany in the Nineteenth Century. He has published articles or reviews in publications including Asian Theatre Journal, Forum for Modern Language Studies, Performing Arts Resources, Theatre Journal, Theatre History Studies, and Theatre Survey, and has given papers at a wide variety of national and international conferences. Dan is also served for two seasons as the Associate Dramaturg for the California Shakespeare Theater.
Classes Taught: Theatre History
Laura Ward
Courses Taught: Musical Theatre Performance, Acting I
Robert Williams
Biography: Bob specializes in teaching public speaking and theatre management courses, such as Audience Development. He was a board member of the Staten Island Civic Theatre (once the borough’s oldest and largest, with a $250,000 annual budget), and the smaller Harbor Repertory Theatre. Bob was one of the Staten Island Advance’s first theatre and music reviewers. Today he publishes SHOWTIME Theatre Magazine and is founder and managing director of the Big Apple Pops Concert Orchestra/Swing and Dance Band. Bob earned a B.S. degree from St. Peter’s College, Jersey City, N.J.
Courses Taught: Public Speaking
Jennifer Worth
Biography: After earning theatre degrees at Truman State (BA) and Washington University in St. Louis (MA), Jenn spent several years working as a dramaturg and literary manager at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the Studio Theatre in Washington DC. While working on her PhD at the CUNY Graduate Center, she served as managing editor of Western European Stages, and has published in Theatre Journal and Theatre Research International. This is her third year at Wagner.
Courses Taught: Script Analysis, Public Speaking
Biography: Chad is a musician, songwriter, theatre practitioner and educator (Roundabout Theatre, Wagner College and Borough of Manhattan Community College). Chad was the TD and Instructor of Stagecraft and Directing at Oglethorpe University, Atlanta and the Technical Director for the University of South Carolina Upstate. Chad worked for 7 Stages as Assistant Technical Director and Assistant Director to Joseph Chaikin. He also served as Assistant Director for Theatrical Outfit and Master Electrician for Stuffed Puppet Theatre from Amsterdam. He has performed at the New York Fringe Festival as well as directed and co-written several world premiers. For several years Chad led the house band at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company. Directorial credits include: Stake Out at Godot’s, Darky Trapped Like Dark Rats, Stella Goes to Hell, The Shape of Things, The Physicist’s, The Oddessey of Mosdesty Forth, Counting the Ways, The Falling Sickness, The Crawlers, Voice of the Prarrie, Be Creative, or Incressing the Gerbils, True West, Cabaret, Waiting for Godot, and Suburbia. Chad is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with his B.A. in English, Philosophy and Theatre. He attended the Professional Directors Training Program at Ohio University and recently completed his M.F.A. From 2007-2008 Chad was on the production team for the Metropolitan Opera and NY Philharmonic’s Parks Tours. He current freelances as a theatre maker in NYC. tribecahandyman.com
Courses Taught: Public Speaking, Theatre Appreciation
