Hometown: Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in the Suburbs of Boston.
Education: Graduated from The Boston Conservatory Of Music with a degree in Musical Theatre.
Favorite Credits: The Dining Room, The 2000 Godspell with Stephen Schwartz, 30th Anniversary of Hair.
Why theater?: It’s live! Anything can happen. Also, the opportunity to think in abstract terms and create something theatrical not necessarily naturalistic.
Tell us about Insomnia: Is the story of Brad’s inability to move forward because he hasn’t dealt with the void in his life. This particular night, he has no alternative but to conjure the most important people in his life in order to come to terms with the barriers in his relationships that have plagued him for years.
What inspired you to direct Insomnia?: I’ve known Charles Bloom for years. I was fortunate enough to have directed one of Mr. Bloom’s shows in the past and he was gracious enough to ask me again to helm another one of his shows.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I love bold and theatrical theatre. Theatre that takes chances and speaks intimately about the human condition. There are too many people who inspire me to list them here. I have the usual heroes, Michael Blakemore, Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim. etc. But honestly, I am inspired by my own colleagues every day. From Artistic Director Michael Tobin who is a one-man band trying to keep his small theatre afloat, to Playwright Doug Devita, Shelley McPherson & Ben Henderson to composer Charles Bloom, composer/lyrist team Jeff & Don Breithaupt. Music director Paul Johnson. Great actors like Matt Walton, Erik Van Wyke, Elisabeth Rodgers, Travis Mitchell and Diana Papas to colleagues who work on the Broadway stage and screen.
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Alive: Daniel Day Lewis, Amy Adams. Dead: Laurence Olivier
What show have you recommended to your friends?: Hamilton, Jersey Boys, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, The Father, The Fierce Urgency Of Now by Doug Devita, Roamin’ Catholic, Ferry Tales. A handful of others.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: If they ever make a movie of my life no one would believe it.
If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Olivier as Hamlet or Richard the Third or Othello or Eleonora Duse or John Barrymore in the classics. I know you asked for one but come on…
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Pizza and really wine or really beer. Thai food a close second.
If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: The starting Quarterback for the New York Jets.
What’s up next?: I’ll be directing and choreographing a production of My Fair Lady at Theatre By The Bay in Bayside, Queens. Opens November 5th… Unless of course we are moving INSOMNIA for an open-ending run at some off-Broadway theatre… sorry, wishful thinking.
