John Sparks, Artistic Director

John Sparks was the founder/co-Director of the Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (1979-1995) and the Artistic Director of ANMT from 1995 to the present. He founded the Writers' Workshop at Theatre Building Chicago in 1987 and was its Artistic Director for over a decade. Between the two workshops, John has mentored the work of over 250 writers, including Mark Hollmann, composer/lyricist of "Urinetown"; George Gorham and Dan Sticco, "A Change in the Heir". Other writers in the workshops have earned three Richard Rodgers Awards and two Kleban Awards. Nearly 400 shows written by workshop members have been produced in theatres across the country. John’s own musicals have been produced in Los Angeles and Chicago.

academy@anmt.org

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Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director

Elise has been involved in the development of new works for over fifteen years: as an actor/singer, as a director, as a dramaturge, and as a writer. While living in Toronto, Elise served as the Assistant Artistic Director of the Muskoka Festival; the Co-Ordinator of the festival’s annual Musical Theatre Writer’s Colony, the Associate Dramaturge of the Canadian Stage Company; the Resident Dramaturge of the Smile Theatre Company; and was the co-founder of Toronto’s Script Lab. Elise spent many years touring Canada with NINE MONTHS – a one-woman musical which she commissioned from writers Carl Ritchie and Stephen Woodjetts. Elise and Carl also co-wrote ANY BODY HOME?, which was produced by the Cordova Bay Theatre in Victoria, British Columbia, and published by Dramatic Publishing.

academy@anmt.org

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Scott Guy, Executive Director

Under Scott's tenure, the Academy has developed over 50 musicals for producers across the country, and over 100 independent musicals by ANMT writers. Scott's current and recent writing projects include: Musical version of Pirates of the Caribbean for Disney; script consultant for a musical by Placido Domingo, Jr., book/lyrics of Manson's Girls for UC/Irvine; Master Smee's Finishing School for Gentlemen Pirates and Ladies is Welcome Too with music by Jacques Offenbach; and Hunger at 2009 Stages Festival in Chicago, with music by 2009 Richard Rodgers composer Karlan Judd. Television credits: Six Emmy nominations, and over 100 produced television scripts for Warner Bros., FOX-TV, Disney, Discovery Channel, PBS, etc. www.scottguy.biz.

academy@anmt.org

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SUPPORT STAFF

Jake Anthony, Director, Perpetual Surrey; Music Director, PW

Jake works as a composer, vocal coach, and Music Director in the L.A. area. After receiving an MM in Vocal Performance and Opera Coaching at the University of North Texas, Jake turned towards musical theatre, serving as Music Director for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Cabaret, Kiss Me Kate, and Side by Side by Sondheim for Dallas area theatres, and Once Upon a Mattress and The Importance of Being Earnest for UNT Theatre. Jake's L.A. theater work includes Snoopy! at the McCadden Place Theater, as well as the West Coast premieres of Splendora and Songs from an Unmade Bed at Celebration Theatre. As a composer, Jake recently co-wrote the 15-minute "mini"-musical "Oh God, We're Gonna Die!" with Jeff Marx (co-author of Avenue Q), and has just completed his first full-length show, Now and Then a Hero, with book and lyrics by Larry Johnson. Jake is thrilled to be part of the ANMT team, and their constant commitment to the development of new works.

ps@anmt.org

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Jordan Kai Burnett, Executive Assistant

Jordan is proud member of AEA and a recent transplant to Los Angeles from the Big Apple. National Tour: Seussical (Cat in the Hat, Dir. Marcia Milgrom-Dodge) New York: Side Show (Violet Hilton), King Island Christmas, and Granola! the musical (NYFringe). Favorite roles include Dog Sees God (Van’s Sister), On the Town (Hildy), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Titania) The Philadelphia Story (Liz Imbrie), Hello Again (Nurse), Hair (Crissy), Lippa’s The Wild Party (Kate). Jordan holds a BFA in Musical Theater from Emerson College, is a graduate of Michael Earl’s Puppet School, and is a student of the Groundlings. She is currently seeking west coast representation, for more info checkout www.JordanKaiBurnett.com

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Ellen Dostal, Producer

Ellen was ANMT’s associate producer for the 2007 Theater League Festival of new works. She is a founding member of the Academy Repertory Company and previously completed ANMT’s core curriculum as a lyricist. As an actor she has participated in many readings of new works, such as The Big Deal with ANMT and Mercury Musicals/London, the Colony Theatre reading series including Bonnie and Clyde, ANMT’s 2004 Fifteen Minute Musicals and many more. She looks forward to creating new opportunities for writers that will nurture their skills and provide them increased success.

edostal@anmt.org

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Joshua Finkel, Director, Performers' Workshop

Joshua Finkel has directed everything from Industrial Video and Plays, to Musical Theater and Cabaret. His 2004 production of the Los Angeles Premiere of THE SPITFIRE GRILL at the Actors Co-op Theater in Hollywood received the LA TIMES CRITIC'S PICK. One of his other ongoing shows, HOLLYWOOD REVISITED is scheduled to play many top corporate and private events, including cruises to Tokyo, New Zealand and Monte Carlo as well as symphony and convention dates around the country. Joshua directed the San Francisco premiere of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD at San Francisco's prestigious Plush Room in 2002 and in addition, Joshua heads up the musical theater emphasis at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks and teaches audition prep and audtion portfolio at AMDA LA in Hollywood. Joshua teaches everything from Musical Theatre to Cold Reading to Shakespeare. Joshua's own personal Los Angeles coaching studio, the Creative Combustion Acting Studio, tailors classes, private and phone coachings for actors and public speakers of all ages and levels. Among his several acting credits, Joshua starred on Broadway opposite Chita Rivera and Vanessa Williams as Molina the Window Dresser in the Original Cast of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN; Joshua also carries an MFA in Classical Theatre from the University of Delaware and is a member of the Musical Theater Guild. Having directed the New Works Festival for ANMT in 2003 and produced the incredibly successful evening of celebrity songwriters at the Colony Theater "AND THEN I WROTE..." in 2004, Joshua is thrilled be continuing to develop new musicals for the musical theatre community of the west coast and beyond. For more information: www.ccactingstudio.com

pw@anmt.org

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Ross Kalling, ARC Music Director

Ross Källing is an award winning musical director and pianist. He received Dramalogue awards for his musical direction of FATE's productions of Marat/Sade and Threepenny Opera, and was also pianist/M.D. for the revival of Liz Swados' Nightclub Cantata at the Odyssey Theatre; and produced the song It Don't Make a Difference in the Dark for the movie Relative Strangers, coaxing respectable vocal performances out of the stars, Danny Devito and Kathy Bates. He was Musical Director at the prestigious Beverly Hills Playhouse for fifteen years, where he worked with such stars as Doris Roberts, Dorothy Lyman, and Jeffrey Tambor; and such directors as Gene Reynolds and the late Milton Katselas. He was also founding Director of Music Curriculum at the Academy for New Musical Theatre. He can be seen performing around town in various cabaret or jazz venues, or with his classical trio Cayenne.

rkalling@anmt.org

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Andrea Press, Producer

As a founding member of ARC, Andrea Press has been actively involved with ANMT’s development process for the past several years and has recently begun to try her hand at directing, first with Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment in the ARC-produced Concert Reading of four one-act musicals based on popular American short stories and most recently with two of the 2008 15 Minute Musicals, “Keeping Score” and “The Blue Queen and the Red Shadow” as well as choreographing a third, “Bone Appetit”. She coordinated the support staff for the 2006 and 2008 Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz conference. As an actress, she has performed a wide variety of roles ranging from the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd to Auntie Julie, the head Prairie Dog in the original musical, Peril on the Prairie. She also performed as a featured soloist at the Gold River Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. Cabaret performances in Los Angeles include the shows, Separated at Birth and her first solo venture, Waiting for Life to Begin. Andrea holds a BA in Music & Performing Arts from UC Riverside and an MFA in Musical Theatre from UC Irvine. She also trained at NYU in a summer program offered by LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) and subsequently received a scholarship to continue her studies for the next year in New York and London at the British-American Acting Academy.

apress@anmt.org

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Peter Welkin, Producer

Peter is a graduate of AMDA New York and currently serves as a producer, a director, a sight-singing actor, and founding member of Academy Repertory Company at ANMT. He has been involved with a long list of shows developed, staged or produced by ANMT, and has often taken the lead producing role for the Colony Theater Concert Reading series. Some of those highlights include The Water by Georgia Stitt, Bonnie & Clyde, A Folk Tale by Hunter Foster and Rick Crom, 40 Is The New 15 by Larry Todd Johnson and Cindy O'Connor, The Miss Vulcan Contest of 1939, and oh soooo many more! Peter’s West Coast credits include Anatoly in Chess in Concert, George in Sunday In The Park With George, Roger in A New Brain at WCE, Keith in Elegies, and cabaret appearances at Sterling’s Upstairs at Vitello’s and The Canyon Club. He was also a founder of the Central Coast Shakespeare Festival, performed at the Oregon Cabaret Theater in Ashland, Harvey’s Hotel and Casino in Tahoe, and toured at least half the country with Pirates of Penzance.

pwelkin@anmt.org

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