John Sparks, Founder/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 has been its Artistic Director since 1999. 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". Nearly 100 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.

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Scott Guy, Executive Director

In Chicago, Scott was the Producing Artistic Director of both Passage Theatre and the Children’s Classical Theatre.  In 1988, Scott moved to Los Angeles and became a writer/producer of television shows for PBS, Disney Channel, the Learning Channel, The Discovery Channel, FOX-TV, Children’s Television Workshop, NBC (WMAQ-TV), and Warner Brothers, gathering six Emmy nominations along the way.  He has written over 120 produced television scripts.  Scott has two degrees in theatre (B.S. from Northwestern University and MFA from UCLA), and the theatre has always been his first love.  His plays and musicals have been produced in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and London.

Elise Dewsberry, Associate 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.

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SUPPORT STAFF

Jake Anthony, 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.

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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.

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Joshua Finkel, Director, Performers' Workshop

Joshua Finkel has directed everything from Industrial Video and Plays, to Musical Theater and Cabaret. Joshua is about to choreograph and co-direct a production of Falsettos at the Phoenix Theater in San Francisco. 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 in 2004-2005, including cruises to Tokyo, New Zealand and Monte Carlo. Joshua directed the West Coast premiere of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD at San Francisco's prestigious Plush Room in 2002 and in addition, Joshua heads up the acting faculty at the San Francisco Academy for the Performing Arts where he 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

Darin Goulet, ARC Music Director

Darin Goulet has accompanied and music directed for a wide variety of performances in musical theatre, improv comedy, choral music, and solo vocal and instrumental music for the last 16 years. He also composes music and has co-written several musicals for young audiences with his wife (and inspiration) Tara Redepenning. Currently he teaches music at Seeds Laboratory Elementary School at UCLA. He applauds the enormous talent and bravery of the ARC ensemble and ANMT writers.

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Ross Källing, Developmental Services, Music

Ross Källing is a familiar face at the pianos of various theatres and nightclubs around Los Angeles.  Most recently he played for Pacific Resident Theatre’s production of Happy End.  In years past, he was musical director for Friends and Artists Theatre Ensemble’s productions of Marat/Sade and ThreePenny Opera, both of which won him Dramalogue awards for excellence in musical direction. He also was Musical Director for the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s revival of Liz Swados’ Night Club Cantata.  Before beginning his tenure as Director of Music Curriculum for the Academy, he served as musical director for the prestigious Beverly Hills Playhouse for fifteen years, working with the likes of Jeffrey Tambor, Doris Roberts, Gene Reynolds and many others.  Recently he worked as musical director/arranger/producer on an original song for the film Relative Strangers, coaxing respectable vocal harmonies out of Danny Devito and a glorious vocal performance out of Cathy Bates.  In the Cabaret world his favorite compatriot (amongst many) is Penny Fuller.

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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 ‘Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz’ conference and serves as conference and staff coordinator for the 2008 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.

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Peter Welkin, Producer

Peter’s background includes multiple stage productions as an actor, singer, director and choreographer. Peter is a graduate of AMDA in New York and currently serves as a producer, director and actor with ANMT. Favorite stage roles have included George in Sunday In The Park With George, Roger in A New Brain, Keith in Elegies, A Song Cycle. Non-musical roles include Stephen in Eastern Standard and Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing. He is a founding member of Academy Repertory Company, the performer’s wing of ANMT. Film projects include the short, Singles Night as well as a supernatural thriller feature, The Follower. His favorite creative projects to date are Miranda, Nathan and Genevieve.

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