Project Description
“Life is a cabaret.”
A MUSICAL THEATRE CABARET EVENT
Join us for this musical theatre cabaret event. With almost 30 Broadway songs to choose from, each performance is unique based on the selection of that evening’s audience. Upon arrival each audience member votes for their top three choices from a series different musical theatre categories, including “The Golden Age,” “Contemporary Musicals,” “Disney on Broadway,” and more. Brown Box curates that night’s show on the spot in this interactive, family friendly evening, where we perform what YOU consider the best of Broadway.
Cast
Michelle Martinelli
Rachel Belleman
Lisa Joyce
Xavier Alexander Durden
Jake Corvino
Crew
Band
Kyler Taustin – DIRECTOR
Kyler Taustin (Director) is the co-founder of Brown Box Theatre Project and has served as the Executive Artistic Director since its founding. Originally hailing from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Kyler has first hand knowledge of challenges faced by those living in areas where cultural opportunities are limited and distance is a barrier to access of the arts. Kyler received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts and soon thereafter founded Brown Box Theatre Project to return home to invigorate a culturally vibrant community in his hometown. For Brown Box, Kyler directed all 6 installments of Outdoor Free Shakespeare (Cymbeline, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night). Contemporary productions Kyler directed include Brilliant Traces, Lab Rats, Echoes, Two Wrongs, The Nina Variations, Some Explicit Polaroids, and Two Rooms. As part of the Boxer Shorts series, Kyler directed Capricho, Play, and Talk to Me Like the Rain. Kyler was the co-director for both devised bi-lingual collaborations with Brown Box’s Mexican sister company Ícaro Compañia Teatral (When We Lived Together in the Belly of the Whale; No Soy Lo Que Soy). Kyler is honored to lead Brown Box as it strives to serve communities up and down the east coast as it has his home region.
Alex Lonati – PRODUCER
Alex Lonati (Associate Producer): Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies and Journalism from Emerson College, where she spent four years hosting Standing Room Only, the Best of Broadway and Beyond, on 88.9 WERS. She is currently on the administrative staff at SpeakEasy Stage Company on the board of the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund, and in the Arts Administration Masters program at Boston University. Alex was named the Greater Boston Theatre Community Member of the Year by ArtsImpulse in 2016.
Alan Rodi - MUSIC DIRECTOR
Alan is a music educator, music director, composer, and kazoo enthusiast from Newton, MA. He has music directed and accompanied for theaters and schools in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. He graduated in 2012 with a BA in music from Wesleyan University, where he studied the pipe organ and Chinese music. He attributes his ability to multitask while conducting and playing the keyboard to his pipe organ studies. In 2017 he graduated from the Eastman School of Music with a MA in music education, leading to an ever-growing and increasingly impractical instrument collection.
Liz Kantor – MUSIC SUPERVISOR
Liz is currently a senior at Harvard University where she is pursuing an A.B. in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Her music has been featured in the New York Musical Festival, and her original musical SHE was produced at the American Repertory Theater’s second stage OBERON. MD credits include: Songs for a New World, Spring Awakening, 35MM: A Musical Exhibition (with Ryan Scott Oliver and Lindsay Mendez), The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Liz will soon be working as a music assistant on the American Repertory Theatre’s production of Jagged Little Pill, the musical adaptation of Alanis Morissette’s album. Many thanks to the Brown Box Team, the Terry-Kantor family, and Dan Levine. www.LizKantor.com
Ryan Blaney – SOUND ENGINEER
Ryan received his BFA in design from Salem State University. He was the sound designer and composer for Towards Zero and Driving Miss Daisy at the Barnstormers during their 2017 summer season as well as the audio engineer Winthrop Playmakers Reefer Madness. Ryan has also been a part of the USITT sound lab internship program as well as training with Cirque du Soleil and Meyer Sound. He received the Excellence in Sound Design Award from KCACTF from Region 1 and continued on to the National festival in Washington D.C. in April of 2017 and received First Place with the KCACTF National Excellence in Sound Design Award. In addition he also attended Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas and received the audio seal.
Drew O'Connors – Master Carpenter
Drew is excited to be working with Brown Box for the second time, having previously worked on The Hotel Nepenthe. He teaches Audio Production and Technical Theatre and Franklin High School in Franklin, MA. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a BM in Music Education and Music Composition. He completed graduate work at New York University in Music Technology. He is currently enrolled at Boston University’s MM in Music Education Program. He is a lifelong theatre lover and teaching technical theatre is the best part of his day. Thanks to Alex’s Mom for the introduction to Brown Box!
Lila West – COSTUME DESIGNER
Lila is thrilled to be back with Brown Box for her fourth production! She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst class of 2015 with a B.A in Theater and English, focusing in Costume Design. She is a freelance costume designer in the Boston area with a full time position as a stitcher at Costume Works Inc in Somerville. Boston credits include Hotel Nepenthe, Songs for a New World and From Water to Dust (Brown Box Theatre Project), A Bright Room Called Day (Flat Earth Theatre Company), Peter and the Star Catcher, Chicago, 9 to 5, Hamlet, Urinetown, and The Laramie Project (BHS Performing Arts Company), The Crucible (AHS Drama Guild), Hard and Fast: a love story (Boston Public Works). Congratulations to the cast, crew, and Brown Box team for another fantastic show and thank you always to Mom, Dad, Cory, and G for their support and love always. www.lilawest.com
Connor O'Brien – MASTER ELECTRICIAN
Connor is thrilled to be working with the Brown Box Theatre Project for the third time, having previously worked on their productions of The Hotel Nepenthe and Hamlet. He recently graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Theatre Studies with a concentration in production. There he got the opportunity to be the Master Electrician for numerous department productions including Middletown, Vinegar Tom, and Mr. Burns: A post electric play, to name a few. He is also an original member of the Northeastern Shakespeare Society. Recently he was also the Assistant Lighting Designer on Shakespeare in Love at SpeakEasy Stage Co. He can mostly be found working as a freelance technician around town.
Tyler Catanella – CHOREOGRAPHER
Tyler is a proud graduate of the Theatre Education and Acting departments at Emerson College, where he now teaches dance composition and improvisation as an Adjunct Professor within the Performing Arts department. As the Co-founder and Artistic Director of ParadiseMoves, his most recent work “Enough” was shown at the Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts. He currently directs, choreographs and teaches several K-12 acting and movement programs with Watertown Children’s Theatre, and leads teaching residencies throughout the greater Boston area with support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Cheryl Taustin – PROPERTIES DESIGNER
Having supported Brown Box in any way possible since its inception, Cheryl is excited to return to design props for Broadway Jukebox, after her debut in 2016 as designer for Brilliant Traces. Working with the Brown Box cast and crew is, as always, such a joy!
Ashley Cabral – ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Ashley Cabral holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rhode Island College. She loves her job working with children on the Autism Spectrum as a Behavioral Therapist. After a long hiatus from the theatre world, Ashley is thrilled to be a part of the Brown Box administrative team.
Cassandra West – PRODUCTION MANAGER
Cassandra is excited to join Brown Box Theatre Project as Production Manager for The Broadway Jukebox and As You Like It. Cassandra has written, produced and directed theater in Boston’s North Shore, New York, and Cleveland. Past credits include The Star: A Nativity Story (5th Wall Theatre), Mira La Mer (CPT), and Don’t Look (Turn To Flesh Theatre). Cassandra currently serves as the Associate Producer for The Rockwell Theatre in Davis Square.
Victoria Rowe – LIGHTING DESIGNER
Victoria began her technical theatre career at age 11, building sets for her middle school productions. She fell in love with lighting design while attending Dartmouth College, where she also stage managed dozens of plays, musicals, and concerts (with only one near-death experience – ask her about the trumpet player!). Victoria spends her days as Director of Operations at an education technology start-up, and she sits on the board of the Friends of Herter Park amphitheater. She is delighted to be designing her first production with Brown Box.
Ciaran Wilke – GUITAR
Ciaran is a junior year guitar principle at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Over his college playing career he has had the privilege of becoming deeply involved in multiple college and community musical theatre productions, performing with theatre groups at Berklee College, Boston University, Northeastern University and the Phoenix Playmakers Association to name a few. His recent credits include American Idiot, Spring Awakening, Legally Blonde and Cabaret. This is Ciaran’s first tour with the Brown Box Theatre Project, and he is thrilled to join them in delivering amazing and accessible musical theatre to the East Coast this summer!