NJ School of Dramatic Arts Staff : Acting Teachers in New Jersey

Summer Camp 2010

THE ACTING STAFF

Beth Baur (Director) has been a professional actor for over 20 years and has worked with such luminaries as Tommy Tune, George Burns and Lanford Wilson. She has performed in national tours, Off-Broadway, regional theatre and has done over 200 network commercials and corporate industrial films, as well as voice-overs and print. Beth has also been a theatre educator for over 20 years. She founded a Theatre for Young Audience's company called "The Make-Believables" and created the children's touring company "The Great Pretenders". In addition to this, she is an adjunct professor in acting for the film department at Montclair State University. Beth is also a theater critic and instructor at the annual Morris County Teen Arts Festival. She also directed the independent film, REEL WOMEN. Beth received her BFA at the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University and was selected to be included in that year's "Who's Who of American Colleges".

Robert Sapoff (Director) has been profiled on ABC News, CNN, NY 1 News and in the Star Ledger, Herald News, and Daily Record. A professional actor for over 20 years, his theatre credits include the role of Harpo in the Off-Broadway revival of "The Cocoanuts", which was named one of the 10 best Off-Broadway productions of the year. Bob has appeared on Nickelodeon and in countless television commercials (including a Clio Award winner) and print work nationwide. During his 10 years as Associate Director of Action Theater, he created and directed "On The Spot", a professional improvisational comedy troupe. He now directs NJSDA's own professional improv troupe, "Nutty By Nature", which tours the NY/NJ metropolitan area. Bob is also a theater critic and instructor at the annual Morris County Teen Arts Festival. In his 18+ years as a teacher, Bob has taught over 1,000 students. He is also an adjunct professor in acting for the film department at Montclair State University.

Toni DiBuono has appeared on Broadway in The Boys From Syracuse and Wonderful Town. Her Off Broadway credits include Forbidden Broadway (Drama Desk and Outer Critic Circle Awards), Bad Habits with Nathan Lane and Up Against It at the Public Theatre. On television, Toni starred as Pat Tuesday in the award winning PBS series Mathnet, co-hosted Lifetime's Our Home, guest starred on Law and Order, Law & Order SVU and has done numerous commercials.

Maury Ginsberg's extensive theatre, film and television work includes roles on Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Without a Trace, Friends, NYPD Blue, among others. His film credits include last year’s Sundance Winner, Rocket Science, directed by academy award nominee Jeffrey Blitz as well as The Girl in the Park with Sigourney Weaver and Lansky with Richard Dreyfus among others. Recent projects include the film Greta with Hilary Duff and Ellen Burstyn and an episode of the upcoming television series New Amsterdam. Theatre credits include a twenty year working relationship with Olympia Dukakis that have included Mother Courage, The Seagull, and The Cherry Orchard. Other stage work has included plays at the Pasadena Playhouse, Southcoast Rep, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Old Globe, and three seasons with the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Maury recently filmed My One and Only with Renee Zellweger.

Ryan Shams is an actor, director, and teacher. He is featured in the upcoming motion picture SALT (starring Angelnia Jolie and Liev Schreiber) and the upcoming science fiction film The Last Airbender (directed by M. Night Shyamalan). Ryan has also worked in television (Law & Order, As The World Turns, CSI:NY) and regional theater (La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Vineyard Playhouse). Ryan has taught acting to all ages and studied physical theater and clown with Pierre Byland at The Burlesk Center in Switzerland and also with Christopher Bayes (Head of Movement, Yale School of Drama). He has worked with Alec Baldwin, Peter Berg (director of The Kingdom and Friday Night Lights), Andrei Belgrader, Phil Morrison (director of Junebug), and Darko Tresnjak. Ryan has an MFA from UCSD and a BA from Columbia University.

Corinna Sowers-Adler has over ten years experience as a performer, director, vocal coach, and acting teacher in the professional theater world. From its inception, she has served as the Director of Theatre for the Wilkes University Conservatory. Her Conservatory Theatre program, which she created, currently has 180 students in 7 classes and culminates with full scale productions each semester. Corinna has also instructed theatrical collegiate students at Wilkes University. While Children's Theatre Director for the historic Pocono and Bucks County Playhouses, Corinna cast well over 2000 roles for children and teens and directed fifty productions on a summer stock schedule. Her extensive performance career has taken her from New York City, to Florida, to Nevada with several stops in between.

THE ACTING WORKSHOPS STAFF

Lenny Bart is now in his ninth season as Artistic Director of 12 Miles West Theatre Company. Lenny has received critical acclaim for his direction of many 12 Miles West productions including The Advocate (World Premiere), The Elephant Man (New Jersey Premiere), The Robber Bridegroom (New Jersey Premiere), The Price and True West. He has been very active in New Jersey theater having acted and/or directed for The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (four seasons), New Jersey Rep., Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Women’s Theatre Co. and Surflight Theatre. For the last nine seasons he has been a member of Pushcart Players. In New York, Lenny served as the Producing Director for The National Shakespeare Company and is the founding Artistic Director of Dauntless Productions where he directed and designed three world premieres.

Ryan Shams is an actor, director, and teacher. He is featured in the upcoming motion picture SALT (starring Angelnia Jolie and Liev Schreiber) and the upcoming science fiction film The Last Airbender (directed by M. Night Shyamalan). Ryan has also worked in television (Law & Order, As The Wolrd Turns, CSI:NY) and regional theater (La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Vineyard Playhouse). Ryan has taught acting to all ages and studied physical theater and clown with Pierre Byland at The Burlesk Center in Switzerland and also with Christopher Bayes (Head of Movement, Yale School of Drama). He has worked with Alec Baldwin, Peter Berg (director of The Kingdom and Friday Night Lights), Andrei Belgrader, Phil Morrison (director of Junebug), and Darko Tresnjak. Ryan has an MFA from UCSD and a BA from Columbia University.

Ben Steinfeld is an actor, director, and teacher. His acting credits include - Off-Broadway: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Public Theater); Regional Theatre: Center Theatre Group, Portland Center Stage, Trinity Repertory Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Bread Loaf Acting Ensemble, and SpeakEasy Stage Company; TV: Law & Order Criminal Intent. Ben acted in the original workshops of Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul and Paula Vogel’s The Long Christmas Ride Home, both directed by Oskar Eustis. He has performed readings and made appearances at The Kennedy Center, Joe’s Pub, Playwrights Horizons, Cherry Lane, and New York Theatre Workshop. He has twice narrated the NJ Symphony’s young people’s concerts at NJPAC. Ben is a national winner of the ACTF / Irene Ryan Acting award, and a graduate of Brown University and the Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium MFA Acting Program.

THE MUSICAL THEATER STAFF

Deborah Martin spent 11 seasons as Musical Director at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival (now the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ). She is the Founding Artistic Director of the 4th Wall Musical Theatre (Working, Pippin, Company, and Nine) and has served as Musical Director with the Fire Island Pines Arts Project (Little Mary Sunshine and Dames at Sea with Charles Busch). Off Broadway credits include Inside Out as Musical Director. Her work with the Montclair Operetta Company includes Evita, Pirates of Penzance, Kismet, and Cabaret. She is also a composer: The Princess, The Poet and the Little Grey Man (book by Joseph Robinette) was published by Dramatic Publishing Company.

BJ Solomon assistant directed Angels in America: Perestoika under Broadway Director Leah Gardiner for the Connecticut Repertory Theater. As a choreographer he choreographed the NJ premier of Cats at The Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ as well as productions of Mame, 1776, and The Full Monty. BJ studied acting at the University of Connecticut and Musical Theatre at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He has studied under such notable performers as Judy Blazer, Joe Deer, Jean Ballantine, Tina Landau and Theresa McWillaims. BJ has performed throughout the country in productions of Big River (Paper Mill), Annie, Cats, Fiddler, Miss Saigon, Dreamgirls, Merrily We Roll Along, and Show Boat.

Jonathan Tuzman is an accompanist, keyboardist, musical director, composer, and arranger. He served as Music Director for Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at the University of Miami, where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition with an emphasis in Media Writing and Production. While at Miami, he musically directed "Edges: A New Song Cycle" with Qauntum Entertainment. Jonathan has also been the musical director for several shows in the area including the NJ School of Ballet and NJPAC's Young Artist Institute.

Pat Woodward is a member of the Theatre faculty at Pace University in Manhattan where she has taught classes in Acting for the Musical Stage, Acting, Advanced Acting, Directing, Senior Showcase and Current Theater in New York. She has directed over 50 productions in Off-Broadway, community and academic theatre and appeared onstage in an equal number of roles. She was a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star nominee for Best Choreographer for their production of Sweet Charity. For ten years, Ms. Woodward was Artistic Director for the Off-Broadway company Stage Left, Inc. Shows that she has directed for Off-Broadway/Stock include The Play’s the Thing, A Little of What You Fancy, Company, Into the Woods, Pippin and Eccentricities of a Nightingale.