STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: At Curtain Call, we have a great deal of experience working with special needs students in integrated classrooms, building their confidence and helping them find their own creative voice while respecting and upholding the student’s privacy and that of their family. Please contact us directly if you or your child have any special needs our team should be aware of.
STUDENT AGE RANGES: Classes are offered for grade K through adult. See class descriptions for specific age ranges of each individual class.
CLASS SIZES: Our Fall, Winter and Spring classes normally range from six to sixteen students and run once a week for eight-weeks (avoiding any holiday or school closing dates). Our Summerstock full-day workshop programs accept as many as forty students per session.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
Scholarships cover up to 50% of any workshop tuition. To apply, simply submit the following to our Education Director, Brian Bianco by email at brian@curtaincallinc.com, by fax at 203-883-1671 or by postal mail at Curtain Call, Inc., Attn: Education Director, 1349 Newfield Ave., Stamford, CT 06905:
- A copy of your most recent tax return (or a letter claiming work disability or stating that your child is part of a reduced lunch program at school).
- A letter of recommendation from a teacher, instructor, mentor or coach who has worked with the student.
- A letter from the student (or their parent if the student is below 4th grade or is special needs) stating why our workshop program may be beneficial to you/him/her/them and why they would be a good fit for it.
For more information, call 203-329-8207 (dial 2 when prompted) or email brian@curtaincallinc.com.
DISCOUNTS FOR SIBLINGS/SPOUSES: For our eight-week Fall, Winter and Spring Sessions, the first student is full price. Each additional student (sibling or spouse) is 10% off.
PAYMENT PLANS: Payment plan options are available in two, three or even four installments. Payment plans can be arranged through direct contact with our Education Director at brian@curtaincallinc.com or 203-329-8207 (dial 2 when prompted).
REFUND POLICY:
- 100% refund if notified of withdrawal up to 10 days prior to the starting date.
- 75% refund if notified of withdrawal less than 10 days prior to the starting date.
- 50% refund if notified of withdrawal between the 1st and 2nd class date.
- NO refunds beyond the 2nd class date.
MAKE-UP DATES: Make-up dates are ONLY provided if a class is cancelled due to a weather-related or emergency cancellation. Make-up classes are NOT provided for an absence on the part of any individual student.
TEACHING STAFF:
Our staff consists of area professionals devoted to education in the arts.
Brian Bianco has been Curtain Call’s Education Director for fifteen years. He received his BA in Theatre from Southern Connecticut State University and is a graduate of the National Shakespeare Conservatory. He’s worked professionally in acting, directing, design, scenic artistry and stage management. His resume includes Stamford Center for the Arts, Long Wharf Theatre, the Lamb’s Theatre, National Theatre for the Performing Arts, Bridgeport Free Shakespeare and Radio City Entertainment. He’s been directing and producing youth theatre programs, school drama programs and theatre for young audiences for more than twenty years.
Kristine Bingham Nielsen hails from Tustin, CA and moved to NYC to pursue a career as a dancer. She holds a BA in Dance from University of California Irvine and has danced professionally as well as served as a professional dance captain. She has worked with such choreographers as Tony Stevens and Chet Walker, most notably with Chet’s company, Walker Dance.
Jonathan Cahr has two decades of experience in choral arranging for concerts, musicals and his own recordings. His career as an actor and singer spans Broadway, television and national tours.
Karen Casagrande was founder/owner of Hot Shoes Dance Studio in Ridgefield for nearly 30 years and holds a BFA in Dance from Stephens College. She’s been choreographer and/or lead dancer for such musicals as Robber Bride Groom, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Man of LaMancha, Kiss Me, Kate, Once Upon a Mattress, Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, 1776and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Madison Coppola is a Curtain Call native with over twenty years of acting experience. With a BFA in acting from the University of Connecticut, Madison has gained most of her Regional Theatre experience from Connecticut Repertory Theatre. As an Equity actor, Madison has since been seen in numerous commercials for companies such as Geico, Buzzfeed, Angry Orchard, Google Pixel and Sennheiser, along with film credits from Hulu and NBC. She has spent two years working as a teacher in workshops and one on one acting sessions. Madison will proudly be attending The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Acting this fall. She is happy to be giving back to the community that helped her be where she is today!
Grady Dennis is a native of Sumter, South Carolina. Grady began studying theater and performing at the age of six with the Sumter Little Theater (under the direction of the late Katie Damron). He has been a part of many different facets of the theater from acting, directing, writing, producing, acting/voice coaching, choreography, and costume design. Moving to NYC to further his education and pursue a career in film/TV he wrote and starred in over 100 online sketch comedy shorts, which have been featured in The Huffington Post, Time Out New York, and several other major media outlets. His training includes the BFA program for musical theater at Millikin University, improvisational comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City, and working under the late Jim Thigpen (Co-Founder of Trustus Theater) in Columbia, SC.
Natasha Fenster received her BM in Vocal Performance from the University of Oregon. This mother of two also teaches with Music Together in Stamford and Rowayton. She’s performed on the Kweskin Stage in The Wizard of Oz, Legally Blonde, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Nunsense, Mary Poppins and more, as well appearing with several other local companies.
James Feuer holds an MFA from CSULA School of TV, Film and Theatre (where he studied under William H. Macy, Barry Gordon and Armondo Molina), a PGD from Drama Studio London, a Certificate from the British and European Studies Group at Cambridge University, an Intermediate Stage Combat Certificate from the Society of British Fight Directors, and a BA in Drama from Kenyon College, where he won the Paul Newman Award for Best Actor. James has taught at CSULA, Brunswick School, Camp Dudley, Camp Playland, NYC’s GO Project, and many senior centers. He was also an acting coach for the film I Can, I Will, I Did, about a Greenwich martial arts teacher and his students. Specialties include Acting, Improv and Shakespeare. His acting credits include: Theater: Deaf West, Drayton Court, London; C Venues, Edinburgh; Theatre Row; Accomplice: NY. TV: Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt (BBC, Dir. Armando Iannucci); A Crime to Remember; Scorned: Love Kills; Grave Secrets; My Crazy Love; Sopranos. FILM: Antonio in Wonderland (20th Century Fox). VOICE: Zhou Yu’s Train (Sony Pictures Classics).
Lisa Lelas is a popular CT acting coach and former NY casting director. She’s helped train thousands of actors who’ve attained professional work in TV, film and Broadway. Lisa is a motivational speaker, a performance coach for the Sacred Heart University’s Women’s Skate Team, the film-acting instructor for the annual Moondance International Film Festivals and the founding owner/director of the state’s first TV-acting studio. She’s a well-known author, newspaper/magazine columnist and was the organizing segment host for ABC-TV Channel 8. Lisa was also the creator/host of “Simply Organized” on Cable TV, for which she won an award for best talk show in the northeast by the Alliance for Community Media Foundation. www.LisaLelas.com
Ruth Lettera is thrilled to be a part Curtain Call’s teaching staff! In the past, she has served as both the Director/Music Director of many children’s theatre productions, including: Schoolhouse Rock, A Storybook Christmas, The X-Mas Files, Christmas on Angel Street, Winnie the Pooh and Disney’s Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland. She also served as the Vocal Music Director for productions of: Chess, The Sound of Music and The Music Man, as well as The Music Man, Jr. As a performer she has appeared in New Jersey, Indiana, New York and Connecticut. Not too long ago, she had the honor of being one of four theater-educators, chosen from across the nation, to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime week-long Broadway Workshop and Performance at the Circle in the Square Theatre in NYC. Ruth recently retired as a teacher in the Darien Public School system where she taught music for Holmes, Tokeneke and Ox Ridge Elementary Schools .
Dan Micciche is the current music director/ conductor of Wicked on Broadway and has been with the show for six years and counting including the national/ international tour. For the first six years of living in NYC, he got his start as an actor and played Mary Sunshine in Chicago for 2000 performances on Broadway as well as the national tour/ Japanese/ Thailand companies. Carnegie Hall/ The Kennedy Center: Bernstein’s Mass. Recordings: Bernstein’s Mass (Grammy nom 2008) 54 Below shows: Jessica Vosk/ Patrick Page. Workshops: Stu for Silverton. Masterclasses at major Universities/ Colleges as well a voice coach in NYC. Education: The Boston Conservatory of Music ‘07. Dan is also an alumni of Curtain Call’s Summer Youth Theatre and in his youth appeared in various Curtain Call productions and workshops. Instagram: @danmicciche/ Twitter: @danpmicciche.
Donnie Moody teaches dramatic arts at Westover Magnet School and has been teaching and directing children for over twenty-five years, creating his own storybook stage adaptations.
Tony Republicanohas been an instructor here at Curtain Call since the beginning and is proud to be on the Connecticut Office of the Arts Teaching Artist Roster. He brings a variety of theatre programs to schools and community settings throughout the tri-state area, is on the teaching staff at Yale medical school’s Standardized Patient Program and performs social-issue theatre with the mobile Interactive Educational Theatre. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA whose film credits include The Amazing Spider Man 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Annie. Tony also appears on TV and local stages.
Caitlin Ann Roberts is a local choreographer, performer and dance educator from Norwalk, CT. She began dance at the age of three and continued her studies at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, where she received a degree in Dance with a concentration on choreography. Since then, Caitlin has choreographed over a dozen musicals for some of the local high schools and theatre companies throughout the Fairfield County area. She has also performed with local dance companies including Connecticut Ballet, Velocity and Tapperlesque. For the past several years, Caitlin has had the pleasure of being a part of the Curtain Call Family. She has not only enjoyed performing here (42nd Street, Mary Poppins, Gypsy and Spamalot), but has also had the pleasure of being one of Curtain Call’s resident choreographers (Mamma Mia, Beauty and the Beast, Annie and A Christmas Story).Caitlin’s other performance credits include dancing and acting in music videos, flash mobs, film and television. She has also performed in productions of Brigadoon, Chicago, Sweet Charity, Seussical and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Caitlin teaches a variety of dance styles including Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern and Musical Theater. www.caitlinannroberts.com
Matthew Stolfi is an alumni of Curtain Call’s Summer Youth Theatre. He received his BA in Music from Boston College and his MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. While at Tisch, Matthew trained as a Composer/Lyricist under the tutelage of writers such as Mindi Dickstein, Mel Marvin, and Rachel Sheinkin. His performance resume includes acting and singing in many musical theatre productions, the Chorale at Boston College, and training with vocal instructor Carolyn Paulus of NYU Tisch and The Hartt School. Matthew has close to 10 years of experience working with youth in various programs as a Music Director, Piano Teacher and Accompanist.
CLASSROOM SPACES: Our classroom spaces provide nurturing, creative environments for students of all skill levels, from the novice to the seasoned professional:
The Kweskin Studio
Located on the second level of our Kweskin Theatre, the Kweskin Studio is the same dimensions as the building’s main-stage. It is equipped with full-length mirrors for dance, air-conditioning, bathrooms on the same level and sound-proofing. The room has large windows that look out onto the Sterling Farms property.
The Dressing Room Theatre (DRT) Studio
While slightly smaller than our Kweskin Studio, our DRT Studio (located on the second level of Curtain Call’s Dressing Room Theatre) also provides full-length mirrors for dance, air conditioning, sound proofing and a bathroom within the studio itself. The room allows for considerable classroom privacy.
Summerstock Junior: Session Two (Grade K to 5)