William Atherton Class of 1960
William Atherton's career has spanned motion pictures, Broadway and television. He first achieved international recognition as the leading man in Steven Spielberg's debut feature The Sugarland Express (1974), and next starred in John Schlesinger's The Day of the Locust (1975), Robert Wise's The Hindenburg (1975) and Richard Brooks' Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). He is known worldwide for what have become his signature film characters: the television reporter, Dick Thornburg in the action blockbusters Die Hard (1988) and Die Hard 2 (1990), the EPA official, Walter Peck in Ghostbusters (1984), Professor Jerry Hathaway, the conniving professor in Real Genius (1985) and Dr. Noah Faulkner, the mad scientist in Bio-Dome (1996). Among his more than 30 feature films are co-starring roles in John Landis' Oscar (1991), Bill Duke's Hoodlum (1997), Richard Pearce's No Mercy (1986), Alan J. Pakula's The Pelican Brief (1993), Costa-Gavras' Mad City (1997) and Edward Zwick's The Last Samurai (2003).
On television, he has starred in Joan Didion's Broken Trust (1995) in HBO's Golden Globe winner Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999). Atherton was a recurring series lead opposite Damien Lewis on NBC-TV's Life (2007) and portrayed Principal Reynolds in the final season of Lost (2004). He has reprised his role as Walter Peck in the video game Ghostbusters (2009), released on June 16, 2009.
Consistently honored for his work on the stage, Atherton has created roles on and off Broadway for many of America's leading playwrights. These include the title role in Joseph Papp's original production of David Rabe's "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel", the role of Ronnie in John Guare's "The House of Blue Leaves" and Bing Ringling in his "Rich and Famous". He also starred in the Broadway premiere of Arthur Miller's "The American Clock" and the Tony-winning revival of Herman Wouk's "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial". Among his more than 20 well-known productions are the acclaimed New York premieres of Franz Kafka's "The Castle" and Kressmann Taylor's "Address Unknown". For his work on the stage, he has received the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Circle Critics Award, the Theatre World Award and nominations for an Obie and Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award.
David H. Bell Class of 1967
Following his graduation from Yankton College with a summa cum laude B.A. in theatre and an M.A. with honors from the University of Virginia, David Bell has consistently been involved in some of the most exciting and creative elements of theatre. David’s career has spanned a wide range of international and national projects, as director, choreographer and author.
David has served as Artistic Director of the historic Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C., Associate Director of the Alliance Theatre Company in Atlanta, and the Resident Director at Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theatre in Chicago. He has worked extensively with the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. He has also directed and choreographed plays and theater productions both on and off Broadway in New York, not to mention on London’s West End.
Among the highlights of David’s extensive career are an impressive number of award nominations including a Laurence Olivier Award (London), ten Joseph Jefferson Awards in Chicago, a Helen Hayes Award in DC for Best Director, the LA Dramalogue Award Best Director, several awards in New York City, and three awards in Atlanta, two for director, one for choreographer. David also earned two National Endowment Playwriting Awards.
David is the award-winning author of HOT MIKADO, and the choreographer of THE SPIRIT OF ATLANTA, the 1992 Barcelona Olympic closing ceremonies. Currently David is a professor of Musical Theater at Northwestern University
Howard Sherman Class of 1980
joined the American Theatre Wing as Executive Director in 2003. In that role, he oversees all of the Wing's operations, including its "Working in the Theatre" TV program; its radio show "Downstage Center," which he cohosted for more than four years on XM Satellite Radio; the Theatre Intern Group, SpringboardNYC, and other initiatives designed to help students and audiences understand more about how theatre is made; and the Jonathan Larson Grants for emerging musical theatre creators. He is also the organization's primary representative in the planning of the annual Tony Awards, the top honor for theatrical achievement on Broadway, which the Wing created in 1947. Immediately prior to ATW, he spent three years as Executive Director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford CT, overseeing the Center's educational and developmental programs, shepherding more than $1 million worth of physical plant upgrades, and re-branding The O'Neill through a coordinated communications initiative. Sherman was Managing Director of Geva Theater in Rochester (1998-2000), where he completed a $6 million capital campaign and opened the company's 135-seat Nextstage. He was the first General Manager of Goodspeed Musicals (1994-1998), working on 24 new and classic musicals, including the U.S. Premiere of Alan Ayckbourn and Andrew Lloyd Webber's By Jeeves. As Public Relations Director of Hartford Stage (1985-1993), he represented 50 shows, from Mark Lamos' productions of Hamlet and Peer Gynt with Richard Thomas to Marvin's Room, Other People's Money, and Our Country's Good, the latter three prior to New York runs. He began his theatre career in the box office of the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia, followed by press positions with the Philadelphia Festival Theater for New Plays, Westport Country Playhouse, and Manhattan Theatre Club. He has taught and/or guest lectured at the Yale School of Drama, North Carolina School of the Arts, Hartt School of Music and University of Connecticut; is a corporation member of The Neighborhood Playhouse and on the National Board of Advisors of The Actors Fund; and served as an on-site evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts. In February 2015, he was named director of the new Arts Integrity Initiative at the New School for Drama, focused on creative and academic freedom in the arts. He is currently the director of communication and education for SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreography Society. From 2013 to 2017, he was Interim Director of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts in New York, dedicated to creating opportunities for artists of color and artists with disabilities in theatre, film and television. In 2020 Howard released his book “Another Days Begun” about the history of the play Our Town.
Suzanne Tara Class of 1983
Suzanne has an extensive resume as a professional actress. Her credits include ; Beverly Hills 90210, Models Inc., Dream On, Doogie Howser, M.D., Ferris Beuller, Freddy’s Nightmares, and Saved by The Bell. Suzanne also made many films for Cinemax.
Betsy Kelso Class of 1986
Betsy has created and developed TV series for Warner Bros., ABC Family, MTV, Disney Channel and Universal Music Group. Most notably Betsy created the book for hit musical THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL. Betsy served as Director of both the original NYMF and Off-Broadway productions. The GMTPM has played in 48 states, 4 countries and on 3 continents and is licensed through Dramatists play service.
As a performer Betsy has toured the United States with the comedy JUST FOR LAUGHS, A DAY WITH GATES & MILLS, starring Tim Conway and Tom Poston, and Europe with THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, for which she also assisted the Director and Choreographer in subsequent productions. Other shows in which Betsy performed include GRAND HOTEL, CITY OF ANGELS, MAN OF LA MANCHA, ANNIE, SUGAR BABIES and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. She can also seen in the first season of HANNAH MONTANA.
Andrea (Drobish) Kennedy Class of 1988
Andrea toured North America in the national tour of The Sound Of Music. Andrea then toured Europe as the featured soloist in The Golden Musicals of Broadway. Andrea also headlined the show Those Were the Days aboard the Costa Allegra Cruise Ship. Andrea has worked professionally with the Westport Country Playhouse, Music Theater of Connecticut, Six Flags Amusement Park, The Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library, The Harold Clurman Theater, The Eugene O’Neill and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Andrea is a theater and music educator having worked at MTC in Westport, The Youth CONNection in Shelton, The Shelton High School Drama Club (2002-2007) and is the director of the Amity Summer Theater Camp since 2008. Andrea is a renowned voice teacher of over 25 years. Former students include Tony, Grammy and Oscar winner Justin Paul (La La Land, Greatest Showman, Dear Evan Hansen), Gabbi Carrubba (Dear Evan Hansen, American Idol), Rose Ionaccone (Cats Broadway National Tour), Connor Deane (BMA), Country Singer Marla Morris and Kimberly Jenna Simon (54 Below). Currently Andrea is the Director and Choreographer at Amity High School.
Graham Reynolds Class of 1989
Called “the quintessential modern composer” by the London Independent, Austin, Texas based composer-bandleader-improviser Graham Reynolds records and performs music for film, theater, dance, television, rock clubs, and concert halls with collaborators across a multitude of disciplines. He recently scored Richard Linklater’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Annapurna Pictures) with Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig, and Laurence Fishburne, Happy Jail (Netflix), Stop Hitting Yourself (Lincoln Center Theater), Out of Her Mind (BBC), Grimm Tales (Ballet Austin), and a multi-year commission from Ballroom Marfa, The Marfa Triptych, culminating in his Creative Capital Award winning project Pancho Villa from a Safe Distance, a bilingual cross-border opera created with librettists Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol (Mexico City) and director Shawn Sides (Rude Mechs) and staged in over a dozen cities in North America.
As Artistic Director of the non-profit Golden Hornet, Graham spearheads efforts which draw on both the collaborative spirit of rock bands and the composer-led nature of classical music, with a focus on commissioning new music, fostering young and emerging composers, and presenting adventurous works in non-traditional settings. These endeavors include the The Sound of Science alongside Kronos Quartet's longtime cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, and most recently MXTX: A Cross-Border Exchange; a multi-faceted project comprised of a live performance, album, remixes, and open-source audio sample library involving more than 40 artists from Texas and Mexico.
Reynolds leads the jazz-based but far reaching Golden Arm Trio, is a company member with the internationally acclaimed Rude Mechs theater collective, and resident composer with Salvage Vanguard Theater and Forklift Danceworks. His accolades include a Creative Capital Award, an Independent Music Award, two Frederick R. Loewe Music Theatre Awards, ten Austin Critics Table Awards, the John Bustin Award, multiple Austin Chronicle ‘Best Composer’ wins, and a B. Iden Payne Award. MARFA: A Country & Western Big Band Suite (Fall 2019) broke into the top 100 on the NACC radio charts along with a track premiere in Billboard. In 2020, Graham signed with London-based record label Fire Records and released his original score for Alfred Hitchcock’s silent classic, The Lodger, with a forthcoming album of original material in 2024.
Nic Novicki Class of 2001
Nic Novicki is an actor, comedian and producer who has performed on six continents.
His television credits include: Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, AXS Gotham Comedy Live, Jack and Triumph, The Neighbors, Austin and Alley, Private Practice and Drop Dead Diva. He has appeared in several movies, such as Life Happens, November Rule, The Last 5 Years, Boston Girls and Breaking Wind and will soon be seen in the upcoming Dead Ant.
Nic has produced several feature films, television pilots and web series for companies including Sony, CBS, Air China, Maxim and Universal and is an active member in the Producers Guild of America’s Diversity Committee. Nic wrote for the CBS Diversity Showcase and has also written and directed several short films including A Little Broke, which was acquired by the TV station Shorts HD.
As a stand up comedian, Nic has toured all over the world, including several tours for the troops overseas through Armed Forces Entertainment. He has performed stand up on AXS Gotham Comedy Live. In 2022 Nic was a presenter at the Golden GLobes Awards
He is the founder and Director of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.
Erik Stocklin Class of 2001
Known for his roles in the films Donner Pass, Nesting, and Grey Sheep, Stocklin also appeared on The CW's Vampire Diaries, ABC's Mistresses, CBS's Stalker, the Netflix series Haters Back Off and a recurring role in Good Trouble
He earned a bachelor's degree in theatre from Southern Connecticut State University and also trained at New York City's famous Circle in the Square Theatre School. Erik lives in California with his wife actress and youtube creator Colleen Ballinger (Miranda Sings)and their 3 children.
Hilary Austin Class of 2003
Hilary is a theatrical and corporate event stage manager based in New York City. After graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Hilary worked at Aurora Productions and Roy Gabay Theatricals, where she assisted on over 25 Broadway shows. One of those productions was FELA!, which Hilary stage-managed throughout the original work-shops, the off-Broadway production and the Broadway show which ran at the Eugene O’Neill Theater for a year and a half. Hilary also stage-managed the most recent Broadway revivals of A Streetcar Named Desire and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Since 2011, Hilary has worked on Radio City’ Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes. In addition to working on numerous concerts, graduations and events at Radio City, Hilary has work-shopped, developed and stage managed three new shows starring the Rockettes at Radio City. Hilary’s favorite annual job has been assisting the production supervisors of the Tony Awards, where she coordinates the precise movement of all 200 performing cast members blending the theatrical performances to the precision of a live television broadcast. Corporate Stage management’s clients include; Chrysler, Pepsi, State Farm, Volkswagen, Toyota, Yahoo, Disney, ESPN, Johnson & Johnson, NuSkin, Samsung, T-Mobile, Blackberry, The New York Times, JC Penny, Hermes, Novartis and Allergan.
Amanda Robles Class of 2009
Amanda went on to study theater at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Amanda originated the Role of Isabel and Tia Carmen in the world premiere of the musical American Mariachi at the Denver Center for the Arts and The Old Globe in San Diego. She was also in the workshop production of the new musical From Here to Eternity. Amanda has appeared in the original casts of both Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration and playing the title role in Elena’s Royal Welcome for Walt Disney World and productions with Disney Cruise Line as well as A Flash of Time (The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts), Big Fish (11th Hour Theatre Company), Ay Amor! (Philadelphia Artists’ Collective). Amanda has played Carla in In the Heights at Westport Country Playhouse, Cinderella in Into The Woods at the Great Barrington Stage Company and The Man of La Mancha at Stages St. Louis in the role of Aldonza. Amanda returned to Stages St. Louis in the summer 2022 to rave reviews in their production of In the Heights where she played Vanessa.
Connor Deane Class of 2010
Connor studied theater and received a BFA from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Connor is a professional actor, director and producer. Most notably Connor is the co- creator and executive director of the Black Rock Theater Company in Fairfield, CT. BRT is a non-profit 501(c)(3) musical theater training program that offers year-round classes, fully-staged productions, and the opportunity to connect with some of Broadway's top talents. BRT is the education wing and creative partner of the Westport Country Playhouse. Connor is also the creator and executive producer of the Stephen Sondheim Awards.
Michael Goodman Class of 2010
Mike is a professional musician and a member of the Band EGGY with fellow Amity Alumni Jake Brownstein. Eggy has played at Fairfield Theatre Company StageOne, College Street Music Hall, Toads Place, Nectar’s, The Acoustic, FTC Warehouse, Wall St Theater, The Hollow, Infinity Hall and Brooklyn Bowl. The band has played Shows with Twiddle, Midnight North, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Aqueous, Kung Fu, Lespecial, Perpetual Groove, The Magic Beans, Roosevelt Collier, Andy Frasco. Their Festival appearances include Tumble Down, Disc Jam, Jerry Jam and the Nublu Jazz Festival. Eggy currently touring the United States.
Marla Morris Class of 2010
Marla is a celebrated singer/ songwriter based in Nashville. Marla has written with country stars Chuck Wicks, Kix Brooks, Lorrie Morgan.Grammy-nominated producer Brad Hill (Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne) and Joe Fox. Her first single, "Try Telling My Heart That," was featured on the popular 'Wild Country' playlist on Spotify and on the 'Hot Tracks' playlist on Apple Music. Marla has numerous EP’s and singles in release and plays live in venues around Nashville and beyond.In addition to recording her own music, Marla has also had songs cut by upcoming country artists such as Madeline Merlo and Grant Vogel.
Kimberly Jenna Simon Class of 2011
Kimberly has a degree from CAP21 Musical Conservatory and studied at the NYU Tisch School. Kim’s New York Credits include Berenstain Bears Live (US Tour), The Tutu Trilogy, and On the Town. Kim is also one of the creators and producers of the popular Broadway Cabaret Series Pronoun Showdown at 54 Below and The Green Room 42. The show will travel to San Francisco later this year. Outside of acting Kim is also the creator of the popular Instagram /calligraphy page “All Write by Me”, where she has over 200,000 followers. Instagram: @allwritebyme
Alexandra Kramer Class of 2012
Ali is the only female Amity graduate to participate in the Jimmy Awards on Broadway in 2012. Ali was featured in the PBS documentary Broadway or Bust documenting her experiences at the Jimmys. After receiving her business degree from NorthEastern University Alli studied at the Circle in the Square Musical Theater School. The Circle in the Square is the only theater school attached to a Broadway Theater. Ali has appeared in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel for Amazon Prime and has worked as production assistant for the AMC Network on shows like Mad Menand The Walking Dead. Most recently Ali was the assistant to choreographer Kiesha Lalama at the 2019 Jimmy Awards at the Minskoff Theater and was emcee for the Jimmy Awards reunion concert.
Sabrina Brier Class of 2013
Sabrina is an actress, comedian and influencer. She became famous on TikTok in 2023, becoming known for her skits in which she plays privileged, self-involved characters. Sabrina attended Smith College, where she majored in theater while taking improv classes; she graduated in 2017. She worked in talent management for two years after graduating before working as an assistant for the writers of the ABC legal drama For Life. Sabrina found success on TikTok in which she played characters, such as the "Extremely Passive Aggressive Roommate". She currently has more than 750,000 followers. As an actor she had a guest roles in the Steven Soderbergh web series Command Z, "Planet of the Bass" by comedian Kyle Gordon, and she guest starred as Jessica, in "Smoking", an episode of Abbott Elementary on ABC.
Andrew Gusciora
Class of 2013
Andrew Gusciora is a video projection designer and technician for theater, concerts and other live Events. Andrew has a B.F.A in Theater Production from Western CT State University. He has designed projections for The Tony Kiser Theater (Off Broadway), The George Street Playhouse, Westport Country Playhouse and at WCSU. Andrew has toured with Carrie Underwood on her Cry Pretty Tour, Apollo 11 for Troika Productions and the Bring It! Live Tour. Andrew has worked on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in their teleprompter Department. In 2022 Andrew made his Broadway debut and was the Video Production Engineer for the Play The Kite Runner at the at the Hayes Theater. In the spring of 2023 Andrew opened his 2nd and 3rd Broadway shows; The Thanksgiving Play at the Hayes and Camelot at Lincoln Center.
Peter Charney Class of 2013
Peter Charney is a generative director for the stage & screen. Some of Peter's stage directing credits include the off-Broadway premiere of A Eulogy for Roman (59E59 Theaters & 75th Edinburgh Festival Fringe), an actor-musician reimagining of Spring Awakening (Irondale Center), and a collegiate touring production of Seussical (Hofstra University). He is the director and composer of Bright and Brave: a new musical, which received a co-production at Dixon Place. Select assisting credits include NYMF Benefit Concert: Honoring Steven Schwartz at Signature Theatre, The Big Bang Theory Musical Parody off-Broadway, and Whitney White's Three Sisters at Joe's Pub.
Peter works seasonally in production management for The Tony Awards, The Oscars, Sleep No More, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and was recently the Assistant to the Artistic Director at Playwrights Horizons. Peter is a freelance film journalist for multiple online publications and covers the New York Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. He holds a BFA in Theatre Directing from Hofstra University, is a proud alum of the 24 Hour Plays: Nationals and the Yale Summer Directing Intensive, and is an associate member of SDC.
