Chandler Maria Bingham started her training in ballet, jazz, modern,
and contemporary ballet at an early age. Chandler was accepted into the Conservatory of
Performing Arts (C.O.P.A.) – Dance Program at Point Park University. Chandler graduated
in 2019, obtaining her B.A. in Dance with a Minor History. She has performed
choreography by; Daniel Karasik, Kiki Lucas, David Norsworthy, Kaylin Horgan, and many
others. She has also performed in stage/film work with Rashaad Newsome, Allana Clarke,
and several Netflix productions as a background artist. In addition to being a multidisciplinary performance artist, Chandler
also enjoys teaching and choreographing, working with local youth theatre companies.
Chandler is also a Virtual Global Instructor with Juntos Collective, most recently
teaching in Nicaragua. Chandler was an apprentice with Staycee Pearl Dance Project
2018-2019, before relocating from Michigan, and joining the company in the Fall of 2019.
Read bio
Kaila Carter was born in Washington D.C. and began dancing at a young
age. In her youth, she took classes at various studios and spent her summers studying at
intensives, including, but not limited to, The Rock School, Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theater, Dance Theater of Harlem, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. For high school,
Kaila attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts where she majored in dance and was
under the tutelage of skilled and dedicated teachers such as Charles Augins, Sandra
Fortune-Green, and Katherine Smith. At Ellington, Kaila was given the opportunity to
perform with artists Patti LaBelle and Smokey Robinson, among other exciting
experiences. During this time, she was also given the opportunity to be a founding
member of the pre-professional dance company Visions Contemporary Dance Ensemble, now
known as Katherine Smith Contemporary Dance Ensemble. Kaila is an alumna of Butler University, where she graduated in May of
2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Dance/Arts-Administration and a minor in creative
writing. At Butler, she participated in full length ballet productions, like The
Nutcracker and Swan Lake and in contemporary roles such as Little
Blue Devil by Susan McGuire and Catching Shadows by Cynthia Pratt.
While pursuing her degree, she was also able to grow choreographically and was given
many opportunities to showcase her work, including a piece of hers being featured on
European stages. Soon after graduation, Kaila joined Ballethnic Dance Company, where she
performed as a company member for two seasons and taught ballet to young students. She
was also chosen to participate in Dance Canvas’ 2019-2020 choreography showcase for
emerging artists. Kaila is currently a Company Artists with Confluence Ballet Company, an
instructor at Hill Dance Academy Theatre and is excited to join Pittsburgh Musical
Theater this summer!Read bio
Indira is a performing and visual artist and a native to Atlanta,
Georgia. She began her
dance training at 3 years old at Atlanta Festival Ballet, and continued her training at
Ballethnic Academy of Dance in East Point, GA. As she grew up, Indira fell in love with
ballet, and
began
to train pre-professionally with Ballethnic Academy of Dance. One of her fondest
memories to
date is of her performance as “Sarah” (Clara) in Ballethnic’s Urban Nutcracker.
She
has
had the
opportunity to perform throughout the southeast, participate in summer intensive
programs at
Ballethnic, Orlando Ballet, and Oklahoma City Ballet, under a merit scholarship. Indira
received
her education from Woodward Academy in College Park, GA, until her junior year of high
school, after which she transitioned to Ben Franklin Academy in Atlanta; the work-study
program at BFA allowed her to accept an apprenticeship with Ballethnic Dance Company
while
continuing her evening pre-professional dance training, and to graduate from high school
a
semester early in December 2016. Indira continued her education at the University of Oklahoma in fall
2017 as a
National Award Scholar and a member of the Honors College while dancing as a Trainee,
and later, Studio Company member of the Oklahoma City Ballet. While continuing her
studies, she moved to Houston to dance as a member of Vitacca Ballet II. She graduated
in 3 years in May of 2020 with her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with Academic
Distinction and a 4.0 GPA. Indira is currently a Guest Artist and Freelance Dancer in
the Atlanta area. During these unprecedented times, she is grateful to have had the
opportunity to work with Dance Canvas; Peace, Love, and Dance Project Atlanta; and
Ballethnic Dance Company. Indira is currently a dancer with Confluence Ballet Company,
based in Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s studios, as well as a faculty member at Hill Dance
Academy Theatre, and a new Resident Artist at PMT. She is excited to be on staff for
SMT!Read bio
Brecken was a student of the PMT Conservatory for many years throughout
his childhood. He has been seen in many credits with the company which include Quasimodo
in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jekyll and Hyde in Jekyll as Hyde,
Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and most recently Jesus
in Jesus Christ Superstar. Brecken is currently attending Point Park University for a BFA in
Musical Theater. In addition, he is the lead singer for a Pittsburgh-based punk rock
band. Brecken would like to thank God, his family, and his friends for their unwavering
support. He dedicates his life’s work to the late Elmer and Joanne Lauster, his loving
grandparents who loved nothing more than seeing him perform. Philippians 4:13.Read bio
Danny Herman (SDC) Mr. Herman has appeared on Broadway in Contact,
A Chorus Line (Mike), Leader of the Pack, Song and Dance (First
National Tour), Big Bad Burlesque (Off-Broadway), Die Soldaten (NYC
Opera) and was the associate choreographer for Michael Bennett’s Pre-Broadway Workshops
of Scandal. A recipient of the Jeff Award (Chicago), the After Dark Award
(Chicago) and the B. Iden Payne Award (Austin, TX), Mr. Herman has directed and/or
choreographed World Premier musicals at the Goodman (Chicago), Long Wharf (New Haven),
Zipper Theater (NYC), Ford’s Theater (Washington, D.C.), City Theatre (Pittsburgh),
Playwrights Horizons (NYC), George Street Playhouse (New Brunswick, NJ), Directors
Company (NYC), Theaterfest (Upper Montclair, NJ), Bottom Line (NYC), The Rep
(Nashville), The Royal George (Chicago), LA Children’s Theater, Naked Angels Theater
Company (NYC) as well as dozens of other Broadway Musical Classics all over the country.
Mr. Herman choreographed George Lucas Super Live Adventure
(Japanese Tour), Jane Fonda Workouts (Designed by Theoni Aldredge, Shubert
Theater, NYC), Tabaluga and Lilli (2 European Tours), the 1987 national tour of
Dreamgirls, and the movie Two Step. Mr. Herman directed and
choreographed Madhattan (New York, New York Hotel & Casino, Vegas),
Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus (3 International Editions),
Rugrats - A Live Adventure (2 World Tours) and the acclaimed Dreamgirls -
the 20th Anniversary Benefit Concert for The Actors’ Fund.Read bio
Lindsay has been a resident artist at PMT for many years, including
from 2008-2013 and
returned to the company in 2017 to serve as resident artist once again and the company
marketing manager after living in Arizona. As a former PMT kid herself, she truly
believes in the company mission and seeing the continued accomplishments and growth of
the students both on and off stage. Some of her favorite productions as a performer with
PMT include: The Little Mermaid, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,
Beauty
and the Beast, West Side Story, Footloose and of course the holiday tradition,
A Lyrical
Christmas Carol. She was also the choreographer for The Music Man JR.
and
Bye Bye Birdie
Young Performers Edition at PMT.
Lindsay holds a BA in Journalism and Media Communications from the
Walter Cronkite
School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU. She is thankful for her forever
friends at PMT and knows she can always come home. Love to her husband Eric, and
best
furry friend, Dixie!
Read bio
Regina Kettering, PhD: Regina joins Pittsburgh Musical Theater as
Artist/Music Director
in
Residence. Past credits include Mary Poppins (Chartiers Valley SD),
Shrek
(West Mifflin
SD),
and Phantom of the Opera (Blackhawk SD). She has been Organist/Music Director
at
multiple
Pittsburgh churches over the past 15 years. The adaptability and flexibility required
for organ
translate well to the dialogue between pit and stage.
Classically trained by Anne Liva and Michael Popick, Regina started
playing piano at
4. She
performed publicly at 8, and accompanied choirs by the age of 10. In high school,
she
memorized the equivalent of a Master’s level recital, playing Bach, Beethoven,
Chopin,
and
more. Moving to Pittsburgh allowed her to learn the king of instruments - organ -
from
Craig
Dobbins, Music Director of Sewickley Presbyterian Church. She performed the last
public
recital
at Heinz Chapel, playing music composed by women from 1500-2020 on International
Women’s
Day.
Read bio
Regina is an active member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of
Organists. She
earned a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in protein crystallography.
Kevin is the PMT Conservatory Technical Director. He has set designed
several shows at Pittsburgh Musical Theater including The Music Man Jr., Sister Act,
Jekyll and Hyde, We Will Rock You, and Newsies. He has also worked in
various other technical positions at PMT and PMT Conservatory such as sound designs for
Evil Dead the Musical (2019), Hunchback of Notre Dame (2019), and
A Lyrical Christmas Carol (2019). Over the past several years as the resident
artist with the Teen Performance Intensive Program helping to educate students in
technical theater design and application. Kevin attended Clarion University of
Pennsylvania and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and studied theatrical design
and direction. He is eager to continue to work with the students and professionals at
PMT!Read bio
Shannon received a B.A. in Theatre from Indiana University of
Pennsylvania
with a Concentration in Music and Dance in 2015. She launched her professional career
with
an acting apprenticeship at Serenbe Playhouse in Georgia, making Atlanta her creative
home
until returning to the Pittsburgh area in 2020. She joined the PMT teaching artist team
in
September 2021, and has enjoyed teaching Shakespeare, Musical Theater Workshop, Broadway
Juniors, and Acting. This summer, she is Assistant Directing The Lightning
Thief
before moving to Columbus this Fall to pursue an M.F.A in Acting at The Ohio State
University. Her mission is to further her knowledge of the craft of storytelling while
training to become a better educator and leader for aspiring young artists like the
students
here at PMT Conservatory.Read bio
Callee is overjoyed to be back in her hometown as a resident artist and
teacher at PMT. Her performing highlights include her Wilde Award-nominated performance
as Eponine in Hope Summer Repertory Theatre’s Les Misérables, Horatio in
Hamlet (Off-Broadway), performances at the world famous 54 Below and, most
recently, Mary Magdalene in PMT’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Callee is also a
consistent contributor at Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre and a member of their
youth board - geared toward developing the next generation of classically trained actors
in the greater Pittsburgh region.
She holds a Bachelors of Music from Baldwin Wallace University’s Music Theatre program
where she was awarded the Beverly Buck-Meyer scholarship for excellence in performance,
is a former company member of Hamlet Isn’t Dead (NYC), and is currently
pursuing Actor Combatant status with the Society of American Fight Directors. In her
free time she practices Tae Kwon Do, studies history, and plays with her two beloved
hound dogs.
Read bio
Nick Mitchell is thrilled to be spending another summer alongside the
incredibly talented students and Artists at PMT. After a brief stint in NYC, Nick moved
to Pittsburgh 15 years ago where he found both an artistic family and his amazing wife,
Miss Gemma! He is an active actor/director in the Greater Southwest Pennsylvania region.
Directing highlights at PMT include Evil Dead: The Musical and The 25th
Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Locally, he also directed the critically
acclaimed productions of Bright Star for Front Porch Theatricals and
Assassins at Stage 62. When not acting or directing, Nick is an avid arts
educator. He has taught here at The Conservatory at PMT, as well as at the Pittsburgh
CLO, Pittsburgh Propel, and Plum High School. He is also building and maintaining his
own private acting and coaching studio. Nick studied Musical Theater at Oklahoma City
University, continued his education at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, and is currently
taking classes with Z/A Studios.
Read bio
Samantha has been dancing since she was a young girl in her hometown of
Medina, Ohio. Her dance studies started at age two and continued through college.
Through her experiences, she had the privilege of performing with American Ballet
Theatre and Cincinnati Ballet Company. Her expertise is in ballet and jazz, but she also
has extensive training in modern, tap, contemporary, and musical theater. Samantha
graduated from Slippery Rock University, teaches English Language Arts in the
Baldwin-Whitehall school district, and works with the Musical Theater program at J. E.
Harrison Middle School. This is Samantha’s first year working in the SMT program with
Pittsburgh Musical Theater, and she can’t wait to keep working with such talented kids!
Read bio
LaTrea Rembert is a Pittsburgh artist who has worked with the STAYCEE
PEARL
dance project for the past three seasons. Originally from Cincinnati, LaTrea is a
graduate
of Point Park University where he obtained his B.A. in Theater Arts while minoring in
dance.
LaTrea has worked with several local theater companies such as The REP, City Theater,
Pittsburgh Playwrights and Pittsburgh Musical Theater. He has also had the opportunity
to
work with Anthony Williams (Loving Black), Attack Theatre and The Opera Theater
of
Pittsburgh.Read bio
Erin is glad to be back in her happy place with Pittsburgh Musical
Theater. Her latest adventures include Kate in Brighton Beach Memoirs (The
Theater Factory), Marian Thayer in Titanic (Split Stage Productions) Sister
Julia Child of God in Nunsense (PMT), Freulein Schweiger in The Sound of
Music (PMT), Elizabeth in Young Frankenstein (TTF) and various roles
in Forbidden Broadway (TTF). Many hugs and kisses to Scott, Brody, and Ben.Read bio
Quinn Patrick Shannon has been a regional performer and director in New
York, Pittsburgh and Central PA. He first appeared with PMT at the age of 6 as Tiny Tim
in the original 1991 production of A Lyrical Christmas Carol. He directed
Hair (2017) and Sweeney Todd (2016) for the Richard E. Rauh
Conservatory, but is perhaps best known at PMT for his appearance as Quasimodo in
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2017). Favorite PMT appearances include Young
Frankenstein (Igor), Grease (Roger), and Sister Act (Joey).
Other favorites: Guys and Dolls (Nicely Nicely Johnson) for the Pittsburgh
Public Theater, Forever Plaid (Frankie), The Toxic Avenger (White
Dude), and Titanic (Pittman/Etches) for the Pittsburgh CLO, and most recently
The Current War for Quantum Theatre (Francis Upton) this past June. He would
like to thank his amazing wife Caroline for her never ending love and support.
Read bio
Caity Skalski started her music theater journey as Broadway Jr. when
she was five years old! PMT gave her a deep sense of music theater knowledge and
experience that she's taken with her throughout life. She also received a BFA in Music
Theatre from Elon University. Some of her professional credits include the Broadway
National Tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella as the Stepsisters
cover/ensemble, Star to Be in Annie at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center, and
a principal dancer at Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts! Her favorite PMT credits include
Eponine in Les Mis and Kate in Legally Blonde.Read bio
Dr. Tortorello is the Resident Music Director of Pittsburgh Musical
Theater. Recent productions include Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat, HAIR, Newsies, and The Sound of Music. She
teaches multiple classes for the pre-college program in the PMT Conservatory. Dr.
Tortorello is also an accomplished classical musician and performs with a variety of
instrumentalists and singers. She frequently collaborates with members of the Pittsburgh
Symphony. A dedicated teacher and coach, she has maintained an active piano teaching
studio for the past twenty years. Dr. Tortorello began piano lessons at the age of four
in her hometown of Mount Kisco, NY. She holds a Bachelors degree in Piano Performance
from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Antonio Pompa-Baldi. She
received a Masters degree and Professional Studies certificate in Collaborative Piano
from CIM, studying with Virginia Weckstrom. She also earned a Doctorate in Collaborative
Piano and Coaching at the University of Minnesota and studied with Timothy Lovelace.
Francesca and her husband, Pittsburgh Symphony cellist Michael DeBruyn, have been
performing as a professional duo since 2004.Read bio
Kassi Tiedjens is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and began her dance
education at the
age of 4 with the Milwaukee Ballet School and Academy. Kassi studied with the
Milwaukee Ballet School for 14 years and had the privilege of dancing in company
productions of Michael Pink’s The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Peter
Pan.
During her
academic career, Kassi attended the performing arts high school Pius XI where she
performed several soloist roles in a diverse number of styles and repertoires. Recently,
Kassi graduated cum laude with high distinction from Butler University and received a
BFA in Dance Performance as well as a BA in Psychology. During her time at Butler
University, one of the top three ranked dance programs in the nation, Kassi had the
opportunity to dance in corps de ballet, demi-soloist, and soloist roles in large-scale
productions of The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Midwinter Dances,
as
well
as student-made choreographic works. Kassi enjoys the intellectual and artistic side of
dance and pushes her students to engage in critical thinking when approaching any
style of movement.
Kassi joined Confluence Ballet Co. for their inaugural season as a
company artist
and
has performed in an array of soloist and group pieces. Executively, Kassi functions
as
Confluence’s Costume Manager and Communications Associate. When Kassi is not
dancing, she enjoys taking yoga classes, sewing, and baking.
Read bio
Rocker Verastique appeared in the original Broadway companies of
Contact, Chicago, Victor/Victoria and Carousel. Mr. Verastique’s other
Broadway credits include Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera and The Ziegfeld
Follies of 1936, as well as the world premiere productions ofHearts Desire,
Jekyll and Hyde, Spirit and the Broadway workshop of Fosse. Rocker’s
other credits include Paul in A Chorus Line (Pittsburgh Musical Theater),
Konstantine Morrisine in On Your Toes (Gateway Playhouse. NY),
Sophisticated Ladies (Drury Lane, Chicago), Feld Ballet, Los Angeles Chamber
Ballet, danced six years with artistic director Mikhail Baryshinikov in American Ballet
Theatre. In Los Angeles, he spent four years on the television series Fame and
was the male lead in the award winning music video “Nasty” opposite Janet Jackson. Mr. Verastique has choreographed dozens of musical theater classics all
over the country, as well as, Cabaret (Saint Edward’s University),
Chicago (Austin Playhouse), Miss Saigon (Pittsburgh Musical Theater),
Leader Of The Pack, Dreamgirls and Beehive (Pittsburgh Playhouse),
Five Guys Named Moe and Little Me (Candlelight, Chicago), A Chorus
Line (Geva, Rochester NY), Helldriver’s of Daytona (Royal George,
Chicago) and the movie Two Step, as well as co-choreographing Rugrats - A
Live Adventure (2 World Tours).Read bio
Ted is an actor, director, and educator. As an actor, Ted has made
numerous
appearances on stage and screen including Richard Linklater’s recent picture “Last Flag
Flying" and as the unfortunate plumber Ralph in the recent horror film "The Clog." As a
director, he has staged over 50 productions. He has held directing positions at
Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Bucks County Playhouse and Musical
Theatre West in Long Beach, CA, where he also served as the Education and Outreach
Director. Ted has been an instructor with Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Pittsburgh
CLO,
and the New York Film Academy. He has also had the privilege of serving on artistic
panels for Carnegie Mellon University and teaching at Harvard University for the New
York Film Academy. Ted holds a bachelor’s degree in musical theatre from Point Park
University and a master’s degree in directing from the Actors Studio Drama School. He
is a proud member of both Actors Equity Association and SAG/AFTRA.
Read bio