Amas Staff Biographies

 
DONNA TRINKOFF - Producing Artistic Director - has been at the helm of Amas 1994, has produced Signs of Life, Wanda’s World, Shout! The Mod Musical, Sheba, Magpie, DogMusic, Lone Star Love, Texas, Stormy Weather: The Lena Horne Story, Zanna, Don’t!, Starmites 2001, Latin Heat, From My Hometown, Langston Hughes's Little Ham, 4 Guys Named José, Rollin’ on the T.O.B.A., (partial list) and many, many musicals for the Amas Six O’Clock Lab. Donna is an Associate Artistic Director of the Cabaret and Performance Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Center in CT and works with Aruba Productions on new and upcoming musicals. She holds a BA in English and Theatre from SUNY Binghamton, is a graduate of the National Theatre Institute and Drama Studio in London. A member of the League for Professional Theatre Women, she received the New York Municipal Art Society 1998 Award of Merit and the 2003 Galaxy Award from the NY Women’s Association.  


 
JAN HACHA - Managing Director - is responsible for infrastructure, institutional development, strategic planning, corporate sponsorship, and integrated marketing and communications planning. Prior to joining Amas he headed an integrated marketing communications and advertising agency, TRIO Communications, that offered strategic marketing planning, launch planning, branding, integrated communications, training, advertising, direct marketing and tactical creative services across all media. Hacha's background includes business-to-business, business-to-consumer, channel communications, media relations, and research services provided to a diverse client base including automotive, non-profit, health insurance, financial, technology, government, automotive aftermarket, insurance, food products, and retail. He's been responsible for numerous successful market- and customer-building campaigns, public relations campaigns, and business theatre events. Early in his career he was founder, principal performer and Producing Artistic Director of the Starry Night Puppet Theatre where he won a prestigious UNIMA Award. He has served on the Theatre Panels of the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the JPMorganChase Fund for Small Theatres (administered by the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York).  



 
MICHAEL BUSH – Artistic Associate - is the former director of artistic production for the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City. He was associated with MTC for over 25 years and helped artistically guide more than 150 new plays and musicals, including the Tony® Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof, Doubt, and the Tony® Award winning Love! Valour! Compassion! At MTC he most recently directed Based on A Totally True Story. He was instrumental in the rebirth of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's Cabaret & Performance Conference, and has served as its artistic director since 2005. Under his guidance the conference has developed over 40 new evenings of "Cabaret Theatre" including Title of Show and The Story of My Life, both of which were produced on Broadway. Michael directed Stormy Weather for the Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles and the Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia Mr. Bush directed the New York Music Theater Festival (NYMF) productions of The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde (2005), and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Marcus Hummon's musicals Warrior (2006), and The Piper (2007). For the 2008 NYMF Festival he directed the Richard Rodgers Award winning new musical To Paint the Earth. During his tenure as producing artistic director at Charlotte Repertory Theatre in Charlotte NC (2002-2004) he presented Hilary Swank in The Miracle Worker, Penny Fuller in The Glass Menagerie, and directed the 20th Anniversary production of Pump Boys and Dinettes. He also directed and co-wrote the book for the musical Let Me Sing which was co-produced with George Street Playhouse in New Jersey and Charlotte Repertory Theatre.  


 
MARIA TORRES - Artist-in-Residence - has worked extensively in theatre, film, television and commercials. As a performer, she starred in the Broadway musical Swing! and was featured in the film Dance With Me. Maria choreographed the Off-Broadway shows The Donkey Show, 4 Guys Named José (at Amas and Off-Broadway), Latin Heat (with Michael Brenner (Sundance Prodcutions and Amas), Best of both Worlds, and Disneys' Golden Mickeys. Her feature film credits include El Cantante, starring Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony, and Sueno, starring John Leguizamo and Elizabeth Pena, which premiered at the Latino Film Festival, Idlewild, starring Outkast and Terrance Howard, and Enchanted, starring Patrick Dempsey and Susan Sarendon. Maria choreographed the national commercial campaign for Stayfree and Burger King. She has taught all over the world at some of the most prestigious schools, including the Broadway Dance Enter, Alvin Ailey, American Dance Theatre, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Maria has just finished choreographing Cheer, a new theatre piece, being produced by Mark Routh, Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Steve Baruch, and Broadway Asia. She is also working on a new dance piece with Timothy Childs.  


 
JUNE RACHELSON OSPA – Rosetta LeNoire Musical Academy Director – is beginning her 4th year with the Academy. June has been an art/drama teaching specialist for the Vanderbilt Y in New York City for its after school programs as well as the Drama Specialist for the Y Summer Camp. She was in charge of the Summer Drama staff and created the Musical Programs to be performed by the children for their parents. As an Educator, June co-wrote with her son Jonathan, who was seven at the time, a musical play about Tourette Syndrome. Jon was diagnosed with TS at age five. The play won the Very Special Arts Playwright Discovery Award and was performed for Congress at the Kennedy Center in DC. Tourettaville has since been performed to over 10,000 school children. June became the secretary for the Tourette Syndrome Association, NY Chapter. She developed successful, yearly mentoring brunch events for Children with Tourette Syndrome. As a producer June has worked with Doug Katsaros on Orphan Train (York Theatre), Oh Rats (Vexler Theatre in San Antonio, ACE Cabaret (in Eugene Oregon); and Valadon and with Mark Bramble on Guardian Angel at La Mama. Adding Machine: TRU (Musical Reading Series), No More Waiting (a new Musical that premiered at NYC Duplex in 2005), Meester Amerika 2006 TRU musical series (Michael Colby, Jenn Berman, Artie Bressler), Showcase, Meester America, St. Luke's Theater 2007. As a lyricist, credits include Gone to Texas (Globe Winner at Josephine Theatre in San Antonio), S.W.A.K! (an award winning fairy tale), Welcome to Tourettaville, (Grammy winner Dr. John recorded song from Tourettaville T-Ville won Spotlight Festival Awards in 2004 and Best Ensemble Award at Neurofest in 2005. June's son Jacob is animating T-Ville for 2007 release. Stellaluna (Scholastic Entertainment and MGM released July 20, 2004). TRIANGLE, with composer Mark Barkan, winner of All Seasons Festival, Member of League of Professional Theater Women, Dramatist Guild, ASCAP, TRU Board member (A Producing Organization).  


 
CHRISTOPHER SCOTT - Artistic Associate – Director End of Year Production - RLMTA 15 years. Recently directed Lorenzo at NYMF and A Mother’s Love by Michael Watson, starring Jan Maxwell. Off-Broadway: Nancy Friday’s My Secret Garden, For Lovers Only, Golf: The Musical!, Tails, The Big Bang, The Broadway Kids Sing Broadway and Theatreworks USA. TV: opening number “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” (NBC), “Museum of the Moving Image Salutes Ron Howard” (Bravo), “Kathie Lee: We Need a Little Christmas” (CBS), “The NBA All-Star Game” (NBC). Acting: Broadway: Meet Me in St. Louis. Off-Broadway: The Fantastics, The Chosen, The Twilight of the Gold, Bent, Jekyll and Hyde and Pets! Teaching: NYU/CAP21, Baruch College and the Michael Howard Studio.  


 
MONICA CELESTE JOHNSON - Choreographer/Dance Instructor - celebrates her 17th season and choreographing her 16th show with Amas and the Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy. Ms. Johnson is a certified yoga instructor and works as a clinical stress reduction consultant for the Human Resources Administration. She has performed as a dancer, actress and singer Off-Broadway, and as a back up dancer with recording artists touring internationally and nationally on television and film. Monica served as co-host for the Apollo Theatre's Amateur Night "Live" which toured nationally. Monica Celeste Johnson is presently managing young recording artists and coaches and develops many of the alums of the Academy. Her voice can be heard on WWRL 1600AM on numerous commercial spots.   


 

SHAINA TAUB - Music Director and Vocal Instructor - Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy
Shaina Taub is a Vermont-raised, New York-based performer and songwriter. Her work as a vocalist, composer and arranger has been heard at Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theater, Joe's Pub, Birdland, New York's Town Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her original folk-funk opera, The Daughters, has been produced at CAP21 Theatre Company and the Yale Institute of Music Theater, and was a 2011 Richard Rodgers Award finalist. She recently released her debut EP, What Otters Do. Shaina was awarded a 2012 MacDowell Fellowship, and is currently writing a new musical commissioned by the Tony-Award winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival. BFA, NYU Tisch School of the Arts. www.shainataub.com

  


 
STEPHEN NACHAMIE - Teaching Artist/Director - New York credits include: Faraway Bayou (Benefit Concert for American Cancer Society), I Hate Hamlet (Harbor Lights Theatre Company), She Loves Me. Pace University, Luck!, with Faith Prince (York Theatre), Into the Woods, Cap21/NYU, Torch Song Trilogy, starring Seth Rudetsky, Like You Like It, NAMT, Choreographer - NYMF). Regional Credits include: Hello Out There (Goodspeed Musicals Festival), Camelot and 1776 (Olney Theatre Center), Oliver! (John W. Engeman Theatre), Guttenberg! and tick, tick…Boom! (New Repertory Theatre), Dreamgirls (WV Public Theatre), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (GretnaTheatre), Miss Saigon and The Full Monty (Maine State Music Theatre), Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Italian American Reconciliation, Spelling Bee (Depot Theatre), Almost, Maine, Driving Miss Daisy, Urinetown (Barnstormers Theatre), The Fantasticks (Emelin Theatre). Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Hedwig (Capital Playhouse), Joseph..., Jesus Christ Superstar (West Virginia Public Theatre), The Music Man, Cabaret (TriArts), Chicago (Seacoast Rep), A Chorus Line (two National Tours and many regional productions), West Side Story (Italian Tour, NC Theatre, Gateway Playhouse), Charlie Brown (Emelin and Cherry County Playhouse), Evita (Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, Gateway Playhouse ). Stephen’s work has been seen in cabarets, and industrials and he currently has several new musicals in development and is a member of SDC. Stephen  has been a master-class teacher for the Signature Theatre in VA, the Musical Theatre Performance Project, PPAS (NYC) and AMDA.