doc604 Franklin Court Edgewater, NJ 07020 347-806
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604 Franklin Court Edgewater, NJ 07020 347-806
604 Franklin Court Edgewater, NJ 07020 347-806-4969 [email protected] www.BrianSwasey.com NEW YORK EXPERIENCE The Secret Garden City of Angels Die Mommie Die Bernstein’s Peter Pan A New Brain Forever Plaid -NYIT Award Nominee A New Generation of Song The Man in the Iron Mask -with Marla Schaffel Rapunzel -with D’Jamin Bartlett Lucky Stiff Is There Life After High School? -OOBR Award Winner Triumph of Love -NYIT Award Nominee Nunsense The Wild Party REGIONAL EXPERIENCE Chicago Respect- A Musical Journey of Women Fiddler on The Roof The Cat in the Hat Ain’t Misbehavin’ Singin’ In The Rain The Berenstain Bears Legally Blonde The Marvelous Wonderettes Grease 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Hairspray Fiddler on the Roof (Robbins Choreography) A Taffeta Wedding Rent –Best Musical, NH Spotlight Award Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Altar Boyz (Gatelli Choreography) Sweeney Todd Once on the Island Always, …Patsy Cline West Side Story (Robbins Choreography) Musical of Musicals, The Musical Miracle on 34th Street The Rocky Horror Show Peter Pan The News in Review Kiss Me Kate -NH Theater Award Nominee She Loves Me A Christmas Carol Annie Director/Choreographer Choreographer Assistant Director Director Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director Director Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer White Plains PAC Gallery Players New World Stages Leonard Bernstein Office Astoria Performing Arts Center APAC 2007 NY Musical Theatre Festival The Lambs Theatre 2006 NYC Fringe Festival Astoria Performing Arts Center Astoria Performing Arts Center Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Choreographer Astoria Performing Arts Center Astoria Performing Arts Center The Gallery Players Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director Director/Choreographer Director Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Assistant Director Director/Choreographer Choreographer Director/Choreographer Director/Choreographer Seacoast Repertory Theatre Sierra Repertory Theatre St. Michael’s Playhouse Ogunquit Playhouse Seacoast Repertory Theatre Mac-Haydn Theatre The Ogunquit Playhouse Riverside Dinner Theatre Bristol Valley Theatre Maui Onstage Summit Playhouse Seacoast Repertory Theatre New London Barn Playhouse Arundel Barn Playhouse Seacoast Repertory Theatre Bristol Valley Theatre Seacoast Repertory Theatre Portland Players Maui Onstage Arundel Barn Playhouse Seacoast Repertory Theatre Bristol Valley Theatre Seacoast Repertory Theatre Arundel Barn Playhouse Seacoast Repertory Theatre Coconut Grove Playhouse Lakes Region Summer Theatre New London Barn Playhouse Jenny Wiley Theatre Maui Onstage Education BA in Musical Theatre from the University of Hampshire, 1995 Artistic Director, Astoria Performing Arts Center (2001-2008) Associate Producer, Queens Theatre in the Park (Spring 2008-June 2011) Julie Oliver Education Director Ogunquit Playhouse 603-493-5818 Carol Lucha-Burns Professor University of New Hampshire 603-494-7620 Jon Kimbell Director [email protected] Carol Dunne Artistic Director New London Barn Playhouse 603-526-4631 Alexis Dascoulias Artistic Director Maui Onstage 808-244-8680 Craig Faulkner Artistic Director Seacoast Repertory Company 603-433-4793 Karin Bowerstock Artistic Director Bristol Valley Theater 585-374-9032 Director Brian Swasey works wonders, taking fresh perspectives on a myriad of songs and maintaining a tricky balance between razzmatazz and cabaret-like intimacy. -John Kenrick, Musicals101.com I feel like I got a directors workshop for free. Your stage direction and choreography was simple but extremely effective. -George Wood Jr., President, Theatre Sarnia, Ontario Canada His artistic and personal integrity are extremely high, creating an atmosphere where his cast and crew trust him totally. -Susan Scannell, Executive Producer Astoria Performing Arts Center Watch for this man's name in years to come. -John Kenrick, Musicals101.com His sense of period style and musical theatre history was clearly demonstrated in his exciting choreography. -Carol Lucha-Burns, Director of Musical Theatre, University of New Hampshire The girls sound and look great. Productions like these are a pleasure for me to see -Dan Goggin, Writer of Nunsense Director/Choreographer, Brian Swasey, filled the entire theatre with action, taking the fun into the audience. -Charles Battersby, OOBR online Director and choreographer, Brian Swasey, has superbly taken this tail of New Jersey Nuns across two rivers to Queens. -The Queens Scene What impressed me was his ability to teach beyond the choreography-each student had a complete understanding of their character. - Justin Ball, Scarsdale Summer Music Theatre Artistic Director It's a zany cross of fluff and mayhem, brought to life with zest and high spirits by director Brian Swasey. -Martin Denton, NY Theatre.com This kind of zany material can fizzle in the wrong hands, but director Brian Swasey keeps his cast tuned to exactly the right comic pitch, winning every laugh. - John Kenrick, Musicals101.com rent- Seacoast Repertory Theatre Directed and choreographed by Brian Swasey Swasey’s blocking and action is visually interesting and vivacious with a palpable mix of energies - hysterical to heartfelt. -Jeanne McCarten Seacoast Online the La Boheme of the ‘90s receives a masterful proudction. -Meghan Grumbling THE PORTLAND PHOENIX Swasey deftly molds the characters and then lets the story tell itself. -Scarlett Ridgeway Savage The Wire Brian Swasey is a graduate of The University of New Hampshire with a degree in Musical Theatre and Dance. Directing and Choreography credits include Forever Plaid, Beauty and the Beast, Altar Boyz, Sweeney Todd, Lucky Stiff, Footloose, A Christmas Carol, The Wild Party, The Man in The Iron Mask, Godspell, Seussical, Starmites, Nunsense, Hairspray, A Taffeta Wedding, Is There Life After High School?, How to Succeed..., Fiddler on the Roof, Once on this Island, A New Brain, Miracle on 34th Street, Musical of Musicals, The Musical, A Chorus Line, Once Upon a Mattress, West Side Story,Kiss Me, Kate and Peter Pan. Assistant Directed Die, Mommie, Die starring Charles Busch. Theatrical Performing credits include George in The Drowsy Chaperone, Harry Houdini in Ragtime at Maine State Music Theatre, the OffBroadway production of Naked Boys Singing, Into the Woods, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Crazy for You, Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby, Fiddler on the Roof, A Chorus Line, She Loves Me, 42nd Street, Tommy, The Wizard of Oz, and an international and US tour of West Side Story. Artistic Director of the Astoria Performing Arts Center (2001-2008). For more information visit www.brianswasey.com. A New Brain Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) Astoria, NY - May 2007 Reviewed by John Kenrick It takes guts to do theatre these days, and that goes double when you try to make theatre happen in the outer boroughs of New York City. People who live within commuting distance of Manhattan are so used to finding their entertainment on that little island that they often forget to look in their own local communities. I was born and raised in Astoria, so I'm delighted that my old neighborhood can claim a professional theatre company that has been delighting audiences for the last five years. Instead of cranking out revivals of the usual theatrical warhorses, Astoria Performing Arts Center offers new plays and fresh productions of fascinating but rarely seen musicals. They have another winner in their latest mainstage offering, a production of William Finn's acclaimed off-Broadway work A New Brain. Finn is one of the brightest talents in contemporary musical theatre, and unlike his more easily loveable longrunning Broadway hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, this piece is a challenge. A New Brain offers the semi-autobiographical story of a gay songwriter suddenly faced with a potentially terminal brain illness. This unlikely subject fairly bursts with humanity and humor, as the things that really matter in life sort themselves out of the things that don't. Finn's score ranges from the hilarious to the ravishing, and all points in between. In the lead role of Gordon Michael Schwinn, Joe Pace captures the neurotic uncertainty and growing terror of a creative man facing the loss of his life. Lois S. Hart scores major points as his devoted mother, who's sincere lifelong desire to make everything better for her son can't make this threat any less deadly. As Gordon's devoted lover Roger, handsome Shad Olsen offers a poignant performance, including a heartfelt rendition of "I'd Rather Be Sailing," a gorgeous song that has found a life of its own in workshops and cabaret acts. Doug Chitel wins laughs in the often thankless role of Mr. Bungee, a children's TV star that Gordon unwillingly writes for. As a likeable male nurse, Justin Birdsong shows solid comic instincts and some impressive pipes -- as does Yolanda Batts playing a homeless woman who unintentionally weaves her way in and out of the action. Julie Rees, Sevan Green, Stephanie Wilberding and Jim Dimarino all give solid performances, making this the kind of strong ensemble cast we've come to expect from APAC. Director Brian Swasey's pacing and staging are always a delight. At a time when it has become fashionable for directors to impose a personal vision on musicals, Swasey trusts authors and lets the material define what is needed. If and when Broadway has the sense to make use of such a talent, theatre lovers will all be better off. Swasey's energetic, thoroughly entertaining production has a simple but memorable set by Michael P. Kramer, one that visually captures the unheard music filling the main character's mind. Lighting designer Erik Michael and costumer Jessa-Raye Court do wonders on a shoestring. Jeffrey Campos leads the cast and five piece orchestra through this difficult score with a steady hand. APAC's ongoing search for a performing home has led them to a no-frills but comfortable auditorium in Astoria's Variety Boys and Girls Club -- a bit of a trek from the nearest subway, but a production like A New Brain makes it more than worth the trip. After attending the opening performance, a companion who is not prone to praise anything said, "That was more satisfying than anything I've seen on Broadway in the last two years." Three cheers for executive director Taryn Drongowski and everyone else who keeps APAC happening. Once again, the guts and determination of this little company have paid off with one heck of a good show! This production is scheduled to close on May 20, 2006.
