CHARACTER MAN AT URBAN STAGES
THE CREATIVE TEAM

JIM BROCHU (The "Character Man") Jim is the only actor in America to win the New York Drama Desk Award, Washington DC’s Helen Hayes Award, the Los Angeles Ovation Award and the Florida Carbonell Award, all for Best Actor in a Play. The play in question was Zero Hour in which Jim portrayed the great Zero Mostel for over six hundred performances. He appeared on Broadway as Andrew McLaren in Brigadoon opposite Christine Ebersole and as Mr. Brownlow in Oliver! to Brian Stokes Mitchell’s Fagin. In Washington, DC he was Willy Clark to Theodore Bikel’s Al Lewis in Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys. He recently starred in the Off-Broadway revivals of  The Man Who Came To Dinner as Sheridan Whiteside and as Sir in The Roar of the Greasepaint; The Small of the Crowd.  He is the author of two books, ten plays and two musicals, “The Last Session” and  “The Big Voice: God or Merman?” Prior to taking on Zero, Jim was in New York City starring in his Off-Broadway hit, The Big Voice: God or Merman? which he also wrote. The New York Times called it: “Triumphant and side-splitting – a hilarious and utterly enthralling evening of musical theatre.” In 2005, Jim was nominated again by the Los Angeles Ovation Awards as Best Actor in a Musical for “The Big Voice”, an honor he won from both the Palm Springs Desert Star Awards and the Valley Theatre League ADA Awards. “The Big Voice: God or Merman?” was also given the Ovation Award as Best Musical, presented to himself and composer-partner, Steve Schalchlin, by the legendary Jerry Herman.  His acting career has taken him to regional stages all over the United States and Canada, including the Washington Theatre Club in D.C., the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, The Invisible Theatre in Tucson, two seasons at the Goodspeed Opera House where he originated the role of Flint in “Something’s Afoot,” Theatre Building Chicago, Stages Repertory Theatre in Houston, the Trinity Arts Center in Dallas and the DejaVu Theatre in Los Angeles - where he won the Backstage West Award as Best Actor for his performance as Marvin in Robert Patrick’s “T-Shirts.”
ROBERT BARTLEY (Director)Robert is delighted to be working again with Mr. Brochu! He has directed the previous incarnations of Character Man (Stage Door Theatre, Florida; American Theater Group, New Jersey; the Triad and Metropolitan Room, NYC). In 2006, Robert created Broadway Backwards, now in its ninth year, which he continues to direct, choreograph and write, and has featured countless performers including Betty Buckley, Whoopi Goldberg, Len Cariou, Neil Patrick Harris, F. Murray Abraham, Bebe Neuwirth, Alan Cumming, Charles Busch, Tony Sheldon, Doris Roberts, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Florence Henderson. Last year, Robert directed Jim in the eighth edition of Broadway Backwards at Broadway’s historic Palace Theatre. Other directing credits include The Cuban and the Redhead, for which he has co-written the book, music and lyrics with Danny Whitman (Los Angeles Festival of New American Musicals, Village Theatre, Revision Theatre, York Theatre Co. and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre), The Family Fiorelli (New York Musical Theatre Festival), The Tales of Custard (Algonquin Theatre, later transferring Off-Broadway to Daryl Roth’s DR2 Theatre), Sailing Against the Current (York Theatre Co.), Color Blind (NYMF), Hair (Peculiar Works’ sequel to the Obie Award-winning Off Stage: East Village Fragments) and the Dallas premieres of a new play, Frequency of Death (Eisemann Center) and Xanadu (Watertower Theatre). Next fall, Robert will direct and choreograph the off-Broadway premiere of Bed Bugs: The Musical, which workshopped last fall (Chernuchin Theatre). As an actor, Robert has played leading roles on Broadway in Miss Saigon, the national tours of Cats and Grease, Off-Broadway in Clue, the Musical and Cy Coleman’s last musical, Exactly Like You, as well as regionally at Goodspeed Musicals, Coconut Grove Playhouse, the MUNY, Pioneer Theatre, Barrington Stage Company, Walnut Street Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars in Houston and Baltimore Center Stage. Films: The Producers and Disney’s Enchanted. One of his most memorable experiences, however, was performing in an all-star, one-night-only concert of West Side Story alongside Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Bette Midler, Beyonce and Chita Rivera. Robert is a proud member of SDC, the Dramatists Guild, AEA and SAG-AFTRA.

CARL HAAN (Musical Director) recently served as the asst. conductor for the nat'l tour of My Fair Lady, produced by Cameron Mackintosh, and is currently teaching musical theater for Rosie's Theater Kids, an organization started by Rosie O'Donnell which enriches the lives of children in the NYC public schools through the arts; Broadway: Broadway Backwards 5, 6, 7 & 8; Lestat; Off-Broadway: Five Course Love, Miracle Brothers, We're Still Hot, Pirates of Penzance, On the Town; Regional: The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Nick Adams, The Last Five Years, The Yiddish are Coming!, Second City at Sea; Chicago credits: The Wild Party (LaChiusa midwest premiere), MENOPAUSE: The Musical, Forever Plaid, NINE (Jeff nomination), Hello Muddah! Hello Fadduh!, Little Shop of Horrors, Into the Woods; He has played for ballet at Broadway Dance Center & Steps, accompanied several cabarets at The Metropolitan Room, Don't Tell Mama's and the Duplex, worked as a vocal director for Royal Caribbean and has taught at NYU/CAP 21 and Wagner College. Thanks so much Bobby!!! Nub nu Tugba!!! Xoox

FRANCES HILL (Founding Artistic Director) began her theatrical career in California as an actress. Since 1983, Ms. Hill has overseen more than 600 staged readings/workshops and 75 productions of new works for the stage. She has directed over 30 workshops and productions. Her favorite directing credits include: Gino DiIorio’s Apostasy, Roma Greth’s Our Summer Days, Jim Lehrer’s Chili Queen, (directed at Urban Stages and Kennedy Center), John Picardi’s Seven Rabbits on a Pole and The Sweepers (directed at Urban Stages and Capital Rep); and Comfort Women by Chugmi Kim (Urban Stages 2004), 27 Rue De Fleurs. Two of her plays have been produced, Our Bench and Life Lines. Under the guidance of Ms. Hill, Playwrights’ Preview Productions/URBAN STAGES have moved two plays into commercial Off-Broadway successes. Minor Demons opened the new Century Center Theater and Men on the Verge of His-Panic Breakdown won an Outer Critic’s Circle Award while playing to capacity audiences at the 47th Street Theater. Urban Stages’ African American Poets as Playwrights won eight Audelco Nominations and Coyote On a Fence received two Drama Desk nominations and a Pilgrim’s Project Award. Eisa Davis’ Bulrusher was one of three nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. 2010 production of Langston in Harlem won several drama desk nominations, a John Calloway award, several Audelco nominations including a win for best music production of the year (2010), along with several other awards.

Peter Napolitano (Producing Director) received his training at NYU School of the Arts - The Experimental Theatre Wing, which led to working with two groundbreaking Off Broadway theatres, Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Co. and The Glines. In musical theatre, he was lyricist of Tropicana, book and direction by the legendary George Abbott, produced by Musical Theatre Works; and lyricist/librettist of The Lady in Penthouse B, music by Matthew Ward, produced “Mufti Style” by the York Theatre, starring Nancy Dussault. A member of the prestigious BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, he is currently writing the book and lyrics of That Way and Pinocchio of Chelsea, with composers Barry Levitt and Mark Janas, respectively. For his recent work in virtually every major NY cabaret venue, he received the BMI Bistro Award (director) and three MAC Awards (director, lyricist, producer). Associated with Urban Stages since Jan., 2011, Mr. Napolitano has produced Musical Legends, My Occasion of Sin and Character Man, three annual Winter Rhythms music series and has directed numerous readings and concerts including A Centennial Celebration of Mary Martin. Other highlights of his varied career: directing the early work of Charles Busch; guest lecturing at Manhattan School of Music; contributing editor of The Blockbuster Guide to Movies on Video (Dell); and author of a Modern Love essay for The New York Times.

SEAN HAGERTY (Technical Director and Sound Designer) is a composer, violinist, and sound designer specializing in music for theater and dance. Previous projects include sound and music for the off-Broadway production of Around the World in 80 Days (New 45th Street Theater), Then She Fell (Kingsland Ward), Symphony of Shadows (Dixon Place), The Pavilion (Mile Square Theater), The Fall to Earth (59 E 59), Foreign Bodies and Faith (Living Theater, Wild Project), and Steampunk Haunted House (Abrons Arts Center). He has served as technical director at Urban Stages for Honky and Inner Voices and sound engineer for Winter Rhythms, Cabaret Nights, Langston in Harlem, Rewrite, and ReEntry.
www.seanhagerty.com.

MEGHAN SANTELLI (Lighting Designer) is a New York native and has designed lighting for theatre, dance, and music.  She looks forward to working with all the amazing talent brought together on this stage.

PATRICK BRENNAN (Scenic/Projection Designer) is a Designer and Technical Director based in Brooklyn. He is the Technical Director at The Stella Adler Studio of Acting and the Assistant Technical Director for New York Stage and Films upcoming Powerhouse season. Patrick's work has been seen around New York at companies and events including NYSAF, Ars Nova, La Mama, and The All For One Festival. Current work can be seen in Tampa, Florida with Town Squares Production of Disenchanted!

DONALD WILLIAM MYERS (Production Stage Manager) has been working on and off-Broadway for more than 27 years, stage managing all seven of Jackie Mason’s one-man Broadway shows as well as both his national and international tours.  Among other shows that Don has stage managed are Freud’s Last Session both the off-Broadway production and the LA production with Judd Hirsh and Tom Cavanaugh, An Error of the Moon, Flamingo Court, Les Misérables, My Fair Lady, Shanghai Moon, Die Mommie Die and JAP Chronicles the musical. Other credits include Laughing Room Only, Company, The romance of Magno Rubio and the national tour of The Wizard of Oz with Mickey Rooney. Don is thrilled to be working once again with Mr. Brochu. Previously, Don stage managed Mr. Brochu’s The Last Session and the award winning Zero Hour. Most recently Don stage managed the National Theatre Conference at the Eugene O’Neil Center, then an international tour for Shen Wei Dance Arts. Don is a proud member of Actors Equity.

MADISON DeCOSKE (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working with such an amazing team here at Urban Stages. Madison is a graduate from Point Park University with a BFA in Stage Management and Musical Theater. Some favorite productions include: Around The World in 80 Days at the Pittsburgh Public Theater directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, The Producers directed by Tome Cousins, A Chorus Line directed by Danny Herman and Time. After Time directed by Gabe Barre at PPU. Madison also spends her summers up at the lovely Eugene O’Neill Theater Center as the ASM for The National Music Theater Conference and Cabaret and Performance Conference. Proud member of AEA. Love to Fof and family. Twitter: @madfof8

Jay Morgenstern
JAY MORGENSTERN (Music Clearance Director)  recently retired after 30 years as Executive Vice President/General Manager of Warner Chappell Music. A veteran of 50 years in the record and music publishing business, he was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame with their publisher award for a lifetime of service. He has served as Vice-Chairman (Publishers of ASCAP, Vice President/Director of the Country Music Association) member of the board of directors of the National Music Publishers Association, ASCAP Foundation, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Music2Life and the Henry Mancini Foundation. He is proud to have been involved in the publishing for many of the greatest Broadway and film writers such as Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Julie Styne, Sammy Cahn, Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, Cy Coleman, Burton Lane, George and Ira Gershwin, Lerner and Loewe and many, many more. He and his wife Joan currently live in Los Angeles.

ANTOINETTE MULLINS (Development and Literary Director for Urban Stages) is also a NYC-based playwright and screenwriter. She came to Urban Stages in September of 2010 directly after completing her master’s work in Dramatic Writing at New York University’s graduate school in Singapore, TISCH ASIA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS. Before then, she graduated from VASSAR COLLEGE (May 2007) with a BA in Psychology and Film (with honors) and has performed duties as a reader and screenplay consultant for THE NEW YORK OFFICE and TRIBORO PICTURES. Her written works include her 2009 short stage play, LOVE AND ROBBERY, which was published in Drama: A Resource for Units 1A-1B, a textbook aimed at promoting drama in Australian high schools. Her full-length MOST OF US, was a semi-finalist for the Princess Grace Awards 2011. Her screenplay MEGA was a semi-finalist in the 2012 Nicholl Fellowship Competition and a 2013 finalist in The Austin Film Festival. Brave Girl, a short-film she co-wrote that brings to light to trafficking in Nepal, is currently making the film festival circuit and has picked up a couple of awards including a 2012 Tisch Asia First Run Screenwriting Award, Official Selection in South by Southwest and Best Short Film in Palm Springs International Shortfest. 


RACHEL SULLIVAN (Program Director for Urban Stages) is a director, performer, facilitator and educator. At Urban Stages she manages the 300 yearly library bookings, tours the libraries as Rosie the Riveter, and has directed/created/costumed many of the touring shows including: Up and Up: The Story of Mae Jemison, Sacagawea:Bird Woman, Jungle Explorers and O’Sullivan Stew. She and Liz Parker have collaborated on several original shows for Urban Stages including Blown Away By Poetry, South of the Border: Latin American Folktales, and Tales of Snow. In addition, she directs the residency programs at Green Chimneys LGBTQ Homeless Youth Program, Lycee Francais, and co-directs the theatre program at Green Chimneys. Rachel also enjoys working with professionals and non-actors alike to create original theatre. She worked with members of the Florence E. Smith Senior center to create an original titled The River of Life (SPARC recipient). She has directed and created new shows with the Creative Arts Team (CAT) Youth Theatre, Jewish Association and Services for the Aged (JASA) on 72nd Street, Public Space Public Voice, and Girls Education Mentoring Service (GEMS). As a performer she has worked with Capital Rep, Gloucester Stage, Horton by the Stream, Hudson/Stageworks, Sojourn Theatre, among others. Rachel is a guest lecturer at Brandeis University, studied theatre at Northwestern University, and holds a Masters in Applied Theatre from SPS/CUNY where she received training in creating original works as well as arts in education. 


OLGA DEVYATISILNAYA (Company Manager/ Financial Administrator for Urban Stages) has worked with Urban Stages for nine years as wardrobe supervisor on all productions produced on the Main Stage. In Russia, she worked as an assistant costume designer in many films. She assisted Farrah Fawcett as her dresser in Moscow on the film Margaret Bourke-White. Olga has many talents including bookkeeping and worked for at Urban Stages in this capacity since 2007. She currently serves as Financial Administrator and Company Manager. 

JOE TRENTACOSTA (Marketing Consultant).

DAVID GERSTEN & ASSOCIATES (Press Representative) David Gersten & Associates. 240 West 44th Street / Penthouse. New York, NY 10036-3906. 212/575-0263. info@davidgersten.com