• Director/Adapter – The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Mr. Dolgachev is the Artistic Director of Moscow’s New Drama Theatre, and he is one of the most famous figures in contemporary Russian theatre. He directed at the Moscow Art Theatre for ten years, and his productions of Anton Chekhov’s Melpomena’s Fairy Tales, Dostoyevsky’s Bobock, Isaac B. Singer’s Toybele, and Ingmar Bergman’s After Rehearsal are internationally-acclaimed masterpieces of the company’s repertoire. Mr. Dolgachev has taught at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow and Columbia University, the Actors Center, and Stella Adler Conservatory in New York City.

• Pluft, The Little Ghost
• Brooklyn Bridge
• The Beast
• The Creation of the World and Other Business

Mr. Kheyfets began his career directing plays for young audiences in his native Russia. While completing his doctoral studies at Moscow’s prestigious Vakhtangov Theatre Academy, he received international festival honors for his production of Vladimr Sinokevitch’s The Beast. Kheyfets moved to the U.S. in 1993 and directed shows in Boston and New York that toured to Moscow and Switzerland. He has taught acting and directing at Stella Adler Conservatory, Duke University, Emerson College, Columbia University and Miami’s New World School of the Arts.

• Writer – The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Odense, Denmark. At the age of 14, he moved to Copenhagen to pursue a career on the stage. He soon discovered he had a talent for poetry and became a writer. His most popular stories include “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Princess and the Pea,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “The Ugly Duckling.” Though he also wrote plays, novels, travel books, and literary satire, Andersen’s fairy tales are what have gained him lasting fame throughout the world.

• Translator – The Love of Three Oranges

Dr. DiGaetani is a Professor of English at Hofstra University. His interests include modern British literature, modern American literature, opera, and the connections between literature and music. His publications include a biography of Carlo Gozzi and several books about composer Richard Wagner.

• Writer – Brooklyn Bridge

Ms. Gibson has written several plays, including SUITCASE or, those that resemble flies from a distance (NEA/TCG Theatre Residency Program for Playwrights); Brooklyn Bridge (AT&T Onstage award); and most recently, Current Nobody. Her work has been produced at La Jolla Playhouse, the Children’s Theatre Company and Soho Rep., and other theatres.

• Writers – The Beast

Gindin and Sinokevitch were co-founders of St. Petersburg’s Festival of Satire and Humor. Gindin (1929-1988), a playwright and screenwriter, became famous writing for Soviet stand-up comedian Arkady Raikin. Sinokevitch (1934-1985) wrote plays for young audiences as well as for adults.

• Playwright – The Love of Three Oranges

Count Gozzi (1720-1806) was born into a noble but impoverished Venetian family. A fierce defender of traditional Italian culture, Gozzi adapted Oranges from an old fairy tale in an attempt to revive commedia dell’arte, an improvisational form of theatre that had been displaced by the more realistic and scripted works of Carlo Goldoni and other writers. Bolstered by the success of Oranges, Gozzi continued to write plays based on children’s stories, puppet plays, popular fables and Spanish dramas. Oranges and Gozzi’s later play Turandot provided the basis for famous 20th century operas.

• Translator – The Steadfast Tin Soldier
• Translator – The Beast

Mr. Kheyfets earned degrees in psychology and linguistics from the University of Chicago and completed a film-directing program at FAMU, one of Europe’s most respected film academies. He has directed, shot, and edited a number of independent short films and has worked as an associate producer for MTV’s True Life documentary series. His translations for the theatre include Brendan Ward’s Infidel and Aleksandr Selin’s The Nightingale Sang, and The Lilacs Were in Bloom.

• Writer – Pluft, The Little Ghost

Ms. Machado is Brazil’s most celebrated children’s author. An actress, director, writer, and teacher, she was best known for founding the Tablado, a theatre and school in Rio de Janeiro that nurtured several generations of actors. Machado wrote and directed twenty-nine plays at the Tablado including Pluft, The Little Ghost; it became her most famous work and has been staged all over the world.

• Writer – The Creation of the World and Other Business

Pulitzer prize winning playwright and essayist, Mr. Miller wrote such classics of American theatre and film as Death of a Salesman, All My Sons, and The Crucible. He is widely remembered for both his literary work and his political involvement, and is generally credited with being one of the greatist dramatists of the 20th century.

• Set & Costume Designer – The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Beast

• Costume Designer - A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

• Set Designer – Brooklyn Bridge

• Lighting Designer – Pluft, The Little Ghost, Brooklyn Bridge, The Beast

• The Steadfast Tin Soldier
• A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
• The Love of Three Oranges
• The Creation of the World and Other Business

• Costume Designer, Brooklyn Bridge

• Original Songwriter – Brooklyn Bridge

• Composer – A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

• Composer – A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

• Choreographer
  • The Red Thread
  • The Love of Three Oranges
• Aerial Harness Training & Choreography – Inanna and the Huluppu Tree

Whether dangling in the air, running on stilts, spinning on roller skates, or jumping into the arms of another, Ileigh Reynolds is recognized as a risk-taker and explorer of unique physical expressions in both contemporary dance theatre and the entertainment industry. She is founding Artistic Director of Animate Objects Physical Theatre, a Miami-based company that has gained international recognition for their unique integration of aerial arts, acrobatic stilt dancing, fire performance, and contemporary dance forms. Ms. Reynolds holds a BFA in Dance from New World School of the Arts and has performed throughout Florida, Seattle, and northern Chile. Previous work at The PlayGround includes aerial harness training & choreography for Inanna and the Huluppu Tree.

• The Love of Three Oranges
• Pluft; The Little Ghost

Mr. Rozinsky is a stage director, choreographer, playwright, and physical theatre expert. He has taught Acting and Stage Movement at the University of Miami, FIU, and New World School of the Arts. He was an Artistic Director of Chamber Theatre, a professional theatre for young audiences in Coral Gables. His extensive theatrical research has resulted in a series of articles published in Russia, Canada, and the US and a book entitled The Silent Art. For more information please visit www.stagemovement.com.