Category: Crew

John Gardner ~ Choreographer

John Gardner, Choreographer

John has distinguished himself in two major dance companies, American Ballet Theatre and White Oak Dance Project. He joined American Ballet Theatre in 1978, and was promoted to the rank of soloist in 1984. Mr. Gardner’s diverse repertoire included many soloist and principal roles, which represented an extensive range of styles, and afforded him the opportunity to work with many of the master choreographers of the twentieth century. Mr. Gardner is currently a repetiteur for the Antony Tudor Trust, and together with his wife Amanda McKerrow stages many of the Antony Tudor ballets around the world. During the course of his career, Mr. Gardner has achieved an excellent reputation as a master teacher and coach for ballet on both the professional and student levels, and has choreographed and staged numerous ballets for companies and schools around the world.

Amanda McKerrow ~ Choreographer

Amanda McKerrow, Choreographer

Amanda has the honor of being the first American to receive a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1981. Since then she has been a recipient of numerous other awards, including the Princess Grace Dance Fellowship. Ms. Mckerrow joined American Ballet Theatre under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1982, was appointed to the rank of soloist in 1983, and became a principal dancer in 1987. She danced leading roles in the major classics, and had numerous works created for her by many of the great choreographers of the twentieth century. She has also appeared as a guest artist throughout the world. Ms. McKerrow is a trustee for the Antony Tudor Trust, and together with her husband John Gardner stages many of the Antony Tudor ballets around the world. Ms. McKerrow is also in demand as a master teacher for both students and professional dancers.

Bryan Rafael Falcón ~ Assistant Director

Bryan Rafael Falcón, Assistant Director

Bryan is a director/designer, recently re-based in Tucson, who also spends time crafting the occasional independent film. He is the former artistic director of two Indiana-based theater companies: The Backporch Theater Company (a Shakespeare traveling troupe) and New World Arts (an experimental black box theater company). His most recent projects include directing The New Electric Ballroom and assistant directing As I Lay Dying and The Tempest at The Rogue as well as directing Tracy Letts’ Bug at New World Arts. Every once in awhile he flexes a pen to stroke a quiet phrase or two.

Leah Taylor ~ Stage Manager

Leah Taylor, Stage Manager

Leah was Stage Manager for The Rogue Theatre’s Major Barbara, As I Lay Dying, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment andThe New Electric Ballroom, and Assistant to the Stage Manager for The Decameron. She was Stage Manager for The Now Theatre’s The Pillowman, The Bald Soprano and Overruled. Other work includes shows with Winding Road Theatre Ensemble and Sacred Chicken Productions. Leah graduated from the University of Arizona in May 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics and Anthropology.

Anton Shekerjiev ~ musician

Anton Shekerjiev, musician

Born and raised in Bulgaria, Anton traveled extensively in Eastern and Western Europe playing music from the Balkans, and lived for several years in Spain performing with masters of Bulgarian music. In 2001 he moved to the USA, and in Tucson formed the bands Balkan Spirit, Trite Muzikante, MoroMore and others, performing Mediterranean, Flamenco, Moroccan, Asian and other types of world music. Anton currently performs with the bands Gsol, Tarraf de Tucson, Mzekala and others playing tamboura, djura, guitar, and kaba gaida (bagpipe). He has recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Paul Amiel ~ Musical Director

Paul Amiel, Musical Director

Paul is a multi-instrumentalist and ethnomusician focusing on Medieval, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern, and ancient music, having studied abroad with master musicians. He founded and performs with the Summer Thunder Chinese Music Ensemble, the traditional Japanese music duo Muso, and various Turkish/ Middle Eastern/Mediterranean ensembles such as Seyyah and Zambuka. Paul has performed on harp, flute, saz, ney, dulcimer, and shakuhachi for groups such as Musica Sonora and the Arizona Early Music Society, as well as in many Rogue productions, including The Decameron, The Tempest, Our Town, Othello, Immortal Longings, Orlando, Endymion, The Dead and on the recent Rogue Album CD. Paul was Music Director for this season’s As I Lay Dying at The Rogue.

Dawn Sellers ~ Musical Director

Dawn Sellers, Musical Director

Dawn performed in The Rogue’s production of Shipwrecked! and Our Town, was Assistant Director for Naga Mandala, Assistant Director and pianist for Ghosts, and Music Director for The Tempest, Old Times, Major Barbara, Shipwrecked! and The New Electric Ballroom. Dawn was a pianist, composer and educator prior to receiving an MFA in dramatic writing from Carnegie Mellon University. She has composed music for Off-Broadway and is published by Hal Leonard, Alfred and Kjos Music Publishers. In Tucson, her plays have been produced by This Side Up Productions, Beowulf Alley Theatre Company, Live Theatre Workshop, and Live Theatre Workshop’s Etcetera series, as well as The Arizona Women’s Theatre. She is also listed on nytheatre.com, which features emerging women playwrights.

Clint Bryson ~ Lighting Designer

Clint Bryson, Lighting Designer

Clint has designed lights for nearly every Rogue Theatre production. Other lighting design credits include As Bees in Honey Drown and Golf Game for Borderlands, Woman in Black for Beowulf Alley, and The Seagull for Tucson Art Theatre. Clint is currently the Shop Foreman, Production Technical Director and Marketing Director for Catalina Foothills Theatre Department where he designs and coordinates the construction of all scenery. He is also a member of Rhino Staging Services, and a regular participant in Arizona Theatre Company’s Summer on Stage program where he designs and builds the scenery as well as teaches production classes.

Cynthia Meier ~ Director/Costumes

Cynthia Meier, Director

Cynthia is the Managing and Associate Artistic Director for The Rogue Theatre for which she has adapted and directed James Joyce’s The Dead, directed Shipwrecked!, New-Found-Land, Old Times, The Tempest, Nāga Mandala, The Four of Us, Othello, Animal Farm,Orlando, Happy Days, The Good Woman of Setzuan, The Fever and The Cherry Orchard. She also directed The Seagull (featuring Ken Ruta) for Tucson Art Theatre. For Chamber Music Plus Southwest, she has directed Talia Shire in Sister Mendelssohn and Edward Herrmann inBeloved Brahms. Cynthia has performed in many Rogue Theatre productions including The Goat, for which she received the Arizona Daily Star’s 2008 Mac Award for Best Actress. Sha has also performed in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Arizona Repertory Theatre), A Streetcar Named Desire (Arizona Theatre Company), Blithe Spirit and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Michigan Repertory Theatre), Romeo & Juliet and Chicago Milagro (Borderlands Theatre), A Namib Spring (1999 National Play Award winner), and Smirnova’s Birthday, The Midnight Caller, and The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (Tucson Art Theatre). Cynthia holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of Arizona.