Summer Musical Theatre Intensive Faculty and Guest Luminaries

Julie Boyd (Director

Musical Theatre Director

Julie Boyd teaches acting at The New School for Drama, College of the Performing Arts, Queens College and Artsbridge Gap year. 

NY favorite Acting Credits:  Noises Off directed by Michael Blakemore on Broadway, Gemini at 2nd Stage directed by Mark Brokaw and Admissions at Lincoln Center directed by Daniel Aukin. 

Regional Favorites:  The Piggy Bank and The Misanthrope at The Guthrie directed by Garland Wright, Prayer for my Enemy at Hartford Stage directed by Bart Sher, and Lloyd's Prayer at Actors Theater of Louisville directed by Kenneth Washington. 

Julie has worked as an actress and director with the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference for many years, as well as Sundance, Shenandoah and Perry-Mansfield New Plays. Directing credits include Fordham University, Yale School of Drama, NYU Graduate Acting, University of Utah, ACT School, University of MN Guthrie, HB Studios, EST, Passage Theater, Guthrie Lab, and Colorado Repertory Theater. 

TV/Film:  Margaret Mead and The Man Who Came to Dinner for PBS, The Good Wife, Law and Order, Sopranos, Rescue Me, The Beat, Prairie Home Companion and Dave Chappell Show

Julie is the recipient of a Fox Foundation Acting Grant.


John McDaniel (Musical Theatre Workshop)

Musical Theatre Workshop

John McDaniel is a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Music Director, Composer, Director, Arranger, Orchestrator & Producer and is an Artistic Director at the Tony Award-winning O’Neill Theater Center. Recently he directed Sondheim Originals at 54 Below, Piano Men at Birdland, Into The Woods & Hair in Concert at the historic Patchogue Theater.

On Broadway: Bonnie and Clyde (Drama Desk Nomination, Best Orchestrations), Catch Me If You Can, Brooklyn (Producer and Orchestrator), Annie Get Your Gun (Grammy Award), Taboo, Chicago, Grease, Patti LuPone on Broadway, and Company – the Original Cast in Concert at Lincoln Center.

On Television: “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” (2 Emmy Awards & 8 nominations). John has collaborated with Cab Calloway, Shirley MacLaine, George Burns, Joel Grey, Carol Burnett, Betty Buckley, Bette Midler and has guest conducted at fifteen Symphony Orchestras across America, including five concerts with his hometown St. Louis Symphony.

John received a BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University.


David Sabella (Vocal Technique

Vocal Technique Instructor

David Sabella is an award winning singer and actor. He is co-author (with Sue Matsuki) of “So You Want to Sing Cabaret,” (2020, Rowman & Littlefield). He is also one of NYC’s most sought-after voice & performance coaches (www.davidsabella.com) and the owner and Editor-in-Chief of www.CabaretHotspot.com.

In his performance career, David Sabella made history during the 1995 Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition when Maestro Pavarotti publicly declared him to be “excellent… not good, Excellent!” Soon after that he originated the co-starring role of “Mary Sunshine” in the 1996 revival of CHICAGO with Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking, and Joel Grey. He appeared with Chita Rivera at Mandalay Bay (Las Vegas) and later returned to the Broadway company with Melanie Griffith as Roxie Hart, where he remained until 2004. He also worked on The Visit, Kander & Ebb’s last collaboration, for which John Kander wrote the role of Luis Perch especially for him. Sabella received an “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play” award from the Fresh Fruit Festival for his work in The Phillie Trilogy. He also starred as Julian Eltinge in Jules, and as both male and female leads in Kiss and Make Up (written specifically for him) at the New York International Fringe Festival.

As a voiceover artist, Sabella appeared on several network television cartoon series, including Peter Pan and the Pirates for FOX and Teacher’s Pet for Disney.

As a classical countertenor, Sabella starred as the title role in Handel’s Giulio Cesare (Virginia Opera, recorded on Koch International Label), Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (Utah Opera), and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (Lincoln Center). He appeared numerous times at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as principal alto soloist and was a winner of The New York Oratorio Society Competition at Carnegie Hall, and The Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition.

Professor Sabella has been on faculty at Fordham University since 2012. Additionally, he served on several other faculties including, Montclair State University, NYU Tisch School of the Arts/CAP 21 Studio, and SUNY at Purchase and New Paltz. He was President of the New York Singing Teacher’s Association (2008-2014), and is a member of the National Association of Teacher’s of Singing.


Tislarm Bouie (Dance for Musical Theatre)

Tislarm discovered his love for arts at an early age, heavily inspired by neighborhood block parties and movie musicals. He went on to attend Professional Performing Arts School and received his BFA in dance from The University of the Arts. He’s choreographed for Roundabout Theater Company’s Off-Broadway production of The Bandaged Place. His work has been featured in Dance Magazine, Young Choreographers Festival, Brooklyn Dance Festival and Making Moves Dance Festival. He’s been a residency artist for Ars Nova, CUNY Dance Initiative and New York Theater Barn’s Choreography Lab.

As a performer select theater credits include Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus (Broadway), Carmen (Houston Grand Opera), Blueprint Specials (The Public Theater). His film/tv credits include; In the Heights, Saturday Night Live, Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and Live from Lincoln Center. He’s danced for Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jon Batiste, Bebe Rexha, and Ronald K. Brown/ Evidence Dance Company. His print and commercial credits include Vogue, Estèe Lauder, Cadillac, Toyota, Samsung, and Champ Sports.


David Gaines (Musical Director/Accompanist)

Musical Theatre Accompanist

David Gaines is a NYC based pianist/musical director/arranger.  He’s currently a member of the faculty of Juilliard’s Drama Division, where he has worked as a vocal coach since 2010. He has also worked extensively as music director/coach with NYUs Graduate Acting Program.

As Musical Director, he has worked with cabaret artists such as Andrea Marcovicci, Penny Fuller, KT Sullivan, Jeff Harnar and many others.


Guest Luminaries

Mana Allen (Guest Master Teacher)

Served on the Acting Department faculty of CAP21 Musical Theatre Conservatory for 20 years teaching in the NYU, Professional, Summer and Molloy College programs.

A Master Teacher of Vocal Performance, Mana’s former students are appearing, or have appeared, in dozens of Broadway shows, including Hamilton, School of Rock, Spring Awakening- OBC and Deaf West, Something Rotten, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Fiddler On The Roof, Beautiful, Les Miserables, Dames at Sea, Finding Neverland, Wicked, Amazing Grace, The King and I, The Book Of Mormon, Mamma Mia, Big Fish, First Date, Holler if Ya Hear Me, Newsies, The Scottsboro Boys, and Once as well as in Off Broadway productions including Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Giant and Here Lies Love.Her students are also represented in national, regional and international productions, in web series and on television.

Mana also serves on the faculties of Barnard College, Fordham University Summer Musical Theatre Workshop assisting Maestro David Loud and The Broadway Theatre Project.

Mana appeared on Broadway in the original productions of Merrily We Roll Along and Smile.

Off Broadway, regional, national and international credits: created featured roles in 17 world premiere productions. Served as U.S. Cultural Ambassador touring India, Sri Lanka. Voice heard on cast recordings, television and radio. Artistic company member of The New Harmony Project, The Gathering at Big Fork, and Associate Producer of the CAP21 Blackjacks Festivals of New Works. Co- librettist of Rebels 1775 - premiered at RVC Starlight Theatre in Rockford IL., broke box office records at The Spirit of Broadway Theatre in New Brunswick, CT. Dramaturg for John Allen, including: Theatreworks USA's Lady Liberty, Jefferson and Jupiter, Young Abe Lincoln (also co-lyricist). Dramaturg on projects for Galt MacDermot, Matty Selman, John Pielmeier, Scott Hayes, John Probst. Creator-Director of 13 CAP21 Composer/Lyricist Projects since 2005. Directs readings and cabaret shows throughout NYC.

Mana serves as a permanent volunteer to the Curator of Exhibitions and to the Artistic Producer of events at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Member of AEA, SAG, AFTRA, the DGA and the TEDxEast community.

Mana hails from a musical theatre family and her stories appear in Jennifer Ashley Tepper’s book series, “The Untold Stories of Broadway” (Volumes One and Two).

Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Guest Visiting Director)

This award-winning director and choreographer’s work has been seen throughout the United States, Canada, England, Denmark, Asia and the Middle East. Dodge’s celebrated 2009 Kennedy Center revival of Ragtime moved to Broadway after its sold-out run in Washington, D.C. (2010Tony® Award Nomination for Best Director of a Musical.) A new production of Ragtime is touring the United States for Phoenix Entertainment through June of 2016. Recently, she was granted permission to create all new choreography for Fiddler On The Roof, at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre where she has won three Carbonell Awards for direction and choreography. New York & Regional: Center Stage, Arena Stage, Bay Street Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Denver Center Theatre Company, Flat Rock Playhouse, Glimmerglass Festival, Goodman Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Huntington Theatre, John F. Kennedy Center of The Performing Arts, La Jolla Playhouse, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Music Circus, New York City Opera, Pasadena Playhouse, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Reprise Theatre Company, The Muny, The Public Theatre. Abroad: Fredericia Teater in Denmark; Nanta Theatre in Seoul, S. Korea; Royal Opera House in Muskat, Oman and the Wintergardens Theatre in Blackpool, England.

Upcoming projects include Empire The Musical (La Mirada), 110 In The Shade (Ford’s Theatre) and the American premiere of Frank Wildhorn's The Count of Monte Cristo (Pioneer Theatre).

Dodge is also a teacher, a wife, a mother, a published and produced playwright and a proud executive board member of SDC. For more, visitwww.marciamilgromdodge.com.

Other past visitors have included: Bart Sher, Michael Grief, Mark Brokaw, and Victoria Clark, to name a few.