The Aurora Shakespeare People Board of Governors

Aurora Shakespeare People is a company dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare and to educational outreach. The group is composed of students, teachers, theatre professionals, and entrepreneurs. We aim to make Shakespeare available, accessible, and affordable to any person of any age. The company also works with people to develop their skills in many different areas of the theatre industry.


Catherine Burroughs, Executive Director

Catherine Burroughs is Ruth and Albert Koch Professor of English at Wells College and Visiting Professor of English at Cornell University. In addition to her many articles on British Romantic theatre and drama, publications include: Reading the Social Body (Co-Ed., University of Iowa Press, 1993); Closet Stages: Joanna Baillie and the Theater Theory of British Romantic Women Writers (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997), and Women in British Romantic Theatre: Drama, Performance, and Society, 1790-1840 (Ed., Cambridge University Press, 2000). Her book, Approaches to Teaching Restoration and Eighteenth-Century British Women Playwrights, has just been accepted for publication. She is also a member of Actors' Equity Association.

Extended CV (pdf format) and Theatre CV (pdf format)

Denise Brady, Director of Marketing

Denise Brady is a professional business woman and entrepreneur. Denise is co-owner of Alexander Millen Antiques in Aurora, New York and President of the Board of Trustees of Peachtown Elementary School (in Aurora as well). She is also a member of the board of the Morgan Opera House, a distinguished historical landmark over one hundred years old, and the originator of the annual "Book Lovers' Ball," the major fund raising event for the Aurora Free Library.

Alan Clugston, Chief Advisor *Honorary Board Member

Alan Clugston is Professor Emeritus of Wells College, where he taught English for many years and specialized in British drama. A PhD from the University of Michigan whose scholarly focus is Shakespeare, Alan is also a prolific actor who has appeared in plays ranging from A Christmas Carol to Translations to Much Ado About Nothing. He is also an active member of the American Association of University Professors and the Aurora Free Masons.

Ron Friedman, Executive Producer *Honorary Board Member

Repeat Emmy and Writers Guild Nominee and Prestigious Writers Guild Award Winner Ron Friedman has written more than 700 hours of mostly prime time Top Ten Television in all genres and produced and/or created many of the same. He has written numerous movies for television and feature films in both live and animation, as well as works for the theater. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, THE DRAMATISTS GUILD, and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is also an award-winning Architect, having graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with minor studies in Civil Engineering, City Planning, Scene Design, and Art History. As Adjunct Professor of Screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, he has taught Graduate and Undergraduate courses on writing the feature film, and, for over a decade, has headed a summer Screenwriting Seminar at USC for gifted high school kids (many of whom are Annenberg Fellows).

Extended CV

 

Anne Cramer , Board Member

Anne Cramer teaches fourth through eighth grade at Peachtown Elementary School in Aurora, New York. Her love for Shakespeare began in third grade, after receiving a copy of Shake Hands With Shakespeare by Albert Cullum. She spent the last eight years incorporating Shakespeare and his works into Peachtown's curriculum, while exposing her students to an eclectic blend of the arts. She has appeared in or directed a variety of plays over the last fifteen years.

Caroline Lamarque, Writer

Caroline Lamarque is a senior at Wells College, majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She is the founder and president of the new Shakespeare Club at Wells College. Caroline is the youngest member of our Board of Governors of "Aurora Shakespeare People." Presently, she is working on two adaptations of Shakespeare's work with Joe Siracusa.

Brian Morey, Actor/Singer/Musical Director

Brian Morey is a multi-level performer. His outstanding performance of Iago has led to the development of a challenging one-man show, I AM HAMLET, in which Brian plays: Hamlet, Laertes, Polonius, King Claudius, Ophelia, Derroch Death (a gravedigger), and the Gravedigger's Companion. I AM HAMLET is premiering this spring 2009. Brian is currently the Director of Production and Multimedia at the New York Institute of Dance and Education, as well as chair of Vocal and Dramatic Study. Brian Morey is an international singer and actor. He holds a BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, with a concentration at the CAP 21 Studio for musical theater and at the Stonestreet Studios for television and film. Brian also specializes in multi-media and technology production as well as graphic design.

www.iamhamlet.com
Extended CV

Joe Siracusa "the Shakespeare Guy"

Joe Siracusa is a theatre man. He has spent his life directing, creating, and producing theatre for the benefit of those who attend. Joe has always loved classic literature and, above all, the wonderful works of William Shakespeare.

He has dedicated a significant part of his life trying to make Shakespeare available to as many people as possible. So that people can benefit from the Bard's deep human wisdom, Joe has concentrated on the clarity of the spoken word.

Last year he worked with children ages eight to ten on scenes from Macbeth at Kendall Studios in Miami. The workshop was noted for the clarity of the text, especially for young people of this age. He has conducted many workshops with young people in Europe and the United States, including war refugees from Beruit in Berlin and sexually abused teens in New York State.

He is a graduate of the conservatory of Carnegie Mellon University Department of Drama where he received a BFA in acting.

www.theshakespearguy.com
Extended CV

 

 

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