This coming Monday, September 22, the producers of Spinning Tree Theatre Kansas City are coming to talk and answer questions about their journey from New York actors to regional theatre producers. This event will take place in Chapman Theatre, at 12:30pm. All interested students are welcome to attend! Read on to learn more about these guest speakers.
Michael Grayman is Artistic Director of Spinning Tree Theatre. He has directed Kansas City premieres of Ghost-Writer, Michael John LaChiusa’s Hello Again, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment – The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As told by Himself), Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking and Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn in addition to A Little Night Music, Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Fantasticks and Master Class for Spinning Tree Theatre. Also in Kansas City, Michael co-directed Narnia the Musical and Flat Stanley for Starlight Children’s Theatre at The Kauffman Center. Michael studied directing and producing at Princeton’s famed McCarter Theatre Center as assistant director to such notables as: Tony Award winner Garry Hynes on the 2007 Broadway revival of Translations; Kent Gash on Tarell McCraney’s The Brothers Size and Artistic Director Emily Mann on her world premiere production of Mrs. Packard, which Michael assisted in transferring to The Kennedy Center. As an actor, Broadway national tour credits include West Side Story, The King and I and Mamma Mia! A graduate of the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts and The Boston Conservatory, Michael teaches private acting lessons to young and emerging artists.
Andy Parkhurst is Managing Director of Spinning Tree Theatre. Andy has co-directed or choreographed A Little Night Music, Motherhood Out Loud, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Hello Again, The Fantasticks and Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn. Also in Kansas City, Andy co-directed Narnia the Musical and Flat Stanley for Starlight Children’s Theatre at The Kauffman Center and choreographed Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at New Theatre Restaurant as well as Once Upon a Mattress at The Coterie. On Broadway, he assisted choreographer Rob Ashford on Kander and Ebb’s Curtains. Broadway tour credits include over 2,000 performances as Dance Captain/Swing on Mamma Mia!, and Chicago. Andy appeared on the 2009 Tony Awards, danced for Alvin Ailey (Memoria) and Roman Polanski (Dance Soloist, Tanz der Vampire in Vienna, Austria) and performed on the 40th anniversary European tour of West Side Story. Andy was a Young Artist Scholar at the American Dance Festival and his solo choreography was featured at the American College Dance Festival. He is a graduate of Texas Christian University and teaches private dance lessons to young and emerging artists.