Park Playhouse | Albany, NY

PARK PLAYHOUSE STAFF

Venustiano Borromeo (Producer) enters his 23rd season being involved with the Free Theater program in Albany’s Washington Park. Ven is a Founding Member of Park Playhouse, incorporated in 1989. In addition to producing the shows at Park Playhouse, Ven serves as Resident Scenic and Costume Designer, as well as an occasional Director. As mentioned in the critics reviews of Park Playhouse productions, Ven’s talents “have left positive, lasting impressions on lakehouse audiences”. In 2002 Ven became a resident of the Capital Region. While he continues to produce the Park Playhouse summer productions, in 2002 Ven founded The Lyrics and Lyricists Series, a cabaret venue meant to make Park Playhouse a year-round presence. Now in its Fourth season, the critically acclaimed cabaret series has moved to a bigger performance venue due to its popularity with the Capital Region audiences. In 1995, Ven designed the scenery and costumes for the National pre-Broadway tour of Gifts from the Attic, which starred veteran stage and screen idol, Mickey Rooney. In 1992, Ven designed the costumes for the Pre-Broadway Tour of Mario Fratti’s Encounter 500…Cristoforo Colombo.

Off-Broadway credits include The Writing on the Wall which starred Michael Imperioli, the Soprano’s Christopher Moltisanti, The First Time, Guadeloupe, Abigail Adams, Get Any Guy…, and the musical Rainbow with Tony Award winning actress Debbie Shapiro. Ven’s scenic design for the Off-Broadway production of Annie Wobbler earned him praise from the New York Times. Ven served as Resident Designer, 1987-1991, for St. Bart’s Playhouse and The Westbeth Theater Center in New York City. Ven has designed scenery and costumes for various Regional Theaters in New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Ven dedicates this season’s production to the loving memory of his father.

Shirley W. Arensberg, Director of Education, is a retired Albany City School District teacher. She has been the Administrative Director of Park Playhouse II since 1996. She is proud to have been able to collaborate with the Albany City Schools to create "Park Playhouse Kidz", after school programming in the the performing arts in many of the Albany City Schools and the Sidney Albert Albany Jewish Community Center. She began her association with Park Playhouse as an actor in the Park Playhouse productions of KISS ME KATE (Hattie), BRIGADOON (Matron McPherson), DAMN YANKEES (Sister), and GYPSY (Mazeppa), and has also performed in the Lyrics & Lyricists Series and in various other musical theater productions and charitable events in the area. Shirley was the first recipient of WTEN's Educator of Excellence award in 2000, recipient of the Founder's Day PTA Award in 1994 and 2002, and the JC Penney Golden Rule Award in 1996. She performed and was entertainment chairperson of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Gala Benefit for five years, the chairperson and founder of the Arbor Hill School Celebrity Readers for eleven years. She is the liason for the ROAR Literacy Program of the United Jewish Federation of Northeastern NY and the Albany City Elementary Schools. She has been a Board Member of Capital Region Sponsor AScholar since 2002. Her most important achievement has been her 38-year marriage to Richard and being the proud mother of Jeffrey, Darcy & Scott, and "grammie" to Brady and Coco.

Mitchell A. Finke (Choreographer West Side Story and Guys and Dolls, Junior) - Mitchell is thrilled to back for a second year and to work on Park Playhouse's 20th Anniversary show West Side Story. His work was seen last summer in the high energy dance numbers in Grease. He is also going to be choreographing Park Playhouse's spring production Little Shop of Horrors and Park Playhouse II's production of Guys and Dolls, Junior this summer. Mitchell is from Columbus, Ohio where he owns and serves as Artistic Director of Mitchell Aaron Productions/Centre of the Arts, a competitive dance studio. He also runs Kids of Broadway Performance Company in Columbus, Cincinnati and Galion. He has directed/choreographed over 100 musicals working with regional, community and high school theatre company’s. Mitchell also choreographs 16 high school show choirs in nine states including Ohio, Illinois, California, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Georgia, Michigan & Texas. Regionally he has performed as “Mike” in A Chorus Line, “Fred Casley” in Chicago “Andy Lee” in 42nd Street, “Billy”and dance captain in Crazy for You and “Doody” in Grease. He has managed and performed for SIX FLAGS and was the on-air host of FOX KIDS CLUB in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky & Virginia. His dance training started at Pinnell Dance Centre in Columbus when he was five and continues to train at Broadway Dance in NYC. He graduated from Ohio Dominican University with a degree in Marketing and Public Relations. He would like to thank Ven for these wonderful opportunities and would like to thank Owen, Shirley and Michael for being such supportive and professional producers and directors! ENJOY THE SHOWS!

Visit his website: www.MITCHELLAARONPRODUCTIONS.com

OWEN SMITH (Director West Side Story and Guys and Dolls, Junior). Owen is excited and honored to be on board to direct Park Playhouse's 20th Anniversary Season production of West Side Story, and Park Playhouse II's 14th Season production of Guys and Dolls, Junior. As a graduate of the Park Playhouse II Program many years ago, Owen is pleased to be able to come home to Albany to be a part of this exciting summer season. For the past several years, he has served as Assistant Producer to Ven Borromeo. He also directed the Park Playhouse 2006 production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, as well as the Park Playhouse II productions of Into The Woods, Junior and The Wizard of Oz. Owen is a graduate of the Theatre Arts program at SUNY New Paltz, and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. He is the Producing Director of The Clockwork Theatre, a non-profit production company in New York City. He recently made his directorial debut Off-Broadway, directing Clockwork's production of Don Juan in Chicago at Theatre Row on 42nd Street. Recent performance credits include Clockwork's production of True West (Saul Kimmer) and the 40th Anniversary National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof. Other directing credits include productions of Company, Godspell and Batboy: The Musical. Owen would like to thank Ven for many years of opportunity and enjoyment at Park Playhouse, and thanks to his parents for all they do. Congratulations, Park Playhouse, on 20 great years!

JUSTIN COWAN (Musical Director/Conductor West Side Story). Justin is very excited to be musically directing Park Playhouse’s summer 2008 production of West Side Story. Justin is from Greensboro, North Carolina where he works as a freelance Musical Director and runs a Private Voice and Piano Studio. Justin has served as Musical Director for over 20 productions, and is thrilled to be working on his first show in New York with Park Playhouse. Recent Music Directing credits include productions of Batboy: The Musical, The Secret Garden, Into The Woods, The Wizard Of Oz, and Oliver!. Justin would like to thank Ven and Owen for this wonderful opportunity, and many thanks to those who have shown constant support and friendship along the way. Enjoy The Show!!!

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