Kevin Newbury – Director
Kevin Newbury is a theatre, opera and film director based in New York City. In 2013, Kevin directed four world premiere operas: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene for San Francisco Opera, Oscar, based on the life of Oscar Wilde, for Santa Fe Opera, Doubt, based on John Patrick Shanley’s award-winning play and film, for Minnesota Opera, and Paul’s Case for Urban Arias (DC) and the Prototype Festival (NYC). Upcoming world premieres include Bel Canto for Chicago Lyric Opera, The Manchurian Candidate (by Pulitzer-prize winning composer Kevin Putts and librettist Mark Campbell) for Minnesota Opera, Spears/Pierce’s Fellow Travelers, and the new musical The Good Swimmer, by Heidi Rodewald and Donna Di Novelli. His work has been seen at many other prominent companies including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Houston Grand Opera, Bard Summerscape, L’Opera de Montreal, the Wexford Opera Festival in Ireland, San Francisco Symphony and Glimmerglass Opera. Upcoming new productions include a co-production of Norma for Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company and Barcelona Liceu. His New York theatre work includes the GLAAD-winning, Drama Desk Nominated play Candy & Dorothy Monsura is Waiting is his first film.
Visit Kevin Newbury’s website at www.kevinnewbury.com
David Johnston – Writer
David Johnston’s plays have been produced and read throughout the United States and United Kingdom with companies such as the New Group, the Neighborhood Playhouse, HB Playwrights Foundation, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. He has collaborated frequently with Kevin Newbury, the director of Monsura is Waiting (also Candy & Dorothy, The Eumenides) His collaborations with Blue Coyote Theater Group include Coney, Conversations on Russian Literature, and Busted Jesus Comix. Playwriting awards include Theater Oxford, Berrilla Kerr Foundation Grant, and the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation. He has been a Resident Artist at American Lyric Theater since the fall of 2011, and is currently collaborating with Jeffrey Dennis Smith on the one-act opera, Why is Eartha Kitt Trying to Kill Me? at ALT.
Simon Pauly – Director of Photography
Simon Pauly was born in Cologne, Germany. He is a professional opera singer and photographer based in Berlin.
Simon grew up in Bayreuth, Bavaria. He studied voice at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich. He is an accomplished baritone and currently a principal artist at Deutsche Oper Berlin. In addition to his carreer as an opera singer, Simon is a professional fine-art photographer specialized in portrait photography for singers, actors, conductors and other artists.
Monsura is Waiting is his first motion picture as director of photography.
Visit Simon’s website at www.simonpauly.com
James Daniel – Editor
James Matthew Daniel works as an artist for both the stage and screen. He has edited for the Dubai One television network, directed filming in Rwanda, and loves spending endless hours in dark theaters across the country. James is an actor with the Story Pirates, and works frequently as a story/script editor.
Victoria “Vita” Tzykun – Production Design
Victoria “Vita” Tzykun has designed sets, costumes, and projections for companies such as Norwegian Opera, Dallas Opera, The Kennedy Center, Kristiansund Opera (Norway), Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Utah Opera, Gotham Chamber Opera, Juilliard Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Theatro Imeras (Athens), 3LD Art & Media Center, NY Classical Theatre, and the Cherry Lane Theatre, among others.
Her numerous film and tv credits include art direction for Lady Gaga’s ABC Thanksgiving Special, production design for several features and shorts, and commercials for leading companies such as PBS, DirectTV, Axe, Bulova, Qualcomm, and the U.S. Army.
Her work has been featured in exhibitions at the Entertainment Industry Expo in NYC, Habima National Theater in Tel-Aviv, the World Stage Design Exhibition in Toronto, and in Entertainment Design magazine.
A native of Odessa, Ukraine, and Tel-Aviv, Israel, Tzykun holds an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a BFA from Tel-Aviv University. She currently lives and works in NYC and is a member of IATSE Local 829.
Visit Vita’s website at www.vitavision.net
Paul Carey – Costume Designer
Paul Carey’s credits include New York: The Tempest (The Public Theater/Shakespeare in the Park/Public Works); A Kind of Alaska (NYLA); Takarazuka!!! (HERE); The Happy Embalmer (NYMF). Regional: Odyssey (Old Globe); Trouble in Mind (Yale Rep). Opera: Il viaggio a Reims (Wolf Trap); Doubt World Premiere (Minnesota Opera); Roméo et Juliette (Palm Beach Opera); Hansel and Gretel (Virginia Opera); Orpheus and Euridice, Green Sneakers, Glory Denied (Urban Arias); El Niño (San Francisco Symphony); Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Greenwich Music Festival & Central City Opera); H.M.S. Pinafore (Caramoor). Film: Monsura is Waiting. Training: Yale School of Drama.
Visit Paul’s website at www.PaulCareyDesign.com
Ashley Ryan – Wig and Make-up Designer
Ashley Ryan (Make-Up Design) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Makeup Artist), The Cobbler (Key Makeup Artist) Recent Broadway Makeup designs include: Winslow Boy, Bridges of Madison County, Annie, The Heiress, Bonnie & Clyde, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Promises, Promises, Born Yesterday and Elling. Other credits include: Into the Woods (The Public’s Shakespeare in the Park), Dogfight (Second Stage), Whipping Man (Manhattan Theater Club), Bridge Project (BAM), and Strange Interlude (DC Shakespeare Company). As a hair and wig designer, credits include: The Philanthropist (Broadway), Yank!, Charlie Brown.
Todd Almond – Composer
As an author: music/lyrics for The Tempest (Public Works), We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Yale Rep), On the Levee (LCT3); music for Melancholy Play (13P); book for Girlfriend (Berkeley Rep). As an actor: New York: The Tempest (Public Works and Shakespeare in the Park), People Are Wrong! (Vineyard), Piece of Meat (54 Below). Regional: I Am My Own Wife (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati), Grey Gardens (Philadelphia Theatre Co.), 2 Pianos, 4 Hands (Kansas City Rep).
Visit Todd’s website at www.ToddAlmond.com
Matthew Principe – Producer
Matthew Principe has over 15 years experience producing live events in the New York Metropolitan Area, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as well as touring in the United States and Europe. Since 2006, Matthew has been the associate producer of the Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts on SIRIUS / XM Satellite Radio, and the Met’s Grammy, Emmy, and Peabody Award-winning Live in HD series, which is transmitted live to movie theaters around the world in 69 countries. Matthew’s other projects include producing the GLAAD Media Award-winning production of David Johnston’s play Candy & Dorothy (Drama Desk nominee, Best Actor), producing the classical art song podcast Sparks and Wiry Cries.
After receiving his degree in Vocal Performance from Temple University, Matthew worked with The Philadelphia Orchestra, as the Assistant/Acting Orchestra Personnel Manager, producing over 120 performances in 5 venues for each season, as well as international tours. He’s also collaborated with arts institutions such as the Santa Fe Opera, American Composers Forum, and Columbia Artists Management Inc.
As a performer, Matthew appeared in over fifty productions of musical theater and opera in regional companies such as Pocono Lively Arts, Puttin’ On the Ritz Inc., and the Opera Company of Philadelphia; where he was a member of the Chorus and representative of the American Guild of Musical Artists. As a child, he was a professional recording artist with World Wide Music Inc.; and can be heard in various theme parks around the country. Monsura is Waiting is his first film as producer.