[Bill Leavengood] [Diana Lucas Leavengood] [Cheryl Lee] [Jeff Norton] [Mark J. Dye] [Clark Middleton]

William Leavengood is a veteran playwright, director, and teacher who has been working in the professional theatre for more than 20 years. He is a two-time Eugene O'Neill playwright and alumnus of Circle Repertory. His Off-Broadway playwriting credits include: The Head at the Chelsea Playhouse; The Preservation Society, directed by Casey Childs, at Primary Stages; and Florida Crackers, directed by John Bishop, which premiered as part of Circle Repertory's 20th Anniversary Season.

William's short play, Steve, was presented at the Town Hall Theatre in New York as part of Brave New World: The American Theater responds to 9/11 , and subsequently made into a short film starring Fisher Stevens.

His new play, Little Mary, directed by Jessica Kubzansky, premiered at the Sanford Meisner Theatre in the summer of 2005.

In Florida, he wrote and directed Webb's City: The Musical at the Mahaffey Theater and Ruth Eckerd Hall; Crossing the Bay at the Janet Root Theater; and Special at American Stage.

His farce What Is Art? opened the Reflections Festival of New Plays at the GeVa Theatre, and was later produced at the Court Theatre, Los Angeles, starring Beverly Hills 90210's Ian Ziering.

17 Black was chosen for the National Playwrights Conference and subsequently received the Brodkin Scholarship Award. William was invited to return to the NPC in 1995 with The Preservation Society. In 1995, William and Diana Leavengood formed their production company Will Knot Di Incorperated to produce film, video, theatre, and photography.

William has been a guest lecturer and workshop leader at the Suncoast Writers Conference, the Florida Association of Theatre Educators conference, and the Florida PlaywrightÕs Process at Ruth Eckerd Hall.

Published works include Florida Bound , a collection of his plays, Hellenback High, Puss in Boots and the childrenÕs book, Cat Moon Do. William has received grants from Florida Division of Cultural Affairs; Florida Council for the Arts, Pinellas County Arts Council, and the Berrilla Kerr Foundation. Other awards and honors include the Edith Oliver Fellows Award and "Best of the Bay" Playwright in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2005. He served as Artistic Director of the LiveArts Peninsula Foundation from 200-2005 and is a proud member of the faculty at Shorecrest Preparatory School. He belongs to the Circle East Theatre Company (NYC), the Dramatists' Guild, and the Writers' Guild of America.

A 1998 recipient of a Florida Individual Artist Grant and a Pinellas County Arts Council Grant, Diana was the Founding Executive Director of the LiveArts Peninsula Foundation (est. 2000) whose mission is to celebrate and preserve Florida's heritage through the production of original theater projects. In 2004 Diana left LiveArts to pursue WILL KNOT DI full time. Diana's photography has been featured, honored and acquired by private collectors at a number of shows and competitions. William Zimmer of the New York Times selected her piece See Rock City for the 13 th Annual All Florida Juried Competition in 2004. Her work can be seen in the lobby of the Sanford Meisner Theater.

A graduate of Keuka College with a B.A. in political science and history, Diana completed M.F.A. work at CalArts where she studied filmmaking under the late Alexander "Sandy" Mackendrick, Bela Tarr and Kris Malkiewicz in their elite DTVC program. She has served as a grant panelist for the Pinellas and Hillsborough County Arts Councils and the State of Florida. Diana is a member of the Class of '03 of Leadership St. Pete and was elected graduation speaker.

Cheryl Lee has worked professionally performing, teaching, choreographing and presenting dance for over 30 years. She has trained dancers who perform in the National Tour of FOSSE, the International Tour of 42ND STREET, on Broadway in LION KING, at Disney World, Busch Gardens and several cruise lines. Among many productions, she produced “Celebrate St. Petersburg” starring Mikhail Baryshnikov. Cheryl created the choreography for Webb’s City; The Musical and Crossing the Bay, in association with Bill Leavengood, with whom she has worked since 1998, as a faculty member of Shorecrest Preparatory School. Cheryl Lee is nationally known as a dance adjudicator, Master Teacher and Musical Theatre choreographer.

Mark J. Dye has been involved with music since the age of 10. He played guitar, violin, and keyboards in various groups that he formed from 1965-1984. He also has a bachelor's degree in music composition from the University Of South Florida. In 1978 he moved to Los Angeles with his progressive rock group, "Elysian Fields". After changing their name to "Impulse" they released five albums on the Electric Fantasy label. While living in Los Angeles he became a Midi and synthesis specialist for many top artists like Van Halen, Guiffria, Gino Vannelli, and even appeared on Entertainment Tonight as a technical advisor for electronic music. He now operates a state of the art digital recording facility in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Mark Doran, Suzanne Stokes, Joe First, Dr. Jean, Mar. Harman and many others have collaborated with Mark from 1986 to the present. He continues to teach music, write music for hire and arrange and perform material for other songwriters.

Rick Crom (Musical Theatre Voice and Cabaret) has been part of the New York entertainment community for many years as a songwriter and a performer. He is the composer/ lyricist for several off-Broadway and cabaret revues: OH FINE, RSVP, THE SUBJECT WAS NEUROSIS, ABSOLUTELY RUDE, OUR LIFE AND TIMES ,WHAT IN THE WORLD, and NEWSical which ran at Studio 54 in New York and travels the country. He garnered Drama Desk nominations for best lyrics and best revue for his work on Newsical.
His topical material is featured at the CRYSTAL PALACE Theater in Aspen Colorado and LAFFING MATTERZ in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. Recently the Crystal Palace honored him by releasing a recording of his material; “WHO WRITES THIS STUFF? The songs of Rick Crom”. He has written the scores to several book shows and is currently working on a musical with Hunter Foster (Summer of 42) entitled, “Bonnie and Clyde: a Folktale”

He came to New York in 1979 as part of the Chicago City Limits Improv Company and began working as a comedian nationwide. As a stand up comic he’s appeared on “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Caroline’s Comedy Hour, MTV Comedy Half-hour, ShowTime and Comedy Central. He performs regularly at the Comedy Cellar, Carolilnes on Broadway, and the Broadway Comedy Club in Manhattan.

As an actor he’s appeared on Broadway in the musicals, “Urinetown”, “The Goodbye Girl”, and “Footloose”,. Off Broadway in “Merrily We Roll Along”, Das Barbecue, Encore’s “Fiorello”, “L’il Abner”, and Carnegie Halls, “Louisiana Purchase” Television: “ED” “The Chris Rock Show” “Chappelle’s Show” Film: “Bad Dog” and “Caesar Salad”

Ricky Hinds (Musical Theatre Jazz) is the Assistant Choreographer for the current National Tour of Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL which is headed for Broadway.

Jill Powell (Musical Theater Jazz dancing) - Born and raised along the North Florida coast, Jill’s career began at age 13 when she was chosen to play one of the children in the King and I. Convinced she had found her life’s work, she began formal actor and dance training at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham and then joined the regional theatre circuit. Her first major Broadway role was as Zaneeta Shinn in the 2nd revival of The Music Man. She toured the U.S. with the national companies of Stop the World, I Want To Get Off with Anthony Newley and A Chorus Line. She also appeared in Measure for Measure, On The Town, Company, The Little Rascals, and the world premiere of Jekyll and Hyde on Broadway. She returned to Broadway to join the cast of Grand Hotel where she played the critically acclaimed role of female ingenue Flaemmchen. CBS took notice and offered her the role of Marcy Breen in the weekday television program -- As The World Turns. As a popular daytime TV personality, Jill has also been frequently recruited to appear in a variety of television commercials including spots for Tide, Mercedes Benz, Aqua Fresh, Massengil, Olive Garden, Claritin and Head and Shoulders to name a few. Most recently, Jill returned to the theater to play Lola in Damn Yankees opposite Tony Randall and Rosie Alvarez in Bye Bye Birdie.

Michael McCarthy (Voice and Vocal Coaching, July 9-13) made an incredible impact around the world with his critically acclaimed and powerful portrayal of Inspector Javert in the hit musical Les Miserables. Michael has not only performed in London's West End, Broadway, Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai, Dublin and many other cities but he has also performed a concert version of Les Miserables at Windsor Castle, the Royal Albert Hall and various European stadiums and arenas with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As an accomplished recording artist he has performed in concert as a featured soloist with many orchestras around the globe.

Deanna Dys - (Musical Theatre Dance) Broadway as Performer: LoveMusik, Candide, Annie Get Your Gun, Saturday Night Fever, Crazy for You, Meet Me in St. Louis, Legs Diamond. Film: Stepford Wives, First Wives Club. As choreographer: Crazy for You (Europe), “One Life to Live.” Regional: 42nd Street, The Full Monty.

Clark Middleton (Guest Instructor-Meisner Technique/Master Class Teacher, Week 1) As an actor, Clark has appeared in over 100 plays in New York ,Los Angeles, and the United Kingdom, as well as regionally. He has originated roles in plays by Sam Sheppard, Lanford Wilson, and John Guare. He has made 15 films with directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linkletter. On television, he has been featured on Law & Order and CSI among others. He has directed over 20 plays, and is the founder and Artistic Director of the Apartment 929 Theatre Group in New York. He wrote and toured the country in his critically acclaimed one-man play, MIRACLE MILE. Clark is a lifetime member of the Actor’s Studio, and has been teaching the Sanford Meisner method for ten years, after years of studying it with the likes of Uta Hagen, Stella Adler, Geraldine Page and Bill Esper.