Barbara Zinn Krieger

Founder and Artistic Director brings together her formidable achievements as an entrepreneur, arts administrator, educator and librettist as Artistic Director of Making Books Sing. She is the Founder and Chair Emerita of the major Off-Broadway Vineyard Theatre, where she served as Executive Director from 1981-2002. During her tenure, the Vineyard and its productions earned more than 40 awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes and the Tony Award. In 1996, she launched Making Books Sing has the Vineyard's children's theatre program to apply the Vineyard's high standards of artistry and content to work for young people. Making Books Sing continues today as an independent organization. Barbara has written ten librettos including six for Making Books Sing. She is currently working on The Butterfly, based on Patricia Polacco's book for the 2008 season. Prior to the Vineyard, she spent some 20 years as a drama teacher in high schools and colleges. She holds an M.A. in Speech and Theater from Columbia University's Teacher's College.

Debra Sue Lorenzen

Co-founder and Executive Director has managed its program development and rapid growth since 1996, and directed its transition to an independent organization. She has a 19-year background as an arts manager, specializing in fundraising and program development. Prior to founding Making Books Sing with Mrs. Krieger, she raised nearly $10 million as the development director for the preeminent Dance Theatre Workshop, after serving as a fundraiser for Theatre Communications Group. She has served as a development consultant for nearly 20 arts and community organizations throughout New York City. She holds an M.F.A. in Performing Arts   Management from Brooklyn College and a B.A. in Theatre from Florida State University.

Nikki Hinds (Development Director)

Brooke Boertzel

(Director of Education) Brooke began her relationship with Making Books Sing in 2005 when she worked as a teaching artist. A professional actor, Brooke has worked in both theatre and film in New York City while also attending two graduate programs. She holds a M.F.A in Acting from the Actors Studio Drama School (New School University), as well as an M.A in Educational Theatre from New York University. Brooke recently moved back to New York City after working for one year in McCarter Theatre's Education Department in Princeton, New Jersey.

Lorraine Ross Hall

(Business Manager) After many years as a corporate systems consultant, Lorraine has come back to her roots in theatre. She recently consulted with The Yard -- a performance arts colony on Martha's Vineyard--on database development. She was logistical coordinator for their summer festival in 2006, as well as webmaster and content editor for dancetheyard.org. For Eric Krebs Productions, she was site manager for OffBroadway.com, JohnHouseman.com, and GolfTheMusical.com. She designed and implemented internet marketing campaigns for the John Houseman Theater Center, and created a Tour Tracking System to facilitate management of touring shows. She was Managing Director of the off-Broadway company, The New Rude Mechanicals. Lorraine was a theatre arts major at The University of Nebraska.

Kimberly Wilson

Development (Individual Giving) & Marketing Communications Manager, a native New Yorker, Kimberly has held positions and internships in the non-profit sector at: Studio Museum in Harlem, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Jericho Project and The Doe Fund. In addition to her professional experiences, Kimberly has raised funds through her personal philanthropy efforts for youth and women organization including: Project Enterprise, The Point CDC, Imani House, CityKids Foundation and The Door. She has attended Brooklyn College and Parsons School of Design and is Advertising & Marketing Communications graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Max Arnaud is an actor, writer, and teacher.  He graduated from Tulane University (BA) and West Virginia University's College of Creative Arts (MFA).  He teaches for Making Books Sing, PS 87 Afterschool Program, and formerly at Multicultural Music Group's Integrated Arts Project.  At West Virginia University he taught introductory and first year acting, and at Greenbrier Valley Theatre he led student playwrighting workshops.  As an actor, he trained at the Actors Center, Michael Howard Studios, and the Joseph Chaikin Workshop and performed at Center Stage NY, Walkerspace, Abindgon Theatre, Sanford Meisner Theatre, Dixon Place and 78th Street Theatre Lab.

Denver Casado is a composer, music director and teaching artist. He's an alumni of the BMI Musical Theatre workshop and has written 3 one-act musicals with lyricist Betina Hershey, including two commissioned original children's musicals. His songs have been heard throughout New York City in various cabarets and musical theatre festivals. Denver is a graduate of NYU where he studied music technology and music composition with renowned composer Marc-Antonio Consoli. He currently lives in the East Village and writes music freelance for TV and film.  www.denvercasado.com

Vanessa Davis is an actress and teaching artist who has performed in over thirty productions, including seven shows for children and one original solo piece.  A member of Actors' Equity Association, she received an MFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and currently studies with Wynn Handman.  She has taught theatre and movement for children, teens, and undergraduates in NC, PA, and NYC in a variety of settings.  Vanessa is currently teaching with American Place Theatre, Roundabout Theatre, and Making Books Sing. 

Betina Hershey has been writing songs since she was a child and songwriting has never failed to lift her spirits.  She loves getting others to discover the same joy of writing.  Besides working for Making Books Sing, she runs The Garden Players (a children's musical theater after school program) in Forest Hills, writes children's musicals, teaches jazz and ballet at Wagner College and Studio E, and teaches "Mad Hot Ballroom" to 4th and 5th graders.  Betina has been a performer for most of her life, Luisa in "The Fantasticks", Meg in "Phantom of the Opera", etc. (www.betinahershey.com)

Jennifer Houseal is a singer and actress who is returning to MBS for her third year. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Jen performed in various productions, including The Vagina Monologues, The Sea and The Threepenny Opera. Jen most recently completed the Professional Musical Theatre Workshop at Manhattan School of Music and can be seen this summer in the NY Fringe Festival, Fitz and Walloughs Get It In the End, and as well as in the upcoming play "Great Notch" or the Town that Knew No Fear at the Connelly Theater. Her voice can also be found on the recently released Cellardoor album, Distance, and as well as on the solo single, This One's On Me for the upcoming short film, The Hostesses.

Matthew Korahais has worked with Making Books Sing for six years as a teaching artist. He has also taught at locations including Walnut Street Theater School, Center for Talented Youth and Queens Council for the Arts. Matt is a playwright, actor and dramaturg from Brooklyn, New York. His work as an actor and dramaturg has been seen at New Dramatists, New Federal Theater, the LAByrinth, and The Cleaveland Playhouse. He holds a B.A. in Theater Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

Having worked as a teaching artist throughout the five boroughs, Mark Lonergan is pleased to be joining Making Books Sing this season.  Mark is a director specializing in physical theatre, and is the Artistic Director of Parallel Exit, with whom he has created six original works.  Mark's work has been seen in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and Asia, at festivals such as the COS Festival in Spain, the We Love Dance Festival in Japan, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the U.S., and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland (Awarded: Spirit of the Fringe).  In New York City, he has presented work at 59E59 Theaters, Symphony Space, the Guggenheim  Museum, the Merkin Concert Hall, and Ars Nova.  For more information, please visit www.parallelexit.net

Rebecca Lopkin is thrilled to be joining the staff of Making Books Sing this season. Rebecca holds both Masters and Bachelors degrees from New York University's program in Educational Theatre. Rebecca wears many hats. She has been an elementary school general studies teacher for ten years. She has also worn the hat of director, lighting designer, playwright and actor through the years. Rebecca has directed published work and devised original pieces with children and adult theatre companies in Miami, Boston, NYC, Cork, and Paramus. She served as Lighting Designer for the Teaneck New Theatre from 2004-2005. She is currently rehearsing the role of /Yente /in the Harlequin Theatre Company's production of "Fiddler on the Roof".

Kalle Macrides is pleased to be working as a teaching artist with Making Books Sing. Other experiences teaching dramatic arts to youth include work with the Woman's Project and Productions and Brooklyn Summer Players. Kalle is the Education Director for the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation and holds and MA in Performance Studies from NYU. Kalle is an actress and executive director of her theater company, Adhesive Theater Project. For more information, please visit www.adhesivetheater.com

Cara Marcous has been a teaching artist with Making Books Sing since 2003.  In addition to MBS, she has taught with organizations such as TDF, MTC, 52nd Street Project, Smartworks and NYU law school.  Cara is a writer, producer, and actor who works in film and theater. She has produced several Off-Off Broadway plays including the premiere of her own full-length play "Lapse" at Walkerspace in 2004.  She produced a documentary feature about Alaska Native artists called "When the Season is Good: Artists of Arctic Alaska", which was a featured screening in the 2007 Arctic Summer Series at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, and was acquired in 2007 for broadcast by ARTE, European Public Television.  She also produced the short narrative film "Sikumi" (On the Ice) which recently won The Sundance Film Festival's highest honor for short films, the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking for 2008.  For more information, please visit www.sikumifilm.net.  Cara is the co-founder of The Hub Project, an international arts collective and production company based in New York and Sydney, Australia.  She holds a BA in Theater Arts from Brown University.

Vernice Miller

Victoria Oltarsh, a published lyricist on Atlantic Records with her song, "Lucky Charm" on Atlantic Records, has been writing and directing plays in the field of children's theater for over 25 years. Presently employed by The Metropolitan Opera Guild Center and Manhattan New Music Project, Victoria is thrilled to be added to the roster of teaching artists at Making Books Sing. As part of her work, Victoria leads Professional Development sessions for classroom teachers involved in educational projects infusing Creative Arts into the New York State curriculum. As well, she teaches advanced rapid fire think on your feet style theater classes for teens called Improv Theater Jam, Theater Sports, and Fantastic Theatrics at The Pulse Performing Arts School in Bedford Hills, New York. Awarded a grant from  Rockland Council of the Arts for individual artists, Victoria  developed an After School Program creating an environmental performance piece on animals and Nature with elementary school children using creative movement and writing.

Laura Poe is an actor and playwright returning to Making Books Sing for her third year.  This summer she performed her one person play, "MOTHERS OF INVENTION" to critical acclaim at the NY International Fringe Festival.  When not teaching with Making Books Sing, Laura will be taking the play to theater festivals around the world.   As  an actor, she has appeared in numerous plays, films and TV shows,  including:  "All the Pretty Horses", "Arlington Road", "The Good Old  Boys", "Love Monkey", "Law and Order S.V.U.".  To learn more about Laura, visit laurapoe.com

Arianna Rose is a professional singer, lyricist, vocal coach, music and theatre director and a certified Music Improvisation Instructor. She is a Teaching Artist with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, Wingspan Arts and Making Books Sing, and a director of the Creative Center Choir. Arianna is a lyricist in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing Workshop, and her plays and songs have been presented in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Ms. Rose was an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Theatre and Dance of Bucknell University, and has taught singing and musical theatre classes to children and adults at Bloomsburg University, and at music studios in Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.