Creative Team

Michael Tilley (Music Director) When not touring the country as franc d'ambrosio's musical director, Michael continues his work with many companies and in many genres. As a conductor, he has led ensembles from central city opera, opera Colorado and others. He has been a featured performer with the Colorado symphony and many other regional orchestras, as well as with the Martha Graham dance company at the vail dance festival. His orchestrations and arrangements, from solo piano to full symphony to rock opera have been heard across the country. In February, the helgeland sinfionetta will premiere his arrangement of piazzolla's tango suite. He has also composed music for the stage and a feature length film. He plays piano, sing and arranges for the tango groups, extasis and the natural tango orchestra. He also cooks one mean Etouffee.   KRISTEN COURY (Director) is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Gulfshore Playhouse, and has directed Honour, Doubt: A Parable, and Tartuffe, as well as the Florida Premieres of Another Night Before Christmas, Married Alive!, Life x 3, and Romeo and Juliet: Redefined. The first Gulfshore Playhouse production was Oleanna by David Mamet, starring Tony Award®-Nominee Alan Campbell to much acclaim. Kristen was honored to receive distinction as one of the "Top 40 Professionals Under 40" by Gulfshore Life Magazine in 2008, listed in the Who's Who's of American Women, and recently was honored by United Arts Council as a member of "Star in the Arts." Kristen directed Skylight by David Hare, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress by Alan Ball, as well as Oleanna in Raleigh, NC, for Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy. She made her feature film directorial debut with Friends and Family, a comedy starring Tony Lo Bianco and Tovah Feldshuh, which was released around the US and Europe, and can now be seen on DVD and Cable TV worldwide. Kristen directed the first production of Waiting for the Glaciers to Melt, a new musical by Tony Award®-Nominated Brian Lane Green, a project that she helped develop over two years from a variety of poetry and songs by Green. Kristen has directed several new works, produced a CD and worked on a variety of musicals in various stages of development, including Steel Pier on Broadway, a Broadway-workshop of The Jazz Singer and Houdini at the Goodspeed Opera House. Kristen worked in production/management for Walt Disney Theatrical Productions (working on international productions of Beauty and the Beast and King David), Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Company (Sunset Boulevard on Broadway and Joseph... on Tour), and for London's English Shakespeare Company in the Press and Marketing Department. Kristen is a ballroom dancer, and recently won "Best Newcomer of the Year" at the Tampa Bay Classic. Kristen is also a Certified Instructor in The Nia Technique (www.go2beyondmotion.com) and a Certified Practitioner of The Lightworks Healing Method (www.lightworksmethod.com)   ADAM CATES (choreographer) recently assisted Kathleen Marshall on the Tony winning Broadway revival of Anything Goes with Joel Gray and Sutton Foster, and the NY City Center Gala starring Patti LuPone and Sarah Jessica Parker. Adam has choreographed regional productions of Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Peter Pan, Annie, Snoopy!!!, A Funny Thing...Forum, Joseph...Dreamcoat, and Big River. In New York, Adam choreographed the off-Broadway premiere of The Brain From Planet X, the web series Outside the Box, and was the assistant choreographer for the national tour of Doctor Dolittle with Tommy Tune. Other credits as an associate choreographer include productions for Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Seattle Opera as well as The Wizard of Oz (national tour), The Music Man (starring Shirley Jones), and the television series 90210. He has also staged magic revues for casinos in Reno, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas and production shows for Holland America Cruise Line. Adam continues to teach as a guest artist for universities and studios across North America and is on the faculty of Rosie O'Donnell's Maravel Arts Center/Professional Performing Arts high school in NYC. www.adamcates.com