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The Creative Team
(Production Staff) (Professional Performers)

Production Staff

Scott Baron, director

Born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburb of Munhall, Scott received his degree in Theater from Penn State in 1974. Upon graduation, he moved to NYC to pursue an acting career, performing Off Broadway in such roles as Mick in The Caretaker and Slim in Of Mice and Men.

In 1980, Scott became Producing Director for Mark Wilson Productions in North Hollywood, CA where he wrote, directed and produced touring magic shows throughout North America. From 1982 to 1985, Scott served as Associate Artistic Director of Mill Mountain Theater in Roanoke, Virginia, helping to supervise the Theater's expansion from a 4-production summer season to a year-round regional house.

In 1986, Scott began his affiliation with the Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown, PA where he continues to this date in the capacity of Principal Resident Director. Freelancing periodically, Scott has directed the acclaimed concert revivals of Irving Berlin's Louisiana Purchase and the Gershwins' Tip-toes at NYC's Carnegie Hall - both shows available on compact disc. To date, Scott has directed nearly 100 plays, musicals and operas throughout the United States.

As a playwright, he has adapted Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen and Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden for the stage. In Pittsburgh, Scott has appeared in Lips Together, Teeth Apart for The City Theater and Cyrano De Bergerac at The Public Theater.

Scott is currently a resident of Jennerstown, where he lives with his wife, Rachel, their two year old son Nicholas, and a menagerie consisting of two horses, two dogs and a cat.

Gerardo Edelstein, conductor

Gerardo F. Edelstein, a native of Argentina, Gerardo Edelstein has become one of the leading young conductors in the USA. Mr. Edelstein was born in Buenos Aires and studied piano, voice and 'cello from an early age. He graduated in 1985 from the National Conservatory of Music with high honors. He also studied choral conducting for three years with maestro Antonio Russo, former music director of the Teatro Colon opera choir and Buenos Aires Philharmonic. In 1986, he received a scholarship to study orchestral conducting at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music under maestro Mendi Rodan, music director of the Israel Symphony Orchestra and former Associate Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic.

Mr. Edelstein spent three summers in Stuttgart, Germany studying with Helmuth Rilling at the International Bach Academy and conducted the Gachinger Kantorei and the Bach Collegium Stuttgart on several occasions. He was Principal Conductor of the Jerusalem Oratorio choir and Orchestra for three seasons and he toured with the groups throughout the country and appeared on radio and television.

Mr. Edelstein participated successfully in auditions for young conductors, conducting the Israel Philharmonic and the Haifa Symphony and won two awards from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation, one of which was in the name of the late Leonard Bernstein.

In 1992, Mr. Edelstein received a full scholarship to study at Rice University and emigrated to the US with his family. During his two years at Rice, he conducted almost every ensemble at the school. Upon graduation in 1994, he was appointed music director of the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio and conductor of the University of the Incarnate Word Orchestra.

Mr. Edelstein has appeared as guest conductor with the Israel Sinfonietta, the Jerusalem Chamber and Kibbutz orchestras, the Houston Chamber Orchestra, the Houston Ballet and the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet.

In 1996, Mr. Edelstein was appointed assistant conductor of the Richmond Symphony and director of orchestral activities at Virginia Commonwealth University. He conducted a variety of performances ranging from Pops and Family to Subscription concerts. He also served as associate conductor and music advisor for the Richmond Symphony and under his leadership the Symphony has won first prize for innovative music programming from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Currently, Mr. Edelstein is director of orchestral studies at the Pennsylvania State University and music director of Music at Penn's Woods Festival.

Patricia Heigel-Tanner, choreographer

Patricia Heigel-Tanner, reitred Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Dance Program at Penn State, studied at the American Ballet in New York, the American Ballet Theatre School, Connecticut College School of Dance, Perry-Mansfield School, and the Schwarz School of Dance in Dayton, Ohio. Associated with Penn State since 1964, she has choreographed dance for numerous musicals for the Pennsylvania Center Stage, including Carousel, Dark of the Moon, The Beggar's Opera and 1776, as well as many original dance works in collaboration with Bruce Trinkley for the Contemporary Dance Company. Ms. Heigel-Tanner served as faculty advisor and artistic director to Orchesis Dance Company, has served as Dance Chairperson for the Governor's School for the Arts, and was President of the Central Pennsylvania Arts Council. Teacher, performer, and choreographer, she presently is the Artistic Director of the Contemporary Dance Company, a community-based dance company. Ms. Heigel-Tanner choreographed the dances in the Penn State Opera Theatre's productions of Bruce Trinkley's Dido Decides and Cleo in 1999. Her choreography was most recently seen in the Opera Theatre's production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.

Warren Wake, set designer

Dr. Warren K. Wake is an associate professor of Architecture and Integrative Arts at Penn State where he teaches design studios and courses on creativity. Dr. Wake holds a Bachelor's of Architecture from Syracuse University, an M.S. in Architecture from Carnegie-Mellon, and a Doctorate in Design from Harvard's Graduate School of Design. Dr. Wake joined the Penn State faculty in 2001 and previously taught at the Boston Architectural Center, Harvard and Carnegie-Mellon. Warren is co-author of Intelligence: Multiple Perspectives, and author of Design Paradigms: A Sourcebook for Creative Visualization. Warren has participated in the construction of a number of theater and opera sets and led his design studio class in the construction of the set for Penn State Opera Theatre's sprng 2001 production of Dido and Aeneas.

Charles H. Firmin, lighting designer

Mr. Firmin is a professional stage lighting designer whose design assignments have included work in many production venues including New York City, Syracuse, Washington D.C, Altoona and Pittsburgh. Mr. Firmin spent thirty years as the lighting designer and professor of design at the Penn State School of Theatre. He was also the lighting designer for the Summer Theatre program there. Mr. Firmin continues as a technical consultant to theatre organizations throughout the United States.

Laura Lee Hanchar, costume designer

Laura is returning to work with Bruce and Jason, having designed DIAMOND CHILD in 1999. Her post graduate work at Penn State with Doug Marmee inspired her to neglect her performance degree from Ohio State University and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown to devote her time solely to costume design. Past designs include Dracula and Babes in Arms at The Boal Barn; The Medium and The Old Maid and the Thief for the Penn State Opera Theatre; and The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Pippin for the Penn State Thespians. Laura also places her time with young people as some of her most important work, having designed productions at Bellefonte High School for six years while training students in costume design and construction. Laura has been a guest artist in residence at Rio Rancho High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, twice in the past two years, where she designed Children of Eden and Dress Code. Her most recent work was with The Next Stage, designing their April production of The Clearing.

Mary Saunders-Barton, vocal coach

Mary Saunders, graduated Cum Laude/PhiBetaKappa from Mount Holyoke College, and has a Master's degree from Middlebury College, and the Sorbonne, Paris, where she studied with Pierre Bernac at the Ecole Normale Superieure de Musique.

Ms. Saunders serves as head of voice instruction for the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. She was previously on the BFA Musical Theatre faculty at Hartt School of Music. Ms. Saunders has appeared in musicals on and off-Broadway and in regional theatres throughout the country. Recently, she has concentrated on the creation and performance of one-woman cabaret shows, the first of which, Stop, Time played to sell-out houses in New York City. In addition to her university teaching, she maintains a studio in Manhattan for professional singers. In this and recent seasons her students could be seen on Broadway in Kiss Me Kate, Seussical, The Musical, Cabaret, Follies, 42nd Street, Rent, and the record breaking Tony Award winner The Producers. She is frequently invited to present her workshop/seminar Bel Canto Or Can Belto: Training Musical Theatre Singers For The New Millennium for convocations of singers and teachers of singing in the U.S. and Europe. She was a featured clinician at the NATS Winter Workshop 2001: Music Theatre and the Belt Voice Part II in New York City.

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Updated: October 4, 2002