Wine Lovers: The Wine Tasting Musical

New York Premiere Begins December 1st!

Production Team
HOLLY-ANNE RUGGIERO (Director)

Ms. Ruggiero is the Artistic Director of imPULSE Theatre in New York City, and has produced and directed fifteen pieces for the company including a reading of Martin Sherman’s awarding winning play, Bent, with Will Chase and Matt Cavenaugh. She was recently voted as the Best Director of the Midtown International Theatre Festival 2007 for her work on the first New York revival of George Axelrod’s Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? The production won three awards including Best Revival of a Play or Musical and was nominated for eight awards total, the most out of any piece in the festival this year. Holly-Anne was the associate to Tony Award winning director Des McAnuff for three years on Broadway and at the La Jolla Playhouse. Selected credits include – Broadway/National Tour/West End: Jersey Boys (Broadway; First National); Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays (Broadway; First National); Dracula; Zhivago; As You Like It; Metamorphoses; Much Ado About Nothing; Cover Girls. Off Broadway/Other New York: Platforms (NYMF 2007), Journey to Jersey Boys, Autophobia, Broadway Spotlight 2005-2007; 4.48 Psychosis; Cowboy Mouth; Icons; Where are you going, Where have you been?; A Happy Goy In The Shiva House (A New Play by Andrew Snyder); Albert Innaurato’s The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie and a critically acclaimed revival of Edward Albee's, The American Dream.  Regional:  Joseph And….Dreamcoat; Forum; Credo, Sarah Kane’s Blasted and Crave for the Backyard Company and What The Butler Saw for CTWA in Los Angeles.  Regional/Associate: The Wiz; Zhivago; Palm Beach Private Fittings. Upcoming projects include City of Light, a new musical with music by Beverly Ross (Lollipop, Judy’s Turn To Cry), Under The Bed with Angela McCluskey and Out Of Range, which she is both writing and directing.

MICHAEL GREEN (Conceiver, Co-writer):

Michael Green is the wine consultant to Gourmet Magazine and he has worked in the wine world in the various capacities of educator, importer, writer, consultant and retailer for over 20 years.  His company, Liquid Assets Consulting Group, specializes in wine and food education events, marketing, brand building, and trade liaison support. Green has been a guest on Food Network’s Emeril Live, Sara’s Secrets, and Cooking Live as well as CNN, CBS Marketwatch, Fox News, NPR, and Clear Channel Radio. Green is a passionate speaker and enthusiastic speaker and presents at wine and food festivals, conferences, and charity auctions around the world. He contributed wine notes to Sara Moulton Cooks at Home, which was nominated for a James Beard Award. Michael is a member of the Society of Wine Educators, the New York Association of Cooking Teachers and has been inducted into the Ordre de la Chaine. In a previous life, Michael worked in theatre production for McCann & Nugent, and Paul Berkowsky and he produced and acted in two shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. Michael is a proud graduate of New York’s High School of the Performing Arts and with the creation of Wine Lovers is delighted to be bringing the worlds of wine and theatre together. Thank you to the amazing team of theatre professionals, family and friends that continue to support this project.
For more info visit:  www.michaelgreen.com

TRAVIS KRAMER (Book):
Travis Kramer is the creator and writer/lyricist of "It's Karate, Kid! The Musical" (Best Musical, NYIT Awards 2005), writer/lyricist of "Sex Road To Ruin" from "The Paperback Musical," and lyricist of original compositions for the Resonance Ensemble premiere of Charles L. Mee's "Mail Order Bride." Travis has also written pop culture parodies for Cracked Magazine, designed publicity and props for Off-Broadway cabarets "It's Me, Baby, It's Kevin!" and "Impossible Bitch!," and illustrated "Florida Marlins From A To Z" for Barnes & Noble. Other freelance work includes feature articles and editorial illustrations for various trade publications and commissioned tattoo designs. He is currently creating two new musicals for the stage. Travis is a founding member of The Four Corners Project.

GARY NEGBAUR (Book/Music/Lyrics/Music Director):
Gary Negbaur has written music for theater, film and dance. His one-act musical, Librarians in Love, (written with Tony nominee John Cariani) was performed at the 2002 NYC Fringe Festival. His current work includes a musical called True Beauty (co-written with Tony nominee Jerry Silverstein). His song, Red Pontiac, was featured on NPR's "Car Talk."  As a performing pianist/singer, Gary has released two CDs and toured the US, Europe and Australia. Gary’s work continues to be informed by the education he received at Harvard University and the Berklee College of Music.
For more info, visit   www.garynegbaur.com

HOLLY CRUZ (Choreographer)
Holly Cruz is thrilled to be a part of Wine Lovers the Musical. Holly has choreographed for such theatres as Goodspeed Opera House CT; Allenberry Playhouse PA.; North Carolina Theatre; Houston's Theatre Under the Stars; and Fifth Avenue Theatre in Seattle.

New York credits include Holiday Reviews at Rockefeller Center's Rainbow Room; Broadway By the Year at Town Hall; and the Astaire Awards.  She has also choreographed for the Queen's Ball at the Indianapolis 500.


ANDREA WALES (Stage Manager)
Andrea Wales is a recent M.F.A graduate from Columbia University. Most recently she worked with the Aquila Theatre Company on Julius Caesar and Catch-22. The company has just finished up their fall tour which started in St. Thomas and toured the northern Atlantic states. Andrea has also spent the year working on The Book Play and Hotel Oracle (dir. Stephen Brackett), Alice in War, Baby Face and Mudblossom (by Ashlin Halfnight) and In the Heights (production assistant). Here's hoping next year brings more of the same craziness!


ANNE ALLEN GOELZ (Production Designer)
Anne Allen Goelz has designed scenery and costumes in New York for the past three years. She just finished designing 2 NYMF shows; the dance piece "Platforms"and "The Last Starfighter" Earlier this year she was assisting on the Broadway productions of "Grease" and "Lone Star Love," with Derek McLane. In the past she has worked with Heidi Ettinger, Robert Brill, La Jolla Playhouse, Dodger Theatricals, Lake George Opera, New York Grand Opera, Skidmore College, Axial Theatre Company, MTV Special Events, Gipson Design Group, and Matthew David Events.


CHRIS KATEFF (Projection Designer)
Chris Kateff designs and creates artwork for live theater. Off-Broadway, Chris has designed projections for Die Mommy Die at New World Stages, Esoterica at the DR2 Theater, and Platforms-part of the 2007 New York Musical Theater Festival. He has assisted on several shows including most recently Walmartopia and Burleigh Grimes. His Broadway assistant design credits include Ring of Fire and Jersey Boys. Chris is also an actor and photographer.
MARIA ZAMANSKY (Costume Designer)
Maria Zamansky has designed costumes for Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (Midtown Theatre Festival), Autophobia (Gene Frankel Underground Theatre), West of the 5 (La Jolla Playhouse), Stage Door (University of California, San Diego), and numerous one act plays at University of California, San Diego. In 2003 Maria received a Patté, a local annual award presented by KPBS, for Best Costumes in Stage Door. As the Resident Costume Design Assistant at La Jolla Playhouse (2003-2006), Maria contributed to Broadway bound musicals such as Jersey Boys, Zhivago, and The Wiz. She is currently freelancing as a designer and assistant.


MELISSA DENIZARD (Stage Manager)
Melissa Denizard is currently in her first year of the Stage Management MFA program at Columbia University. Melissa graduated from La Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus; B.A. in Education, Theatre Concentration, May 2007. Recent theatres credits include; A Flea in Her Ear (Oct 2007) which she was assistant stage manager, Romeo & Juliet (May 2007) which she adapted, produced and directed with her high school students, and Delirio Habanero (Dec 2006), which she stage managed and assistant directed.


JULIAN BRIZZI (Marketing Director):
Julian Brizzi is marketing director and special projects director for Michael Green and the Liquid Assets Consulting Group. He is a published author who has worked for Food Arts Magazine, New York Magazine Online, and various other online publications. He is a consultant to The Next Level Inc., a woman’s leadership and diversity consulting firm located in Montclair, NJ. Before graduating from the University of Vermont with a degree in English Literature and Italian, he worked for nearly a decade in various restaurant kitchens in New Jersey, Vermont, and Australia. His passion for food and wine began as a child in Italy, where he spent much of his youth.

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