The EastLine Theatre Board of Directors is Lynda Gaug, Danny Higgins, Larry Meneses, Matt Rosenberg, and Nicole Savin
EastLine Theatre’s Artistic Director is Nicole Savin
EastLine Theatre’s Associate Artistic Directors are Paul DeFilippo & Morgan Moffitt
The EastLine Theatre Creative Associates are: Abi Alam, Anjor Khadilkar, Anna Stacy, Aly Kantor, Anthony Noto (Media Director), David Bullen, Deanna Ibrahim, Jill Linden, Joe Boccia Jr., John Brautigam, Julianna Frasca, Lynn Ciorciari, Matt Rosenberg (Production Manager), Melanie Lipton, Remi Watts (Technical Director), and Sheilah Barksdale.
Anna Stacy (they/them) is an actor, musician, graphic designer, and medical student from New York. Favorite credits include Touchstone (As You Like It, Match: Lit), Marc Antony (Julius Caesar, Hamlet Isn’t Dead), and Jess (Ugly Lies the Bone, Rites and Reason Theatre). Offstage and outside the hospital, Anna loves horror movies, regardless of quality. For more of what Anna does when they should be studying, check out their website.
Aly Kantor (she/her) is a theatre-maker from Massapequa Park, and has been involved with EastLine since 2015. Aly is a sometimes-actor, sometimes-playwright, and self-described ‘recovering stage manager,’ who adores all forms of creative problem solving. She is also a passionate elementary educator and orange cat owner. You may have seen her on stage in Amadeus, All in the Timing, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Our Leading Lady, Kimberly Akimbo, and 2019’s Shakespeare in Repertory productions. Aly devised and directed Adventurers Anonymous, for EastLine’s Muse Anthology in January 2021, and hopes to continue telling new stories for the stage for a long time to come!
Anthony Noto (he/him) is a singer, actor, music composer, video editor, and director. He is currently the lead singer of the internationally touring rock band Blue Movie. For EastLine he has previous appeared in Amadeus, Columbinus, Treasure Island, and Hand to God. More at his website here.
Danny Higgins (he/they) has been making theatre with EastLine since 2011. He is a producer, director, writer, actor, and lighting designer. Some of his favorite credits include Indecent, Amadeus, Buried Child, Antigone, Richard III, Incident at Vichy, Gross Indecency, and the original musical Prospero (Live!) for which he also wrote the book. He studies Technical Theatre at NCC. Focused exclusively on working in intimate spaces, his work is usually defined by his innovative use of lighting, sound, and textiles. He enjoys theatre that is thought-provoking and challenges convention. He lives in Malverne with his cat, Delilah. Get in touch at danny@eastlinetheatre.org
Deanna Ibrahim (she/her) is an artist, educator, and doctoral candidate in applied psychology. She began performing in musical theater at a young age (Evita, Gateway Playhouse), but soon became involved in theatre for social change as a founding member of Girl Be Heard (Brooklyn, NY). While pursuing a BA in Theatre and Psychology (Muhlenberg College), Deanna used theatre to advocate for gender and racial equity at the White House and United Nations (Switzerland). As a doctoral candidate at NYU, she partners with arts organizations (Guggenheim Museum, Partners for Youth Empowerment) to study and develop arts programs that promote youth development and social justice (see recent research article). Drawn to EastLine’s innovative, egalitarian work, Deanna has played Ophelia in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (2015), and Jane Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2021). More at her website.
John Brautigam (he/him) is a composer, lyricist, and musician based on Long Island. He has composed and music directed for many EastLine shows including Antigone, Treasure Island, Buried Child, Macbeth, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Prospero (LIVE!). Aside from his writing, John is a regular at local open mics, directs the Long Island Silent Film Orchestra (LISFO), and plays trombone in the ska/punk band The Going Rate. He enjoys acting onstage whenever he can find the time. More at jbrautigam.com
Julianna Frasca (she/they) is a stage manager, actor, and dramaturg originally from Jersey City, NJ before a series of circumstances washed her up onto Long Island’s shores. After a brief stint as a performer for a murder mystery company, and The NY Renaissance Faire, she decided to move her focus back towards working behind the scenes. She has stage managed several productions for EastLine Theatre including In the Next Room, Being Earnest, and This Play Was Never About Noses. She holds a BA in Theatre and Psychology from Drew University. A special shoutout goes to her wonderful husband, William, for supporting her while she takes the car every night for rehearsals.
Larry Meneses (he/him) comes to the EastLine Theatre Board of Directors as an avid supporter, contributor, and fan. His first EastLine show was Gross Indecency and he has been coming back ever since. In addition, Larry brings many years of experience working with not-for-profit and community organizations, in politics, and with government. Larry’s love of theater began when he was eight years old, after his parents took him to see the original Broadway stage production of Bye Bye Birdie. His interest grew at Oceanside High School where he studied with Barry H. Kaplan and at Livingston College in New Jersey, where he studied with Eric Krebs, the founder of the George Street Playhouse. Larry also studied under Peter Lozado at the La Mama Experimental Theater. Recently retired from the Suffolk County Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs where he worked as a Senior Neighborhood Aide in the Suffolk Works Employment Program (SWEP) helping clients who were engaged in school and vocational training, Larry looks forward to devoting his time and energy to support EastLine Theatre.
Lynn Ciorciari (she/her) has been messing around with fabric, thread, paint and more for decades and costume design provides a lovely canvas on which to share her passion. She has costumed for theatres across the country and has been costuming for EastLine since 2018. Lynn also plays the French horn and she holds both a B.A. in Classical Studies from Columbia University and a Master’s level USCG Captain’s License. Lynn lives happily with her actor husband, Tom, and their four cats among racks of costumes in a rather small Long Island apartment.
Matt Rosenberg (he/him) is a stage manager, actor, and director who has been working in Long Island theatre for more than a decade. He has stage managed over eighty productions across Long Island, and has been with EastLine since 2015. As an actor, Matt has appeared in The Normal Heart, The Butler Did It, and Antigone. Favorite directorial productions for EastLine include The Best Man, The Long Christmas Dinner, and On Golden Pond. Matt studied Technical Theatre at Hofstra University and resides in Island Park. Reach him at matt@eastlinetheatre.org
Melanie Lipton (she/her) is an actor, singer and occasional dancer. She has performed on Long Island for nearly thirty years, and has been happily associated with EastLine (God of Vengeance, Body Awareness, Indecent) since 2018. A graduate of Syracuse University with a BFA in Musical Theatre, she has appeared in regional, stock, and dinner theatre here and in the Midwest, and spent two seasons as a choreographer and teacher at Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center. She can be found on a variety of social media platforms as @modhousewife.
Morgan Moffitt (they/them) wants you to imagine a perfect person. Breathe in. Who is someone you would look up to? Picture them. Breathe out. Did you hear that? Ignore it. There’s nothing there. Breathe in. Aren’t words funny to look at? What were we talking about? Breathe out. Ah yes, the perfect person. Picture them. Now picture the complete opposite. That’s Morgan. They’re an actor/creative with a passion for theatre and anything eccentric. They like reading, podcasts, and collecting masks. You can reach them through email at morgan@eastlinetheatre.org.
Nicole Savin (she/her) is a theatre-maker from the south shore of Long Island. She holds a BA (Hons) in Drama and Theatre Studies from Royal Holloway, University of London. She has been an EastLine contributor since 2016 and has directed or co-directed productions of Treasure Island, The Truth, Pride & Prejudice, An Oresteia, Long Ago and Far Away, and the infamous Yiddish play God of Vengeance. Favourite EastLine acting roles have included Laura Wingfield, one of a passel of Cyranos, Chana in Indecent, Jill in Equus, and Ismene in Antigone. Her interests include theatre history, musical theatre, Yiddish theatre, and site-specific performance. Her theatre practise is whimsical, inclusive, and based in re-invention. She is a founding member of the London-based By Jove Theatre Company and spends a lot of her time watching Turner Classic Movies (pre-codes only). Drop a line to nicole@eastlinetheatre.org
Paul DeFilippo (he/him) is an actor, director, playwright, and occasional set designer from Queens, NY. He wrote, directed, and acted in the full-length film Policy, which premiered as part of EastLine’s Muse Anthology. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous productions at Queens College, where he also directed productions of Three Sisters and The Crucible. His best friend is Danielle.
Remi Watts (she/they) is a dedicated lighting, sound, and set designer. She has been working in the theatre since she was young. Her favorite credits include Treasure Island, Peter and the Starcatcher, Cabaret, and Amadeus. Her interests outside of theatre include music, philosophy, and video games. She enjoys creating imaginative and uncommon worlds through her use of technical theatre, but most of all enjoys spending time with her friends and family at EastLine.