John Henry Davis (Professor of Theatre and Film) received his B.A. from Stanford University and his M.F.A. from the University of Southern California. He is a director and producer of work for stage, screen, and television. His feature film debut as director, Ordinary Sinner, was honored as “Best Picture” at the Slam Dunk Film Festival and he was selected “Best Director.” His film also won the “Audience Choice Award” at the Greenwich Film Festival, and has played in theaters across the country and on Logo Television. Professor Davis has directed an episode of the acclaimed HBO television series, Oz, segments of One Life to Live, Bravo’s Sarah Jones Show, It’s Always Something for Ripfest, and numerous documentaries. His directorial credits in theatre include Off-Broadway and regional productions, including the recent production of Babes in Toyland at Lincoln Center.
Lisa DeSpain (Assistant Professor of Music and Program Coordinator) is an award-winning jazz pianist, composer and vocal coach. Her awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Fellowship, Copland House Fellowship and the 2000 ASCAP Commission Honoring Duke Ellington. She studied jazz piano under Ellis Marsalis and Brazilian recording artist Eliane Elias. She is the editor for Broadway Presents! – Alfred Music Publishing’s Teen Musical Theatre vocal anthology series and vocal arranger for their “Pop/Glee” choir series - creating mash-ups of Broadway hits Next to Normal, American Idiot and “Mama Who Bore Me” from Spring Awakening. She is the former Musical Director for 1960s pop icon, Lesley Gore, and conductor of the Big Apple Circus. Lisa received her B.M. in Composition at the University of North Texas and her M.M. in Jazz Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music.
Steven Hitt (Managing Director of the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center - LPAC) is a professional choreographer and director whose work has been presented throughout the country. Steven is a Broadway veteran, a cast member of the International company of A Chorus Line and a member of the American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House. Steven has directed LaGuardia’s production of For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf, choreographed varied performances and workshops, and continues to provide countless opportunities for LaGuardia performers on our multiple stages.
Handan Özbilgin (Associate Artistic Director of LPAC) is an international theatre director who specializes in site-specific productions. Her experimental theatre productions include projectmaids, Three Sisters Vanishing, Wall-House-Yard Trilogy and Rumi's Math.
Jason Ramírez (Assistant Professor of Theatre) received his Ph.D. in Theatre from the CUNY Graduate Center. He is a playwright, actor and director holding memberships in Actors' Equity Association and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. His scholarship includes essays in Aztlán Journal of Chicano Studies, Theatre Journal and El Boletín del Archivo de Teatro y Cine. His creative work has been produced at the Mark Taper Forum, La Mama E.T.C., Theater for the New City, The Nuyorican Poet's Café, Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, Intar Theatre, Teatro Iati, Henry Street Settlement, Julia de Burgos Center, Aaron Davis Hall and the Ford Ampitheatre. Jason’s post-9/11 play, Passing Judgment, is published in the Anthology of Nuyorican Theatre. As an actor, Jason has maintained an active career on the stage, including stints as Judas in the National Tours of both Jesus Christ Superstar and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Dr. Ramirez’s ePortfolio can be accessed at https://lagcc-cuny.digication.com/drj.
Stefanie Sertich (Assistant Professor of Theatre) is an award-winning director and choreographer. She has directed the world premiere of Eduardo Machado’s Havana Journal (Theater for the New City), The Dome (Prospect Theater), Museum Pieces (Prospect Theater), Do Gooder (The Public Theater), The Useless Man (Intar New Works Lab), Animal Farm (The New Rep), Electra (Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon), Kimberly Akimbo (Salem Rep Theatre), Cole Porter's You Never Know (Millbrook Playhouse) and Picnic (Western Oregon University). Stefanie has also taught acting, directing and musical theatre to students ranging from young children to graduate students at various institutions including NYU Tisch School of the Arts, City Lights Youth Theatre, Oregon Children’s Theatre and Western Oregon University. Stefanie received her B.A. in Acting from Western Michigan University and an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Portland.
Staff
Taryn Anderson (College Laboratory Technician) – B.A. in Theatre: Binghamton University.