92
O n a n d a r O u n d t h e c a m p u s O f a p p a l a c h i a n s t a t e u n i v e r s i t y, B O O n e , n c
College, Rob worked regularly with Chicago City Limits as a performer, teacher and director from 1994 to 2011. Rob joined Broadway’s Next Hit Musical in 2001. BNHM’s master improvisers started their success at the famous NYC cabaret club Don’t Tell Mama as well as with the New York Musical Theater Festival. Rob became Co-Artistic Director in 2009, and continues to perform with the hysterical troupe throughout the country and at their resident theater The Triad in NYC. Called “sharper than a pound of cheddar cheese” by reviewfix.com, Rob has showcased his skills on The Daily Download and CBS’ The Early Show. Rob’s musical talent is also evident with the New York-based acousticpop band The Hillary Step; he is the main writer, lead singer, guitarist and music director. For more information, please visit www.robschiffmann.com. Deb rabbai (Co-Artistic Director, Co-Producer, Performer) is an improviser, singer, teacher, corporate facilitator/role player, actor and voice actor who has been working successfully in these mediums for 25 years. She spent 10 years performing and teaching improvisation with TheatreSports New York, five years performing with ComedySportz NY and six years performing with Chicago City Limits. Deb has ppeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and in national commercials for MasterCard, Wendy’s and Zyrtec. Deb has done countless voiceovers, ranging from radio and TV advertisements, to video games and has made a name for herself in the world of Japanese anime having voiced characters in over 45 anime films which are listed on her Wikipedia page. A graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC and a highly experienced teacher of improvisation and acting, she’s had the pleasure of teaching at NYU, Marymount Manhattan College, The American Comedy Institute, The New York Film Academy and American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. As a facilitator/role player she has worked with
companies from the pharmaceutical world to finance to beer! Her great joy has been taking on the role of co-artistic director of Broadway’s Next Hit Musical in 2009 and in watching the show and its performers flourish. She’s also a tap dancer/hoofer and periodically brings her shoes on the road so you may get to see her hoof! For more information visit: www.debrabbai.com. MAtt gIrOVeAnu (Performer) (SAG-AFTRA Fi-Core) is an actor, musical improviser and voiceover artist from Astoria, NY. Matt majored in TV Production and double minored in Theatre Studies & Performance at Seton Hall University. Matt can be seen weekly in New York City on the musical improv house team VERN at the Peoples Improv Theater, who in conjunction with Audible.com, produced A Very Improvised Holiday Musical with Tony winner Laura Benanti. Television credits include HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, The Deuce, Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, ID’s A Crime to Remember & SyFy’s Happy! www.MattGiro.com PAt sWeArIngen (Performer) is pleased to be making his debut with Broadway’s Next Hit Musical in the Sunshine State! His hometown of Danville, Illinois, has also produced Dick Van Dyke, Bobby Short and Gene Hackman so here’s hoping some of that rubbed off on him! He is currently a featured performer and instructor at the Peoples Improv Theater in NYC. Favorite musical performances in the field of parodies have been as Doc Brown in “That 80s Time Travel Movie,” Freddie Krueger in “A Bad Dream on Elm Avenue,” Caesar in “The Hungry, Hungry Games,” and more traditionally as Frump in “How To Succeed...”, and Crazy Old Maurice in “Beauty and the Beast.”
rOBB COles (Emcee) is an NYC based Actor/Comedian. Regional theatre credits include: McCarter Theatre, Shawnee Playhouse, and the Armory Theatre. He also appeared in the musical revue, Hollywood to Broadway in Shanghai, China. As a Comedian, Robb has appeared at New York Comedy Club, The Stand, and Comic Strip Live. He’s also performed comedy for Holland America Cruise Lines, The Wendy Williams Show on TV, and The Friars Club Roast of Padme Lakshmi. gArY ADler (Pianist) served as the musical director for Broadway’s Avenue Q for its entire six and a half-year run. Other NYC conducting credits include The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Kinky Boots, The Fantasticks and Next to Normal. He co-wrote the long-running Off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz, for which he received Drama Desk nominations for both his music and lyrics. Gary also wrote and arranged for Disney Channel’s Johnny and the Sprites starring John Tartagila. He has been playing improv piano for longer than he would care to admit. Anne hustOn (Stage Manager) is based out of New York and is the production manager at Caveat, a venue that blends nerdy topics with live entertainment. They’ve stage managed shows at Lincoln Center, Second Stage, Manhattan Theater Club, and many others. In their free time, they help run Decent Company, a theater company dedicated to the advancement of the theatrical writer/performer. Come talk to them about all things queer, weird or cute! caveat.nyc & decent.nyc.