Friday, October 4, 2024 at 8 pm
SPENCER
MEET THE ARTISTS
MANDY GONZALEZ
Mandy Gonzalez is an accomplished film, TV, stage actor, and author. She possesses one of the most powerful and versatile contemporary voices of our time. Mandy is currently guest starring as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway.
Mandy originated the role of ‘Nina Rosario’ in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, In the Heights, for which she received a Drama Desk Award. She is also among the Broadway greats who have taken on the role of ‘Elphaba’ in Wicked and starred in the megahit Hamilton as ‘Angelica Schuyler’ for six years. Along with being a stage actor, Gonzalez has been featured in television and movie roles including The Good Wife, Madam Secretary, Across the Universe, Quantico, and Only Murders in the Building A frequent concert soloist, Mandy has performed with symphony orchestras around the world. Highlights include Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops, Boston Pops, Philly Pops, the National Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, and Atlanta Pops to name a few. Her debut album FEARLESS was released in 2017, which debuted in the Top 20 of iTunes pop charts. In her quest to create positive change, she is the proud founder of #FearlessSquad – a social media movement for inclusiveness and positivity. Mandy is also an accomplished author who recently published her young adult series, FEARLESS – a four-book middle-grade series that follows young thespians whose brushes with the supernatural teach them about theater, friendship, and themselves. Mandy is deeply committed to advocating for underserved communities and schools. She serves on the boards of BCRF (Breast Cancer Research Foundation) and BC/EFA (Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS).
DAN LIPTON
Dan Lipton conducted The Band’s Visit and Sting’s musical The Last Ship on Broadway. He’s arranged music and led bands for Sutton Foster, Kelli O’Hara, John Lithgow, Judy Kuhn, Martha Plimpton and Audra McDonald, performing at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, on PBS Great Performances, Today, Late Show with David Letterman and with symphony orchestras across the country. Music supervision and orchestrations: An Officer and a Gentleman (US tour), The Other Josh Cohen (off-Broadway), The Drama Desk Awards. Music direction and onstage musician: Twyla Tharp’s How Long Blues (Little Island) under T Bone Burnett, The Coast of Utopia by Tom Stoppard (Broadway). He scored the film All These Small Moments starring Molly Ringwald and his piano playing is heard in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Rebecca Hall’s film Passing and on three Grammynominated albums. Stream his latest collection of jazz-pop covers with singer Colby Beserra, Jukebox Saloon Vol. 2
MIKE BONO
Mike Bono is a guitarist currently living in NYC, where he is playing, teaching, composing, and recording. He holds a degree from Berklee College of Music, where he was the first guitarist in the school’s renowned history to receive a Presidential Scholarship. He has performed at venues in the city such as Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Birdland, Blue Note, and many other clubs/festivals in town and abroad. Over the last few years, Mike has had several opportunities to play or record with artists like Erykah Badu, Andra Day, Max Martin, Leon Bridges, Ariana DeBose, Rumer Willis, Julian Lage, Natalie Cressman, and many others. He currently has 6 albums of original music out, and has 3 new albums on the way for 2025/26. Mike currently plays guitar for the hit Broadway show & Juliet.
LEXI BODICK
Lexi Bodick is an electric and upright bassist based in NYC who is passionate about social justice, fostering equitable spaces in the industry, and her MexicanAmerican heritage.
Broadway: Shucked (Grammy nominated original Broadway cast album), 13: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Album). Off-Broadway: White Rose (Theatre Row), Darling Grenadine (Roundabout Theater Company), 13: The Musical (Goodspeed). Touring: Waitress (1st national tour). Subbing: Waitress, SIX Beyond music, Lexi is a certified music educator and Trust & Safety professional.
SPENCER COHEN
Spencer Cohen is a lover of life, music, family, friends, coffee and his amazing wife Shelly. He feels privileged to have been a part of many theater productions. He can be heard on over 20 film scores, including Bliss and Bright Lights by Wills Bates. He is the composer for Two Headed Animals by Jono Crefeld and the Dungeons & Dragons TV show, Novel Chronicles. He is also the composer and a producer for the upcoming short films Winning and Feed by Michelle Girolami. Spencer studied Music Education at NYU and is a teaching artist for the St. Luke’s School. He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Tilles Center and the Post Theatre Company would like to thank Mandy Gonzalez for giving the Musical Theater students the opportunity to perform on stage with her:
Aidan Bradley
Dominic Cárdenas
Daphne Jackins
Shania Jackson
Delaney Hill
Cameron Lindsey
Analia Piloto
Emmalee Stark
Saylor Tucker
William Wyatt