RENT CREATIVE TEAM

BIOGRAPHIES

Michael Greif (Director)
Received 1996 Tony and Drama Desk nominations as well as the Obie Award for RENT. At Joseph Papp’s Public Theater he has directed Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal (Obie Award) Also: Tony Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day, Connie Congdon’s Cassanova, Jose Rivera’s Marisol, Shakespeare’s Pericles, Jessica Hagedom’s Dogeaters (Obie Award) and Suzan-Lorie Parks’ Fuckin A. For the la Jolla Playhouse (1995-1999) he directed Wilder’s Our Town. Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth, Charlaine Woodward’s Pretty Fire, Diana Son’s Boy, Randy Newman’s Faust, Tony Kushner’s Slavs!, Neal Bell’s adaptation of These Raquin and Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw. Regionally, he has directed at Baltimore’s center Stage, Providence’s Trinity Repertory Company, the Williamstown Theater Festival where he staged Chekov’s The Seagull, Coward’s Tonight at 8:30, Rice’s Street Scene, Kaufman and Hart’s Once in a Lifetime and John Gaure’s Landscape of a Body. Recent work includes Neal Bell’s Monster at CSC, John Guare’s A Few Stout Individuals at New York Signature Theater; Betty Rules at the Zipper and Kate Ryan’s Cavedweller at the New York Theater Workshop where he is an associate.

Marlie Yearby (Choreographer)
She received a 1996 Tony Award Nomination for Best Choreography for RENT, theater commissions include American Music Theater Festival (GA) En Garde Arts, American Center (France). She has collaborated with playwrights Shay Youngblood, Laurie Carlos, Sekou Sundiata, Carl Haucock Rux and Robbie McCauley. As founder/artist director of Movin’ Spirits Dance Theater, commissions include Lincoln Center, American dance Festival (NC), Jacob’s Pillow (MA), Tribeca Performing Arts Center and Performance Space 122. Ms. Yearby received a ’95 New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for choreography for Lisa Jones’ and Alva Rogers’ Stained.

EVAN ENSIGN (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR)
Evan is associate director for Broadway company of Rent and the resident director of the Broadway production of Avenue Q. He is currently directing the Las Vegas and London productions of Avenue Q and the US National Tour of Les Miserables. Additional Broadway credits include: Imaginary Friends, Barbara Cook - Mostly Sondheim, Annie Get Your Gun, Chicago, Aida. Nat’l tours: Les Misérables, Rent, Phantom of the Opera. Regional: The Baker's Wife, You Never Know, Forever Plaid (L.A.), Grand Junction, among others.

David Truskinoff (Music Director)
Is associate music director of the Broadway company of RENT. David works in New York as a private vocal coach, musical director and conductor. His conducting credits include productions at regional theatres across the country, the national tours of She Loves Me and Rent and international productions of RENT including the Berlin Company and the Montreal company of Rent. He recently conducted a revival of A Little Night Music at the Bristol Riverside Theatre. He is a faculty member at the National Theatre Institute.

LISA ZINNI (Associate Costume Designer)
Associate Costume Designer for the Broadway, National tours, Toronto, and London Companies of RENT. Associate Designer for RENT Italy, produced by Pavarotti, and the French language production of RENT in Montreal. For Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival she designed last season’s Man of La Mancha, Hamlet (‘02), Charley’s Aunt, All’s Well, Moon for the Misbegotten, Comedy Of Errors, Midsummer (‘94). She recently designed Free Style Love Supreme for Arts Nova in NYC, and Armless for The NY International Fringe Festival. Her Bristol Riverside Theatre credits include Hamlet, Tête à Tête, A Little Night Music, The Dresser and Evita. Hyde in the Shadows (Fictitious Theatre Co.) Cloud 9, Women of Troy  (Broad Horizons Theatre Co.) Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, Littlest Angel, James and the Giant Peach (PA Youth Theatre), Platonocov (Chekhov Now Festival). Assistant designer for the cult hit Shockheaded Peter. She has worked as a Design Assistant for NY Shakespeare Festival, Classic Stage Company, MCC, and the Roundabout Theatre. BA DeSales University, MFA Penn State University. RENT ITALY AWARD: BEST COSTUMES: (Rent) Lisa Zinni, and Angela Wendt

BLAKE BURBA (Lighting Design)
RENT BROADWAY NYC received the 1996 Tony Award nomination for Best Lighting Design for Rent. At New York Theatre Workshop: lighting designer for Rent, Quills, the 1994 studio production of Rent; assistant lighting designer for Slavs! and Blown Sideways Through Life (also at the Cherry Lane theatre and the Coronet Theatre, LA) and Owners and Traps. Resident A.L.D. at Opera Theatre of St. Louis for four seasons and at Glimmerglass Opera for one season. Other recent New York designs include Linda Hill's Too Many Clothes at the Kitchen, Triptych for choroeographers Tymberly Canale and Paul Mosley at the Merce Cunningham Studio; and Squeeze Box! every Friday night at Don Hill's.

KEN BILLINGTON (Lighting Production Supervisor)
has over 80 Broadway shows to his credit from the 1972 hit Don't Bother Me I Can't Cope to Chicago to last season's Dance of the Vampires. Ken also supervises the North American and the international productions of Riverdance and for the past 24 seasons, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Ken is equally at home designing theatre, television, opera, concerts, and architectural lighting, and has been honored with six Tony Award nominations and received the 1997 Tony Award for his work on Chicago. His Tony nominations include End of the World (1984), Foxfire (1982), Sweeney Todd (1979), Working (1978) and The Visit (1973).

BRIAN LYNCH (Technical Supervisor) has worked as a Production Supervisor, Technical Supervisor and Production Electrician on more than 150 Broadway, international and Off-Broadway shows, including the current Braodway productions of RENT, the Billy Joel/Twilla Tharp musical Movin’ Out, new Las Vegas production of Avenue Q and the international tour of Riverdance.

Angela Wendt (Costume Designer) Received a 1996 Drama Desk Award Nomination for RENT. Ms. Wendt is from germany where she studied set and costume design in Berlin at the Hochschule der Kunste. Her theater credits include the Off-Broadway and Studio productions of RENT (NYTW), The American premiere of Play with Repeats by martin Grimp; Lysistrata directed by Barry Eldestein; The Autobiography of Aihen Fiction by kate Moira Ryan 9Samuel Beckett Theater) Twelfth Night (Tennessee Rep); The Great Pretenders (Julliard), Marisol by Jose Rivera (Public) Feature Film: Childhood’s End directed by Jeff Lipsky. Dance Tiliboyo and Regions by Molissa Fenley; Savanna by Peggy Baher. She has also designed numerous music videos in the US and Europe.

Paul Clay (Set Design) Designed the original Broadway Production of RENT. He is a visual artist who has designed for Mabou Mines, Eduardo Machado, Susan Marshall, Tom Noonan, and many other in the New York City community, and for Steve Shill and Philip McKenzie in London. He received a Bessie in 1991 and was an NEA/TCG Designer fellow in 1993-94. He served as visual advisor on Tom Noonan’s feature film What Happened Was…which received the 1994 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

BRIAN RONAN (Sound Design). Broadway credits include: Rent, Twelve Angry Men; “Master Harold”…and the boys; Look of Love; The Boys From Syracuse; Fortune’s Fool; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; The Rainmaker; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Little Me; Cabaret; Triumph of Love; 1776; and State Fair. Associate design: Smokey Joe’s Cafe and Beauty and the Beast 1st national tour. Regional: Manhattan Theatre Club’s the Newyorkers, Time and Again, Wild Party; McCarter Theatre’s Christmas Carol; Ordway’s Into the Woods.