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about us



our history



In 1980, members of the community theatre group Newport Player's Guild realized there was a lack of performing arts for children and families in Newport, and formed Newport Children's Theatre, originally with adult actors. The following year, NCT started the very successful Summer Theatre Workshop Program, forging a relationship with St. Michael's Country Day School that lasted almost two decades.


Impressed with the creativity of the young actors, and seeing how popular the end-of-session performances were, NCT officially became a "youth theatre", and began holding open auditions for young actors aged 8 and over for productions in the spring and December. By 1992, up to 90 children auditioned for each show, and Newport County Teen Repertory (NCT Rep) was formed to give experienced teen actors the chance to continue learning about theatre through a series of advanced workshops, touring performances to schools, libraries and community centers, and technical theatre opportunities.


As a result, there were more parts available for younger performers in NCT mainstage shows. In 2000, the relationship with St. MIchael's ended, leaving NCT without the Summer Workshop Program as a consistent source of income and, like so many other Newport theatre companies, without a home base. The company came very close to dissolution but, thanks to a new, invigorated Board of Directors, continued to produce shows whenever possible, and soon settled into Newport Congregational Church as a home base.


In August 2003, NCT performed its first mainstage show outdoors at Norman Bird Sanctuary, continuing and strengthening a relationship that had started in the early nineties with the autumn Night Hike. Today, NCT continues to explore a variety of performance venues on Aquidneck Island.


The hope is that someday Newport Children's Theatre will have its own "dedicated" theatre space to expand its successful performances and reintroduce its workshop program, continuing to bring the joys of live theatrical performances to children and families of Newport County.



Mission Statement



Newport Children's Theatre and Newport County Teen Repertory Company are dedicated to enriching the lives of young people by offering opportunities in the performing arts that engender self-confidence, inspire both individual expression and ensemble teamwork, and provide positive role modeling, thereby encouraging community outreach through quality theatrical productions for children, teens and families.



BOard of directors





Tara O'Hare Gnolfo



Artistic Director



Carrie Devine



President



Kaili Dunlap



Vice President



Christina Logan



Secretary



Katie Barker



Treasurer



Megan Buchanan



Maura Sheehan



Erin Young



Faculty and Staff



Tara Gnolfo, Artistic Director



Tara has performed professionally nationwide on numerous equity stages, but it was during her time working and living in NYC that she discovered her true passion for teaching and directing while volunteering at Harlem’s Children Theatre. This volunteerism led to her 15 year-long career as Artistic Director for Newport Children’s Theatre (NCT) in Rhode Island. Over the years, she has directed and produced over 60 main stage productions, 50 intensive training workshops, and countless educational programs for nearly 3 generations of children. Her students have gone on to study theatre at NYU – Tisch School of the Arts, Bard College, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, ArtsEd, Berklee College of Music, The New School and her alma mater, Wagner College, where she received a degree in Theatre & Speech, to name a few..





Linda Vars



Advisory Board Member & Main Stage Director



After acting extensively in the busy Newport theatre scene in the early 1980s, Linda J Vars turned her full attention to children's theatre, something she had enjoyed since high school. She joined NCT in 1986, six years after the company's founding as a division of community theatre group Newport Player's Guild. Linda has been a teacher, director, playwright, Resident Director and co-Artistic Director, before being named Artistic Director, a position she held from 2001-2010. She was the founder of NCT Rep in 1992, and directed at Portsmouth High School from 1992-1996. Linda's passion for sharing her love of theatre with young people has resulted in lifelong friendships with her students, some now in their forties. These days, Linda directs the Winter show. Some of her favorite productions with NCT include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Neverending Story, and The Prince and The Pauper (twice!).



JT Cunha



Main Stage Director & Teaching Artist



JT Cunha earned a BFA in Theatre Directing & Acting and a BA in Public Relations from The University of Rhode Island. He served as Assistant Director for a production of Eurydice, directed a one-act play, and acted in many shows while at URI. His role as Lucio in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure earned him a nomination for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. JT performs regularly throughout RI. He and his castmates from The Rocky Horror Show won a Motif Award for Best Ensemble. He was also nominated for a Motif Award and a BroadwayWorld.com Regional Award for his performance. JT has been with NCT for over 15 years, acting in shows since he was eight. His favorite NCT shows to act in were Rumplestiltskin, Peter Rabbit, The Canterville Ghost, Next of Kin, Oliver!, and Mystery on 13th Street. He has directed three main stage shows and teaches the Prep4Rep class.



Stephen Witt Tarantino



Teaching Artist



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Morgan Capodilupo



Teaching Artist



Morgan Capodilupo is thrilled to be back at Newport Childrens’ Theatre as a teaching artist! After years of starring in NCT shows (who could forget her performance as the Queen of Hearts, screeching her way through the Bird Sanctuary in a feather boa?!), she followed her passion for directing and performance to Emerson College in Boston, where she holds a degree in Theatre Studies. Since graduation, Morgan founded Seaside Stage Society, a summer theatre company in Newport for adults that focuses on site-specific productions, and has also performed in several shows throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Her favorite credits include Into The Woods (Little Red Ridinghood), Pippin (The Leading Player), and Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit). She is so excited to bring acting magic to NCT, and can’t wait to get started!



BROADWAY FACULTY



Abby O'Brien



Musical Theatre Camp Choreographer



Abbey has performed in the Broadway musicals Spamalot and Pal Joey. She performed in Mack and Mabel at Lincoln Center and has been seen in the TV shows Smash and The Apprentice.She also worked as a Radio City Rockette! Abbey has choreographed for numeruos regional theatres, and most recently she choreogrphed for Waitress and Jagged Little Pill on Broadway.



Ashley Arcement



Musical Theatre Camp & Main Stage Show Choreographer



Broadway/Professional Credits include:

Grease, Broadway 2007-2009 [Musical, Comedy, Revival] Marty - Replacement Patty Simcox - Replacement Cha-Cha Di Gregorio - Replacement Swing: Ashley Arcement - Replacement Flashdance The Musical [US Tour] National Tour, 2013



Matt Bauman



Main Stage Show Choreographer



Matt's has an extensive theatre background starting with his training right here in Rhode Island at Brown University. He has a busy career playing regional theatre houses, off-broadway theatres and NBC's Saturday Night Live. His credits include performances at NYC's City Center Encores!, Peccadillo Theatrre, and The Muny, to name a few!



Kathy Deitch



Musical Theatre Camp Director



Kathy Deitch's credits include the Broadway productions Footloose & Wicked, the regional production of Silence! The Musical, the European Tour of Hair, andthe National Tour of Wicked. Kathy also has an extensivelist of credits in TV and Film including, The Big C ,Co- Star (Showtime) Law & Order Guest Star (NBC/Universal TV), Cupid, Guest-Star (ABC Television), and Going the Distance, Proud Mom (New Line Cinemas). Kathy was seen in the musical Chess at the award-winning company Musical Theatre Guild in Los Angeles, California. Most recently, Kathy has been seen in American Horror Story as Young Ethel (Fox) and Magic Mike XXL.



Timothy Quinlan



Musical Theatre Camp Director



Timothy is a London-based actor whose professional work has taken him from London's West End to New York City's Broadway stage and around the world on national and international tours. Some of his credits include, Caroline or Change, Motown the Musical, Annie Get Your Gun, Mack and Mabel, Jersey Boys, The Full Monty, Jesus Christ Superstar, On The Town, West Side Story, and Footloose.



James Patric Moran



Musical Theatre Camp Director & Choreographer



His dance career has led him to dance with, and opposite, some of the dancing world's premiere dance talents including Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth, Anne Reinking, Charlotte D'Amboise, Caroline O'Connor, Ben Vereen, and Usher. James Patric recently choreographed LACHSA'S award winning production of Chicago his other choreography credits include Hair, Rent, Hairspray, and numerous music videos. He has also appeared dancing on such shows as Nikki, Dancing With the Stars, and America's Got Talent.  James Patric has extensive credits in theatre TV and film, and we are thrilled to have him join the Upstage family. In theatre he has appeared on Broadway, and in National and International tours. His roles include Fred Casely in the Tony Award winning revival of Chicago, Riff in West Side Story, Bobby in A Chorus Line, and Lank in Crazy for You. His TV and film credits include Ghost Voyage, Charmed, Mad-TV, Guiding Light, Jack and Jill, The Grasslands, Scent of a Woman, and Malcolm X.


Matthew Kilgore



Main Stage Show Coreographer & Costume Design Instructor



Matthew Kilgore considers himself a multi-hyphenate artist of many disciplines. After a successful 20+ year career in musical theater that included Broadway, Off-Broadway, National and International Tours, Regional Theater, Film, and Television, Matthew now spends his time backstage. He is currently a two-time Emmy Award winning Costume Designer and Tailor for The Drew Barrymore Show. His credits include: Spinning Gold (Tailor), Tina: the Tina Turner Musical (Stitcher), CBS Mornings/Saturday Mornings (Wardrobe), Hamilton (Dresser), Frozen (Dresser), The Iceman Cometh (Dresser), and Broadway Backwards (Costume Designer). Matthew believes deeply in teaching and mentoring the next generation of artists and credits his success with the many mentors who guided him along the way.



Amy Spanger



Musical Theatre Camp Director



Amy Spanger is a Drama-Desk-Nominated Broadway star, television and film actress, solo artost, musical theatre teacher, and vocal coach. Broadway credits include: Sunset Boulevard, Chicago, Kiss me Kate, The Wedding Singer, Urinetown and Matilda. She also created the rold of Ssan in Jonathan Larson's tik. tik ...Boom off- Brodaway and played Maureen in the first National Tour of Rent. She played Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being Earnest at Williamstown directed by David Hyde Pierce. Television and film credits include: Six Feet Under, Bored to Death, Royal Pains, Law & Order:SUV, The Blacklist, Chicago Med, Synecdoche, NY and Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical.



Note from NCT Artistic Director, Tara O'Hare Gnolfo




Newport Children's Theatre has provided an inexpensive theatre experience for Newport families since 1980. Our performances, while entertaining countless audiences, have also provided a platform in which our young actors can feel the joy of performing in front of a live audience. The learning gained through the rehearsal process and performing live is invaluable.


We just completed our seventh year of our summer camp programs and a new winter camp with theatre professionals from New York and Los Angeles, as well as representatives from casting agency Telsey+Company . Our young actors have the opportunity to study with accomplished actors and dancers from the Broadway stage. This professsional atmosphere where they receive individual attention from actors and directors that have been working in theatres across the world professionally give them not only a broad learning experience not seen in other children theatre programs, but a mentor and adovate that has established relationships within the industry.


In addition to the workshops, we have re-vamped our Teen Repertory Company. This year-long program is for the older actor that hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the craft of acting. The year covers different methodologies of acting, script analysis, performance, and a trip to New York City to see a show. This past summer Repertory students saw the Broadway revival of Company, and performed in a final showcase for family and friends. Our repertory program is meant for the serious young actor wishing to prepare himself or herself for acting at the college level.


It is my hope these programs coupled with our production schedule will enrich our commitment to making theatre arts accessible to every child in our community for many years to come keeping the educational aspect always at the forefront.


My sincere thanks to all of our patrons, donors and parent volunteers for their continuous support. I would also like to thank our dedicated Board of Directors for their tireless efforts in supporting our mission.


Sincerely,

Tara O’Hare Gnolfo

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR





6 doyers st, New York, NY 10013



NEwport children's theatre