Staff

Patrick Christiano... Publisher

Mr. Christiano is a theater critic and journalist, as well as the Artistic Director of SilvaRoad Productions. He hosts Spotlight on the Arts, a television show where guests discuss their current projects. Segments can, also, be viewed here: https://theaterlife.com/category/spotlight/. His print interviews have included Vanessa Redgrave, Charles Busch, Kathleen Battle, Jacqueline Bisset, Diane Paulus, Stewart F. Lane, Bonnie Comley and others. Mr. Christiano curated the Blue Heron Arts Center Gallery on East 24th Street in New York City from 1998 until 2005, and he launched TheaterLife.com in May 2006. He is a voting member of the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle.

Barry Gordin... Editor In Chief

Barry is an internationally renowned photographer, whose celebrity photos have appeared in publications world wide including People and InTouch. His weekly photo column in Dans Papers has been a staple of the social scene for the past decade and his photos appear regularly in virtually every publication in the Hamptons. His work has appeared in numerous group shows at galleries in SoHo and on the Eastend. Barry is also a Theatre Critic and a voting member of the Drama Desk as well as Editor In Chief of DramaDesk.org.
Theaterlife.com@gmail.com

Sam Affoumado

Sam is a New York-based playwright/actor/educator. He was a certified Special Educator for the NYC Department of Education for over twenty-five years. He taught inclusion model classes for “special needs” students and championed inclusive education throughout the city. He introduced playwriting to his students as a means of motivating them to improve their reading skills and won an Astor Fellowship for his ‘excellence in teaching’ efforts.

He has written six full-length plays and over a dozen shorter works. His short play, Peanut Butter Patty, was a semi-finalist in the 37th Annual Samuel French OOB Short Play Festival in NYC. Sam’s play, The Finalist, was produced in Washington, DC as part of the McLean Drama Company’s 10th Annual 10-Minute Play Festival. His latest work, The Bully’s Eye, was published (2015) by Applause Theatre and Cinema Books in an anthology entitled More 10-Minute Plays for Teens, edited by Lawrence Harbison.

Sam is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild, Actors’ Equity, SAG-AFTRA, SAG Nominating Committee and Theatre Resources Unlimited.
www.samaffoumado.com

Linda Amiel Burns

Founder and Director of The Singing Experience (www.SingingExperience.com), renowned cabaret and musical theater performance workshops since 1977 that has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, The Today Show, The NY Times and many others. For the past 15 years, the TSE Cable TV show has been shown weekly on MNN and her Youtube channel (www.Youtube.com/SingingExperience) features hundreds of her talented graduates. Linda is also a sought after vocal coach and has written, booked and directed hundreds of cabaret acts and revues. She is the winner of two MAC Awards, The 2016 TRU Entrepreneur Award, and honored at The Metropolitan Room in a special Tribute Evening for her four decade contribution to cabaret and the music world. Linda has been the President of the American Popular Song Society (www.APSSinc.org) for the past 20 years producing award winning, star-studded monthly entertainment programs. She is proud to be a noted Critic, Reviewer, Writer for TheaterLife.com and several publications.

Bernard Carragher

Bernard Carragher is a theater critic for New York Theater News and The Catholic Transcript. He has written for The New York Times, Playbill, and Show Magazine. He has done an Oral History on Jerome Robbins Theater Work for the Jerome Robbins Foundation and the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center. He was one of the producers of My One and Only and Chita Rivera:The Dancer's Life.

Joe Clarke

Contributing Writer

Alix Cohen

Alix Cohen is the recipient of nine New York Press Club Awards. She has a BA in Literature and one in Theater. Writing history began with poetry, segued into lyrics and took a commercial detour while holding executive positions in product development/design. A cultural sponge, she now turns her diverse personal and professional background to authoring pieces about culture with particular interest in artists and performers.Theater, music, art/design are lifelong areas of study and passion. She's a voting member of Drama Desk.

Sandi Durell

Sandi is Publisher/Editor of TheaterPizzazz.com and a critic. She has been writing, reviewing, producing, having a voice in the theater, cabaret and entertainment communities for over 25+ years. She is a Voting Member of the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards; member of the American Theatre Critics Association. Her columns also appear on www.TheThreeTomatoes.com.

Sandi has produced numerous revues as well as songwriter events for the American Popular Song Society (APSS), is a producer on the benefit CD "Our Heart Sings," and on the Award winning film "Broadway the Golden Age" (with Rick McKay).

She is a member of the League of Professional Theatre Women, Board Member of American Popular Song Society (APSS), Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU - Advisory Board),100+ year old Dutch Treat Club, The Lambs; an occasional theater "angel " and has had a career as a vocalist-performer.

Isa Goldberg

As a theater critic Isa Goldberg has served as the president and as a board member of The Drama Desk. Her theater reviews appear in diverse media from The Broadway Channel to The Advocate. She has interviewed theater and television celebrities, playwrights and novelists for PBS’ “In The Life,” Reuters Television, The Financial Times, The Times of India, and New York Daily News, among many others. Isa is proud to have been on of the very first contributors to theaterlife.com.

Magda Katz

Magda has been in the entertainment world for most of her life as a child actress, assistant to the head publicist of Avco Embassy Pictures, theatrical print agent. She went on to manage the show business career of her 2 children for over 15 years.
For the last five years Magda has been filming and editing video trailers of live performances as well as celebrity interviews. Broadway After Dark was the first website to feature her video trailers. She contributed in creating a star studded 90th birthday party for Mickey Rooney at Feinstein's at the Regency Hotel. Her video trailers have a large international following. All of Magda’s videos can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/MagdaCorrespondent

Samuel L. Leiter

Samuel L. Leiter is Distinguished Professor Emeritus (Theater) of Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, CUNY. Sam, a Drama Desk voter, has written and/or edited 27 books on Japanese theater, New York theatre, Shakespeare, and the great stage directors. For more of his reviews, visit Theatre’s Leiter Side (www.slleiter.blogspot.com), The Broadway Blog (http://thebroadwayblog.com/), and Theater Pizzazz (http://theaterpizzazz.com/category/theater-reviews/).

Brian Scott Lipton

Brian Scott Lipton has been a nationally renowned journalist, specializing in entertainment and fashion for over 30 years. He has been Editor in Chief of TheaterMania.com and Resident Publications, Managing Editor of DNR, MR and Accent, and is currently a theater critic for Cititour.com, TheaterPizzazz.com and Theaterlife.com. In addition, his byline has appeared in dozens of publications including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, CT Voice and the New York Post.

Edward Medina - (In Memoriam)

Edward Medina is a native New Yorker who over time has built a significant and multifaceted career. He is a producer and director with over thirty-five years of production experience in theatre, live events, and digital media.

Currently, Edward is an Amazon KDP bestselling author of high fantasy, dark horror, and epic adventure books, short stories, and poems. Edward is also a freelance critic and entertainment news journalist covering Broadway, Off Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, Clubs and Cabarets for TheatreReviewNYC, Theater Pizzazz, and OnStage Blog.

Edward Medina attended Adelphi University for Theatre Arts and is proud to be a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, the Horror Writers Association, the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, and Theater Resources Unlimited.

He's a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, where he serves on both the Membership and Diversity & Inclusion Committees, and is also a voting member of The Drama Desk.
EdwardMedina.NYC

Randie Levine-Miller

RANDIE LEVINE-MILLER,spent over 30 years as a public relations consultant specializing in TV and Radio placement throughout the U.S. (Accent on Broadcasting, Etc.) She handled several authors/publishers;consumer products; health and medical technology clients including minimally invasive breast biopsies, radiation seed implants for prostate cancer, videoscopic surgery for chronic heartburn as well as "The Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Medical Guide".She helped launch acupuncture, biorythym and recycling, and handled clients in the alternative/nutritional supplement field. For 5 years, she was the broadcast consultant to Discover Magazine and also publicized the Discover Awards for Technological Innovation at Epcot.

For 20 years, she was in charge of special events for the Drama Desk Awards and produced the annual nominations breakfast,  with major stars doing the announcements at the Friars Club; then Feinsteins. She also nurtured 2 musicals, including "No Way To Treat A Lady" by Douglas J. Cohen, and "After The Fair" by Stephen Cole and Matthew Ward.  

 Randie is known around town as a modern day "hostess with the mostess." She has produced, performed in and hosted benefits for the Actors Fund, the Actors Temple, Multiple Sclerosis, and Prostate Cancer Research, and Operation Warrior Shield(for returning vets and first responders who suffer from PTSD. Randie's performance venues have included:  Feinstein's, 54 Below, Metropolitan Room, the Friars Club and TheTriad. 

She annually produces and hosts "Tomatoes Got Talent", a talent competition for women past 40 who have segued to other professions...several of whom have since gone back to performing and have been nominated for the MAC Award.

 Randie produced over 85 star-studded events at the Friars Club (where she was named Friar of the Year) including tributes to: Charles Strouse, Marvin Hamlisch, Ervin Drake, Marty Richards, Tovah Feldshuh, Jim Dale, Len Cariou, Tony Roberts and Lee Roy Reams.  Her "Showstopper Divos and Divas – A Swell Party!" evenings, in support of the Actors Fund,spotlight the best of Broadway and cabaret. 

Ellis Nassour

Ellis is a veteran of The New York Times and New York Daily News. As VP, artist relations, MCA Music/Universal Pictures, he participated in the development of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and careers of The Who, Neil Diamond, Brenda Lee, and Elton John, supervising his American debut and first U.S. tour. He worked with Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, and Gloria Gaynor. Ellis authored Rock Opera: The Creation of Jesus Christ Superstar and Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline, four pages of which are source material for hit revue, Always, Patsy Cline.

David Sheward

David is a respected writer, editor, and critic. He is the former executive editor and theater critic for Back Stage, the actors’ resource. He has published three books on show business: Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, It’s a Hit! The Back Stage Book of Broadway’s Longest-Running Shows and The Big Book of Show Business Awards. He served as president of the Drama Desk, the organization of New York-based theater critics, editors and reporters for seven years. He's also a member of the New York Drama Critics Circle, the Outer Critics Circle and the American Theater Critics Association where he currently is a member of the organization's New Play Committee. For over ten years, he was a contributing correspondent on NY-1 News’ weekly theater show On Stage. In addition to his blog (The David Desk 2), David also provides Broadway walking tours: http://criticschoicetours.com/

Paulanne Simmons

Paulanne Simmons is a multi-faceted writer whose work has been seen in magazines and newspapers, and on stage and television. Her writing abilities were recognized early on, when she was chosen to read her essay, “What My American Citizenship Means to Me,” at her 6th grade graduation.

Paulanne began her professional writing as a copywriter for various New York City advertising agencies. After a decade of writing ad for the likes of Oscar de la Renta and Alitalia Airlines (to say nothing of American Standard plumbing products), she moved on to journalism, writing for such publications as Newsday, The Big Apple Parent’s Paper and The Brooklyn Papers.

But ever since Paulanne’s first experience at a Broadway show - Dory Schary’s Sunrise at Campobello - her biggest love has been theater. After several years of reviewing theater, she succumbed to the challenge, “If you think you know so much, why don’t you write a play yourself?” and wrote her first drama, Basketball Lessons, which was produced at Theater for the New City in 2001.

Since that inaugural production, Paulanne’s work has been produced at Theater for the New City, The Ensemble Studio Theater’s Octoberfest, Makor/92 St. Y, the New York Fringe Festival and The Richmond Shepard Theatre. Her theater reviews can be seen on CurtainUp.com, nytheatre-wire.com and corinescorner.com.

Paulanne is a proud member of several professional organizations, including The Dramatists Guild, Outer Critics Circle and The Drama Desk.

Lauren Yarger

Lauren is an award-winning editor who reviews theater in New York and Connecticut. She is Second Vice President of The Drama Desk, a Voting Member of The Outer Critics Circle and The American Theater Critics Association, a member of the League of Professional Theatre Women (co-founder of its Connecticut Chapter), a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle and The Episcopal Actors' Guild and a Contributing Editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She reviews books for Publishers Weekly and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. She also is a playwright. Visit her new website at CriticalArtsConnection.com.

Iris Wiener

Iris is a professional entertainment writer with a long career of commentary, reviews and interviews. Her portfolio contains a diverse collection of work centered on all genres of entertainment, including theater, music, books, film, and television. Her work has been featured in 25A, Long Island Woman, Long Island Pulse, TheaterMania, Patch, The Improper, The Long Island Herald, Entertainment This Week, The Long Islander Newspapers, and Figure. Iris has also contributed red carpet interviews to WOR710 News Talk Radio and has been interviewed for Bio Channel's Biography. Additionally, she has five years of experience as a teacher of English, and two years of experience as Lead Researcher for CastingAbout, a division of Breakdown Services. She is a proud voting member of the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle. www.IrisWiener.com

Michael Knigin (in Memoriam)
Barry Gordin
Maryann Lopinto
Magda Katz
Rob Rich