Answering the pleas of associates past and present, Stagedoor Manor Studios is creating a year-round opportunity for kids to engage in the educational excellence offered during the summer at the prestigious Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center.
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At Stagedoor Studios, whether you are an actor, dancer, playwright, or have the passion for the technical aspects of theatre, we have got something for everyone. Immersing yourself in after school classes or for a fun weekend, you can explore all areas of performance and enjoy what you are most passionate about. Dive into the theatrical world guided by seasoned professionals who will inspire and motivate you.
Answering the pleas of associates past and present, Stagedoor Manor Studios is creating a year-round opportunity for kids to engage in the educational excellence offered during the summer at the prestigious Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center.
​
At Stagedoor Studios, whether you are an actor, dancer, playwright, or have the passion for the technical aspects of theatre, we have got something for everyone. Immersing yourself in after school classes or for a fun weekend, you can explore all areas of performance and enjoy what you are most passionate about. Dive into the theatrical world guided by seasoned professionals who will inspire and motivate you.
ONLINE COLLEGE AUDITION COACHING
MEET OUR TEAM
NICK HRUTKAY |Advising, Audition Material, & Monologue Prep
Nick Hrutkay is an award-winning director, arts administrator, and educator based in Pittsburgh. He currently serves as the Director of Education and Assistant Artistic Director of Stagedoor Manor and is on the faculty at Point Park University.
His work has been seen at theaters across the country having directed over 80 productions, including I Am My Own Wife, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Central Square Theater); The Birds, Little Shop of Horrors, Footloose (The Huron Playhouse); School of Rock (The Media Theatre); Twelfth Night (Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks); The [Hamlet] Soliloquies (The Kennedy Center); Macbeth (Alchemical Studios); Fish Story (Theatre Row); Sponges (The Brick); Period Piece (Point Park University); A Wrinkle in Time (Hippodrome Theatre); Next to Normal, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Bat Boy: The Musical, Evil Dead: The Musical, The Santaland Diaries, God of Carnage, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sweeney Todd (Keystone Repertory Theater); Merrily We Roll Along, A Little Night Music, Sondheim On Sondheim, Titanic, Anastasia, Legally Blonde, Jekyll & Hyde, Jesus Christ Superstar, Eurydice, Aida, Lizzie, Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom, The Laramie Project (Stagedoor Manor).
Nick is the former Artistic Director of Keystone Repertory Theater and The Huron Playhouse, one the longest-running summer stock theaters in the United States. He has overseen several new work development initiatives, including serving as a Dramaturg for Dramafest at Stagedoor Manor leading the annual new work festival while mentoring students whose selected plays were published through Stephen Sondheim's Young Playwrights Inc. He has also been heavily involved with The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival having three world premiere productions, The Embalmer, Black Friday: The Musical, and Discovering Eden, invited to perform in the Region 2 Fringe Festival.
He has taught at Point Park University, Stagedoor Manor, Hippodrome Theatre, Quantum Theatre, The Huron Playhouse, Stagedoor Manor Studios, Stagedoor Manor College Connection, Raue Center School for the Arts, Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks, and Pittsburgh Musical Theater, where he was the Chair of the Acting Department for the PMT Conservatory.
Nick is the recipient of an ArtWorks Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Broadway World Award for Best Director of a Musical, and The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 2 / Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Fellowship. nickhrutkay.com
JACOB W. PATORTI | Audition Song Prep
Jacob is the Artistic Director of The Vermont Theatre Lab, Cedar Meadow VT, Merchants Hall, & The Viewpoints Collective (NYC), as well as the Head of Music at Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center (NY).
Jacob has produced & directed over 150 full length theatrical productions from VT-NYC to CA-FL, Europe/U.K., & the Carribean. Some of his most beloved projects include the world premiere of Charles L. Mee’s THE FOUR SEASONS at the Angel Orensanz Center for the Arts (NYC), the first Immersive Musical Production of Kerrigan-Lowdermilk’s THE BAD YEARS; (BK,NY), as well as four phases of the immersive-thriller MY LIFE AMONG THE SERIAL KILLERS, co-created w/ Dr. Helen Morrison (world’s leading forensic psychiatrist who has interviewed over 130 serial murderers).
Jacob believes in sharing stories that insist on being told. He loves working w/ artists of varying mediums & all ages. Jacob has created workshops for The Juilliard School, INSIDE BROADWAY, Marymount Manhattan College, The Weston Playhouse, UNITY STAGE COMPANY, Narrows Theatre Co., Rooftop Musical Theatre Society…
Recent productions music directed by Jacob include RIDE THE CYCLONE (SDM), GREASE (Royal Caribbean Cruise Line), ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE (SDM), CANDIDE (VTL), THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW (VTL).
Jacob is a passionate teacher, collaborator, & creator. He loves splitting his time between wherever a story brings him & his home territory in VT.
HAYLEY SAMEN | College Connection Supervisor
Hayley Samen (she/her), Associate Producer at Stagedoor Manor is thrilled to be the Program Supervisor for the College Connection program. Hayley's interest in higher education came from her passion as a special educator. She has three degrees in education and values all students as different learners with unique paths to higher education. Her drive to make the college process more equitable drives her programming to help both high school students and Stagedoor Manor alumni. In addition, Hayley is passionate about our Stagedoor families and helping them through the difficult theater program application process and auditions.
CATY WANTLAND | Audition Dance & Pre-Screen Choreo Prep
Caty Wantland is a choreographer, educator, and actor. She joined the Stagedoor family as Director of Dance in 2023, where she choreographed ANASTASIA, EVITA, and two sessions of Master Dance. She is based in Brownsville, TX, where she serves as the Dance Director for Gladys Porter ECHS. Caty graduated from UTRGV (Formerly UTPA), earning a degree in Dance Performance with a concentration in Flamenco and Modern Dance. As a freelance artist, Caty has choreographed a number of works for studios, competition solos, college auditions, music videos, and has served as an educational consultant for several high school and conservatory programs. She has choreographed countless musicals for Camille Playhouse, St. Joseph Academy, and Brownsville Repertory Theatre, where she currently serves as Resident Choreographer and ballet/jazz teacher for the Youth Conservatory Company. Some of her notable credits include WEST SIDE STORY, TARZAN, CABARET, NEWSIES, and IN THE HEIGHTS. Caty’s work has also been commissioned by arts activism collectives such as Activating Vacancies Arts Incubator, and Las Imaginistas’ yearlong civic engagement project, “Hacemos La Ciudad.” Caty has also collaborated with visual artist Josue Ramirez for an original performance art piece that premiered at the Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival in San Antonio, TX. Caty received Broadway World Regional nominations for Best Choreography in both 2021 and 2022.