The Gershwin Awards maintains fruitful relationships with innovative and successful Broadway Professionals in order to properly build a meaningful program for New York City High School students and teachers. Our panel of advisors offer important insights into the Broadway Industry and allow us to meaningfully counsel theatre educators and their up-and-coming talent. Read on to learn more about the Broadway Advisors the Gershwin Awards is proud to work with.
Emanuel Azenberg
(Producer). Seventy-one productions on Broadway including The Lion in Winter, Mark Twain Tonight, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Children of a Lesser God, Master Harold…and the boys, Stoppard’s The Real Thing, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Sunday in the Park With George, Whoopi Goldberg, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Side Show, The Iceman Cometh, Stones in His Pockets, Private Lives and Movin’ Out. He has produced Neil Simon’s work since 1972, including The Odd Couple,The Sunshine Boys, Chapter Two, They’re Playing Our Song, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound, Lost in Yonkers. Those productions have received 134 Tony Award nominations and won 41 Tony Awards. Film:Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Sunday in the Park With George, Master Harold…and the boys, Broadway Bound. Professor at Duke University since 1985.
Michael Dansicker
One of New York’s busiest composers, arrangers and orchestrators. He has worked on over 100 New York productions including: PIAF, GOOD, and LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES – all with the RSC, ICEMAN COMETH (Vocal Supervisor), MORE TO LOVE (Dance Music), GLASS MEANGERIE – Jessica Tandy (Original Score), GREASE (Peter Gallagher), Patti LaBelle in HOUSE OF FLOWERS (Orchestrations/Dance Music), DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES (Dance and Incidental Music), SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (Dance, Incidental, and Film Sequences), JEROME ROBBINS’ BROADWAY (Pianist to Mr. Robbins for RECONSTRUCTION PHASE), and TWYLA THARP/BOB DYLAN’s THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ (Arranger, Orchestrator with Bob Dylan and Music Supervisor.) He continues working as free-lance arranger with Mr. Dylan. He was Music Supervisor for the pre-Broadway workshops of: SOUND OF MUSIC, CARNIVAL (Disney), TRIUMPH OF LOVE, MOVIN’ OUT, PAL JOEY (John Stamos), FADE OUT/FADE IN (Faith Prince), etc.
He is currently writing the songs and scoring JIM DAVIS’ GARFIELD PROJECT (Premiere in ’12) and most recently created the Dance and Incidental music for LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (starring Melissa Gilbert) – now touring prior to Broadway.
In the world of concert dance; he has created scores and arranged suites for JEROME ROBBINS, AGNES DEMILLE, TWYLA THARP, GEOFFREY HOLDER, DONALD McKAYLE, ABT, MIKHAIL BARUSHNIKOV and THE JOFFREY. He arranged and scored the Pop Dance Concert AMERICAN DANCE for KENNY ORTEGA. He has supervised/consulted a dozen hit films including: ELF (New Line), ANALYZE THAT (WB), MEET THE PARENTS (UNIVERSAL), and BRAIN DONORS (PARAMOUNT). He has also scored the animated CHARLIE BOOKWORM (Twin spin) as well as THE GARFIELD SHOW (PAWS, Inc).
Mr. Dansicker is the creator of over 25 music folios/CDs for publisher HAL LEONARD CORP. – including the best selling SIXTEEN BAR THEATRE AUDITION COLLECTION (6 volumes) and THE AUDITION SUITE (Lyrics by Martin Charnin). Other titles include: TUNES FOR TEENS (2 volumes); DISNEY SOLOS FOR KIDS (2 volumes); RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN FOR KIDS; And DISNEY SONGS FOR TEENS (2 volumes). His arrangements of BOB DYLAN STANDARDS are published by AMSCO and MUSIC SALES.
His musical TWENTY FINGERS, TWENTY TOES! was produced at NY’s WPA THEATRE and The York. His Boogie Woogie opera SWING SHIFT was produced by MTC and directed by Martin Charnin. His newest musical THE BOBBY DRISCOLL STORY is in development, under the direction of FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO. MR. and MRS. BROADWAY (Book, Music and Lyrics by Mr. Dansicker) received a staged reading in NY in September and December ’10 – directed by DAVID ZIPPEL. As consultant to Disney Entertainment, he was musical supervisor for the book shows on the “launch” of THE DISNEY CRUISE LINE and created THE STUDIO SEVEN for Disney’s MGM STUDIOS.
Mr. Dansicker is one of the country’s leading Vocal Specialists. His clients include: ANNE HATHAWAY, ROBERT DENIRO, JOHN TURTURRO, WILL FERRELL, ANA GASTEYER, LORNA LUFT, BARRY WILLIAMS, THALIA, JUDITH IVEY, JEAN SMART, ZOE WANAMAKER, MELISSA GILBERT, and numerous stars of stage and screen.
He has conducted workshops in Audition Strategies at over 50 major Conservatories and Universities including: CAL STATE FULLERTON, BOSTON CONSERVATORY, CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY, U OF MD., U OF MIAMI, OTTERBEIN, MONTCLAIR STATE, SPELMAN, LEHMAN, BERGEN SCHOOL OF THE ARTS, etc. Fall of ’10, Mr. Dansicker will be a Professor of Musical Theatre at La Guardia College in NYC. He holds a M.A. from The Catholic University of America and studied at The Peabody Conservatory PREPARATORY DIVISION. He was the celebrity Judge for the 2010 JOHN RAITT AWARDS for YOUTHFOR YOUTH in Fullerton, California.
As piano soloist, Mr. Dansicker has recorded on over 25 major Hollywood soundtracks. His original music is licensed by B.M.I., Inc.
Todd Gershwin
Todd has a diverse background in theater, live events, music, and marketing. Todd handles numerous marketing, management and publishing opportunities for the George Gershwin music business, including musical theater, symphonic, motion picture, and television projects. Todd has also worked with a diverse group of corporate clients such as Reebok, Pepsi, Geico, TIAA-CREF, Allstate Insurance and Nike. Todd’s experience with not-for-profit organizations includes extensive work with the Boys Club of New York and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Todd’s live event background includes managing numerous events at venues such as Madison Square Garden, Nassau Coliseum, and the Waldorf Astoria. Previously, Todd was a founding partner at Clutch Media and Marketing as well as Worldwide Marketing & Media Group, two leading New York marketing agencies. Todd holds a B.A. in Management & Communications from the University of Michigan, where he was recently awarded an alumni career achievement award.
Nancy Gibbs
Nancy Nagel Gibbs has been a Producer, General Manager and Company Manager for Broadway, Off-Broadway and internationally for 30 years. Producing credits include Bat Boy: The Musical; Striking 12; All Shook Up; The Big Bang; The Last Session; Fully Committed and Smoke on the Mountain. Nancy’s general management credits, as principal of 321 Theatrical Management with partners Nina Essman and Marcia Goldberg, include Wicked (Broadway, Chicago, California, Two National Tours); Sister Act (Broadway); Bring It On; Next To Normal (Broadway and National Tour); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Broadway, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, National Tour); Man of La Mancha (2002 Revival); The Graduate (Broadway and National Tour); The Search for Signs… (2000 Revival); The Vagina Monologues; Fully Committed; Street of Dreams and Lifegame. 321 also advises the many international companies of Wicked (currently Japan, Germany, Australia and London). Nancy’s general management credits include two seasons at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. and in New York City, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; De La Guarda; Over the River and Through the Woods; Visiting Mr. Green; Full Gallop; Santaland Diaries; Hank Williams: Lost Highway; John & Jen; Smoke on the Mountain; and The Prince and the Pauper.
Jeffrey Seller
Jeffrey Seller co-founded The Producing Office with Kevin McCollum in 1995. Since then, they have won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical for In the Heights, the 2004 Best Musical Tony for Avenue Q and the 1996 Best Musical Tony for Rent, which also won the Pulitzer Prize. Mr. Seller has also produced Broadway productions of Baz Luhrman’s La Boheme, which won two Tony Awards, High Fidelity, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, [title of show], and the hit 2009 revival of West Side Story. Off-Broadway, Jeffrey produced De La Guarda, which has seen companies in Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Tokyo Tel Aviv and Seoul, and Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party. Mr. Seller is also co-owner of The Booking Group, a pre-eminent theatrical booking agency currently handling many major national tours, including Memphis, The Addams Family, and West Side Story.
Mr. Seller is a graduate of the University of Michigan. He is an active member of the Broadway League, in addition to sitting on the board of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.