ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Steven Altinel is the founder and artistic director of the Long Island Musical Theatre Festival. He maintains an active schedule as a music director, pianist and vocal coach in the tri-state area. Recent credits include The Producers and The Hunchback of Notre Dame at The Argyle Theatre. Steven is often asked to present workshops on the topic of musical theatre at local and state conferences. He is also the choir director at Walt Whitman High School, where he has conducted his choirs on the stages of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Steven’s favorite performance credits include the touring company of A Royal Christmas starring Andrea Bocelli and the New York Philharmonic’s production of Candide starring Kristen Chenoweth (PBS). He is a proud graduate of Westminster Choir College. For more information, visit www.stevenaltinel.com.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Nathan is currently writing and directing a new musical called Love Somebody Now with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, which will premiere in 2025.  Nathan has directed for Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Washington National Opera, Theatreworks/USA, New York Musical Theatre Festival, The Town Hall, Park Avenue Armory, Forestburgh Playhouse, Princeton Festival, Long Island Musical Theatre Festival, Pennsylvania Centre Stage, American Pops Orchestra, Fairfax Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, and Blue Hill Troupe. Nathan has also directed the Helen Hayes Awards, Standing Ovation Awards (Kennedy Center), and Hispanic Heritage Awards (aired on PBS).  Nathan currently teaches for the New Studio on Broadway at NYU/Tisch, and is head of the theatre minor at The College of New Jersey.  He has also taught and/or directed at Penn State, Westminster Choir College, New York Film Academy, Adelphi University, Northwestern University, and Rider University.  Assisting credits include Aladdin (Broadway), and Relatively Speaking (Broadway). Nathan is the Founder & Artistic Director of Recreational Arts, a performing arts educational organization, with programs in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

ASSOCIATE

Megan Gerlach is thrilled to be joining LIMTF for her 7th year.  Choreography credits include Funny Girl (Forestburgh Playhouse), The Little Mermaid, 9-5, Cinderella, The Addams Family, Shrek, Spamalot (Black Hills Playhouse), and has worked with Nathan Brewer and Marcia Milgrom Dodge both performing in and as associate Choreographer for Seussical (Theatreworks USA) from 2007-12.  Megan has also directed and choreographed for Adelphi University's "Best of Broadway" fall and spring shows. She holds degrees in Dance and Theatre from the University of Minnesota/Twin Cities.

ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR

Craig Coyle is a pianist/vocal coach and music director. He has been involved in many musical theater productions in the Long Island area and elsewhere. Most recently, he has musical directed "Pippin" at Massapequa High School and played keyboard in "Mamma Mia" at Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts and this summer, in addition to LIMTF, he can be seen playing keyboard for two other productions in Long Island and North Carolina. Craig plays for ballet and modern dance classes as well as musical theater classes at Hofstra University and he is also Music Director of the Congregational Church of Patchogue. He holds a B.M. in Piano from Westminster Choir College.

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Sharon Lawton is the administrative side of Recreational Arts, Inc (the organization which supports LIMTF). Sharon first met Nathan Brewer in 1999 when her children were in one of his summer programs and has been working with him on various projects ever since. Sharon has enjoyed working with kids from preschool through high school through experiences in public and private schools, Girl Scouts, church activities, and community theatre. She has always been an active volunteer and currently sits on the Board of Directors for three theatre-arts-related organizations.  She loves working on costumes—and is especially good at making something out of nothing! Sharon received a BA in Mathematics and an MS in Library Science. She and her husband, Rich, live in Martinsville, NJ.

GENERAL MANAGER

For the past eight years, Vanessa has taught music within the public school system. Her most recent placement in Queens resulted in implementing a brand new PreK-5 music curriculum where Vanessa maintains and directs a chorus, drum ensemble, and rock band in addition to a full schedule of general music classes. Not one to stay in one place, she also has experience teaching music abroad in Kasoa, Ghana through International Volunteer Headquarters. In her spare time, she sings as a soprano in the Long Island based eVoco Voice Collective, and this summer has been selected as a recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Vanessa holds a B.S. in Music Education from Hofstra University as well as a M.S. in Music Education from Queens College.

BEGINNER TRAINING PROGRAM TEACHING ARTIST

Alyssa Dinka is a dancer, performer, and educator based in NYC, originally from Venice, FL. Currently she is performing in Pop Divas at Ocean Casino & Resort in Atlantic City on select dates this summer. She is also a dance teacher at Perpetual Motion Dance Studio in River Vale, NJ and Next Step Broadway in Jersey City. Recently she performed in the ensemble of 42nd Street at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg, VA. Additional past performances include NEW YORK: Phish New Year’s Eve Concert at Madison Square Garden, CANADA: Christmas Wonderland at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, REGIONAL: Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Scrooge No More, Fiends, Night Beats, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City: Dance to the Music, Euphoria Variety Show. Alyssa is proud to hold her BFA in Commercial Dance from Pace University in NYC. Looking forward to an amazing time working with the LIMFT students and sharing this passion!

Webmaster

Lynda is a stage manager, director, and future librarian who graduated from Kutztown University in 2026. She received degrees in Library Science and Professional Writing and minored in Performance and Storytelling. In her time at KU she served on the executive board of the theatre club, ACT, and served in many onstage and backstage roles across 12 productions. She received the Carl E. Seiple Memorial Award in 2023 for her work in theatre. Lynda is currently part of the stage management team at Sunrise Theatre Company in Lynbrook as part of their mainstage and educational shows. She also works for various other theatres on Long Island throughout the year. She is also a clerk and marketing assistant at Oceanside Library.