WHO'S WHO
DOREEN TAYLOR (Creator, Book Writer, Performer)
DOREEN TAYLOR is a multiple award winning singer/songwriter and has been dubbed “an excellent performing artist to keep your eyes on” by the Huffington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer raved that “Taylor’s enthusiasm, personality and musicality are engaging.” Doreen was also named one of the hottest up and coming “musical stars” by countless publications and television outlets like the Lifetime Network, CBS, NBC, FOX News, CW Network, Ok!TV, Consumers Digest, etc.
With two degrees in voice and opera performance, Taylor has played leading roles in various musical theater and operatic productions across the country; including the Philadelphia Scottish Opera premiere as Cunegonde in Candide where she received rave reviews from multiple publications and critics and was equally lauded in her portrayal of Abigail Williams in Robert Ward's The Crucible and Birdie in the Marc Blitzstein's opera "Regina" at the Des Moines Metro Opera Company. Doreen played the lead role of Christine Daaé opposite Davis Gaines in The Phantom of the Opera and was a featured performer for the "You Gotta Have Heart" benefit concert honoring the legendary producer George Abbott. She has been a special guest artist with the Golden State Pops Orchestra and was hand selected by Marvin Hamlisch to perform with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2012, Taylor took the leap into mainstream music releasing her debut album "Magic" which garnered her the“Suggested Artist of the Year” Award from the ‘Song of the Year’ international songwriting competition. Doreen’s music has been hand selected by Bose, Sharp Electronics and the #1 home shopping network, QVC to be played on all on-air demonstrations and on QVC.com to promote their products. She has been named a celebrity advocate for countless charitable causes and has been the face for brands such as Failte Vodka and Hades Footwear.
Her cross over, adult contemporary single "TOY" charted on Billboard's Hot 100 (in the top 50) and reached #31 on the Adult Contemporary Chart after receiving heavy airplay on radio stations nationwide. Her newest album, “Happily Ever After” has received critical acclaim and is slated to be developed into a full Off Broadway musical in 2020/2021. Taylor has sold out multiple concerts in support of her solo albums across the country and she has gained national recognition as both a performer and a songwriter.
An award winning singer, songwriter and lyricist, Taylor was honorably chosen to collaborate on a new national anthem in honor of the US National Parks. “Colors of the USA” premiered at the ‘Salute to the Parks Gala’ in Washington D.C. and Doreen was named an ‘Ambassador of the National Parks’ for her ongoing efforts to connect children and the millennial generation to parks for their centennial.
Doreen recently returned to the musical theatre stage creating and starring in the critically acclaimed, limited engagement documusical, An Enchanted Evening: A Night With Oscar Hammerstein opposite renowned Broadway veteran Davis Gaines that debuted in the heart of Broadway at the 777 Theatre December 2017.
Taylor currently resides in New Jersey & New York and is thrilled to bring SINCERELY, OSCAR to the Off Broadway stage. She would like to thank the Hammerstein family and the 'Oscar Hammerstein II Museum & Theatre Education Center' for giving her the inspiration and encouragement to honor Oscar's legacy in this new production.
AZUDI ONYEJEKWE (Performer)
AZUDI ONYEJEKWE is a Brooklyn based singer-songwriter, musician and performer; who has been seen On and Off Broadway in The Great Comet (Original Broadway Cast), Violet (Flick standby, Original Broadway Cast). Off-Broadway/NYC: The Great Comet (Kazino), Central Avenue Breakdown (NYMF). He has appeared regionally at The Guthrie Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival, American Repertory Theater, Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, New Harmony Theatre, Cortland Repertory Theatre and has been seen in film and television on "HairBrained", "Madam Secretary," “The 71st Annual Tony Awards,” “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America.” BFA: NYU Tisch. Acting Faculty: Molloy College-CAP21.
Azudi has performed at various venues all over NYC including The Shrine in Harlem, Pete's Candy Store, The Recoup Lounge, The Parkside Lounge, Joe's Pub, 54 Below and Carnegie Hall. His musical style harkens back to various bygone eras of R&B and Soul. As the last born of six, to two incredible Nigerian born parents who immigrated to America in the 1970's; infectious melodies, soulful basslines, African diasporic rhythms, and a transnational consciousness have permeated his existence for as long as he can remember.
Music was always a vital necessity throughout his childhood, from Highlife legend Oliver De Coque to the inimitable Michael Jackson to Marvin Gaye to the Beatles ... the eclectic nature of his personal soundtrack growing up certainly had a major influence on the music he would come to create. He would like to thank God and his Savior; his incredible family, his father, the Sincerely, Oscar team, Pat, Katja, and his manager Tony.
BOB MEENAN (Performer/Voice of Oscar)
BOB MEENAN has appeared in regional theater, film, and commercials throughout the East Coast and mid-Atlantic region. He starred as “Rumpelstiltskin” at the equity Children’s Storybook Theater prior to understudying “Ben” in Death of a Salesman at Philadelphia’s Arden Theater, then “Finnian” in Finnian’s Rainbow, “Maurice” in Beauty and the Beast, and “Boss” in Of Mice and Men, all at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia. Bob’s favorite roles are the “Governor/Innkeeper” in Man of LaMancha, “Baptist/Judas” in Godspell and “Simon the Zealot” in Jesus Christ Superstar all at the historic Bucks County Playhouse. He played “Polonius” in Hamlet and “Stephano” in The Tempest at Philadelphia Shakespeare in the Park; “Old Soldier/Judge Roan” in Villanova University’s nine Barrymore nominated production of Parade; a half dozen roles in comedies, dramas and musical at Media’s Hedgerow Theater; and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Cabrini College where he directed his first production, August Moon. At Cabrini he also did principal roles in Rags and Dance on a Country Grave. Bob has appeared in TV commercials for Herr’s Potato Chips, McNeil Laboratories, Branch Electronics, Blue Cross of Texas, Key Pontiac, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Termidor, and in dramatizations for Comcast Cable’s Seeking Solutions with Suzanne.
Bob’s first principle movie role was in DIG which premiered 2014 in Philadelphia. Bob is an honorary inductee into the National Music Honor Society. Bob has countless credits as a professional soloist in and around the Philadelphia area as well as more than a decade of volunteer participation in quartets and award winning choruses of the National Barbershop Harmony Society. Music being his first love, he is humbled and thrilled to play “Oscar Hammerstein” having over his long and illustrious career appeared in so many more musicals composed by Mr. Hammerstein than by any other lyricist.
DUGG McDONOUGH (Director)
Veteran stage director DUGG McDONOUGH has staged operas, operettas, and musicals, from Monteverdi to contemporary American works for companies ranging from the New York City Opera to the Taipei International Arts Festival. Recent professional successes have included Little Women, La cenerentola, The Medium, La tragédie de Carmen, Sweeney Todd, and Out of Darkness for Pensacola Opera; Susannah, Dialogues of the Carmelites, La rondine, Elektra, and The Tragedy of Carmen for Des Moines Metro Opera; Madama Butterfly and Amahl and the Night Visitors for Opéra Louisiane; and the world premiere staging of The Awakening for the New Orleans Opera.
Mr. McDonough has also worked and directed for such companies as The Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, New York Grand Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Omaha, Opera Delaware, Knoxville Opera, Chattanooga Opera, and the Center for Contemporary Opera in New York. International credits include Le nozze di Figaro for Opera Festival di Roma and a new production of Tristan und Isolde with the Bulgarian Festival Orchestra in Sofia that resulted in both an acclaimed CD recording and an American documentary film.
For 20 years, McDonough served as Co-Director of Des Moines Metro Opera’s Apprentice Artist Program, one of the longest running and most respected singer training organizations in America. His production of Elektra for the Des Moines Metro Opera was praised by Opera Now as "a world-class production…everything about this Strauss one-act was first rate…Director Dugg McDonough imposed great clarity on the proceedings with tight blocking that utilized the entire playing space to fine effect." Of the same production, Opera News stated "director Dugg McDonough’s gripping mounting played exceptionally well… This Elektra was a brave endeavor, and one that paid off beautifully…This was DMMO’s strongest season in memory.” Opera News also praised McDonough's production of Dialogue of the Carmelites for Des Moines Metro Opera, stating "The next evening brought the festival’s piece de resistance --- a gripping mounting of Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites… Dugg McDonough’s staging of the final scene was shattering with almost unbearable power in this intimate space.”
From 2002, Mr. McDonough has served as Artistic Director of LSU Opera, where he has staged over 50 new productions, including 2018’s Collegiate Premiere of David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s Dog Days. His production of Carlisle Floyd's Willie Stark became the first commercial DVD of the composer’s operas and prompted video director Lawrence Kraman of Newport Classic Ltd. to write “I was blown away by the quality of the work, by the expertness of the direction of Dugg McDonough, which was just, I think, extraordinary." McDonough began his academic directing and teaching in the mid-1980’s for the Boyer College of Music of Temple University, where he held the position of Director of Opera Theater and produced a noteworthy list of Philadelphia and world premieres. He has also staged works and taught at Loyola University New Orleans, the University of Tennessee, the University of Oklahoma, and the Shepherd School of Music of Rice University. McDonough received his music and dramatic arts education at Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Indiana University.
LOU LANZA (Musical Director, Arranger)
LOU LANZA is a native Philadelphian who thrives on the cultural and musical heritage of that city. Coming from a highly successful musical family, Lou has been exposed to multiple genres and styles since birth- an opera singer grandfather, classical violinist father and pianist/organist and vocalist mother. His jazz influence came from another of his highly talented relatives, Vince Trombetta, saxophonist and arranger who served as the musical director of The Mike Douglas Show. Lou has studied under Carlo Menotti, Jimmy Bruno, Michael Leonard and Larry McKenna. His live performances in Philadelphia, New York, London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, to mention a few, have earned him the admiration of industry professionals, colleagues and fans.
Lou's recordings include: The Road Not Taken, Corner Pocket, Shadows and Echos, Opening Doors: A Jazz Tribute to the Doors, and An Intimate Portrait in Blue. He was named the "Top Male Jazz Vocalist" of 2004 in the reader's poll of Rio de Janiero's "Tribuna da Imprensa" for the album Opening Doors. Lou is considered to be among the top 500 jazz vocalists of all time by noted jazz critic, historian and author, Scott Yanow and is listed in his book, "The Jazz Singers". Several years ago featured the premiere of the original jazz opera The Real Book of Gig, for which Lou penned the lyrics and libretto with composer Tony Gairo. Jazz journalist Alex Henderson write in his review, "the November 2011 presentation of The Real Book of Gig was a creative success for Lanza."
Lou is on the faculty of DeSales University for musical theatre vocal studies. He is very appreciative to his family, friends and most especially to his wife, Kelly, who shares his "crazy" life.
JOSHUA GODOY (String Arrangements)
JOSHUA GODOY is a composer and orchestrator from Long Island, New York and has been studying music since the age of five. He is fluent in piano and French horn and has also taken lessons in violin, viola, saxophone, and clarinet. He composed his first piece of music in the third grade and his first orchestral composition in high school.
Josh graduated Manga Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music in Composition degree from the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music. He then moved to Los Angeles where he completed an Advanced Studies Certificate Program in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television from the University of Southern California, studying with such film music greats as Buddy Baker, Elmer Bernstein, Joe Harnell, Christopher Young, and David Raksin. To date, he is credited on more than 40 films and has been awarded the Ed Diemente Composition Award, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, and the Harry Warren Endowed Scholarship for Scoring for Motion Pictures.
Josh became the first associate conductor of the Golden State Pops Orchestra and has had his work performed by the Golden State Pops Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra,
and the El Segundo High School Band. He has also written music for Warner Bros. cartoons and arranged orchestral parts for Dishwala’s “Worlds Collide” concert.
DAVID PEDEMONTI (Lighting Designer)
DAVID PEDEMONTI has provided production services for companies like TD Bank, The American Diabetes Association and Microsoft. He has executed design and production services for over 200 plays and musicals in the region and nationally. During his 25 year career, his work has expanded to national music tours and music production‐ providing light, sound and scenic design. As a consultant, he has designed the interior of theaters and performance spaces including, most recently, the Fort Salem Theatre and the Richard Culver Center for the Performing Arts. Other credits include lighting press conferences for politicians‐‐ including those for the past five presidents of the United States. David recently was selected to design the lighting for all of the signage and structures on The Lyric Theatre for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on Broadway.
Mr.Pedemonti has been an active supporter of Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS for the last 22 years. Additionally, he provides his production skills in support of the organization BC/EFA and AmFAR. David is a member of United Scenic Artist Local 829.
JASON SIMMS (Set Designer)
JASON SIMMS is a designer for plays, musical theatre, and opera. Within NYC, Jason has worked as a set designer at such theaters as The Public, The Cherry Lane, 2nd Stage, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Soho Playhouse, The Juilliard School, The Wild Project, The Ohio Theater, The New Ohio Theater, The Bushwick Starr, and many others. Regional venues include: Pioneer Theatre Co. (Salt Lake City), Weston Playhouse (Weston, VT), George St. Playhouse, Philadelphia Theatre Co., People's Light and Theatre (Philadelphia), Bristol Riverside Theatre (Bristol, PA), Denver Center Theatre Co., Chautauqua Theatre Co. (Chautauqua, NY), The Old Globe (San Diego), TheatreWorks (Silicon Valley), Two River Theatre Co. (Red Bank, NJ), Aspen Opera Center, and many others. Jason received his MFA from Tisch School of the Arts and was nominated in 2015 for Outstanding Set Design (Barrymore Award); Ragtime and Lost in Yonkers.
BRITTANY MERENDA (Projection Designer)
Brittany Merenda is a projection designer working in theatre, opera and dance throughout the country. Theatrical works include Shrek The Musical with The Beck Center for the Arts (Cleveland), Elf The Musical, The Newsies, and The Little Mermaid at The Rose Theatre (Omaha), Sweeney Todd with Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and Oklahoma! at The Wick (Boca Raton). As the resident projection designer for Parallel 45 Theatre (Traverse City), Brittany has designed Mr. Burns, Alice in Wonderland, Medea, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and many others. Opera productions include La Finta Giardiniera and The Marriage of Figaro (University of Tennessee Opera Theatre), Glory Denied and Dialogues of the Carmelites (Baldwin Wallace Conservatory), Little Women and Alcina (Hawaii Performing Arts Festival) Barber of Seville and Madama Butterfly (Cleveland Opera Theatre), Verdi’s Macbeth (Opera Tampa), Carmen and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Lakes Area Music Festival), and Tosca (Opera Grand Rapids). She has also designed Appalachian Spring (St. Paul Ballet) and Nutcracker in Wonderland (Ballet Co.Laboratory). Brittany received her Masters of Arts in Digital Arts and Sciences from the University of Florida and received a Barbizon Award for her projection design in dark play, or stories for boys.
DAWNA OAK (Costume Designer)
As Senior Director of Costumes at Feld Entertainment, Dawna Oak is ultimately responsible for the shining moments of more than 10,000 costumes for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Disney On Ice, Disney Live!, Feld Motor Sports, Nuclear Cowboyz SM Marvel Universe Live!, Sesame Street Live!, Trolls The Experience and the all new Jurassic World Live! coming in 2019. For one Ringling Bros. show alone, more than 400 costumes must have her sign-off each night, maintaining Feld Entertainment’s highest standards of quality and character for every sequin and every stitch. And surprisingly, there is no spare closet full of duplicates! Oak managed every aspect of the creation, care and ongoing upkeep of this one-of-a-kind wardrobe.
Oak is a costuming expert in all forms of media – television, film, live entertainment and theatre – and her work has been seen in productions for Showtime, The Kennedy Center, and on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre and Booth Theatre among many others. Oak joined Feld Entertainment in 1997, after six years as Department Head and Resident Designer at The Pasadena Playhouse which earned her two Drama-Logue Awards.
JAMES JACKSON (Technical Director/ Associate Lighting Designer)
JAMES JACKSON is a Technical Director of theatre, event production, and works as a director and producer in film. James’ most recent work includes directing and producing the world premier of Lynn Nottage’s exploration of the history of slavery in America “One More River To Cross; Technical Directing the multiple Barrymore award winning production of The Seagull by EgoPo Classic Theatre; and Technical Directing the Barrymore award winning 11th Hour production of LIZZIE!. James is also engaged in creating fashion brand imagery as a freelance photographer (raveneyes.com); directing and producing independent films throughout the North East under his production brand, Light Thief Productions; and designing, directing, and producing many other Philadelphia area theatrical productions. James would like to thank his crew for their hard work; his wife Cassandra Zook, for her patience and support; and his dad, John L. Morascini, for inspiring his work in theatre: In memory of him 1951 - 2013