Faculty

Ashley (she/her) has been with Playhouse Stage Co. in many capacities since first appearing in Annie Get Your Gun at Park Playhouse in 2010 as Ensemble/Dance Captain. She is now the Director of Education of Playhouse Stage Academy, and also serves as a frequent director and choreographer. Her dance training began at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Pennsylvania Regional Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary and Sandra Carlino, respectively. She received her BFA in Dance with a concentration in Ballet in 2010 from Marymount Manhattan College, under the direction of Katie Langan. She is on the theatre faculty at SUNY Albany and teaches at dance studios and theaters across the country. She is a proud member of SDC, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the union representing professional stage directors and choreographers throughout the United States.

Owen (he/him) is a proud resident of the City of Albany and former Park Playhouse II student, and has served as the Producing Artistic Director of Park Playhouse & Playhouse Stage Co for the last 11 years. From 2012-2018 Owen also served as the Managing Director of the Palace Theatre where, alongside Holly Brown and the wonderful Palace team, he helped to lead significant growth in the historic venue’s programming and financial performance. In 2014, he was pleased to be named one of the Albany Business Review’s 40 Under 40, and he received The Norman Rice Arts, Culture & Education Award from the Downtown Albany BID in 2015. Before returning to the Capital Region in 2010, Owen was a founding member of The Clockwork Theatre in New York City, and directed several productions off-Broadway for the company. During his time in New York, Owen served as the Assistant General Manager at New York’s Theatre for a New Audience, and his work as an actor was seen in the 40th Anniversary National Tour of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Owen is a native of the Capital Region and was inducted into the Bethlehem Central High School Hall of Fame in 2017.

Chuck (he/him) is a Park Playhouse II graduate and holds a BA in Acting from SUNY New Paltz. A performer turned director, Chuck is the Managing Director at Playhouse Stage Co. and directs regularly for Playhouse Stage Academy.

Tom (he/him) is a SUNY New Paltz graduate who specializes in music and acting for young students and improvisation techniques for teens. He is the director of the Tykes division of Playhouse Stage Academy and also serves as the Patron Services Manager for Playhouse Stage Company.

Gabi Bazinet Douglas (she/they) was born and raised in Albany, NY where she grew up dancing from the age of 2. She went on to study Musical Theatre at Rider University. She has performed professionally here in Albany at Capital Repertory Theatre, and made her Playhouse Stage Co. debut this summer in Something Rotten. When she isn’t dancing or performing, she is also a stage manager and a dog mother.

Brandon (he/him) has performed Off- Broadway, in National Tours and Regional Theaters across the country - including Park Playhouse, where he began as a student in the Park Playhouse II program! He is a private voice teacher and musical director in the Albany/NYC area, and focuses on vocal health and performance quality. He is a frequent performer with Playhouse Stage Co and the resident musical director for Playhouse Stage Academy.

Frankie Soldevere (she/her) is an Upstate New York-based dance educator, choreographer, and scholar. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from SUNY Brockport and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Dean College where she was the recipient of the 2016 Board of Trustees Prize for the Joan Phelps Palladino School of Dance. Her legacy lives on at Dean College as the Founder and President of Loose Screws, the Dean College Tap Team. She has performed with Ryan P. Casey’s Off Beat Tap Company, The Boston Tap Company, Dropkick Murphys, and DJ Khaled. Currently, Frankie travels nationally to set choreography, teach master classes, and adjudicate across the country.