As a composer, arranger, playwright, performer and musical director, Jonathan Mastro has worked with theatres ranging from Chicago's Neo-Futurists and Lookingglass Theatre Company to Barrel of Monkeys and the Second City. Some favorites from his dozen years in Chicago include That's Weird Grandma and Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (both at the Neo-Futurarium), Robert Falls' King Lear and Chicago Children's Theatre's inaugural production, A Year With Frog and Toad (both at the Goodman Theatre). Jonathan served as the Music Director for and was on the Faculty of Columbia College Chicago's Theatre department, where he also taught for 6 years. Most recently, he composed, musical directed, and played Simon Stimson in the Off-Broadway revival of Our Town, which is currently in an open run at the Barrow Street Theatre. He is very excited to be returning to Maine to work at Colby in 2010.

Mr. Mastro will be directing and musical directing Next! --A Cabaret From the Front Lines in the spring. Additionally, he will be teaching TD198 "Interpreting the Song" and TD361A "Musical Theater Skills Lab".

Kathleen Breen Combes began her training with Magda Aunon at the Fort Lauderdale Ballet Classique. She then went on to train at the HARID Conservatory and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She joined the Washington Ballet for three seasons under the direction of Septime Webre. She joined Boston Ballet in 2003 and was promoted to second soloist in 2005, soloist in 2007, and to the rank of Principal dancer in 2009.  Since joining Boston Ballet, she has performed a broad variety of works, including the title role in Jorma Elo’s Carmen, August Bournonville’s La Sylphide (Effie), James Kudelka’s Cinderella (Stepsister, Moss Fairy), Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, Dewdrop), William Forsythe’s In the midde, somewhat elevated, Maina Geilgud's Giselle (Myrtha, Peasant Pas de deux), Asaf Messerer's Spring Waters Pas de deux, Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia (Principal), Twyla Tharp's In the upper Room, Helen Pickett’s Etesian, Jiří Kylián's Falling Angels, Petite Mort, and No More Play and Principal roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade, La Valse, 4 Temperaments, Rubies, Prodigal Son and Diamonds.  Combes was awarded the Lefkowitz Award for Special Achievement at the New York International Ballet Competition at Lincoln Center in 2003.  In October 2007 she was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine.

Yury Yanowsky was born in Lyon, France and grew up in Madrid and Las Palmas, Spain. He began his ballet training with his parents, Carmen Robles and Anatol Yanowsky, and also studied at the National Ballet of Cuba.  In 1992 he won first prize at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland and the Silver Medal at Varna International Ballet Competition, and in 1994 he won the Silver Medal in the Senior Division at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Yanowsky joined Boston Ballet’s corps de ballet in 1993, was promoted to soloist in 1995 and to principal in 1999. Throughout his career, Yanowsky has participated in numerous international ballet galas. His Boston Ballet repertoire includes Principal Roles in La Bayadere, Le Corsaire, Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote, John Cranko’s The Taming of the Shrew and Onegin, Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias and Lambarena, Stanton Welch’s Madame Butterfly, Maina Gielgud's Giselle, Jorma Elo’s Carmen, Jiří Kylián’s Sarabande, Petite Mort, Six Dances, and No More Play, Christopher Wheeldon’s Corybantic Ecstasies and Polyphonia, William Forsythe’s In the middle, somewhat elevated, Helen Pickett’s Etesian, George Balanchine’s Diamonds, Rubies, Prodigal Son, 4 Temperaments and Stars and Stripes, Asaf Messerer’s Spring Waters, Peter Martins’ Distant Light and Marius Petipa’s Raymonda, Act III.

Bess Welden has appeared on Portland Stage Company’s Mainstage in the world premiere of Manifest and Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors as well as numerous Little Festivals and other Affilliate Artist events during her eight years in Maine. She premiered her latest solo play, The Passion of the Hausfrau, in Portland Stage's Studio Theater in March of 2009. After earning an MFA from the National Theater Conservatory, Bess went on to perform at the Denver Center Theater Company, Williamstown Theater Festival, Mabou Mines, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Hangar Theater, and Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. More recently, she played Viola in Twelfth Night and Samantha, the fabulous cat, in Kenny Finkle’s Indoor/Outdoor at the Opera House at Boothbay. She is the writer/performer of three other solo shows (The Bond, Keeping the Word and The Handshake) that have been produced throughout the country, and is also the librettist of A Little Miracle, an original work for mezzo soprano and orchestra, commissioned by the New York Chamber Symphony and premiered at Lincoln Center. During her NYC days, Bess performed frequently as a storyteller, in venues such as the 92nd Street Y, and has taught voice and speech for actors at Vassar College, The School for Film and Television, USM, and Colby College.

Melanie Dreyer graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago with an MFA in Directing, where she worked with Mary Zimmerman, Frank Galati, Tina Landau and Bob Falls. She is the former Co-Artistic Director of ShatterMask Theater, a critically acclaimed Equity theatre specializing in exploring alternatives to traditional modes of production. She is currently Co-Artistic Director of International Culture Lab, a theater company dedicated to providing opportunities for artists from across the world to explore contemporary issues through jointly created projects. Fluent in German, she translates and directs contemporary German plays.

Her directing credits include 9 Parts of Desire for Capital Repertory Theater and Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theater, The Arabian Night (her translation) for Quantum Theatre, and The Glory of Living for barebones productions. Acting credits include Mrs. Allonby in A Woman of No Importance for the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Kate in Old Times for Pitt Rep, and Yvonne in Sunday in the Park with George for Theatre Factory. She has also translated many works such as Mother Courage and Her Children (presented by the University of Pittsburgh) and Der Ozeanflug (presented by Northwestern University) by Bertolt Brecht, Lustgarden (presented in NYC’s HotINK Play Festival 2009) and Woman from the Past (presented by German Theater Abroad at the Public Theater NY and Bricolage Theatre in Pittsburgh) by Roland Schimmelpfennig.

Ms. Dreyer is currently an Assistant Professor of Acting and Directing in the department of Theater, Film and Dance at Cornell University.

Daphne McCoy received her MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, and her BA in Music Theatre from the University of Central Oklahoma. Daphne has choreographed and taught at Illinois Wesleyan University, Illinois State University, Miami University Earlham College, and Bowdoin College. Daphne has many credits, both collegiate and professional, in concert dance, theatre, and music theatre. Some of these credits include Attempts on her Life, Skriker, Good Person of Setzuan, Wild Duck, Cabaret, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and many American College Dance Festival entries.

Peter de Klerk is a composer, performer and sound designer who works in a variety of stage and concert contexts. His theatrical work includes composing, musical direction, electronic and live accompaniment and sound design for American Humbug (Three Rivers Arts Festival), In the Garden of Live Flowers (Pitt Repertory Theatre), and Songs of a Smoky City (Heinz History Center/Stages in History Theater Company). Peter is the Sound Designer and Composer for the for the department's production of Metamorphoses. His concert work includes numerous compositions in the jazz and modern classical idioms, including a suite for string orchestra which was recorded by Duquesne University's orchestra. Peter's current research is in the area of computer-aided and computer-generated composition and performance, and many of his recent works were created using the programs resulting from this research. He is also a jazz saxophonist and electric bassist with 30 years of performance experience in small ensembles and big bands.

Marjorie Gallant is a graduate of Georgia College & State University. A long way from home, Marjorie came to Maine by way of Portland Stage where, during an eight year period she stage-managed over twenty productions, including six seasons of A Christmas Carol. In addition to her work at Portland Stage, Marjorie has spent eight seasons at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. During the course of her professional career, Marjorie has deftly handled everything from one person shows to large musicals, gallons of real rain to gallons of fake blood, large casts of children and livestock, and the challenge of flying actors safely. In addition to Colby College, she has taught stage management workshops at Portland Players and Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Currently, she works at Portland Stage as the Development Associate/ Intern Coordinator. Marjorie is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the labor union for professional actors and stage managers.