About Applause

Ryan is thrilled to be a part of the Applause Family! His Broadway credits include Newsies OBC (Racetrack), Charlie and The Chocolate Factory OBC and The Book of Mormon. His TV/Film credits include “Person of Interest” (CBS) and Hail, Caesar! 

Sas Goldberg is an actress and writer, known for Ocean's Eight (2018), Hair Brained (2013) and Are You Joking? (2014). She has appeared Off-Broadway in the Roundabout production of Significant Other and David Adjmi's Stunning (Lincoln Center). Other credits include The Best of Everything and The Urban Dictionary Plays. Sas was most recently seen recurring as Janice on the 2nd season of "Odd Mom Out" (Bravo), her other TV credits include "HAPPYish" (Showtime) and the upcoming "Search Party" (TBS). Goldberg received her BFA from the University of Michigan.

Joe is thrilled to be teaching alongside the incredible faculty and staff here at Applause!  Like too many performers before him, he was recruited into theater in 8th grade by a high school desperate to have children in their production of The Music Man, and from his first "Shipoopi" he was hooked.  He is a proud graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music's musical theatre program who's professional work includes the national tours of Mary Poppins, Andy Blankenbuhler's Joseph..., and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well as playing Pepper in the Las Vegas production of Mamma Mia!  As a teacher, he's had the pleasure of teaching dance and musical theatre masterclasses across the country, most notably as a guest faculty member for CCM's Preparatory Department.

Gordon Greenberg is a director and writer living in New York. He attended Stanford University and NYU Film School before joining J. Walter Thompson Worldwide for a stint as a producer/director of commercials. He has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in London’s West End, written for television and stage, and developed, directed and produced new works for arts institutions across America.

His acclaimed West End revival of Guys And Dolls was nominated for six Olivier Awards. Greenberg co-wrote and directed the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn at Studio 54 for Roundabout Theatre Company, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, and PBS Television's Great Performances. He recently directed the the world premier of The Heart of Rock and Roll, the new Huey Lewis musical. Current projects include co-writing and directing The Secret of My Success for Universal Pictures Stage Productions, co-writing/directing the stage adaptation of Mystic Pizza with rock icon Melssa Etheridge and Sas Goldberg for MGM and Lively McCabe Entertainment, directing the North American premiere of Piaf/Dietrich for Mirvish in Toronto and The Segal Centre in Montreal, co-writing/directing Ebenezer Scrooge's Big [Your Town Here] Christmas Show! for The Old Globe and Bucks County Playhouse, co-writing/directing  Dracula: A comedy of Terrors! for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, writing The Single Girls Guide (a new musical updating Jane Austen’s Emma to 1964), which he developed at Dallas Theatre Center, Ars Nova, Capital Rep and ASCAP, co-writing Port-Au-Prince, a NYSCA commission for The New Group, with Kirsten Childs, and the podcast Theatre Camp for Sirius XM On Broadway.

He is a member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, The Writers Guild of America, The Dramatists Guild, and the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab.

Mark Saks is a five time Emmy nominated casting director in New York City. Saks’ notable credits include The Good Wife, Elementary, Madam Secretary, and Numb3rs.

Originally from Plano, Texas, Brandon is a southern boy transplanted into New York City. After spending 2 years at Pace University in Downtown Manhattan studying Musical Theater, he booked the International/National tour of American Idiot and spent 18 months traveling the world. Coming from an athletic background Brandon loves to play Baseball, Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee and still enjoys skateboarding from time to time. Having a deep passion for both music and acting, he is a singer/songwriter,  playing multiple instruments including the Guitar, Banjo, and Mandolin. Finishing his four year B.F.A. degree  in May of 2014, Brandon has gone on to continue studying at the prestigious William Esper Studio with Bill Esper. 
 

Sean Grandillo grew up in Ohio and attended Ithaca College to pursue a degree in musical theatre. Grandillo later become a part of the original cast of Deaf West's production of Spring Awakening as the voice of Otto. He stayed with the company as they transferred to Broadway. In 2015, Grandillo also released his first single, New, for sale on iTunes. He has appeared in multiple film and television roles including Scream, Secrets and Lies, and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Kerstin Anderson is an American stage actress and singer. She starred as Maria Von Trapp in the 2015 U.S. national tour of The Sound of Music, for which she received warm praise. She made her Broadway debut as the alternate for Eliza Doolittle in the 2018 revival of My Fair Lady.

Marissa O’Donnell from Westchester, New York, made her Broadway debut at age 14 originating the role of Teen Fiona in Shrek The Musical. Prior to Shrek, she toured the country for two years as Annie in the “30th Anniversary” Annie tour including a record breaking holiday run at Madison Square Garden.

Erich Bergen is an American television, film and stage actor raised in New York City. He co-stars on CBS's Madam Secretary opposite Tea Leoni. He previously starred as Bob Gaudio in the Clint Eastwood-directed feature film Jersey Boys. Bergen played that role on stage for more than 1,000 performances in the Grammy- and Tony-winning Best Musical of the same name. He also performed with the 2012 Roundabout Theatre Company National Tour's production of Anything Goes as Billy Crocker. When not acting on screen, Bergen performs live shows as a solo singer and pianist, modeling his shows off the romantically old school feel of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.

Jeff Heimbrock is an actor, writer, and comedian. You can currently catch him hunting witches in Wicked on Broadway at the Gershwin Theater. As a performer, you may have seen him in The Book of Mormon on Broadway, as Spot Conlon in the National Tour of Disney's Newsies, numerous appearances on NYC cabaret stages, or his legendary living room productions, which occasionally go viral. He has a small, but mighty following on Twitter, where his work has been pulled and featured on BuzzFeed, Food Network, BroadwayWorld, and Playbill. Jeff was raised in the chain-restaurant haven of Cincinnati, OH and currently lives in New York City with his daughter, Amandish (a 2009 bottle of Cabernet).

Skylar Astin is an Applause alumni. He made his Broadway debut in the original cast of Spring Awakening playing Georg. Later he became known for portraying Jesse Swanson in the Pitch Perfect movie series. Most recently, Skylar was seen playing the role of the Baker in Into The Woods at the Hollywood Bowl. Other theatrical credits include Rent (Hollywood Bowl), What We’re Up Against (Off-Broadway), How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Kennedy Center), & Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (New York City Center Encores).

Corey Cott made his Broadway debut as rabble-rousing newsboy Jack Kelly in Disney’s Newsies weeks after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. He then starred as Gaston in the Broadway revival of Gigi, and created the role of Donny Novitski in Bandstand on Broadway. 

His regional credits include Miss Saigon, Jekyll and Hyde, and Jesus Christ Superstar. On TV, he can be seen in Madam Secretary, Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit and The Good Fight.

Gideon Glick has been seen on Broadway in To Kill A Mockingbird (Tony Award nomination), Significant Other (Drama League Award nomination), Spring Awakening and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and off-Broadway: The Harvest, Significant Other, Speech & Debate, The Few, Into the Woods, Peerless, Wild Animals You Should Know and Spring Awakening. His film credits include Ocean’s 8, Speech & Debate, Song One, A Case of You, One Last Thing…,Gods Behaving Badly. On TV, he's been seen in The Detour, Elementary, The Good Wife, Man Seeking Woman, Margot vs. Lily and Devious Maids. He can be heard on the podcast “The Message.”

Sebastian Stan is an Applause alumni now starring on the silver screen. He is most-known for his role of Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Captain America series. Stan studied at Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts and spent a year at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. Other credits include I, Tonya (2017), Logan Lucky (2017), The Bronze (2015), Once Upon a Time (2011), Black Swan (2010), and Gossip Girl (2007).

Jessica Queller is a TV writer/producer, author, and women’s health advocate. In 2003, while writing on Gilmore Girls, Jessica tested positive for the BRCA1 genetic mutation, otherwise known as The Breast Cancer Gene. The test was relatively new, and Jessica was one of the first young women in the country to speak publicly about carrying the mutation. Shortly after testing positive, Jessica’s Op-Ed piece was published in the New York Times about the burden of knowledge that comes with carrying The Breast Cancer Gene. This article was the launching point for her acclaimed memoir, Pretty is What Changes (Random House, 2008). Jessica is passionate about helping women empower themselves with knowledge that can safeguard their health. She travels around the country speaking about BRCA, and has delivered keynote speeches for the annual FORCE conference in Florida, and the Bright Pink gala in Chicago. She performed at The Basser Center for BRCA’s 2016 event in NYC: In our Genes: An Evening of Storytelling. Jessica is also a frequent media spokeswoman on issues of cancer prevention. She has appeared twice on Nightline, Tavis Smiley and NPR’s Morning Edition. Other appearances include Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, and a short documentary for Livestrong. She’s the recipient of the 2007 Lynne Cohen Spirit Award, the 2008 Val Skinner Hero Award, and the 2015 Get In Touch Woman of Strength Award. Jessica proudly serves on the Leadership Council of The Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center. Jessica’s first love was dramatic storytelling, and that remains the passion of her life. She has had the privilege of writing for many iconic television shows including Felicity, Gilmore Girls, Ed, Gossip Girl, The Carrie Diaries and Vegas. She is currently a writer/executive producer on the hit show, Supergirl. Jessica is a native New Yorker who currently resides in Los Angeles with her daughter, Sophie.

Grey received Tony, Drama Desk, and Helen Hayes Award nominations for his performance in Mean Girls. He was fortunate enough to make his Broadway debut playing Elder McKinley in The Book of Mormon, having originated the role on the First National Tour. On television he guest-starred in the comedy series “Suburgatory.” Grey received his BFA in acting and musical theatre from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama.

Mike Faist is a Tony-nominated actor for his performance as Conner Murphy in Dear Evan Hanson. Mike made his Broadway debut in Newsies-as an original cast member, he created the role of Morris Delancey for the regional premiere and continued through the Broadway transfer. He starred opposite Taylor Schilling and Peter Dinklage in A Month in the Country at Classic Stage Co (Dir. Erica Schmidt). Other theatre: Appropriate (Signature Theatre Company, Dir. Liesl Tommy). Films include: Mania Days (Dir. Paul Dalio, Prod. Spike Lee), Lake City (Dir. Aaron Fisher-Cohen), License Plates (Dir. Marc Lucas) and The Grief of Others (Dir. Patrick Wang)-which recently premiered this year at SXSW and had its international premiere in L'ACID program in the Cannes Film, and I Can I Will I Did (Nadine Truong).