Hershey Felder
Sergei Rachmaninoff/Book
Hershey Felder has recently been named Artistic Director of Florence’s historic Teatro della Signoria as well as Florence’s Teatro Niccolini. Creator and President of FirenzeOnStage, an international theatrical and presentation house in Florence Italy, American Theatre Magazine has said, “Hershey Felder, actor, Steinway Concert Artist and theatrical creator is in a category all his own.” Following 28 years of continuous stage productions and over 6,000 live performances throughout the U.S. and abroad, Hershey Felder created Live from Florence, An Arts Broadcasting Company, based in Florence, Italy, which has produced more than eighteen theatrical films to date. They include the recently-released Noble Genius – Chopin & Liszt; The Assembly; Violetta, the story of Verdi’s Traviata; Dante and Beatrice; Mozart and Figaro in Vienna; the world premiere musicals Nicholas, Anna & Sergei; the story of Sergei Rachmaninoff; Puccini, the story of famed opera composer Giacomo Puccini; Before Fiddler, a musical story about writer Sholem Aleichem; Great American Songs and the Stories Behind Them, Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic, a documentary, and the popular Musical Tales in the Venetian Jewish Ghetto. Two seasons of programming are currently available at www.hersheyfelder.net with season 3 being launched in spring of 2024. Hershey has given performances of his solo productions at some of the world’s most prestigious theatres and has consistently broken box office records. His shows include George Gershwin Alone (Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre, West End’s Duchess Theatre); Monsieur Chopin; Beethoven; Maestro (Leonard Bernstein); Franz Liszt in Musik, Lincoln: An American Story, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Our Great Tchaikovsky, and A Paris Love Story and Monsieur Chopin. His compositions and recordings include Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Fairytale, a musical; Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano; Song Settings; Saltimbanques for Piano and Orchestra; Etudes Thematiques for Piano; and An American Story for Actor and Orchestra, and the opera IL QUARTO UOMO that premiered in Fiesole, Italy in the summer of 2023 with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Hershey is the adaptor, director, and designer for the internationally performed play-with-music The Pianist of Willesden Lane with Steinway artist Mona Golabek; producer and designer for the musical Louis and Keely: ‘Live’ at the Sahara, directed by Taylor Hackford; and writer and director for Flying Solo, featuring opera legend Nathan Gunn. Hershey has operated a full-service production company since 2001. He has been a scholar-in-residence at Harvard University’s Department of Music and is married to Rt. Hn. Kim Campbell.
Jonathan Silvestri
tsar Nicholas II
Jonathan Silvestri began his career at BAC Youth Theatre in London’s Clapham district later studying with Simon Furness. He is known for his roles in the international television HBO hit series “Borgia” as Cardinal Fonsalida; his recent film with Tim Rozon as a US Marine in “DAKOTA,” the television series “The Young Pope,” “ Dangerous Lies,” “Devils,” “Fangs,” and more. He is a regular on Italian TV, in particular RAI’s ‘Impazienti’ in a starring role with Max Tortora and Enrico Bertolino. Jonathan recently appeared as Eugene Delacroix in Hershey Felder’s feature film Noble Genius-Chopin & Liszt and the feature film “Hey Joe,” with James Franco. A regular on Roman stages, Jonathan’s notable theatre credits include “Closer” by Patrick Marber, “Julius Caesar,” “Our Country’s Good,” and “Chinatown” at the Teatro Manhattan as well as many other productions. He is both an actor specializing in International character accents as is of British-Roman origin.
Trevor Hay
Director
Trevor Hay directed the world premieres of An American Story for Actor and Orchestra, Abe Lincoln’s Piano, Hershey Felder as Franz Liszt in Musik, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Our Great Tchaikovsky, and A Paris Love Story. He is associate director for Mona Golabek’s The Pianist of Willesden Lane, George Gershwin Alone, and Maestro. Former member of the historic Old Globe Theatre in San Diego where, at the age of nine, his first position was selling Old Globe memorabilia. Over the next 32 years, Mr. Hay went on to various aspects of production on more than 80 presentations.
Jerry Patch
Dramaturg
Jerry Patch served as dramaturg on over 150 new plays, including the world premieres of Abundance, Freedomland, Golden Child, Intimate Apparel, Search and Destroy, Three Days of Rain, Ruined and Wit. He was the founding project director for South Coast Repertory’s Pacific Playwrights Festival and artistic director of the theatre program of Sundance Institute. A professor of theatre and film, he was consulting dramaturg for Roundabout Theatre Company (New York) for nearly a decade and resident artistic director at The Old Globe in San Diego. He is now artistic consultant for Manhattan Theatre Club, where he served more than a decade as Director of Artistic Development, and is resident dramaturg at SCR.
Stefano DeCarli
Video Design
Stefano Decarli, born in Florence in 1983, is an Italian filmmaker, editor, and producer. After graduating in 2010 in Agricultural Sciences and Sustainable Rural Development from the University of Florence, he worked in Iraq for two years for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coordinating international development and reconstruction programs in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State. At the same time, he began his professional career in visual communication, specifically in photography and video production, which then became his main profession. Since then, he has been working across Italy and Europe on multimedia content, feature films, live theater shows, music videos, and corporate videos. Starting in 2020, he has filmed, co-directed, and edited shows, movies and documentaries in collaboration with renowned pianist, actor, director and producer Hershey Felder. In 2023 he worked together with American director Madison Kinsella on a short documentary about a group of Ukraine refugees in Italy, A Castle for Kyiv. The same year he also collaborated with Canadian director Jennifer Baichwal on the impact website insights following the 2022 documentary Into The Weeds. He’s also a professor of Multimedia Language at ISIA Firenze, the first university-level public institution for Design education in Italy.
Erik S Barry
Lighting Design
Erik is a freelance lighting designer based in Chicago. He received the Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for 2019 for The Displaced with Haven Theatre. His designs have been seen at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, Seattle Rep, Harris Theatre (Chicago), and the Detroit Music Hall. He has done extensive gaffer/production electrician work, including multiple 2020 Presidential Debates and on Fox Sports Pre/Post show for the MLB World Series. MFA – Lighting Design: University of Wisconsin-Madison. eriksbarry.com
Marysol M. Gabriel
Costume Design
Marysol M. Gabriel, originally from Argentina and now based in Florence, Italy, is a seasoned costume and accessory designer with a rich background in theatre. She recently showcased her talents as a Costume Designer for the “Quarto Uomo” Lyric Opera at Estate Fiesolana and has contributed significantly to various productions at Fondazione Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, in addition to collaborating on projects with Sartoria Antonietta in Florence. Marysol’s expertise extends to the film industry, where she designed costumes for “Chopin” by Hershey Felder and supported numerous other Felder productions. Her creative journey is characterized by a harmonious fusion of innovation, meticulous craftsmanship, and unwavering dedication to her craft. Beyond costume design, Marysol excels in accessory design, having worked as an Accessory Designer Consultant for Flo Bags and as a Freelance Handbag Developer.Her proficiency in creating and prototyping bags and accessories has been invaluable to fashion students from prestigious institutions like Polimoda, IED, Marangoni, and Central Saint Martin, aiding them in preparing for their final fashion showcases. Notably, she spearheaded Sol Gabriel Concept Bags as the Owner and Senior Designer from 2004 to 2011, crafting distinctive, handmade bags. Furthermore, as a Senior Designer at Richmond Ltd., Marysol directed the evolution of a casual clothing line and orchestrated fashion exhibitions in Shenzen and Hong Kong.
Erik Carstensen
Sound Design/Production Management
Erik has worked for Eighty-Eight Entertainment since 2008. He has served as sound designer on Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Our Great Tchaikovsky, A Paris Love Story, Maestro, Louis and Keely “Live” at the Sahara, An American Story, Beethoven As I Knew Him (Ovation Award winner), The Pianist of Willesden Lane (Ovation Award nomination), and numerous other productions. Formerly, he was the master sound technician at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego and was production engineer on over 60 production
Judi LewinWig and Makeup Design
Tammy Globerman
Producer
Based in Los Angeles, Tammy joined the Hershey Felder Presents team in the summer of 2020. She worked with Hershey on his earlier projects in the late 1990’s and 2000’s before working with talent agencies specializing in below-the-line talent for film and television. After taking some time off to be with her two children, she is excited to be working again with Hershey and his team.
Samantha Voxakis
Producer
Since shortly after joining the company in early 2004, Sam has been responsible for the day-to-day operations of Eighty-Eight LLC and Hershey Felder Presents. Prior to that, she spent twelve memorable years in the front office of the Baltimore Orioles. With special thanks to her family and Mr. Felder