TV: Fidelity FutureStage Director Sam Scalamoni on Bringing Professional Insight to Students

Sam Scalamoni served as the Associate Director of Disney's Beauty and the Beast for more than three years, setting and maintaining companies on Broadway, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Korea. He most recently served as the Associate Director for Elton John's recent Broadway musical Lestat based on Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. He brings that professional theatrical experience to the Fidelity FutureStage program as director of its performance production finale.

He founded the entertainment company, CLARITY, which develops and produces film and television projects. Mr. Scalamoni's acting career includes starring on Broadway as Cyrano in Cyrano the Musical, and as swing and dance captain of the Broadway Company of Les Miserables for two and a half years.

Regionally this year Mr. Scalamoni directed I Do, I Do for Cortland Repertory Theatre and four productions of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. His directing career also includes six New York City premiers Off-Broadway at the Theatre-Studio and on Theatre-Row, he directed the premier of Attack of the Elvis Impersonators at The John Houseman Studio Theatre. He served as Artistic/Producing Director of The Hackmatack Playhouse in Berwick, Maine from 1995-2000 directing critically acclaimed productions of West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Tommy among others. From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Scalamoni served as Artistic Director of The Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts in Orange County, New York. During his tenure at the Lycian Centre, he directed the new version of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Neil Simon's Star-Spangled Girl, Schoolhouse Rock Live!, and Little Shop of Horrors.

Mr. Scalamoni is a founding member and currently serves as Managing Artistic Director of The Arts Trust, a non profit performing arts organization and theatre company in Bergen County New Jersey. Mr. Scalamoni also teaches audition and vocal workshops as a part of TAT's Arts in Education outreach program. Directing at YaleUniversity, ManhattanCollege, and LongwoodCollege rounds out his directing career.

He brings that professional theatrical experience to the Fidelity FutureStage program as director of its performance production finale.

Fidelity FutureStage enables over 600 NYC students from 10 different public schools to get a real view into the world of Broadway theater. Students learn firsthand from industry professionals about acting, playwriting, directing and all the behind-the-scenes production. They also attend Broadway shows and each student writes a 10-minute play. Ultimately, one play from each school is chosen and performed by the students at New World Stages this June.