Ann Talman: Elizabeth Taylor and the Shadow of Her Smile at The Wells Theatre

Ann Talman

Ann Talman is an actress, storyteller and documentary film maker based in New York City. She made her stage debut in 1981 in the Broadway production of The Little Foxes with Elizabeth Taylor, portraying her daughter, Alexandra. Following the engagement, she toured with Ms. Taylor in the production for 18 months with stops in Ft. Lauderdale, Washington, D.C. (The Kennedy Center), New Orleans, as well as London’s West End. Her stage credits include Yours, Anne, The House of Blue Leaves, Carnival, Some Americans Abroad, and the Broadway revival of The Women. Ms. Talman has appeared in several motion pictures including Serendipity, Limitless, and Wall Street. Television credits include guest starring roles on “Seinfeld,” “Ellen,” “Murphy Brown,” “The Street” and “Law & Order,” and a year on “General Hospital,” among others. She wrote, starred in and produced the multiple award-winning documentary film Woody’s Order!, based on her solo play about her lifelong dedication to her older brother Woody who lived a full life with cerebral palsy. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She has toured the country as a storyteller sharing her very personal and touching tales which she plans to compile for an upcoming book. www.anntalman.com.

Alex Rybeck

Alex Rybeck is a music director, composer, arranger, and pianist, best known for his work in concerts and cabarets, on recordings, and in the theater. Broadway credits include Merrily We Roll Along (directed by Hal Prince), Grand Hotel (directed by Tommy Tune), and others. He has also worked with Susan Stroman (Flora The Red Menace) and Patricia Birch (Really Rosie). Regionally, his work on “What the World Needs Now”, starring Sutton Foster, won him personal praise from Burt Bacharach. After growing up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, and attending Oberlin College, he moved to New York City, where he was mentored by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents and Stephen Schwartz while attending NYU's Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program. Among the many artists he has worked with are such legends as George Abbott, Metropolitan Opera diva Roberta Peters, "Voice of Hollywood" Marni Nixon, Eartha Kitt, The McGuire Sisters, Julie Wilson, and Kitty Carlisle Hart. He has also enjoyed meaningful collaborations with Faith Prince, Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway, Jane Olivor, Karen Mason, Sharon McNight, Jeff Harnar, Donna McKechnie, Ann Kittredge, Jason Graae, Lee Roy Reams, Tovah Feldshuh, Rita Gardner, Roslyn Kind, Amanda McBroom, and many, many others. His original song "What a Funny Boy He Is" was recorded by the late Nancy LaMott. He has received numerous awards and honors (MAC, Bistro, Nightlife, Billboard, and BroadwayWorld) as music director and songwriter. As a highly sought-after coach, he has taught master classes in NYC, L.A., and DC, as well as at Yale, Harvard, Northwestern, Queensland Conservatorium (Brisbane) and the New Zealand Singing School.

Lina Koutrakos

Lina Koutrakos is an award-winning and accomplished singer/songwriter/teacher/director based in New York City. As a singer, she has been repeatedly rave reviewed from The New York Times to Billboard Magazine in both rock and roll and cabaret and has been awarded Cabaret’s most prestigious awards for “Best Female Vocalist” and “Entertainer of the Year,” repeatedly. For 3 decades, Koutrakos has been a New York City musical fixture - as both soloist and as a director and performance coach. Her directorial nods include being a 4-time winner for “Best Director” from the MAC Association and she is a lifetime Backstage Bistro Award-Winner for “Best Director,” as well. Koutrakos was on staff as a Master Teacher for years at both the Eugene O'Neill Cabaret Symposium and The Yale Cabaret Conference. She was the first Master Teacher with The St Louis Cabaret Conference and co-founded NYC’s Summer in the City yearly workshop on weekends. She has since gone on to start her own performance workshop “Performance Connection,” which umbrellas many ongoing and specialty workshops and seminars now both online and in person. The Advance Performance Workshop in NYC has produced many award-winning performers and shows over the last 2 decades. Her singing and being the founder of the Midwest Cabaret Conference in Chicago for 10 years won her the “Gold Coast” Award with the Chicago Cabaret Professionals in 2019. She spearheads a now annual advanced performance workshop on the island of Mykonos. From performance workshops with full bands to one-on-one clients across the U.S., to her own award-winning original material and one woman shows, it’s no wonder Koutrakos is referred to as a “Walking Master Class” by Billboard Magazine as both singer and director.Lina Koutrakos is an award-winning and accomplished singer/songwriter/teacher/director based in New York City. As a singer, she has been repeatedly rave reviewed from The New York Times to Billboard Magazine in both rock and roll and cabaret and has been awarded Cabaret’s most prestigious awards for “Best Female Vocalist” and “Entertainer of the Year,” repeatedly. For 3 decades, Koutrakos has been a New York City musical fixture - as both soloist and as a director and performance coach. Her directorial nods include being a 4-time winner for “Best Director” from the MAC Association and she is a lifetime Backstage Bistro Award-Winner for “Best Director,” as well. Koutrakos was on staff as a Master Teacher for years at both the Eugene O'Neill Cabaret Symposium and The Yale Cabaret Conference. She was the first Master Teacher with The St Louis Cabaret Conference and co-founded NYC’s Summer in the City yearly workshop on weekends. She has since gone on to start her own performance workshop “Performance Connection,” which umbrellas many ongoing and specialty workshops and seminars now both online and in person. The Advance Performance Workshop in NYC has produced many award-winning performers and shows over the last 2 decades. Her singing and being the founder of the Midwest Cabaret Conference in Chicago for 10 years won her the “Gold Coast” Award with the Chicago Cabaret Professionals in 2019. She spearheads a now annual advanced performance workshop on the island of Mykonos. From performance workshops with full bands to one-on-one clients across the U.S., to her own award-winning original material and one woman shows, it’s no wonder Koutrakos is referred to as a “Walking Master Class” by Billboard Magazine as both singer and director.