Elisa Van Duyne - Director

Elisa Van Duyne is a professional performer, choreographer and arts educator with over 20 years experience in theatre and musical theatre. As a performer, she's been seen and heard on Broadway: “42nd Street”, “Beauty and the Beast,” “Finian’s Rainbow”, “110 In The Shade” on TV: “Person of Interest”, “As The World Turns,” “2001 TONY Awards,” as well as Off-Broadway, European & national tours, and regional theaters all over the country. She has choreographed for universities, international entertainment companies, BC/EFA benefit concerts and professional theaters. Her work includes "Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Oklahoma,” “Big River,” "Footloose," ”Hairspray,” “The Who's Tommy" as well as stand alone contemporary and tap dance pieces. As an arts educator, she’s taught in NYC at Cap 21, Broadway Dance Center, and AMDA; Paper Mill Playhouse and local performing arts schools across the nation.

Bill Reed (VTA Cofounder)

(Currently On Sabbatical)
BILL REED has dedicated his professional life to guiding singers in their quest to realize their potential as performing artists. Born into a show business family, Bill began his vocal music education at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree. (Bill is a proud member of the Badger Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.) He completed his studies at Columbia University, where he earned a doctorate in vocal music education. After a busy and rewarding career as a college choral director, studio voice teacher and concert singer, Bill established a private voice studio in New York City near Lincoln Center. For over thirty years, he was privileged to work with singers from all over the world. whose specialties ranged from opera to pop and rock, and Broadway to folk and country. He has consulted on a number of Hollywood movies and commercial recordings, and his students have performed at the Metropolitan Opera, City Opera, many European opera houses, and in hundreds of Broadway shows and national tours. Bill’s students have won Oscar Hammerstein, MAC, Emmy and Tony awards. Bill has also taught singing at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC for many years, and is a founder of the acclaimed musical theater program there.

In Vermont, Bill’s adult students have had leading roles in numerous local community and professional musical theater productions. His college and school-aged students have performed extensively in school productions and have gone on to study singing and musical theater at many of the most prestigious colleges, universities, and conservatories in the country. A number of Bill’s Vermont students are working professionals and have recently performed in leading roles at the New York City Opera and on Broadway. Bill is in demand  nationally as a clinician and has been invited to give workshops at many colleges, universities, and meetings of professional organizations. Bill’s website can be found here.

“Working with Bill I gained the endurance to do eight shows a week on Broadway. This man is magic!” ~ Gary Lynch, “Javert” in Les Misérables

Click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpOHyX1XZgA) to see a feature on master voice teacher, Bill Reed.

Tim Barden(VTA Cofounder)

(Currently On Sabbatical)

Tim Barden is a professional singer, actor, director producer and performing arts photographer, Tim also brings many years of business, marketing and financial management experience to Spotlight, having worked in banking, technology and government sectors for many years.

Tim has performed regionally in dozens of shows, including Bright Star (Daddy Murphy), Brigadoon (Tommy), The Rainmaker(File), Fool for Love (Old Man), A Little Night Music (Fredrik), Jesus Christ Superstar (Pilate), The Fantasticks (El Gallo, Bellomy), The Sound of Music (Captain VonTrapp), Oliver! (Mr Bumble), The Producers (Max Bialystock) and many more. Tim was also a member of the popular cabaret group Encore! performing all around New England and in NYC for over 20 years.

As a visual artist, Tim has photographed some of the world’s top dance companies and performers, including; Dance Theater of Harlem, Martha Graham Company, Abraham.In.Motion, August Wilson Dance Ensemble, Tap Kids, Katherine Crockett, Kyle Abraham, Bill Evans and many more. His work can be seen here.

Most recently, Tim designed and implemented the technology behind Spotlight’s Black Box multi-camera live streaming capabilities, which are used to model a new form of hybrid entertainment production. He currently spends most of his time in music production.

A survivor of vocal fold cancer, Tim is indebted to the Voice Center at Mass General Hospital in Boston, especially Dr James Burns, for their dedication and care. Also critically, his buddy/voice teacher Bill Reed for helping him reinvent his voice so he could return to singing.

Jeremy Holm

Jeremy Holm was raised in the Rocky Mountains where he received a B.A. from Colorado State University, and later earned an M.F.A from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Since then, he has performed onstage at BAM, Cherry Lane Theatre and Mint Theatre in New York City, internationally at The Shanghai Theatre Center in China, and in major regional houses like Arena Stage, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and The Cleveland Play House to name a few. He has appeared on multiple television shows including "The Code" (CBS), "Deception" (ABC), "Blue Bloods" (CBS), "Limitless" (CBS) "The Blacklist" (NBC)  "Unforgettable" (CBS), "Happyish" (Showtime), "The Americans" (FX), "American Odyssey" (NBC), "Law & Order" (NBC), and five seasons of "Primetime: What Would You Do?" (ABC). His feature film, The Judge, is available on Blu-Ray and features an all-star cast including Robert Downey, Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton and others.

Credits - TV: “Mr. Robot”, “House Of Cards” and Film: “The Ranger” and “Twelve.”

Adjunct and Workshop Faculty

Kerstin Anderson

Lisa Hopkins

Philip David Stern

Andrew Chapelle

Jeremy Holm

Rikki Gimelstob

Merri Sugarman

Robi Hager

Tim Barden

Jennifer Barden