ATG Co-Founders
Jim Vagias (Producing Artistic Director, American Theater Group) has been involved in the entertainment industry since 1983. A former attorney, Vagias founded American Theater Group in 2012 with industry professionals Joe Mancuso and Rick Sordelet. He has produced over 50 new and classic plays and musicals, including 19 world premieres, nine of which successfully transferred to Off-Broadway (such as I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Marry Harry, Himself and Nora and Swingtime Canteen). In addition to having served on panels of the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshops, he has also served as the magic consultant for two Broadway productions. Vagias has taught courses on Theatre Management and Entertainment Law at Montclair State University, and has also been a guest lecturer at Rutgers, Kean University and the New School.
Joseph A. Mancuso has more than thirty-six years of significant experience as an artist, educator and arts/business administrator including a combined sixteen years as Executive Director for two not-for-profit arts institutions: The Union County Performing Arts Center and The Shoestring Players (Co-Founder). Along with Rick Sordelet and James Vagias, this trio launched AMERICAN THEATER GROUP which now resides here at SOPAC under the sole leadership of Mr. Vagias. Recently retired from Rutgers University after thirty-one years of introducing thousands of students to live theater, he is currently in his eighteenth year as Theater Arts Program Coordinator and Head Acting Instructor for the Honors Program at Somerset County Performing Arts High School in Bridgewater, NJ. He recently joined the Board of Trustees at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. He has also served as producer and/or director for several regional as well as New York productions. Directing credits include: Buried Treasure by Rick Sordelet (World Premiere), A Thousand Clowns at American Stage Company in Teaneck, NJ; The Heidi Chronicles at Miami University; A Saint By Any Other Name at the Atlantic Theater Festival; Second Wind for T-3 Productions; and Zastrozzi - The Master Of Discipline for the Journeyman Theater Company. He produced and directed Fiddler On The Roof at the UCPAC where he was nominated for Best Director and Best Musical Revival by the Newark Star Ledger. Also at UCPAC, he produced: A Chorus Line (winner Best Musical Revival), Man of La Mancha, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, La Cage aux Folles and Into The Woods. In NYC, his adaptation and interpretation of the works of Carl Sandburg entitled Lessons On How To Behave Under Peculiar Circumstances premiered at the 28th Street Playhouse. Internationally, he produced eleven shows over six seasons at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland winning the prestigious Fringe First Award in 1992. Mr. Mancuso holds a Masters Degree in Theater Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.
Rick Sordelet is a Fight Directors and co-creator with his son of Sordelet INC, an exciting combat company bringing over thirty years of action movement experience for television, film and stage. www.sordeletinc.com. Seventy+ Broadway productions include Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Waiting for Godot/ No Man's Land and Tina. His credits also include more than 60 first-class productions on five continents in hundreds of cities around the world, including Ben Hur Live both in Rome and the European Tour. ( www.benhurlive.com )
Rick has been fight director at our country’s best regional theaters across the U.S. for shows ranging from Sam Shepard to William Shakespeare. He has had dozens National Tours running across the United States and North America. He is also a stunt coordinator for television and film with over 1000 episodes of daytime television and numerous feature films including RESPECT the Aretha Franklin Story.
Rick has been teaching stage combat for Yale School of Drama for twenty-two years, as well as for the famous William Esper Studio in NYC. Rick, with his partner David Blixt, runs an electronic publishing company called Sordelet INK.
Also a writer, Rick has penned numbers screenplays purchased by Legendary Films, Bad Hat Harry Productions and Fox Studios. His plays have been produced in NYC, NJ and with STREAM ON a new streaming platform devoted to new works for the staged shown on you devices.
ATG BOARD
American Theater Group is led by an exemplary working Board of Directors comprised of leaders from the Broadway community as well as a variety of business industries.
Michele Pawk, President
Stephen Schnall, Vice President
Diane Blanc Ryan, Secretary
Larry Sobin, Treasurer
MICHELE PAWK, Board President
"I believe in the cathartic and magical power that good theatre provides. When we hold up a mirror to ourselves and/or society, we can truly affect change. I am inspired and motivated by ATG's production of consistent quality theatre, not to mention its extensive community outreach initiatives. I wholeheartedly believe in our mission."
Michele Pawk is an actress whose credits include dozens of Broadway, Off-Broadway & regional theatre. In addition to winning the 2003 Tony Award, she has also been the recipient of the Lucille Lortel, OBIE, and Astaire Awards, in addition to numerous other nominations. She is a full time faculty member in the Performing Arts Department at Wagner College and an Eastern Regional Councilor at Actors' Equity Association. Serving as ATG's Board President is an honor and privilege.
ALAN ROSEMAN
“As a lover of live theater I was thrilled to join the ATG Board in 2018. ATG is committed to presenting thought provoking and entertaining productions of the highest quality and I want to contribute to its ongoing success in any way I can.”
For the past 24 years, Alan has worked in the academic publishing industry in different sales capacities. Since 2011, he has been part of the licensing team for Springer Nature, the world’s second largest academic publisher. In this role, he presents the company’s suite of electronic products to many of the leading academic institutions in the U.S. to help further the cause of research and scientific advancement.
ROB ROTH was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Director for his Broadway debut, “Beauty and the Beast.” Rob went on to direct the show all over the world, where it has won many awards, including the Olivier Award for Best Musical in London. Rob has also directed the world premiere of “Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida,” collaborating with Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice, and the Broadway musical “Lestat,” based on the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles with a score by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Rob frequently directs rock concerts that have played at the most prestigious venues in the world, and has worked with such artists as KISS, Alice Cooper, Dresden Dolls, Cyndi Lauper, and guitar legend Steve Miller. His first play as an author, “WARHOLCAPOTE,” debuted at American Repertory Theatre, and will be published in hardcover by Simon & Schuster. Rob is an avid collector of rock and roll graphics, and his collection is the subject of the coffee table book “The Art of Classic Rock.” Rob and his husband Patrick live in New York City with their Labrador retriever Tag.
LYNNE WHITMAN is a seasoned business leader with a passion for helping companies grow. As a consultant, she works with businesses to expand their capabilities and improve their performance. Lynne has broad strategic, operations, and marketing expertise, having consulted for a diverse set of companies and industries, ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Lynne is a strong believer in the impact of theater and the arts on society and is thrilled to be involved with American Theater Group.
Michelle Bergman
Dr. Zenon Christodoulou
Amaly Homer
Deirdre Guice Minor
Alyson Nash
Stephen Rodner
Chris Smith
Mary Beth Wilmit
Jordan Yuelys
ATG STAFF
James Vagias, Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director
Joseph Mancuso, Co-founder and Artistic Advisor
Rick Sordelet, Co-founder and Artistic Advisor
Jenna Stelmok, Grants Administrator
Nan Mandes, Production Manager
Mafalda Cavanaugh, Marketing and PR
Pandora Scooter, PlayLab Moderator
David F. Simpson, Graphic Designer
Robin Aronsen, Bookkeeper
Ellen Gesner, Ad Solicitor