Tony Jerris (Book)
is an accomplished screenwriter, author and playwright. His off-Broadway play TELL VERONICA! played to sold-out crowds at the Grove Street Playhouse in NY before premiering in Los Angeles. The LA TIMES raved: “Playwright Tony Jerris’ cult hit “Tell Veronica” managed to give broadcast burlesques a run for their money with a raucous send-up of Oprah, Sally Jessy and Ricki Lake rolled into one hot pink hot-flash of a show!” Tony’s other NY credits include his play The Hostesses, a Top 5 Finalist in the Samuel French One-Act Festival, which he later adapted/produced as a short film, earning him a spot in the 2007 Big Damn Film Festival. His musical, Gina’s Parole, a collaboration with Corinne Aquilina, showcased at the New York’s Dramatist’s Guild and ASCAP Musical Festival, before winning them a spot in both The Peekaboo Festival at The Mark Goodson Theatre, and the 2001: A Spotlight On Festival Odyssey. As an author, Tony has penned a trilogy of children’s books, and recently co-authored the new book, “Heads Or Tales,” featuring 20 true stories of people at a crossroads in life. Of his many screenplays, several have been optioned and/or placed in various writing competitions, including The Nicholl Fellowship Awards, The Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, and the Project Greenlight Screenwriting Contest. He has had two TV-Reality Shows optioned by Gene Simmons (of KISS fame), was a work-for-hire on The Tammy Faye Bakker Biopic and the new children’s musical The Adventures of the Talking Clothes, and a webisode writer for OutliciousTV. In 2009, his play 1-800-DO-I-CARE? was a contender in the Piano Fight One-Act Competition, whose theatre was voted the Best Theatre Company in San Francisco. He’s since adapted the play into a short film, which has been optioned and in pre-production. His most recent ventures include a screenplay adaptation of The Littlest Witch, and an animated Web Series that he created called Happy Acres.
Corinne Aquilina (Music/Lyrics)
was Arranger/Musical Director for the long running Off-Broadway show Menopause, The Musical. She played in the Broadway pit of Boy from Oz and was the Musical Director for the National tours of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Annie and Five Guys Named Moe. Additional original works include workshop/festival productions of Gina’s Parole, May God Strike Me Dead If I’m Telling a Lie, and the independent short film, The Hostesses. Other arranger/musical director credits include The Rodgers and Hammerstein Library’s Sophisticated Ladies, Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate, Bernstein’s On The Town, Lieber/Stoller’s Smokey Joe’s Café, Irving Berlin’s Land That I Love and Pirates of Penzance -- all for Inside Broadway, NYC. Her Regional Theatre highlights include Geva Theatre (Five Guys Named Moe, Jane Eyre, Kiss Me Kate, Anything Goes, Dames At Sea, Man of LaMancha), Syracuse Stage (Oliver, Tintypes), and Merry Go Round Playhouse (Miss Saigon, Cabaret, Brigadoon, Nunsense, Evita, Gypsy, Camelot, Forever Plaid,La Cage aux Folles, Sound of Music). New York workshops include Rhapsody (The American Theatre of Actors), The Nightclub (Promenade Theatre), and Bouquets from Mr. Ziegfeld (Theatre East). She has been Adjunct Faculty/Music Director for Luna Park, Thoroughly Modern Millie and the rock opera, Tommy at SUNY CORTLAND. Her recent regional credits include: The Producers, All Shook Up, The Fully Monty, No No Nannette, I Left My Heart and Spelling Bee. Corinne’s educational background includes an undergraduate degree at Nazareth College of Rochester, Graduate Studies at The Eastman School of Music, and further studies at Carnegie Hall Studios. She is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America, ASCAP and American Federation of Musicians Local 802.
Frederick Alden Terry (Orchestration)
moved to Manhattan in 1997 to attend the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where he earned an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing. His compositions have been featured in theatre, dance, film, recording, and concert hall. He has orchestrated for numerous shows, including the critically acclaimed The Audience, produced by Transport Group, and several shows that have been in the NYC Fringe Festival, the Adirondak Theatre Festival, and the New York Musical Theatre Festival. His most recent work with Ms. Aquilina was providing orchestrations for Treasure Island, which was produced by the Rochester Children’s Theater. Terry has orchestrated for numerous benefits in the New York area, including the Hole In The Wall Gang Camp, and Broadway Cares events Nothing Like a Dame, Easter Bonnet, and Gypsy of the Year (which included and arrangement for Daniel Radcliffe in 2008). He has been a freelance musician for many years, performing for ballet, theater, opera and dance. Terry has performed for numerous off-Broadway shows, most recently serving as the bass player and assistant music director of the New York production of Menopause the Musical.
Carla Vitale (Dramaturg)
received her degree in Education and Dance from SUNY Geneseo. She has studied dance with the Martha Graham and Jose Limon Dance Companies. Carla has choreographed over 40 productions including a national tour of Annie, entertainment for Regency Cruises, A Gershwin Tribute at the Priory Theatre, NY, Groucho: A Life in Review and May God Strike Me Dead If I’m Telling a Lie for Geva Theatre. Other productions include, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, Oliver!, Chicago , The Littlest Witch, Company, Seussical, Nunsense, A Year With Frog and Toad, The King & I.
Story by
Tony Jerris
Music and Lyrics by
Corinne Aquilina
Orchestrations
Frederick Alden Terry
Dramaturg, Education Consultant
Carla Vitale
Lynne Heffley - LA Times
“This imaginative show is more treat than trick.”
Lily Raven - LA Magazine
“What a charming and delightful show The Littlest Witch is! The music was sensational! It had that Broadway flair to it ! A round of applause goes to the behind-the-scenes people: writer Tony Jerris and composer Corinne Aquilina.”
Herbert M Simpson - Gannett Newspaper
“The Littlest Witch a big success! The clever book by Jerris and tuneful, singable music by Aquilina was obviously a smart strategy to make a show that would entertain on two levels: for youngster and adults. This production has a high-spirited feeling of frolic being created on the spot with the audience actively collaborating.”
Marcia Morphy - Brighton-Pittsford Post
“’The Littlest Witch’ rises to every holiday occasion. [The musical] is funny and innocent enough for children, but there’s also a lot of adult humor... A fractured fairy tale with a happy ending.”
Leah Waldron - Livingston County News
“Disney delivers mirror for ‘The Littlest Witch’ [The musical] impressed Disney Studios so much, the company decided to contribute to the musical y flying a life-size working puppet of a mirror... A plethora of brilliantly crafted costumes and the lively songs, make ‘The Littlest Witch; a must see show for the kids and the whole family.”
Cast Size: 10 or less with doubling.
Orchestrations: 5 or less.
