FACULTY & STAFF

Adrian Wattenmaker (Director)

Adrian has worked extensively in both theatre and film for over 15 years. Currently, Adrian is a professor at University of Nevada, Reno. He is former director of the acting program at the New York Film Academy and is co-founder of Free Space Theatre, a student run ensemble at Towson University where undergraduate and graduate students are able to learn from each other and visiting professionals. As a member of Cooper Square Workshop in it's heyday, Adrian contributed to Off-Broadway productions of Requiem For a Heavyweight, Columbus: In the Age of Gold, and the award winning production of Sam Shepard's Seduced. He has worked at LAByrinth Theater Co.,HB Playwrights Foundation, Baltimore Theatre Project and CENTERSTAGE, where he was an associate dramaturg and assistant director for David Schweizer’s critically acclaimed production of Crumbs From the Table of Joy (chosen by The Wall Street Journal as one of the best theatre productions of 2006). Directing credits include Tales, This Is Our Youth and Miss Julie. Other theatre credits include The Author’s Voice, The Rock Garden, The Normal Heart with Tony Award winner John Glover, New York,The Speed Queen and The American Clock directed by Austin Pendleton. Film credits include The Butcher and the Housewife, Piñero, Delivery Method, Channel Surfing, and Brooklyn Reprieve. Television credits include Daring Capers, Law & Order and SNL. Adrian has worked for Studio USA/Universal, NBC, Greg Stump Productions/Delamo Films, Setton Sun Productions, Four Act Films, and SRTV. He has taught acting and filmmaking at the School of Cinema and Performing Arts, Life Academy High School for Film and Music, and the William Alexander Middle School. Adrian attended William Esper Studio, Actors Movement Studio, HB Studio, and received a BA in Theatre Arts from Towson University. He is a member of Actors' Equity Association and AFTRA.

In addition, Adrian has spent time working in the ski industry for companies like Nordica, K2 Inline, MasterFit Enterprises, U.S. Orthotic Lab, Nestor's, Paragon Sporting Goods, and Start Haus.

Ishai Setton (Filmmaking)

Ishai graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 2002. Ishai served as Producer of the feature-length documentary, Ocho Candelas, about a community of converted Jews in Veracruz, Mexico. Winner of the Joyce Award for Achievement in Documentary, Ocho Candelas was released theatrically in Mexico and Chile in April, 2006. At NYU, Ishai directed two short films which won numerous awards and screened on television throughout the US: The Butcher and the Housewife and Dinerama 2000. Most recently, Ishai completed his feature directorial debut, The Big Bad Swim. The film follows a group of adults who enroll in an adult-education, beginner's swim class and stars Paget Brewster, Jeff Branson, Jess Weixler and Ricky Ullman. The Big Bad Swim premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and has screened at over 30 festivals worldwide, winning multiple awards: Winner of Best American Independent Film at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, Runner-Up Audience Award for Best Director from the Seattle International Film Festival and Best Feature Film from the Tallgrass, Connecticut and Annapolis Film Festivals . Ishai has taught various filmmaking classes at the New York Film Academy, SOCAPA, and Conneticut College. The Big Bad Swim is currently available on video. Ishai currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, child, and their cat, Little Lord Fauntleroy.

Matthew Brookman (Filmmaking)

Matthew holds an MFA in Cinematography from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Upon graduation he was the Cinematographer for the feature film Being Claudine and Gaffer for the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer. Other film and television credits include: Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mr. Deeds, The Master of Disguise, The Other Brother, Rundown, Win A Date With Tad Hamilton, Surviving Christmas, Little Red Riding Hood, What About Brian, LAX, and Pepper Dennis. He taught at Emerson College, MA. Matthew currently does still photography and studies acupuncture at the Tai Sophia Institute. His still photography can be viewed on brookmancreative.com

Ian Belknap (Theatre)

Ian is Associate Artisitic Director of The Acting Company in New York City, where he is a director of plays and musicals. Recently, he directed the world premiere of The Spy, a new play by Jeffery Hatcher. From 2008 to 2009 he was the Staff Repertory Director for the touring production of Henry V from the Guthrie Theater to The New Victory Theater on 42nd Street and across the country. Ian assisted Mark Lamos in several projects including Buffalo Gal at Primary Stages and A Little Night Music at Baltimore's CENTERSTAGE. Directing Projects include The Comedy of Errors for Baltimore Shakespear Festival, Pink: A Children's Play at CENTERSTAGE, and Waiting for Godot at Pataspsco Arts Center. Ian has taught for the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, New York Film Academy, The Acting Company, Fells Point Corner Theatre, Strand Theatre, Carver Center for the Arts, and others. Other artistic associations include: Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Prince Music Theatre, Baltimore Theatre Project, Everyman Theatre, and The GuthrieTheatre. Ian is a graduate of Towson University.

Michael Lewis (Improv)

Michael is Founder and Artistic Director Empire Improv. He began his foray into improvisation over fourteen years ago with the Hermit Colony in the hub of art and culture Bakersfield, California. He performed with ComedySportz in Bakersfield off and on for more than seven years. He began teaching for Bakersfield ComedySportz in 1996 and directed the high school league for two years. An alumnus of iO West (formerly Improv Olympic West), Michael studied and performed there for five years. While at iO he performed with Harold teams G.U.S. and Pit Boss as well as The Award Winning Documentary. He was on two retired Champion teams of the iO West Cage Match, first with The Backstreet Bards. The Bards went on to become the crowd favorite Spontaneous Shakespeare Co. performing a forty-minute-long Shakespearean-style one-act play. They were twice invited to perform at the Annual Los Angeles Improv Festival and Michael was invited to teach workshops there. Michael spent two years as an artistic advisor for Major League Improv, teaching several workshops for them. For two years he worked as and artistic consultant for   iO Chicago's wildly successful, Improvised Shakespeare Co. Now, of course, he runs The Empire and performs with Empire's own Hostel Greetings. empireimprov.com

Michael on studying in Lake Tahoe: "Because the mountains in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles are lame. For this reason I live in Truckee, CA where the mountains are beautiful and abundant, but the improv is in short supply. Lets change that. The improv thing, not the mountains. I really do like those."

© 2009 Sierra Tahoe Institute, Lake Tahoe, CA USA