Meet Our Teachers
Triple Threat Academy Staff (& Stars!)
Cynthia Gibb - Founder/Director, Voice Teacher, Acting Teacher
Westport native Cynthia Gibb has over 60 film, TV and theater credits. She received a Golden Globe® nomination for her portrayal of Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy, opposite Bette Midler. She also starred in the Karen Carpenter Story. And anyone who ever donned legwarmers remembers her as the star of the TV series Fame! She also starred with Shirley Jones, Dick Van Dyke, Donna McKechnie, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, James Woods, Dabney Coleman, Burt Reynolds, Christopher Lloyd and many others. Cynthia has worked with Oliver Stone, Stephen Sondheim, Jule Styne, Arthur Laurents, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan (producers of the Academy Awards, Smash and Chicago), as well as choreographers Jerome Robbins, Debbie Allen and Jaime Rogers. She has over 30 years professional experience as an actress, singer and dancer. Her TV credits include Law and Order/SVU, Criminal Minds and Without a Trace, among many others. Cynthia is a member of the prestigious Actors' Studio and has taught hundreds of singing and acting students in Connecticut, L.A., and in master classes across Italy.
More on: Cynthia Gibb's Vocal Teaching Philosophy and Training
Keith Contreras-McDonald – Acting Teacher
Mike O'Hara – Improv Teacher
Mike O’Hara’s storyline is very much like an improvised show. Born in Yonkers, New York, Mike has taken life’s stage as an actor, standup comic, improvisor, host, commentator, lead singer of a Punk rock band, and coach.
O’Hara earned an athletic scholarship, rowed Division 1 crew, and graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. in Political Science. Degree in hand, Mike moved to New York City and then to Los Angeles to pursue acting, standup, and improvisational comedy. Following in the footsteps of his childhood Idol, Bill Murray, O’Hara studied and performed at the Second City becoming a member of the theatre’s inaugural LA Main Stage Company. While on the West Coast, Mike appeared on a variety of television shows including MTV’s Punk’d, Monk, CSI New York, Run of the House, and Parks and Recreation. During his time writing and performing in the sketch comedy duo, “Lloyd Dobbler’s Boom Box," O’Hara co-founded a Celtic-infused Punk Rock band called The Mighty Regis. The band was initially based on a sketch, but quickly became a touring act on The Vans Warped Tour. TMR played in support on US Tours with the likes of Dropkick Murphys, Frank Turner, and others.
Mike was hired to host Major League Baseball’s multimedia show/web series “Fan Cave” in 2011 and moved back to New York. Continuing to act and work in the city O’Hara appeared on Madam Secretary, Law & Order SVU, The Drop, and Wolf of Wall Street.
Since moving to Connecticut to start a family, Mike is currently the Varsity Women’s Head Coach at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport. Coaching has given him the unique opportunity to combine his love of sport and performing in the same realm. To entertain while coaching allows the improvisor and former athlete to work in what has been an amazing endeavor.
On top of coaching, O’Hara also works currently for the Fox Nation streaming platform as a host, commentator, and voiceover artist.
Nick Sadler – Acting Teacher
As an actor, Nick Sadler has appeared in award-winning films such as True Grit, Scent of A Woman, Disclosure, The Last Supper, and Fair Game and television projects such as SUITS, PATERNO, CSI, ER, and MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE. He’s an invited participant of The Sundance Institute Filmmaker’s Lab and is a graduate of The Juilliard School.
As a filmmaker, Nick is producing with Todd Field (Academy Award Nominated Writer/Director/ Producer of In The Bedroom and Little Children) amateur fools, which he also scripted and is directing. He has several projects in development including writing and producing with Arcady Bay (Bridge To Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins) an adaptation of National Book and Caldecott Award-winning author Katherine Paterson's The Same Stuff As Stars for series television and co-written with GiGi Rios New and producing the feature film Beautiful Tides with Ann Marie Sanderlin (Freaky Friday, Bedtime Stories).
Nick is the Creative Consultant of Emmy-Award winner Ray Romano’s documentary film 95 Miles To Go, directed by Emmy-Award winner Tom Caltobiano. He's currently in post- production on TIMES LIKE THESE, a documentary film which Nick produced and directed.
As a private teacher and educator, he’s conducted workshops on understanding and acting Shakespeare around the country and locally with The New Canaan Summer Theater and led the college/conservatory audition preparation workshops for The Performing Arts Conservatory of New Canaan, as well as creating Acting With The Camera workshops for tweens and teens for The Darien Arts Center and leading the acting component of Triple Threat Academy’s youth summer musical theater workshop. His private clients are working in film, television, and theater as actors, writers and directors. In addition, Nick advises corporate clients on executive communication skills and presentation technique.
Nick lives in Westport with his wife GiGi, their son Cooper, and their dog Kirby.
Georgia Wright – Acting Teacher
Georgia (they) is an actor, singer and songwriter. A Westport native and former Staples Player, they graduated in 2023 with a BFA in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and are now New York City based. Georgia has extensive teaching experience (going back as far as coaching Bedford Acting Group students when Georgia was still in high school) and a passion for arts education and creating with and for her students.
During their time at Boston Conservatory, some of Georgia's favorite memories include acting in a queer-centered rendition of The Vagina Monologues and writing and performing their original music within the songwriting emphasis.
Aside from theatre, Georgia is a voracious reader and writer. Georgia's original full-length play Folie À Deux was produced as a staged reading in Spring 2021 and they are constantly working to expand their passion for storytelling through different mediums.
GeorgiaWright.org
Charlie Schlatter – Voiceover Coach
On TV, Charlie Schlatter is perhaps best known for starring alongside Dick Van Dyke in the long running CBS hit series, DIAGNOSIS: MURDER. He starred with Jennifer Aniston as the title role in NBC’S FERRIS BUELLER. Recently, Charlie was praised for his performance as Dr. Dick on Showtime’s SHAMELESS, and he is currently starring as anchorman Paul Michaels in Apple Plus TV’s FOR ALL MANKIND. On the big screen, he starred in 18 AGAIN! opposite George Burns, in addition to Disney’s HEARTBREAK HOTEL, POLICE ACADEMY: MISSION TO MOSCOW as well as many others.
He’s currently starring in two new animated series; as Chad on BIG NATE for Nickelodeon and Paramount Plus and as Sport on Apple Plus TV’s HARRIET THE SPY. He’s also recording the role of Lug Nut in the newly ordered Mattel series, HOT WHEELS ULTIMATE RACERS!
Fun Facts:
He was the longest running voice of BUZZ, The Honeynut Cheerios Bee.
Charlie recently became the new official voice of Steven Spielberg’s E.T.
GiGi New – Screenwriting Teacher
A finalist for The Disney Fellowship, GiGi began her career as a personal assistant on Everybody Loves Raymond. She moved on to write for the award-winning Nickelodeon series The Brothers Garcia, as well as the groundbreaking FOX series The Ortegas.
GiGi returned to write for the The Brother’s Garcia reboot—The Garcias—which aired on HBO Max.
GiGi has developed series for Olivia Colman as well as Matthew Broderick. Oscar and Emmy-award-winning producer Killer Films is attached to GiGi’s TV project Mercy, and her feature script Public Emily was recently optioned by Emmy-nominated AGC Studios.
GiGi has developed and written numerous features for several studios and independent producers, among them: Disney, Lifetime Television, and Paulist Productions.
Stevi Van Meter – Dance Teacher
Stevi Van Meter is originally from Michigan, where she began her studies in dance at the age of 9. Her extensive career spans over 30 years in the entertainment business throughout the United States and Europe. Some of her favorite credits include: Kid of The Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Broadway: Timon of Athens with the late Tony Randall’s National Actors’ Theater and Sinatra (His Voice, His Words, His Way) at Radio City Music Hall. Regional credits include: Damn Yankees starring Tony Randall, Bubbling Brown Sugar with Diahann Carroll, 42nd Street in the role of “Annie Time Annie," My One And Only, Mame and Will Rogers Follies to name a few…all of which she served as Dance Captain. Stevi appeared in over 10 national commercials, including “Diet Coke” with Elton John and Paula Abdul as well as L’Oreal, Jockey, Cadillac, the “Broadway Stamp” for the U.S. Post Office and “Coke” with original C&C Music Factory. She has had the good fortune of working with many stars, including Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler and Bill Cosby. Stevi and her Dance Group, “Anonymous," won 5 shows on Star Search and went to the semi-finals hosted by the late Ed McMahon. Stevi has appeared in over 20 MTV videos as well as Independent films and was the Assistant Choreographer for Showtime’s The Red Shoe Diaries. Stevi choreographed The Fantasticks for Gateway Playhouse in Long Island and was the Assistant Choreographer for Damn Yankees at The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. She also choreographed the 2009 Season for the “Queen Elizabeth 2”! Stevi was a Radio City Rockette for 15 years and just retired in 2010.
Kimberly Porio – Musical Theatre Dance Teacher
Kimberly Porio has been teaching dance for over 25 years. She began her teaching career in 1985 at A Dance Class in Westport, CT. She then volunteered to teach several dance classes at Providence College while she studied for her BS in Marketing. Since that time, she has taught ballet, jazz, lyrical and musical theatre dance for several local schools including D’Valda and Sirico Dance Center in Fairfield, Music Theatre of CT in Westport, and Greens Farms Academy in Westport. She served as Co-Choreographer for Fairfield Ludlowe High School’s production of Rock of Ages and Assistant Choreographer for Staples Players' production of Grease. Her proudest performance was dancing at the Royale Theatre on Broadway in NYC for the Fortieth Annual Hoey Awards where she performed alongside Eartha Kitt, Rosemary Clooney, and Tony Bennett.
Paul Bogaev – Music Director/Song Performance Master Classes
PAUL BOGAEV is a multi award-winning music director, arranger, conductor, and composer. He received his first GRAMMY for Elton John and Tim Rice’s AIDA, for which he produced, orchestrated and conducted the TONY award-winning score. He was also music director on Broadway for TARZAN, BOMBAY DREAMS (TONY nomination for best orchestrations), SUNSET BOULEVARD, ASPECTS OF LOVE, CHESS, LES MISERABLES, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, CATS and THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. In addition, he was brought in to “doctor” U2’s SPIDER MAN. Bogaev’s second GRAMMY was as Executive Producer of the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film musical, CHICAGO. His other film musicals include NINE, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, DREAMGIRLS, CONNIE & CARLA, and the animated LION KING, TARZAN, MULAN, and EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE.
Bogaev also served as music director of the ABC-TV film musicals RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA, ANNIE (EMMY AWARD) and SOUTH PACIFIC.
Among the pop, film, and theater stars with whom he has worked are Sting, Phil Collins, Elton John, U2, ABBA, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Hugh Jackman, Glenn Close, Jennifer Hudson, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Catherine Zeta Jones, Daniel Day- Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger and Judi Dench.
As a symphony conductor, he directed the music for Francis Ford Coppola’s presentation of the silent film epic NAPOLEON with major orchestras around the world. As a composer, he wrote the music for BATTLE CRY, a musical commissioned for Gettysburg, and recorded his setting of The Gettysburg Address with narration by Glenn Close. In the summer of 2016, he arranged a complete modernization of the score of OLIVER! and played the leading role of Fagin as a burned out rock and roller. Subsequently, he directed the music and played Frollo in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.
Paul has held private master classes in song performance in New York and has also taught at Princeton, James Madison and Penn State University. He was also Artist in Residence at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
Creative Partners
Larry Edoff
Weston Recording Studio
Artists can bring in their own team, or work with Grammy nominated artist, producer, orchestrator, and master musician, Larry Edoff. Larry has extensive experience in all genres of music (rock, alternative, popular, jazz, classical, world, and experimental). The studio houses facilities for artists to stay overnight, and Weston is not far from Westport, CT, which offers many restaurants, great shopping, and the beach/Long Island Sound. Larry and his staff are dedicated to producing the highest quality recording for your project. Please contact us to discuss your project.
Recording Studio Gear:
Logic Pro, Genelec Speakers, La610 MK11, Focusrite ISA 828, Apogee Symphony, GML preamps, Nord Stage Keyboard, Moog Voyager Analog Synthesizer, Baldwin Organ, 1895 Steinway B piano, Hammond M3 Organ, Neumann, Earthworks, five-piece limited edition Pearl drum set, API 3124 Pre-Amp and Royer Microphones.
If you need specific gear, we have access to easy rentals.