Tanya Wheelock

Tanya will be Assistant Directing the Centenary College production of Kenneth Lonergan's LOBBY HERO.

To be directed by Stephen Davis, “LOBBY HERO… tells the story of Jeff, a luckless young security guard trying to get his life together after being thrown out of the navy. But the lobby proves to be no sanctuary from the world, as Jeff is drawn into a local murder investigation involving his supervisor, a tightly wound young man called to bear witness against his troubled brother, and an overzealous rookie policewoman who is in over her head with her unscrupulous hero-cop partner.” (Grove Press)

LOBBY HERO opens in The Little Theatre at Centenary College on October 14th at 7:30pm, with additional performances all weekend!

Tanya will be Assistant Stage Managing the Centenary Stage Company production of BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE.

Unnervingly funny, unsettling and provocative, Fraser Grace’s play BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE opens in Zimbabwe in 2002 as President Mugabe is struggling with growing anxiety before the coming elections. When Mugabe seeks the help of a white psychiatrist, the doctor is alternately charmed and threatened by Mugabe’s wife Grace as he attempts the dangerous job of analyzing the mercurial and ruthless leader.

BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE will star actor Michael Rogers, who was seen last season on Broadway in the critically acclaimed production of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. It will christen the new Edith Bolte Kutz Theater of the Lackland Center, Nov. 5 – 21.

For more information, visit http://centenarystageco.org/.

Tanya will be Stage Managing the Music Shop's production of THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE JUNIOR!

THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE JUNIOR is a high-spirited musical romp that has all of New York dancing the Charleston. It’s the zany new 1920’s musical that has taken Broadway by storm! Taking place in New York City in 1922, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE JUNIOR tells the story of young Millie Dillmount, who has just moved to the city in search of a new life for herself. It’s a New York full of intrigue and jazz - a time when women were entering the workforce and the rules of love and social behavior were changing forever. Based on the popular movie, the stage version of THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE JUNIOR includes a full score of new songs and bright dance numbers.

Performances will take place at The Wilson School (271 Boulevard, Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046) on August 21 at 8:00pm and August 22 at 3:00pm & 7:00pm. For Tickets, call The Music Shop at 973-334-8284! $18 Adults, $12 for Children and Seniors. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door!

This is the third year that The Music Shop will be presenting a full length stage production like this. Come see a talented group of young performers (ages 10-17) act, sing, and dance in this exciting production.

Production Team:
Director: Kaitlin Manca
Choreographer: Chelsea Varga
Musical Director: Adrienne Blossey
Accompianist: Paul Budd
Assistant: Matthew Luminello

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES was reviewed in The Quill (Vol. 18, No. 6)!

"Wheelock did a great job in direction and the selection of which actors were going to perform which roles.  Each girl fit the part perfectly. The play was highly entertaining and informative." -Jenna Guyer, 'Vagina Monologues zeroes in on awareness of violence'

CLICK HERE to view the full article!

HACKETTSTOWN — The Centenary College of Theatre and Dance will present the Greek classic ANTIGONE April 29 to May 2 at the Centenary Theatre in Hackettstown.

Adapted by Centenary student Rachael Scardelli, ANTIGONE is a powerful drama that has withstood the test of time. The play centers around the struggle between Antigone and her uncle, King Creon, for the right of Antigone to bury her beloved brother who was killed in a bloody battle for the throne. ANTIGONE has gone through many adaptations and translations since it was first written by Sophocles in 441 B.C.E. This particular production has been adapted by Centenary junior Rachael Scardelli, an English major who was asked to collaborate on the piece as an independent study. Primarily a poet, this is Scardelli’s first play, and she worked tirelessly to bring a new voice to a classic drama. Using as many as 12 different translations, Scardelli modernized the language to draw parallels to current events and headlines.

The inspiration for this student collaborated production came after the director of ANTIGONE, assistant professor of Theatre and Dance, Stephen Davis, accompanied a group of Centenary students and faculty to New Orleans. The group spent a week helping to rebuild homes for families four-and-a-half years after the devastating tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Much like the world in which Antigone lives, the landscape of New Orleans and its surrounding wards looks more like a ravaged war zone than a thriving city. For Davis, it was a perfect modern parallel for a play that delves into the best and worst of humanity.

ANTIGONE marks Davis's first production for Centenary College. A resident of Hackettstown, Davis’s recent credits include the school touring productions of Agamemnon and A Toast to Friendship, both with Kean University, as well as Romeo and Juliet with American Globe Theatre in New York City. Assisting Davis is Centenary student Clay Dobosh. He has appeared onstage in multiple Centenary College productions, most recently in Godspell, but this is his first experience working behind the scenes as an assistant director.

Other students involved in the behind the scenes production include: Costume Designer Nneka Covington and Lighting Designer Mathew “Lucky” Luciano. The cast of ANTIGONE includes centenary students Nick Ardito (Hackettstown), Casey Bauer (Maryland), Jake Blakenship (Emerson), John Bodi (Wall), Robert Boyle (Manchester), John Brennan (Basking Ridge), Brittany D’Alessio (Wyckoff), Abigail Farmer (Pottersville), Basia Godecki (Hackettstown), Leon Hill (Jersey City), Alexandria Huber (Newton), Amanda Maxfield (Tewksbury), John Mossbacher (Hackettstown), Samantha Santana (Stockholm), Jordan Wells (East Orange), and Tanya Wheelock (Denville).

The production of ANTIGONE will be performed in the Little Theatre on the campus of Centenary College in Hackettstown. Performance dates and times are Thursday, April 29 at 7 p.m.; Friday, April 30 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 1 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 2 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 for Centenary students and faculty. For tickets, contact Centenary Stage Company at 908-979-0900.

HACKETTSTOWN — Centenary College Theatre Department joins the global effort to stop violence against women and girls with a V-Day 2010 benefit production of Eve Ensler’s award winning THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES. Tanya Wheelock, student director, chose THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES as her senior theatre thesis.

Wheelock explains, THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES combines my love of theater and the desire to help people.”

The cast features Lea Antolini-Lid, Casey Bauer, Laure Cole Brittany D’Alessio, Rachel Dunwoody, Abby Farmer, Basia Godecki, Sarah Herr, Alex Huber, Briana Klingaman, Jackie Mariani, Samantha Santana, Briana Seigal, Dorette Shirden, Autumn Wheelock, and Tanya Wheelock.

Behind the scenes, the V-Team includes Lea Antolini-Lid, John Brennan, Casey Bauer, Sean Concannon, Megan Corbitt, Basia Godecki, Paul Gregorio, Fred Halperin, Sarah Herr, Alex Huber, Jess Huber, Briana Klingaman, Charles Lid, Matthew Luciano, Jackie Mariani, Matthew Perry, TJ Reissner, Dave Smith, Autumn Wheelock, and Tanya Wheelock.

Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 14-16 at Centenary Stage, 400 Jefferson Street, Hackettstown. For tickets and information, contact the Centenary Stage Company Box Office at 908-979-0900.

HACKETTSTOWN -- The Centenary College Theater/Dance Department will present the musical GODSPELL by Stephen Schwartz Dec. 3-7 at the Centenary Theatre in Hackettstown.

Based on the gospel according to St. Matthew, GODSPELL is considered one of the biggest off-Broadway and Broadway successes of all time, featuring a sparkling, seminal score by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin). It presents a whimsical view of Jesus, his followers and disciples as they re-enact parables and scenes from Jesus' life with great energy.

GODSPELL is being directed by assistant professor of Theater and Dance Lea Antolini-Lid, a resident of Sparta. Antolini-Lid has directed numerous shows at Centenary College including Cabaret, for which she received a Certificate of Merit for outstanding direction and choreography from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Recently she was associate director and choreographer for the Centenary Stage Company’s production of Clandestine Marriage.

The popular, soaring score will be directed by the local talent Adam Gilbert. Over the past few years, as a singer-songwriter, Gilbert has established himself as a dynamic presence on the NYC club scene. His mold-breaking, envelope-pushing brand of piano driven pop-rock has earned him comparisons to master piano-pop craftsmen like Ben Folds and Billy Joel.

The choreography for GODSPELL is being done by senior Centenary College student Megan Corbitt, who will be the first student to graduate Centenary with the new dance concentration degree. She has been involved in many dance programs on campus and is currently president of the Centenary dance club and a member of the Centenary Dance Company. Corbitt will also be teaching open level hip-hop for teens in the Centenary Conservatory of dance on Saturday mornings starting January 2010. (For more info on classes, contact the theater at 908-979-0900).

The cast of GODSPELL consists of Centenary Students Leon Hill (Jersey City), Rachael Goerss (Lexington, S.C.), Jon Bodi (Allenwood), Amanda Maxfield (Tewksbury), Tanya Wheelock (Denville), Samantha Santana (Stockholm), Jordan Wells (East Orange), Jessica Busch (Clemton), Michael Medley (Philadelphia), Yosuke Miyatanke (Japan), Nick Ardito (Hackettstown), Clay Dobosh (Hope), Casey Bauer (Frederick, Md.), Abby Farmer (Pottsville), Brittany D’alessio (Wyckoff), and Alexandia Huber (Newton).

Performance dates and times are Thursday Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets for GODSPELL are $10 for adults and $8 dollars for students and senior citizens. They can be purchased through the Centenary Stage Company box office at 908-979-0900.

Tanya and Jon Bodi have been cast as Mary and John in John Patrick Shanley's One-Act, THE RED COAT. Directed by Rachael Goerss, it will be performed as part of an evening of One-Acts at Centenary College on December 10, 2009 at 7:30pm. Admission is free!

Tanya will be directing SURE THING by David Ives as part of an evening of One-Acts at Centenary College. Starring Rachel Dunwoody (Betty) and Fred Halperin (Bill), it will be performed on December 10, 2009 at 7:30pm. Admission is free!

The 2009 Hackettstown Lantern Tours have been rescheduled for October 30th and 31st due to the weather. Tanya will be helping out on October 30th, but not the 31st.

Explore Hackettstown at night as costumed guides lead you on a tour through its historic streets by candlelit lanterns. Be entertained and educated by stories of Hackettstown and its landmark buildings, dashed with humor, myth and mystery, bringing the spirit and rich history of the town to life! The hugely successful event will visit the "haunts" of Hackettstown, including the Olde Presbyterian Burial Ground, Centenary College, the landmark Clarendon Hotel (Charlie Brown's) and much more.

"Many of the homes and buildings in town are over 100 years old. That's a lot of history!" says Donna Brock, President of the Hackettstown Historical Society, and organizer of the Lantern Tour event. "Hackettstown had its real heyday during the Victorian era. That's when a lot of these great old homes were built, and from what we've heard, and seen, some of the early citizens liked it so much, they still haven't left!!"

The 45 minute walking tours will begin at 6:15 pm and leave approximately every 15-20 minutes from the Hackettstown Community Center at 293 Main Street. The last tour leaves at 8:45 pm. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased in advance or on the night of the event (cash or check only). For more information on the tour, please visit the website (http://www.hackettstownhistory.com) or contact the Museum at 908-852-8797.