Rey-Rey
General and Artistic Director
Reinaldo
'Rey-Rey' Martinez-Cubero's career in the arts encompasses the areas
of performing, teaching, directing, conducting, composing and administration.
He is the founder and current General and Artistic Director of The Pied Piper
Children’s Theatre of NYC and The Delphi Theatre. A native of San Juan,
Puerto Rico, he began his music education as a chorister in the San Juan Children’s
Choir and a piano student at the Rensolli Conservatory of Music. Rey-Rey studied
acting and the harpsichord at the University of Northern Colorado and later
received Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees from Austin Peay State
University.
Rey-Rey specializes in techniques for teaching young students and has been recognized for his ability to inspire children and adolescents to perform at a high level. From 1991 to 1994, he served as Director of the Youth Choir at Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, TN, and in 1994 was the Interim Director of the Chancel Choir at the 6,000- member church. He began directing children’s theatre in 1991 at the Morgan Woods Theatre in Germantown, TN. Since then, he has stage and music directed operas and musicals such as AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS, ANNIE, GREASE, HANSEL AND GRETEL, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, and YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN. He has also composed music for children’s musicals, teaches a private music studio for voice and piano students and has written a five-level music course for children and adolescents, which includes music theory, ear-training, sight-reading, and music appreciation.
As a singer/actor, Rey-Rey has performed in opera and musical theatre with companies such as Portland Opera, Opera North, Opera Memphis, The Colorado Repertory Company, and The Stephen Foster Story Company. He received outstanding reviews for his interpretation of sacred music when he was featured recitalist for THE UNITED METHODIST HOUR on PBS, and for his interpretation of contemporary works, such as the title role in THE VISION OF JOHN BROWN by John Baur at the National Center for the Development of American Opera, and NINE EPIGRAMS FROM POOR RICHARD by Elizabeth Vercoe at the University of Memphis New Music Festival.
Dayna Beegun
Production Coordinator
Dayna
Beegun is PPCT/Delphi Theatre’s Backstage Coordinator, and
Stage Director. Since joining PPCT, she has stage directed THE PIED PIPER,
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, CALABASAS STREET, ANTIGONE, A BAD YEAR FOR
TOMATOES and ROMEO AND JULIET. Dayna has been teaching drama in the NYC schools
since 1996. She received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Bilingual Education
at Boston University, a Master of Arts in Educational Theatre at NYU and has
trained at the Creative Arts Laboratory of Columbia University. In 1999, as
part of NYU’s Summer Abroad Program, Dayna traveled to Ireland to study
the educational theatre methods of the Graffiti Theatre and the Activate Youth
Theatre in Cork, and the Dublin’s Youth Theatre.
Dayna began teaching drama at P.S. 84. In 1998, she created a drama curriculum for the Muscota and Amistad Programs of P.S. 176, which includes an annual fifth grade Shakespearean production. Her past productions at Muscota include: I HAVE A DREAM, THE WIZARD OF OZ, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, MACBETH, TWELFTH NIGHT, and THE TEMPEST. She has also written adaptations of Mexican, Native American, and African folk tales in English and Spanish. For the second year, Dayna’s fourth and fifth grade students have placed and received honorable mentions at the Annual Write A Play Competition sponsored by The Young Playwrights Inc. In addition to her work at PPCT and Muscota, Dayna has been Stage Manager for the Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park, and is available as a freelance Stage Director.
Wayne Halliday
Sound Technician
Wayne
Halliday is PPCT/Delphi Theatre’s Sound Technician operating
the sound system for every production, recording and preparing different sound
effects, and teaching theatre participants about the sound system. He has
been involved with PPCT since our first season when his daughter Alannah,
auditioned and was cast in THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS.
Wayne received his early training in Aviation Hydraulics while serving in the U. S. Navy. After completing a diploma in Electronic Technology and Advanced Troubleshooting from Cleveland Institute of Electronics, Wayne attended Lehman College where he received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. He currently works at Lehman College where he oversees the library’s Electronic Information Systems.
Rev. Johanna-Karen Johannson
Vicar, Holy Trinity Church
The
Rev. Johanna-Karen Johannson is the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church,
Inwood and PPCT/Delphi Theatre’s Grant Writer, Stage Director, and Classic
Theatre Instructor. Mother Johanna is also one of Rey-Rey’s main advisors.
A native of Maine, Johanna did undergraduate work in music at Oberlin Conservatory. As Miss Maine, she was second runner-up in the MISS AMERICA PAGEANT 1971. After moving to New York City in 1977, Johanna appeared in off-Broadway productions such as THE MERRY WIDOW and PRINCESS IDA, operas such as LA BOHEME (Musetta), and DIE FLEDERMAUS (Adele) with the Boris Goldovsky Opera Theater, and played leading roles in touring productions of CAMELOT, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, ON THE 20th CENTURY, and MAN OF LA MANCHA. In 1987, she graduated cum laude from The General Theological Seminary. There, she received academic recognition in Biblical Studies and won the Bishop of Newark Preaching Prize. Ordained priest in 1988, she was curate and priest-in-charge of the Church of the Epiphany. Mother Johanna was called to Holy Trinity Church, Inwood in 1991.
Franklin Michael Venegas
Administrative/Production Assistant
Franklin Michael Venegas is PPCT/Delphi Theatre’s Administrative/Production Assistant and Coordinator of The Pied Piper Actor Society. A graduate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, he is currently a second year student at Lehman College. Franklin first joined PPCT as a participant of the program and has appeared on our stage in PPCT’s productions of FREE TO BE...YOU AND ME (William), CALABASAS STREET (Older Domingo), ANTIGONE (Creon), LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Seymour), ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY (Nick/Albert), ROMEO AND JULIET (Lord Capulet), GREASE (Sonny), and HAMLET (Player King), and in Delphi Theatre’s production of NUNSENSE 2 (Stage Manager). He was also a member of The Pied Piper Actor Society, and a Summer Intern-Apprentice in 2002 and 2003. Franklin has directed PPCT’s productions of ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY, WINNIE THE POOH (2003 and 2004) and YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (2004). Elsewhere, he has played Alexander in TROLIUS AND CRESSIDA with Shakespeare in the Wild, Woody in TOY STORY (Pantomime), Soldier in SHADOWED THOUGHTS (Pantomime), and Actor in THE AUDITION.