Next on Stage Judges

With extensive credits on Broadway and in film and television, J. Elaine Marcos is known for her comedic timing and scene-stealing roles. She was recently seen in DRAG: the Musical and in Los Angeles in the revival of Reefer Madness with Kristin Bell. Broadway credits include : Val in A Chorus Line, Lily St. Regis in the revival of Annie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert,  Miss Saigon, Flower Drum Song, Gettin' the Band Back Together, Wonderful Town, Sweet Charity, The Wedding Singer. Abroad, J. Elaine starred in the new Maltby/Shire musical Waterfall in Bangkok. J. Elaine also travels extensively teaching abroad and is a proud AMDA Alumna. @jelainemarcos

Michael Minarik is a three-time Broadway performer in Les Miserables, Rock of Ages, and Matilda. He also performed at the Tony Awards in 2009 and introduced the musical Cinderella at the Tony’s in 2013. Mr. Minarik has performed lead roles on 4 national tours including The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom Soloist), Phantom (Phantom), Urinetown (Bobby Strong) and Little Women (John Brooke) and leads in numerous regional theater productions. Mr. Minarik has also sung for the NY Yankees 13 times as a soloist during Playoffs and Opening Day games. Not only a successful performer, Michael has also produced musicals on and off-Broadway. He has a Tony Nomination as an associate producer of the 27th longest-running musical in Broadway history, Rock of Ages. The show ran for almost 6 years with multiple incarnations around the world. As a lead producer, Michael also took the musical Fat Camp from an idea to winning “Best of the Festival” in 2009. He brought the show to a workshop then to Cleveland for an out of town tryout then to the ATA theater off-Broadway for a limited run which garnered rave reviews. He has seen the entire process of how a show makes it to Broadway, how it stays there, and is profitable. It’s this combination of producing and performing that makes Michael uniquely positioned to prepare the next generation of performers. Broadway is a business as well as an art form and aspiring young performers are best positioned for success when they can combine both of those perspectives. You can hear Michael talk about his experiences and philosophy of education on this episode of MTCA’s Mapping the College Audition podcast.

Kyle Taylor Parker has worked on Broadway in the original casts of Kinky Boots and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. His other theatre credits include: The off Broadway revival of Smokey Joe's Cafe,  Finnian's Rainbow, regional productions of Dreamgirls,  Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert on NBC. Combining his love of show tunes and soul music on his solo recording debut, Kyle's Broadway Soul, Vol. 1 arrived on Broadway Records in 2019, followed by Broadway Soul, Vol. 2 in 2021. 

Courtney Reed is best known for originating the role of ‘Princess Jasmine’ in Disney's smash Broadway hit Aladdin, in which she received a Grammy Nomination. She most recently starred in Moulin Rouge! as the Sparkling Diamond on Broadway- a role  which she originated on the first national tour. Pre-pandemic she was seen in Lauren Yee’s award winning play Cambodian Rock Band at The Signature Theatre. She also had the honor of being a part of the closing company of the Tony Award Winning Musical In The Heights, in which she played ‘Carla,’ u/s ‘Nina’ and ‘Vanessa.’ She made her Broadway debut in Mamma Mia! Favorite Regional: ‘Andrea’ in Once on This Island at Papermill Playhouse directed by Thomas Kail. Television: Liza on Demand, Search Party, The Affair, Law & Order: SVU, White Collar, NYC 22, and CSI: NY. Courtney is also a proud co-producer of Disney Princess the Concert that can be seen all over the world. You can currently see her off-Broadway in Reunions at New York City Center.

Kate Rockwell starred as the original Karen Smith in Mean Girls: The Musical at the August Wilson Theater, which garnered her a Drama Desk Nomination. A natural brunette, her previous Broadway dumb blondes include originating the role of Skylar in Bring It On: The Musical, as well as roles in Rock of Ages, Hair, and Legally Blonde. She most recently starred in Heathers Off-Broadway, and was also in the world premiere of the Broadway-bound, entirely-original new musical Regency Girls at the Old Globe Theater. TV/film credits include Anna on Amazon Prime’s Harlem and Nina Bennett on Fox’s Almost Family, and on Boston Blue, Tick…Tick… Boom!, Blue Bloods, High Maintenance, Deadbeat, and Sex and the City: the Movie. Some select regional theater highlights include Ilona Ritter in She Loves Me (Bucks County Playhouse), Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music (Muny), Carrie Piperidge in Carousel (Arena Stages), Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Muny), and Marilyn Barnett in the world premiere of Anna Deveare Smith’s Love All (La Jolla Playhouse). Rockwell has had the pleasure of performing at some of the most renowned concert halls in America, including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall (with the Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops), and the Kennedy Center. Rockwell released her debut solo album, Back To My Roots, in 2018.

Michael James Scott currently stars as “Nurse Francois Dubois” in the hit revival of the iconic television series  Scrubs on ABC and Hulu. He premiered his debut pop single, “Brighter,” on Good Morning America. The high energy anthem, co-written and produced by Grammy-nominated hitmaker Sean Douglas, is inspired by his  hometown of Orlando. He hosts the weekly podcast, HypeFriend!, with fellow theater kid, childhood friend, and  the voice of "Ahsoka" in Star Wars, Ashley Eckstein—a feel-good hang where they’ve started a friendship  revolution in the age of disconnection. He is best known for his record-breaking run as The Genie in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and around the  world, appearing in more than 4,000 performances across four companies on three continents, originating the  role in Sydney and winning Australia’s prestigious Helpmann Award. It is a milestone reached by only a select  few, among them Yul Brynner in The King and I and Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly! He began his career as a standby for the legendary Ben Vereen in the international tour of Fosse, eventually  taking over the role. His theater and concert performances have taken him to stages across the globe, from New  York’s Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House to Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet and the Tokyo International  Forum. On Broadway, he originated the role of “The Minstrel” in Something Rotten! From Kerry & Wayne  Kirkpatrick and directed by Casey Nicholaw as well as “Dr. Gotswana” (aka “The Guy With The Maggots  Problem”) in the Tony-winning phenomenon The Book of Mormon, from South Park’s Trey Parker & Matt Stone  and Robert Lopez. Additional Broadway credits include Mamma Mia!, Tarzan, All Shook Up, The Pirate Queen, Elf, and Hair, for  which he also served as associate choreographer and performed on London’s West End. Off-Broadway, he co starred in Here’s to the Public opposite Donna McKechnie and was part of the concert cast of Jerry Springer: The  Opera. He also originated the role of "Barry Belson" in the original Las Vegas company of Jersey Boys. Regional  credits include La Cage Aux Folles, Shrek, Aida, Ragtime, South Pacific, Cinderella, and Little Shop of Horrors. His television and film credits include Black Monday (Showtime), Central Park (Apple TV+), South Park (Comedy  Central), The Carrie Diaries (The CW), and Independent Woman (Feature Film). He has appeared on The Tonight  Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC), The View (ABC), The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC), and The Tony  Awards (CBS). Michael is the voice of Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wish, singing his powerhouse rendition of “A Dream Is A  Wish” in their national campaign, and in his inspirational symphonic show, A Dream Is A Wish: Michael James  Scott’s Broadway. He was a member of the Grammy-nominated Broadway Inspirational Voices and the critically  acclaimed Broadway Boys. He can be heard on their album Lullaby of Broadway, on many original Broadway  cast recordings, including Something Rotten! and The Book of Mormon, and on his own holiday album, A Fierce  Christmas. michaeljamesscott.com | @iamMJScott on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok