Vince Pesce Named Director of Education at STAGES ST. LOUIS

STAGES ST. LOUIS is thrilled to announce new staff appointments to STAGES' Turley Performing Arts Academy. Broadway Veteran, Vince Pesce will assume the position of Director of Education at STAGES Kent Center for Theatre Arts, the new state-of-the-art facility, effective immediately. Pesce replaces longtime Education Director Rob Grumich, who will remain during the transition through July. Also, Tali Allen Liddell will become the Manager of Community Programs and Partnerships.

The future for STAGES and its Performing Arts Academy has never looked brighter. With recent and unprecedented tickets sales for its theatre performances and rising registrations, it is an exciting moment in the history of the theatre company. STAGES Executive Producer, Jack Lane commented, "Rob Grumich has been instrumental in the development and the success of STAGES' Turley Performing Arts Academy over the past ten years, and we wish him well in his future endeavors. Vince's Broadway background as an actor, dancer, and choreographer, will continue to bring the quality and professionalism that the St. Louis community has come to expect from our Performing Arts Academy. He will play a significant role in the continuous raising of the bar on the professional musical theatre training we provide to children, teens, and adults." "We are also thrilled to welcome Tali Allen Liddell, who will continue our sterling tradition of community outreach."

STAGES Administrative offices and the Turley Performing Arts Academy recently moved to its new home, located in the Kent Center for Theatre Arts. The center houses 30 full-time STAGES staff and 40 part-time instructors. The building includes three professional grade dance studios, two acting studios, two voice studios, a multi-purpose student lounge, a welcome center and box office, administrative offices, as well as a performance hall with flexible seating to be used for main stage rehearsals, dance classes, educational presentations, donor and community events and special performances.

STAGES Performing Arts Academy offers musical theatre, acting, voice, and dance classes for students ages 3 to 18 and recently added adult classes. "I'm proud to have accepted the position of Director of Education for STAGES' Turley Performing Arts Academy. I've always had great respect for STAGES and their impressive Academy. I plan on cultivating our students with the knowledge I gathered in my Broadway and television career. Creating with them like the great Broadway directors and choreographers created with me," said Vince Pesce, Director of Education. In 2012, the Academy served more than 4,500 students and provided nearly $80,000 in scholarship assistance to ensure that every aspiring young artist may attend. Other programs include Scout workshops, Master Classes, the teen a cappella troupe TeamSTAGES, Access the Arts for students with physical, cognitive or developmental delays, and interactive monthly readings performed by STAGES artists for young children called Stories @ STAGES.

Vince Pesce has over 30 years of experience as a teacher, director, choreographer and performer. He performed in the original Broadway companies of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Victor VictorIA, HIGH SOCIETY(Dance Captain), KISS ME, KATE (Dance Captain), WONDERFUL TOWN (Dance Captain), THE PAJAMA GAME and in the 1992 revival of GUYS AND DOLLS. He has worked with such stars as Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Anna Kendrick, Carol Burnett, Rachael Welch, Nathan Lane, Carol Channing, Ben Vereen, Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, Brooke Shields, Rita Moreno, Carol Lawrence and Olivia Newton John. Prior to his Broadway career he performed in, choreographed and supervised productions at Walt Disney World and spent two years as Mr. Mistoffelees in the National tour of CATS. He served as Kathleen Marshall's Associate Choreographer on the Broadway productions of ANYTHING GOES, (2011 Tony Award - Choreography), THE PAJAMA GAME starring Harry Connick, Jr. (2006 Tony Award - Choreography), WONDERFUL TOWN (2004 Tony Award - Choreography), and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Vince Directed/Choreographed the National tours of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, 'S WONDERFUL,and the Mexico City Company ofVictor VictorIA. He also choreographed the National/International tours ofCINDERELLA starring Lea Salonga, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, and OLIVER! His television choreography credits include: the HBO special Tracey Ullman: LIVE AND EXPOSED starring Tracey Ullman, CLASH OF THE CHOIRS starring Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, Michael Bolton and Blake Shelton (NBC/Series Choreographer), GREASE: YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT(NBC/Series Choreographer), HOLIDAY SPLENDORstarring John Davidson (Disney Channel), THE MUSIC MAN (Associate Choreographer) starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth (ABC/Disney), and ONCE UPON A MATTRESS (Associate Choreographer)starring Carol Burnett and Tracey Ullman. Selected Regional theatre Director and Choreographer credits include GREASE (STAGES ST. LOUIS), SHREK (MUNY), GOOD NEWS, SOMETHING'S AFOOT and MAME (Goodspeed Opera House), A FUNNY THING...FORUM and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS(Paper Mill Playhouse), HELLO DOLLY! (North Carolina Theatre), FOOTLOOSE(Northshore Music Theatre), GUYS AND DOLLS, WEST SIDE STORY starring Diana DeGarmo and THE KING AND I starring Debby Boone (American Musical Theatre of San Jose).

Tali Allen Liddell is thrilled to be joining the STAGES family! She has worked in performing arts education for the past 12 years, and has taught creative drama, musical theatre, choir, general music, and private piano/voice on all academic levels. She has also directed, music directed, and accompanied an enumerable amount of award winning professional and youth productions throughout the country. Tali was a teaching artist with Tennessee Performing Arts Center (Nashville, TN) and Metropolis Performing Arts Center (Chicago, IL), where she was also the Director of the Music School. After relocating to St. Louis in 2009, Tali founded her own performing arts studio which offered private lessons and youth musical theatre programs in various school districts and parks & recreation departments throughout the city. She also taught music and drama within the Archdiocese of St. Louis, was a member of the Theatre & Voice Faculty at COCA, and worked with the Community Education Program in the Rockwood School District. Tali continues to music direct/accompany several school, youth and community theatre productions, as well as conduct a series of musical theatre professional development workshops for the teachers of the Archdiocese.

STAGES ST. LOUIS is committed to preserving and advancing the art form of Musical Theatre through excellence in performance and education.

STAGES ST. LOUIS would like to extend sincere thanks to Lynne and Jim Turley for their unwavering support of Musical Theatre Education. Programming support also provided by The Arts and Education Council, Missouri Arts Council, Regional Arts Commission, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Dana Brown Charitable Trust, City of Chesterfield, The Caleb C. and Julia W. Dula Educational & Charitable Foundation Edward Jones, Emerson, Employees Community Fund of Boeing St. Louis, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, Mary Ranken Jordan and Ettie A. Jordan Charitable Foundation, Gerard & Irene Lane Education Fund, Piening Family Fund, The Proctor & Gamble Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Sachs Properties, Inc., The Saigh Foundation, Sakiyama Family Foundation, Norman J. Strupp Foundation, Commerce Bank Trustee, Susan B. Svejkosky Tribute Fund Target, Tilles Fund and Trio Foundation of St. Louis.

Photo Courtesy Vince Pesce