EDMT Board of Directors - El Dorado Musical Theatre


Artistic Staff
			Debbie Wilson Artistic Director, Co-Founder, Director, Choreographer Debbie Wilson holds a BA in Theatre Arts/Dance and has studied in New York, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. She has studied Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Musical Theatre, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Ballroom, Square and Folk Dance. Debbie has choreographed for the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl, American Bowls in London and Mexico , the World Bowl in London, the San Francisco 49ers, East-West Shrine Games, the Opening Ceremonies for the World Cup and San Francisco Black & White Balls. She has performed in, directed and/or choreographed over 200 Musical Theatre productions including: 42nd Street, Pippin, Hello Dolly, Oklahoma, My One and Only, Peter Pan, Chicago, Follies, A Chorus Line, and Anything Goes with Chita Rivera. For 20 years, Debbie taught for American Musical Theatre of San Jose. She was the Dance Chairperson for the professional training program (the Theatre Artists Institute) and was the Coordinator/Dance Instructor for AMTSJ's summer youth training for ten years. From 1988-1993, Debbie headed the Dance Department at Lincoln High Performing Arts Magnet. She has taught for the United Spirit Association, San Jose State University, the Santa Clara Vanguard, several private studios and adjudicates competitions throughout the western United States. Debbie is a founder of El Dorado Musical Theatre. She lives in El Dorado Hills with her daughter, Anjie Rose and son, Zachary.
			JOHN P. HEALY, JR. Co-Founder, Director An original creator of El Dorado Musical Theater, the late John Healy was also the producer and director of the Elly Award Winning Oak Ridge High School Theater Arts Department. Beginning his own acting and music career at age 12 in Bye Bye Birdie, John Healy mastered almost every aspect of musical theater and music from performing as a lead tenor in Gilbert and Sullivan shows, to playing in the San Jose Symphony, to touring with a musical comedy/song group to producing and directing over 200 dramas and musicals for the community. In the last 35 years of his life, one of John's largest accomplishments was motivating and working with young actors between ages 8-18. One theater critic wrote of one of his final productions, "Under John Healy's inspired direction, a cast of around 100 accomplished youngsters deliver a performance that rivals just about anything you could see in the region today." Education/Career: 1967-Played cello for the San Jose Symphony. 1968-Formed a touring group called the Entr'actes. 1969- Received a cello scholarship to Stanford University where he studied for a double major in Music and Theater Arts. 1973-The San Jose Children's Musical Theatre (founded and led by John Healy) declared the largest children's performing organization in the country with over 1,000 young people performing onstage each year. 1973-Formed the San Jose Gilbert and Sullivan Society. 1985-Taught Theater Arts at the Abraham Lincoln Performing Arts High School in San Jose. 1996-2007. Directed, inspired, and advanced the skills of 250+ high school actors and technicians at Oak Ridge High School's Theater Arts Department.

			LYNNE CIMORELLI Vocal Director Lynne holds an MA in Music with a concentration in Piano Performance. In addition to her work in "Peter Pan", she was also the musical director for EDMT's productions of "Seussical the Musical", "Beauty and the Beast", "Barnum", "The Wizard of OZ", "Starmites", and "School House Rock Live Jr". She has been nominated for three Elly awards in musical direction and won one for her work in "Seussical the Musical". Working in collaboration with Rick Wilson, she wrote and recorded the music for EDMT's first in-house written shows "The Greatest Race" and "Goldierocks", and is currently writing the music for their next collaborative efforts, "Captain Hyper" and "Spyquest the Musical". Lynne was the vocal director and/or pianist for several shows at CSUS and Lodi High School, including "The Mikado", "Working", "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", and the Opera Workshop, and she has accompanied many soloists, ensembles, and choirs for competitions. She was director of the Children's Choir and the Teen Choir at Holy Trinity Church and a member of a Christian rock band, in which she sang, played keyboards, composed, and spent some time in a recording studio. In addition, Lynne has written a piano series entitled "Playing on the Keys." Currently, when she's not teaching her children barbershop pieces, she can be found homeschooling them. Lynne lives in El Dorado Hills with her husband, Mike, and their 11 children.

		CHRISTINE MARTORANA Costumer Christine has been working with El Dorado Musical Theatre since 2002. She enjoys working directly with these amazing young people as the Primary Show Costumer, Director of Costumes & Props and Director of PAI (our Performing Arts Institute). Shows that you may have recognized some of Christine's magic include: Alladin, Annie, Starmites, School House Rock Live, Wizard of Oz, Anything Goes, Jungle Book, Beauty & The Beast, Forum, Seussical, 42^nd Street, Peter Pan, Westside Story, High School Musical and Annie Get Your Gun. Christine received an Elly Award in 2006 for Best Costume Design – Seussical, The Musical and in 2007 for Best Costume Design – 42^nd Street. In addition to her dedication to EDMT, Christine is a Tap Instructor at Center Stage Dance Academy in El Dorado Hills and School Dance Program Coordinator. She is proud to call El Dorado Hills home to her husband Eric and 3 children – Megan, Evan & Emily.

	Pepper Von Choreographer Pepper is a national and international fitness educator, motivational speaker and co-owner of Step 1 Dance & Fitness in Sacramento, California. He has presented for the American Council on Exercise, Aerobic Fitness Association of America, and is a master trainer and examiner of the World Aerobic Kickboxing Association International. He is a featured presenter for the California Association of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance. Pepper as been performing on stage and screen for many years. His numerous credits include appearances on ESPN, NBC Extra, MTV, NBC Television Emmy Awards, Fox Say No To Drugs/Kids Reaching Out and UPN's Good Day Sacramento. He has appeared in the Cake music video, "No Phone" and the national television commercial for Ghetto Angel, aired on BET, MTV, NBC, CBS and ABC. Stage credits include Las Vegas On Stage (Japan), Inner City Games with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tops In Blue (World Tour), USA National Aerobic Champion, Arabian in the Sacramento Ballet Nutcracker, Giselle, West Side Story, Chorus Line, Cabaret and Chicago. He received an Elly Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for "Smokey Joe's Cafe." As part of his professional fitness career, he has starred in ten Blockbuster videos. Pepper's awards and honors include the Presidential Sports Award, Attorney General Award of Merit, Leadership Award of Excellence from the Health and Fitness Institute, Man of the Year for the American Athletic Association, Instructor of the Year for the American Aerobic Association International and the International Sports Medicine Association and Father of the Year from the Sacramento Birthing Project. Pepper has been featured in several publications, including Shape, Self, Hot Skins, Hollywood Drama Log, Ebony Man, Sports Illustrated, Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Observer, News & Review, American Fitness Magazine, Inside The City, The Best of Sacramento Magazine and spotlight stories in other magazines and newspapers too numerous to mention. He is the founder of the Hip Hop Competition Category of the AAU and Dream Collectives in Sacramento. He is a judge and choreographer for JAMZ - National Dance & Cheer Championship and has judged the scholarship awards for the Public Education Dance Alliance. He has appeared with several celebrities including the late Gregory Hines at the Grand Gala at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, Billy Blanks at the Save the Children weekend in Cincinnati, and Bill Belamy at the MTV Beach House. Several of Pepper's students have appeared with Madonna, Missy Elliot, Usher, Beyonce, Janet Jackson Michael Jackson and MC Hammer. His students have also appeared in the movie You Got Served, and numerous Broadway and World Tours. JENNIFER MARTIN Vocal Director, Vocal Instructor Jennifer Martin has been teaching children's musical theatre around the Sacramento and Bay Area since 1998. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to once again work with the talented young people of EDMT. She is a graduate of Santa Clara University, where she received her B.A in Music. She also holds her Masters degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she studied classical Voice with Pamela Fry. Along with teaching group vocal classes, she has also served as choreographer, musical director and director for the Fair Oaks and Elk Grove Park Districts since 2002. She assistant directed the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Opera production of Hansel and Gretel, along with producing and starring in the SFCM's Musical Theatre's production of The Last Five Years. She has vocal/musical directed both Aladdin Jr. and Jungle Book with Children's Musical Theatre of San Jose, along with serving as vocal director for the Conservatory of Performing Arts. Most recently, she vocal directed EDMT's production of Aladdin Jr. along with serving as vocal instructor for the Performing Arts Institute. Along with teaching she has been actively performing with various musical theatre companies through out California. Regional credits include Nanette, No No Nanette; Peter, Peter Pan; Bakers Wife, Into the Woods; Ado Annie, Oklahoma (Woodminster Theatre), Delphine, Miss Liberty (42nd St. Moon) and Winne Tate, Annie Get Your Gun (Foothill Musical Theatre). Jennifer also conducts private vocal instruction in Fair Oaks and El Dorado Hills. SAMANTHA NIELSEN Vocal Director, Vocal Instructor Samantha started playing piano at age 5 and began accompanying at age 10. EDMT's production of Cavalcade of Broadway was one of the first musicals where she did the music. In recent years, she has also taken on the role of vocal director. As a classical pianist, she has performed in CAPMT, FENAM, and the Bartok festival. She won the Young Musician's Symphony Award twice and performed a concerto with the Sierra Symphony. She completed the advanced level of Certificate of Merit with a perfect score on her theory test and performed in the honor's recital. She has also also been trained in jazz styles and improvisation. She has been vocally trained in classical style, but she has since studied many styles of singing. Theory and musicianship are very important to her and she stresses them in her teaching. She is now working on her Bachelor of Music degree in theory/composition at CSUS where she sings in the women's chorus. Samantha is thrilled about vocal directing West Side Story at EDMT and is honored to be involved with such a great theater. Learn more about our Organization Learn more about our Board of Directors and Executive Staff

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