Stefan is a director, choreographer, fight director, movement coach, actor, singer and dancer with extensive training in Movement for the Theatre. He holds a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Theatre with a concentration in Acting & Movement from Virginia Commonwealth University (ranked 4th M.F.A. program in the nation by U.S. News and World Report) and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Theatre and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English Literature from The University of Virginia.
He has trained extensively in Jazz, Modern, Broadway & Rhythm Tap, Musical Theatre Dance, African/Caribbean Dance, Latin American Dance Styles, Movement for the Actor and Stage Combat as well as Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals of Movement, Spolin Improvisations, Pilates (Mat & Reformer), Alexander Technique, Neutral & Character Mask, Anatomy and Kinesiology.
TEACHING
Stefan has been teaching at the college/university level for 15 years. He is currently Professor of Theatre and Humanities at University of Maryland University College, where he teaches Acting I, Acting II, Introduction to Theatre and Introduction to Humanities. He was recently nominated for the 2010 UMUC Stanley J. Drazek Teaching Excellence Award and the 2010 UMUC Teaching Recognition Award.
DIRECTION & CHOREOGRAPHY
Stefan created original choreography for the rock musical Jessie, Off-Broadway at The Chelsea Playhouse where New York City critics hailed his choreography as "very exciting and well performed".
Internationally, he has co-directed and choreographed Trabajadores, the World Premiere of the Spanish version of Stephen Schwartz's musical Working for Grupo Aventura in Montevideo, Uruguay and Changing Hearts in Montréal, Canada.
Regionally, he has created choreography for several productions in the Washington D.C. area including Man of La Mancha for the Washington Savoyards, Noël & Gertie for MetroStage, Polaroid Stories for The Studio Theatre, Jesus Christ Superstar for Open Circle Theatre (4 Helen Hayes Award nominations, including Outstanding Resident Musical), The Wiz for Atlas Performing Arts Center, Dorothy Meets Alice and Winnie The Pooh for Adventure Theatre, Hollywood Pinafore for The American Century Theater, Bee for A.S.I.A. Theatre, and many other productions in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, including the Sondheim musicals Follies, Into The Woods (7 WATCH award nominations), Assassins and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the Bob Fosse shows Pippin, The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees and Sweet Charity, classics of the Golden age of American Musical theatre such as Show Boat, Anything Goes, South Pacific, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Kiss Me Kate, Annie Get Your Gun and Once Upon A Mattress, well known works from the last 30 years of Broadway including Evita, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Pirates of Penzance, Little Shop of Horrors, Victor/Victoria (Ruby Griffith award) and Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida. Additionally, he has co-directed/choreographed productions of Beehive and Red Hot & Cole.
FIGHT DIRECTION
Stefan has staged fights and violence for several productions in the Washington D.C. area including Man of La Mancha for the Washington Savoyards, Polaroid Stories for The Studio Theatre, Falling Water for The Kennedy Center, North Shore Fish for Actors Repertory Theatre, Jesus Christ Superstar for Open Circle Theatre (4 Helen Hayes Award nominations, including Outstanding Resident Musical), The Wiz for Atlas Performing Arts Center and Luv, The Sign In Sidney Brustein's Window, Hollywood Pinafore, Hotel Universe, Picnic, The Seven-Year Itch and That Championship Season for The American Century Theater. Stefan has been Fight Assistant to David Leong, Broadway/Hollywood Fight Director and Fight Master of the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) and he has trained with some of the most notable teachers in the SAFD, including Fight Directors Colleen Kelly and Michael J. Johnson. He has been a member of the SAFD since 1994 and his training has focused mostly on Rapier & Dagger, Quarterstaff and Unarmed combat.
PERFORMANCE
Stefan has also stayed busy as a professional actor, working for several regional theatres including: Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, The Studio Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Theatre Virginia, The Barksdale Theatre, Theatre IV, Heritage Repertory Theatre and Actor's Theatre of Washington. In over 20 years as a performer, he has appeared onstage with several Broadway and Hollywood luminaries, including Angela Lansbury, George Hearn, Tina Fey, Savion Glover, Florence Lacey, Judy McLane, Betty Ann Grove and Helen Carey.
D.C. Theatre productions that Stefan has been involved with, either as an actor or choreographer, have garnered a total of 4 Helen Hayes Awards and 19 nominations.
DANCE
Stefan is also a founding member of True To Form, a D.C. choreographer's showcase for which he has choreographed several non-musical theatre dance pieces.
Half-Uruguayan, and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Stefan is a native Spanish and Portuguese speaker and is fluent in French. He currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area.
Biography last updated 11-25-2009
This artist is a member of
Click HERE to see Stefan's choreography for DC Lottery's Rolling Cash Five promo featuring Chuck Brown.
