CAROLYN POPADIN DirectoR

Carolyn Popadin (director) is a NY-based teaching artist, director, and performer. She brings her passion and love of theatre to students while directing school musicals and incorporating theatre arts into class curriculums. She previously worked as an adjunct speech instructor at LIU Brooklyn and as a drama consultant for the Council Center of Brooklyn. Carolyn studied in the professional acting program with the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, UK, and has toured the US with the National Theatre for the Performing Arts. She has appeared in numerous East Coast, regional, and Off-Off Broadway productions. She is currently the co-director of Infinity Arts Studio LI and is a member of the theatre faculty at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts. It was there she directed an edited teen version of My True Love. She is delighted to have the opportunity, once again, to collaborate with Ben and to join with our amazing creative team and cast to bring this unique and magical tale to The Players Theatre stage. 

Lauren Bobrow is a New York-based performer and choreographer who was most recently seen in the National Tour of How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Boo Who). Choreography: Elsewhere (World Premiere), Fever/Dream (Post Theatre Co.), Up The Cellar Door (Post Theatre Co.). Theatre: Cabaret (Frenchie/Alto Sax), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia). Film: How To Make People Like You. LIU Post BFA Musical Theatre ‘23. Vee-Cee Award recipient. www.LaurenBobrow.com @LaurenRoseBobrow

Ben Boecker is a NYC- based composer-lyricist and teaching artist. In Fall 2022, he made his 54 Below debut with his solo show, “10 Years in New York." Ben served on the adjunct faculty of the Calhoun School for over eight years. Currently, he directs and music-directs the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Purim Spiel (as featured in the New York Times), sings as a soloist with the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (ranked in the top ten gospel choirs in NYC), and is on the adjunct faculty at Leman Prep Conservatory, the Dalton School, and Bank Street School For Children. He has been twice commissioned by Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts, to write the original musicals, “Camp U! The Musical,” and ”Better Than a Bully: A Musical Fable.” He is a member of the BMI Musical Theater Writing Workshop, the Dramatists' Guild, and Actors' Equity. www.benboecker.com

Michael Arriaga is thrilled to be joining the team of “My True Love” as our set designer. He currently works in Molloy University’s Cap 21 program as an assistant carpenter in the theater department. His most recent credits include “Head Over Heels” and “As You Like It”. Michael also runs the spotlight on the productions at Molloy. We are so excited to make our off-broadway debut along with Michael and we’re glad that he is on our team!

Lorrie De Pellegrini (Stage Manager & Props) has a BA from Adelphi University in Theatre Arts/Technical Theatre and Sociology. She has appeared on stage as well as behind the scenes and at times has done both during the same production. In addition to production stage managing, Lorrie is Property Mistress for Studio Theatre of Long Island and enjoys the challenges of finding and creating props for both Mainstage and Youth Theatre productions. Recent Stage Management credits include the Long Island premiere of A Time to Kill, August: Osage County, Noises Off, and Six Degrees of Separation. 

Choe Levy is a costume designer and technician living and working in New York City. In 2021, she graduated from the Theatre School at DePaul with a double major in Costume Technology and Costume Design. Recently, Chloe completed a season as a Costume Apprentice at the Juilliard School. Chloe is passionate about storytelling, collaboration, and creation, and believes strongly in theatre as an art form that brings humans together. As a multi-disciplinarian artist, Chloe know that there is more than one way to approach a story, and keeps this in mind throughout all her projects.  Chloe is looking forward to her continued journey into the professional world, and can’t wait to collaborate with the creative team on My True Love.

Shino Frances is a multidisciplinary artist

and performer with experience as a lighting

designer, stage director, sound designer, drag artist, puppeteer, and more! With her puppet “Purple Clementine” Shino has appeared at the Players Theatre’s Opening Act’s Festival, and been a multiple time guest on the “Sparkle Monster Variety Show,” at Moxy Times Square. Shino has run sound and lights at established venues like Club Cumming, and is a current member of the tech staff team at the Players Theater in Greenwich Village.

Christine and Sean Fitzgerald, or “Our Love 

Fitz Productions”, are incredible artists, writers, and producers with a mission that includes “Building community & providing art from the heart for humans of all ages”. The Fitzgeralds are also the authors of “Boo! The Musical” which received a staged reading at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Fall 2023. Christine is an experienced fundraiser and talented vocalist, and Sean will be joining our creative team as well as our puppet designer!

Marilyn first stepped onstage as a pre-teen and has been on and off ever since.  She's performed in musical productions, original works, and worked for 8 years as a balloon handler and clown in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  Marilyn also appeareda s Mrs. Claus at EGP Land and Sea.  Behind-the-scenes, she's worked in media production for 25 years, producing, video-editing, casting, teleprompting, and as a graphic designer.  She also served as the Associate Producer for the original musical, Boo, which held 2 saged readings at the Long Island Children's Museum

TJ Shelton is proud to be on the producing team of MY TRUE LOVE! TJ is a Graduate of AMDA in New York City and was recently seen on stage at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre’s production of THE LITTLE MERMAID (Ensemble/Sebastian U/S). Other credits include DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (Arizona Broadway Theatre), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre) and Something Rotten ( Priscilla Beach Theatre). He would like to thank his friends and family for all of their support!!!!! IG-tjshelton99

Actor, writer, and artist Ryan Bauer Walsh created the world’s first lgbtq lullaby album, which was shortlisted for a Grammy, and his work as a painter has been featured in the New York Times. In 2021, Ryan founded a line of clothing featuring his signature “banana-ducks,” which are “not bananas, not ducks, but something in the middle”. Ryan will be bringing his fundraising skills to the My True Love team as well as his infectious joyful optimism and artistic instincts. We are so happy Ryan is on our team!

As founder of Gabi Faye Productions, Gabi is the mastermind behind two short films exploring sexual assault: Stripped and Dirty Girl, whose trailer amassed over 800k views and played on Time Square’s exclusive billboards. Gabi was an associate producer on autism film Love and Communication as well as heroin addiction film Sno Babies. Gabi also co-directed a film about homelessness - No Place is Home, served as an assistant to the producer on The Retaliators (Better Noise Films), co-produced TV pilot Crimson City, product managed the documentary Warming Planet and served as the UPM on feature film Art of Diversion. Last year Gabi founded Scenely - a reels and marketing company for actors. (www.scenely.com). In addition to producing & directing, Gabi is also an accomplished performer. For more about Gabi visit www.gabifaye.com