JOseph A. MANCUSO, Co-founder

Joseph A. Mancuso has more than 40 years of significant experience as an artist, educator and arts/business administrator including a combined 16 years as Executive Director for two not-for-profit arts institutions: The Union County Performing Arts Center and The Shoestring Players (Co-Founder). Along with Rick Sordelet and James Vagias, this trio launched American Theater Group which successfully continues under the sole leadership of Mr. Vagias. In recent years, he appeared on stage at Crossroads Theatre Company in Richard Wesley’s Autumn  and at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in John Steinbeck’s  Of Mice And Men  and Bertolt Brecht’s  Galileo. Mr. Mancuso recently retired from both Rutgers University after 31 years of introducing thousands of students to live theater and Somerset County Performing Arts High School after 22 years as the Theater Arts Program Coordinator and Head Acting Instructor for the Honors Program. He has also served as producer and/or director for several regional and New York productions.  Directing credits include:  Buried Treasure  by Rick Sordelet (World Premiere),  and A Thousand Clowns  at American Stage Company in Teaneck, NJ; .  He produced and directed  Fiddler On The Roof  at the UCPAC where he was nominated for Best Director  and Best Musical Revival  by the Newark Star Ledger. Also at UCPAC, he produced  A Chorus Line (winner Best Musical Revival), Man of La Mancha, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, La Cage aux Folles  and  Into The Woods. In NYC, his adaptation and interpretation of the works of Carl Sandburg entitled  Lessons On How To Behave Under Peculiar Circumstances premiered at the 28th Street Playhouse. Internationally, he produced 11 shows over six seasons at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in  Scotland, winning the prestigious  Fringe First Award  in 1992. Mr. Mancuso holds a Masters Degree in Theater Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.