Founding Artistic Director
Stephen Burdman founded New York Classical Theatre in 2000 and is the vision behind the creation of Panoramic Theatre. Originally from Los Angeles, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and planned to become a doctor. During college, Stephen auditioned for a production of Hamlet, and discovered his passion for Shakespeare. That experience completely changed the course of his life. Stephen founded NY Classical to give all people the chance to discover classical masterpieces as he did.
Stephen has directed over half of Shakespeare canon. To date, he has directed 38 productions for the company. Some of his favorite productions are Henry IV (a blending of Parts 1 & 2), Richard III (performed by 7 female & gender-fluid actors), Cymbeline (7 actors), The Importance of Being Earnest (Two-Ways), Romeo & Juliet (six actors), The Rivals, The Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure, The Seagull, A {15-Min!} Christmas Carol, Playing Moliere, Henry V (in The Battery and, via ferry boat, Governors Island), Hamlet, King Lear, Misalliance, Mary Stuart, Scapin, and The Triumph of Love.
Stephen attended the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and later received an MFA in Theatre Directing from the University of California, Irvine. In 1989, Stephen was selected to participate in the first young theatre artist exchange with the (former) Soviet Union and has been a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society since 1994.
Stephen received the 2022 Sidney Berger award from the Shakespeare Theatre Association for outstanding talent and commitment to the works of William Shakespeare. He has also been a panelist with the National Endowment for the Arts, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York, and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.
He lives in Central Harlem with his wife, Adena, and son, Zeke.
Literary Director
Matthieu Chapman directs our New Visions play development program and is also an Associate Professor and Head of Theatre Studies at SUNY New Paltz. He earned his MLit in Dramaturgy and MFA in Acting from Mary Baldwin College’s Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance Program and his Ph.D. in Theatre History, Theory, and Criticism from the UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance.
Matt has acted on the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriar’s stage, served as a dramaturg for San Diego Repertory Theatre, and worked for the La Jolla Playhouse, as well as dramaturged and directed numerous university productions.
His research focuses on ontological structures of blackness in the Early Modern World. His monograph, Antiblack Racism in Early Modern English Drama: The Other Other is available from Routledge Press. Matt has also published articles in Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England, Theatre Topics, TheatreForum, and Early Theatre.
He has presented at numerous national and international conferences, including the Renaissance Society of America, the American Society of Theatre Research, the American Comparative Literature Association, the Mid-America Theatre Conference, and others. Other research interests include: Contemporary Black Theatre, Cross-Cultural and Trans-National Adaptations of Shakespeare, and the Dramaturgy of Black Bodies.
Staff
Colin Knapp serves as the Director of Development and Communications for New York Classical Theatre, where he leads fundraising and audience engagement efforts to support the company’s mission of providing all-free, accessible theatre to New Yorkers. Driven by a lifelong passion for the arts, Colin is committed to bridging the gap between the public and the transformative power of creative expression.
Colin holds a Master of Arts Administration from Indiana University and dual Bachelor of Music degrees in Organ Performance and Music Theory from the University of Michigan. His career spans leadership roles at the Metropolitan Opera, where he restructured the Young Associate Program and supported the $17 million annual Patron Program, and Paul Taylor Dance Company, where he developed strategic marketing campaigns and partnerships with institutions such as the Armory Show.
At Detroit Opera, Colin worked in various roles to create meaningful experiences for patrons and facilitate donor cultivation. He also liaised directly with emerging audiences to establish points of access to opera and ballet, deepening their involvement with the company and their commitment to patronage. Additionally, Colin has directed development and marketing initiatives for organizations like Bloomington Early Music and the Ypsilanti Pipe Organ Festival.
In addition to his professional work, Colin volunteers with Interlochen Arts Academy’s Engagement Council and Bloomington Chamber Opera. He is also passionate about sacred and church music and was named to the inaugural 20 Under 30 list by The Diapason Magazine for his contributions to the field. An organist, carillonneur, and composer, Colin brings a personal love of music and the arts to everything he does, while at home, he proudly serves as a devoted cat dad to Papageno.
Briana Gibson Reeves
Social Media Manager & Audience Development Coordinator
Yetti Steinman
Supervising Producer
Jim Byk (The Press Room) - Publicist
The Mardiney Group - Graphic Design Agency
ArtsPool (Chris Flores, Haiba Hamilton, Steven Northrup) - Finance/Bookkeeping/Workforce/Payroll
Board of Directors
Steven Perlstein, Chair
Partner, Kobre & Kim LLP
Jeremy E. Schiffres, Secretary
Sr. Associate Counsel, Commercial Litigation Unit, Metropolitan Transportation Authority
David S. Frankel, Interim Treasurer
Retired Partner, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Stephen Burdman, Artistic Director
Founder, New York Classical Theatre
Andrew Carlon
Partner, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
Nicole Chambers
Director of Client Success, Nava Benefits
Melissa Kuklin
Senior Director of Development, China Institute in America
Katriana Lopez
Digital Strategist, Oneicity
Sid Ray
Professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies, Pace University
Nick Salamone
Artistic Associate, New York Classical Theatre
& Partner, The Christmas Decorator
Björn H. Weller
Clinical Research Consultant
Jon Lukomnik, Chair Emeritus
Maura Harway, Treasurer Emeritus
Don Mayo, In Memoriam