For more than 20 years, Manhattan Tour & Travel has been dedicated to helping groups enjoy terrific theatre arts trips to New York City. We are active members of the Educational Theatre Association, American Association of Community Theatre and the Student & Youth Travel Association.
MEET THE BOARD OF ADVISORS
RICHARD ABRAMS
President
Richard Abrams is the President of Junior Tours and Manhattan Tour & Travel. After graduating Tulane University in 1993 with a degree in Business Science Management, Richard began his career at Junior Tours. His extensive experience in sales, marketing and tour development have helped contribute to strong growth at the company. Junior Tours has worked with group leaders in all 50 states plus Canada and has hosted more than 500,000 students.
Richard appears annually at Theatrefest for the Texas Educational Theatre Association as a sponsor and host. He also has served as a director on the Board of Trustees for the SYTA Youth Foundation, a 501(c) charity dedicated to providing financial resources to enrich the lives of underprivileged students.
SANDY LEVITT
Founder
Actor, Producer, Stage Manager
Sandy Levitt founded Manhattan Tour & Travel in 1990 to design fun, affordable, and educational theatre trips to New York City for students. Sandy is proud to be a member of the Educational Theatre Association’s Hall Of Fame. Over the years he has conducted hundreds of theater performance workshops at Festivals and State Conferences all over the country. His credits include associate producer of Broadway Jukebox, co-producer of Fanny And Sophie, in Chicago and Miami. On Broadway he was seen in Wish Me Luck, The Roumanian Wedding, The Jewish Gypsy, and Oy Mama, Am I In Love! Off Broadway, he appeared in The Rise Of David Levinsky, A Visitor From Texas, The Inheritors, The Marriage Contract and The Big Winner. He was in the National Companies of George M!, Coco with Ginger Rogers, Anything Goes with Patrice Munsel, West Side Story with James Darren, Fiddler On The Roof with Kurt Kaszner, Hello Dolly with Molly Picon, and The King And I with John Cullum and Constance Towers.
BETH NEWBERRY
Director, Coach, Actor
English born Beth Newbery is the founder of infusionarts, a company who explores and produces Theatre in Africa, UK and recently New York. As team leader for Corporate events including Disney, Beth has lead many teams of actors through various workshops. Beth has been an acting coach for over ten years and has worked with many known people in the industry whilst performing in film and theatre. Credits include: Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, Miranda in The Tempest, Irene in Funny Peculiar and various roles for Film and TV including The Landgirls, Host for Bravo/Trouble TV and Channel 4 Films. Beth has directed many theatre productions, including a national tour (UK) of A Midsummer Nights Dream & The Insect Play and has written and directed two shows in New York.
MATT TRENT
Dancer, Choreographer, Photographer
Awarded a Scholarship to Royal Ballet School and graduated into Royal Ballet Covent Garden 1991. Principal Artist of Australian Ballet 1995-2007. National productions of Billy Elliot, Fiddler On The Roof and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Broadway credits include Billy Elliot, Faculty of Broadway Dreams Foundation and Assistant casting Agent with Telsey+Co. Most recently appointed choreographer/director’s casting assistant and research assistant of Broadway bound An American In Paris, The Musical.
ANDREW CAO
Broadway Actor & Instructor
For the past 18 years, Andrew has taught thousands of students from all over the world. He specializes in dance, the art of auditioning, and how to create a successful career in the business of musical theatre. Andrew’s Broadway credits include Aladdin, Nice Work if You can Get it and Anything Goes. He also has extensive experience in regional theatre such as the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Old Globe Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, T.O.T.S. On Television, Andrew has appeared on The Detour, Mysteries of Laura and Blue Bloods.
ED LINDERMAN
Broadway Performer, Composer, Musical Director
Ed Linderman has the unique distinction of having worked both On and Off-Broadway in three capacities: performer (Fiddler On The Roof, Two Gentlemen of Verona); composer/author (Something’s Afoot, Broadway Jukebox); and musical director (Godspell, Scrambled Feet, The Upstairs at the Downstairs) to mention just a few of his shows. His other Broadway Musical scores include The Zimmer Girls, A Girl Singer and most recently, Fragrant Harbour. He has sung in concerts and cabarets nationwide. He began his career at Chicago’s famous Second City and was described in the New York Daily News as “a walking encyclopedia of the hidden treasures of the Broadway Musical.” He has taught at Penn State, Northwestern and Shenandoah Universities, Interlochen, AMDA and Cap 21. Mr. Linderman is an active member of The Dramatists Guild, Actors Equity, AGVA and an alumnus of the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. He has been a professional vocal coach in New York City for 35 years, and many of his students are now working on Broadway.