MEET THE STAFF
Our staff is committed to providing support to prospective and current students and alumni. The following team members serve as a resource and are available to offer necessary guidance for student success throughout the academic year.
Rachel Jett is an NTI alum, and she began working as a faculty member for the program in 1998 before being appointed Artistic Director in 2011. She holds an MFA from TISCH in Music Theater Writing and attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK. She was the first American aspirant to the innovative and esteemed Russian movement coach and teacher Andrei Droznin. She has been teaching Droznin at NTI and various universities and conservatories for 25 years. Rachel was honored at the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018 for her service as an educator. She proudly serves as the Vice President on the Board of Trustees for Writer’s Block Inc in New London. Her theater performances include Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet directed by Erica Schmidt, multiple performances with Synetic Theater in Washington, DC, The Body Artist by Don Delillo, and NOT ONE DAY by Anne Garrete, directed and adapted by Jody McAuliffe. Other Performances: Stag, a short film by Donna DiNovelli directed by Kevin Newbury, When Last Seen written and directed by Donna DiNovelli, and Breathe Right written and directed by Kolton Harris. She was the choreographer for Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown directed by Nicole Brewer. She has directed The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, Love and Information by Caryl Churchill, and She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen for Connecticut College. She is grateful for her musical collaborators Eric, Julianne, Shoshanna, Sun Hee, Pearl, and Will. She is the proud mama of Jett and Phoenix.
Alexander Gemingani is an artistic director, actor, music director, orchestrator, conductor, composer/lyricist, and educator. Favorite Broadway acting credits include: My Fair Lady, Carousel (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Grammy Nominations), Violet, Les Misérables (Drama League nomination), Sweeney Todd (Drama Desk nomination), Assassins (Theatre World Award), Sunday in the Park With George. Off-Broadway: Road Show at the Public (Drama League nomination) and Avenue Q at the Vineyard Theatre. Regional favorites: Hamilton (original Chicago cast) and Big Fish (Marriott Lincolnshire). Selected T.V./Film: Servant (Apple TV), Empire (FOX - Recurring), Chicago Fire (NBC), Homeland (Showtime - Recurring), The Good Wife (CBS), and season 5 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Janusz (AMAZON - Recurring). As a music supervisor/music director, Fiasco’s production of Merrily We Roll Along at the Roundabout (also penned new orchestrations), and was Music Supervisor and conductor for the 2020 revival of West Side Story. Also conducted the New York Philharmonic with the concert, Celebrating Sondheim (Live From Lincoln Center). Recently, he served as Music Supervisor, Arranger, and Conductor for Here We Are, Sondheim’s final musical (book by David Ives, directed by Joe Mantello). He is an Associate Professor of Instruction at Northwestern University, Artistic Director of NU's American Music Theatre Project, and has also served as faculty for the National Theater Institute at the O’Neill, NYU Steinhardt, and CAP21. Since 2018 he has been Artistic Director for the National Music Theater Conference at the O’Neill where he has helped shepherd nearly 30 new musicals. His greatest joys are his incredible wife, Erin Ortman, and their beautiful daughter.
Rachel Kelsey (she/her) serves as Program Representative & Admissions Manager for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's educational training programs: the National Theater Institute (NTI), National Music Theater Institute (NMTI), and Theatermakers Summer Intensive. Originally from Omaha, NE, Rachel now travels across the country to offer workshops in a variety of artistic disciplines as well as bring awareness to the two-time Tony award winning organization. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BFA in Musical Theatre and Business minor from Drake University, in Des Moines, IA. In addition, she spent the Fall of 2022 in Connecticut, studying with NTI. While traveling for the O'Neill and teaching at various conferences, festivals, and institutions throughout the nation, Rachel is actively involved in the theatre scene. Her most recent credits include Come from Away with Saltwater Performing Arts (Beverley/Annette), The Matchmaker with Saybrook Stage Company (Ermengarde), A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Camden Shakespeare Festival (Hermia u/s, Stage Manager), Sing, Sang, Sung Cabaret at The Etcetera Theatre U.K., and The Comeback Cabaret at Don’t Tell Mama NYC.
To find the rest of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center staff, please visit theoneill.org/staff.
The O'Neill offers fellowships to early-career theater professionals to assist with educational programming.
For job openings at the O'Neill, please visit theoneill.org/work-with-us.