w. earle smith
Creator, Director & Choreographer website
W. Earle Smith has over 35 years of professional experience choreographing, teaching and performing. Mr. Smith's worked nineteen years as Artistic Director of Madison Ballet. As a dancer, D Magazine called Mr. Smith "meticulously chosen and prepared...who knows Balanchine." The Wisconsin State Journal hails his choreography as "imaginative and...rhythmically smooth and lively" with the Capital Times saying Artistic Director W. Earle Smith "more than delivered on every level."
Some of Mr. Smith's principal and soloist credits with Texas Ballet Theater formerly known as the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet include Balanchine'sWestern Symphony, Four Temperaments, Who Cares, Meija's Sonata, Eight by Adler, Sarasate, Seasons, Nutcracker, and Cinderella.
Favorite corps de ballet roles at Pacific Northwest Ballet and Fort Worth Ballet include Stowell's Ravena, Nutcracker with sets and costumes designed by Maurice Sendek, Balanchine's Stars n' Stripes, Rubies, Western Symphony, Prodigal Son, Brahms Schoenberg, Agon, Concerto Barocco, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Square Dance, Scotch Symphony; Meija's Brahms' Waltzes, Les Noches, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet.
Mr. Smith's preparation for his role as Artistic Director goes beyond the traditional. He worked as a Youth Counselor for inner-city youth in New York City, a financial and business analyst, as well as director of special projects for a national membership association.
Currently, Mr. Smith's passion is passing on his knowledge and art through his teaching and choreography in the performing arts. He has taught workshops, conferences and master classes in the Balanchine technique and style both nationally and internationally, including guest teaching at Ballet Arizona, Ballet Pacifica and Ballet Chicago. Some of Mr. Smith's choreography credits in New York, New Orleans, Hawaii, Seattle, Texas and Madison include Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Night Dances, Le Luce d' Amore, and Four Movements.
Mr. Smith has long believed that collaborating with other performing arts organizations not only expands his own personal artistic growth, but strengthens the performing arts community as a whole. His collaboration as choreographer in CTM's Hello Dolly, Madison Symphony Orchestra's Viennese Ball, and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra's Halloween Concert demonstrates this commitment to collaboration.
W. Earle Smith's passion is sharing his love for ballet with young people. An important part of his artistic vision is to develop and expand education and outreach programs, making ballet affordable and accessible to all.
Michael MassEy
Composer website
Michael Massey is a composer, singer, songwriter, pianist, performer, and producer who has written or collaborated on over 350 rock, pop, country, and instrumental songs as well as composing the score for the full length, Dracula; A Rock Ballet. He has six critically acclaimed albums, including Pop Album of the Year in 2006 as well as Unique Albums of the Year in 2014 and 2018 at the Madison Area Music Awards. Michael has also won numerous ADDY, TELLY, and WAVE awards for excellence in original music for advertising, video and film.
Musical accomplishments include six albums released to critical and popular acclaim. The first is an instrumental piano album, "Be Careful How You Say Pianist," second, twelve fully produced pop songs in “Attack Of The Delicious” which won Pop Album of the year at the Madison Area Music Awards, third, “The Present” which is eleven piano arrangements of traditional Christmas pieces and two original compositions and the soundtrack to Dracula, A Rock Ballet, recorded live with a 7 piece band at the Capitol Theater at The Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin, which garnered Unique Album of the Year honors. Michael also co-produced, wrote and performed on “Gifted At The Hula” the debut album for the Americana band, “Stop The Clock.” A sixth album, 15 songs stripped down to their bare essentials entitled, "Naked" was released in May 2017 and also received Unique Album of the Year status.
While maintaining a busy performance schedule with Piano Fondue Dueling Pianos, rock band “Chaser” singing Frank’s parts in the Zappa tribute band “The Furious Bongos” solo shows and performing with Francie Phelps, Michael is also known for his ability to write in virtually any musical genre including scoring, post, long form, theater, radio spots, and television commercials. Clients for radio and television commercials include New Balance, Oscar Mayer, Metra Chicago, Jones Dairy Farm, Culver’s, United Way, Summit Credit Union, Mercury Marine, Theisen’s Supply, Badgerland Financial, Country Kitchen, UW Hospital, Meriter Hospital, Great Wisconsin Credit Union, Michael’s Frozen Custard.
Other accomplishments include original scores for John Urban's short film "The Blue Wire" for the Wiskino Film Festival and Denver filmmaker Julie Pearson’s “Terminal Vigilantes.” Co-wrote and co-produced a score with Jack Letourneau for the computer animated feature, "Time, Space" for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Composed four children’s musicals and is currently co-writing a sexy, musical theatrical production with actor, writer, producer/director Suzan Kurry.
charles j. trieloff ii
set designer
Charles received his M.F.A. in Set Design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His design credits include, for University Theatre: Antigone, The Passion of Dracula, A Little Night Music, Man of La Mancha, The Water Station, Smash, Steel Magnolias, True West and Stop Kiss; for CTM: Little Women, Narnia, Goodnight Moon, A Wonderful Life, Bunnicula, and A Christmas Carol; for Madison Opera: Opera in the Park; for Forward Theater: Going to St. Ives, The Farnsworth Invention, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents; for Arizona Broadway Theater: 9 to 5; for Four Seasons Theater: A Little Night Music; for Savoyards: Cox and Box, and The Sorcerer; for UW-Whitewater: A Lie Of The Mind, Hay Fever, Guys and Dolls, and Antigone.
In Madison he was the prop master for nine seasons at Madison Repertory Theatre and was the prop master at American Players Theatre for four seasons. He has also designed props for Forward Theater, CTM, Madison Ballet, and Madison Opera. Charles was also a member of the Advisory Committee of Forward Theater. Outside of the theater world Charles has designed the themed reception area for Children’s Dental Health’s Old Sauk Road location.
kenneth ferencek
lighting designer
Kenneth Ferencek, Madison Ballet’s Lighting Designer since the opening of the Overture Center, has lit The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Midsummer Night’s Dream and An Evening of Romance.
Ken is Director of Production for the Madison Opera. Two of his favorite Madison shows are Opera In The Park and the UW Varsity Band Show.
His lighting credits include many television shows and live events: President Clinton’s First Inaugural Ball at the Air and Space Museum, Dance In America, Sesame Street and Fox’s 2008 Republican Convention. .His next lighting project is the BMW exhibit at the 2013 New York Auto Show.
Ken and his family love living in Madison. He enjoys working with Earle Smith because of the beauty and clarity of Smith’s choreography.
Karen Brown-Larimore
costume designer
Karen Brown-Larimore earned her BFA from the University of Nebraska and her MFA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She has toured with numerous Broadway performances for over 10 years as a hair and star dresser. Ms. Larimore has managed costume shops in Louisville, KY and Madison, WI and has taught pattern drafting, costume construction, and wardrobe running.
Ms. Brown-Larimore's design credits include Madison Opera, Madison Ballet, University of Wisconsin theatre and opera, Madison Savoyard, Madison Rep, and Madison Children’s Theatre and Opera for the young. Ms. Larimore was the original designer for the American Girl Dolls: Samantha, Molly, and Kirsten.
timothy romano
video designer
Timothy, a film collector, archivist and restorationist, is currently the head projectionist at Marcus Theater Corporation. His vast private film archive consists of many rare and unique 16mm and 35mm prints and original printed paper materials including silent nitrate, 35mm fine grain master positives of early television, and all film booking sheets from Madison’s Orpheum Theatre from 1926-1932. Many of Timothy’s prints are preserved in historically accurate sound, color and printing processes. Over the past decade, Timothy has donated over 50,000 feet of nitrate of many silent 35mm prints thought to be lost titles to The Library of Congress. He is currently preparing over 30,000 feet for donation. He donated 35mm prints of Paul Terry’s 1927 The Big Burg and Bray Animation’s Amateur Night, titles once thought to be lost to the American Film Institute. Timothy worked on the Mutoscope Project, which developed of a unique means of manufacturing historic “Flipcard” movie wheels used in Biograph’s original Mutoscope machines using archival film or modern video. He was also the original buyer of the McVicar Photo Service/Photo Copy Service collection which consisted of approximately seventy five hundred photo negatives of commercial life spanning the period of 1925-1979, in Madison, Wisconsin. The collection resides at the Wisconsin State Historical Society. Timothy also has a private collection of Vitaphone motion picture sound disks.
jaime lee
hair consultant
Jaime Lee has been a licensed hairdresser since 1985. An award winning master hair stylist, colorist and makeup artist; he has worked as an educator for several large distributors including Paul Mitchell, Goldwell and Zotos. He was the Artistic Director for Teddie Kossof Salon and Spa in Chicago for six years and is currently teaching for Farouk Systems- the manufacturer of CHI and Biosilk Products. Jaime Lee serves as the in salon educator for Style FX Hair Studio and has been a private hairstylist and makeup artist for several notable clients including The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson; comedienne Joan Rivers; designer Nate Berkus; and actress Joan Cusack.