Staff

Fiona Santos: Co-Artistic Director

Fiona Santos is a performer and musical director based in New York City.  She musical directed and arranged the music to the new Off-Broadway show The Water Coolers, assistant musical directed the U.S. Open Tennis Ceremonies starring Diana Ross and the cast of Blast!, and arranged and musical directed Enya's backup vocalists for live performances of her hit song "Only Time" in New York.  She was the founding Artistic Director of Brand X Musical Theatre in upstate New York, and has musical directed with companies up and down the East Coast, including Ithaca Opera, Civic Theatres of Central Florida, First Edition, and SAK Comedy Lab.  She spent two years performing and directing for the Walt Disney World Co., one of the industry leaders in family entertainment.  Fiona received her theatre and music training at Ithaca College and Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.  She is a musical director for the Theatre and Dance Alliance in New York City, a Theatre Department Director at Long Lake Camp for the Arts, and an adjunct professor at New York University.  She is married to Co-Artistic Director Jason Brantman.

 


Jason Brantman: Co-Artistic Director

Jason Brantman is a Director of Theatre & Live Events, currently living in New York. He recently directed the world premiere of Lady Chardonney at Theatre Row on 42nd Street.  Other off-Broadway and regional directing credits include: The Crucible, All in the Timing, Urinetown, Les Miserables, Chicago, Tommy, The Secret Garden, Once on this Island, Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods, The Fantasticks, Assassins, and the NYC premiere of Are We There Yet? at Queens Theatre in the Park. 

For the past ten years, Jason has been associate creative director for the US OPEN Tennis ceremonies, getting to work with incredible musical legends ranging from Art Garfunkel, James Taylor, Harry Connick Jr., Tony Bennett, Carole King, and Liza Minnelli to film/tv stars Liev Shrieber and Phylicia Rashad to theatre icons Ben Vereen, Idina Menzel, and Twyla Tharp, to fabulous divas Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Patti Labelle.  This event is broadcast live on CBS to millions of homes around the world, and includes Jason's favorite part - directing 40 Marines unfurling the largest American flag in the northeast. 

Other live events include: productions for Walt Disney Entertainment, ABC's "The View," associate director for the IBM e-server Spectacular event at Radio City Music Hall (featuring the band Smash Mouth), and production stage manager for The Water Coolers - both off-Broadway and as a show for corporations such as Microsoft, Toyota, JP Morgan, Harrahs Las Vegas, and the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360.

In addition to directing plays, musicals, and live events, Jason has been the director of several improvisation troupes across the northeast.  He received his improvisation training at SAK Comedy Lab (training ground for Wayne Brady). 

On the filmmaking front, Jason has had the privilege of working with Emmy Award Winning Documentary filmmaker Slawomir Grunberg.

Jason has a passion for animals, and loves collaborating with them whenever possible.  He got the chance to be a part of the opening team of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, performing in a breathtaking free-flight bird show called Flights of Wonder (developed and run by one of the foremost animal trainers in the world – Steve Martin).

Jason is a proud graduate of Cornell University, and very much enjoys bringing his love of theatre to the next generation.  At the college level, he has been an adjunct professor at NYU and a director & guest lecturer at Cornell University.  At the pre-college level, Jason is show director for the CASA program at Queens Theatre in the Park, has been a senior director at Long Lake Camp for the Arts, has directed at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts, and has worked with the Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center - Youth Theatre Program.  Jason is currently the co-artistic director of Broadway Training Center with his inspirational partner Fiona Santos and their mercurial child Mouser.


Heather LoSchiavo: Managing Director, Acting/Dance Instructor, Summer Director

ImageHeather LoSchiavo is an accomplished producer, director, choreographer, master teacher and performer in NYC, LA and abroad. Currently, Heather is the Director of The Professional Training Program at The Neighborhood Playhouse JR School in NYC and the Managing Director at The Broadway Training Center of Westchester. Both Non-for-Profit organizations dedicated to the enrichment and education of young people. Her experience in the professional world of entertainment, fundraising & corporate event planning have provided her the tools needed to bridge communities that may seem a world apart. She is a teaching artist at The Dance Center of Westchester, The Darcy Academy, and The Caymichael Patten Studio. Her students have been seen on Broadway, listened to on the Radio, featured on numerous TV shows, and spotted in Films.
As a performer recent independent film credits include: Sheltered (to be released in November 2008), Echo’s, The Session, Reverse, Anthony & Cleo, You Fit The Description, and Lady Love. Performed: The Clark Studio Space/Lincoln Center, Dixon Place, The 92nd Street Y, BAM, Walt Whitman Theatre, ATA, The Gene Frankel Theatre, Caramoor, and The Cathedral of Saint John The Divine. Company work includes: Walk The Plank, I Guillari di Piazza, Contemporary Dance Theatre of NY, The Bouncing Gingers, and Jonathan NYC. Choreography: In The Mirror (Ugly-productions/film), Mazur Children’s Rep., BTC, French Woods Festival, and MTV. Produced: Straight ForWard (film/Saige Belle productions release 2007), The American Theatre, The Trilogy, Classic Stage, and Chicago City Limits. Worked: The Public Theatre & The New Victory, NYC.  She holds a BFA from Marymount Manhattan College and is also a founding member of Focal Point Aid, a non-for profit organization, helping education systems in crisis.


Patricia Santos: Administrator, Music Instructor

ImagePatricia Santos, a native of New York, received her Bachelor’s of Music from Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory with Regina Mushabac.  After earning a magna cum laude degree in cello performance, Patricia’s postgraduate studies were with Bryan Dumm of the Cleveland Orchestra.  Additional teachers include Carole Tilson and the late Andor Toth.  She has performed at music festivals around the country and was an orchestral and chamber music fellow at Texas Music Festival in 2001.  As an eighteen-year-old, Patricia took Gold Ribbon at the Young Artist’s Concerto Competition and subsequently performed Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major with the Rockland Symphony Orchestra.  She is currently on faculty at Rockland Conservatory of Music and has served as Principal Cellist for the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra.  In addition to her classical music pursuits, Patricia is active in pit orchestras for musical theatre and also collaborates with various bands on recordings and live shows.


Sprout: School Mascot

Sprout's legacy lives on, not only in the studio named after her, but in the spirit of camaraderie and closeness the group feels during circle up.

Sprout is thrilled to be a part of the BTC family. She can often be found at the Studio, where she has become fast friends with all the students. "Theater is in my blood," she readily admits as she nuzzles up to you for a little attention - yeah, that's right, just behind the ears. Sprout likes nothing better than to be around for the explosion of energy that always bursts forth during the final week leading up to a big new production. Well, OK, maybe lazing around on the couch in the office comes close. Someday, Sprout hopes to direct a BTC production all on her own, but for now she's happy just absorbing everything that goes on at this wonderful place. Sprout shares her life outside the Studio with Jason and Fiona. <-->

Mouser: New Addition

Mouser is excited to join the BTC family. She can sometimes be found scrutinizing classes from the couches by the main entrance, the area now known as Mouser's Pad. She shares her life outside the Studio with Jason and Fiona.

 


Main Menu
Who We Are
Broadway Training Center of Westchester, under the artistic direction of Jason Brantman and Fiona Santos, was recently awarded Best Theatre Classes in Southern Westchester by Westchester Magazine.  This premiere performing arts school, located in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, provides children, teens, and adults with Broadway oriented performing arts training focusing on the joy of accomplishment and the enrichment of personal expression through classroom and performance work. Broadway Training Center of Westchester is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.