Who We Are

Linda Apperson

    Stage Manager for all AAPAE productions, graduated from the School of Theatre, Florida State University, and has stage managed more than 3,000 performances of musicals, dramas, and operas.

     Her experience spans both coasts, including Orlando and Boca Raton, Florida, New York City, and the San Francisco area. Her daughter, Jessica, now a college student, is an invaluable assistant backstage and was the first AAPAE intern.  Linda will also stage manage the AAPAE San Francisco Invitationals scheduled to begin in 2009.

     Her credits include a veritable catalog of the craft: Elephant Man; Misalliance; Light Up the Sky; 1776; No, No Nanette; Fiddler on the Roof, most of the Rogers and Hammerstein canon; Der Fliegende Hollander; Gianni Schicci, Pagliacci; Faust; Scapino; Twelfth Night, Merchant of Venice, The Robber Bridegroom; Godspell, Peter Pan; Into the Woods; Holes; and The Pirates of Penzance; plus many standards.

     Ms. Apperson is also the author of Stage Managing and Theatre Etiquette, published by Ivan R. Dee.

Matthew Straub   

      Producer, has been a college instructor and administrator, has had an extensive private-studio teaching practice, and is a published author and a coauthor of Mime:Basics for Beginners, (PLAYS, INC., Boston).

      Professional performance credits include the Florida Symphony Orchestra, Orlando; Walt Disney World, primary wind; 1966 Andy Warhol Plastic Exploding Inevitable; the Walt Disney and the 11th Pennsylvania (Gettysburg, PA) Fife & Drum Corps; and freelance flute work including product, improv and Baroque ensemble work; plus national touring with WindMime, a mime and flute duo with hundreds of appearances at conventions, trade shows, colleges, festivals, etc.

     Production credits include:

        Carnegie Hall Instrumental and Vocal Festival, February 1997; Carnegie Hall, NYC         

        The Winter Dance Festival with two performances, January, 1998; Carnegie Hall, NYC

        The Autumn Dance Festival with two performances, October, 1998; Carnegie Hall, NYC

        Broadway Dance Festival, January, 1999;  Brooks Atkinson Theater, 47th St. at Times Square, NYC

        The Winter Choral Festival, January, 1999; Carnegie Hall, NYC

        The Nutcracker on Broadway Series, November 26th - December 5th, 1999; Manhattan Center, NYC

        The Broadway Nutcracker Series, November 25-27, December 2nd, 2000; Manhattan Center,  NYC

        The Broadway Cinderella Series, March, 2001; Manhattan Center, NYC

        9/11 Benefit January 2002;   Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, NYC

        First Annual AAPAE Winter Invitational, January 2006; Lincoln Center.  NYC

        Second Annual AAPAE Winter Invitational, January 2007;  Lincoln Center.  NYC

        Third Annual AAPAE Winter Invitational, January 2007;  Lincoln Center.  NYC

        The American Young Artist Series, 2000 Sydney Olympics, which showcased 25 American performing groups from across the USA performing on the Samsung Stage at the 2000 Olympics.

The AAPAE Mission

     The American Alliance of Performing Arts Educators, as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, provides major performance opportunities for pre-professional performing arts talent to appear in supportive, noncompetitive and major venues.

     By combining the resources of talented and qualified performing groups, AAPAE is able to access venues of world stature for groups of moderate means. These performance opportunities often include Master Classes with professionals who are currently active in their fields.

     AAPAE addresses the situations common to all performing arts educators, whether they are independent or affiliated with an educational institution.

     AAPAE strives to educate performing groups on how to self-fund the opportunities presented them, allowing individual performing groups to become viable, independent businesses, whether profit or nonprofit.  Our mission is to strengthen amateur performing arts groups by offering them inspiring and reasonably inexpensive access to world class venues.