We are very proud to be part of the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company, whose dramatic and musical presentations — entertaining and educational — are given to audiences in New York City, the tri-state area, and in cities across America.
Carrie Wilson
An Aesthetic Realism Consultant, Carrie Wilson teaches the class “The Art of Singing: Technique & Feeling.” She is a graduate of Barnard College, and of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where she studied with Sanford Meisner. From 1969-1978 she studied Aesthetic Realism with its founder, Eli Siegel, and continues her professional study now in classes taught by Chair of Education, Ellen Reiss.
Ms. Wilson originated the part of Miss O in the Off-Broadway, Carmines-Fornes musical, Promenade. With the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company, presenting some of Eli Siegel’s great lectures on the drama, she has appeared as Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew; Desdemona in Othello; Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; roles in two plays by Sheridan—Lady Teazle in The School for Scandal and Tilburina in The Critic; Agnes in Molière’s The School for Wives; Laura in Strindberg’s The Father; Magda in Sudermann’s Magda; and Henrietta Brewster in Susan Glaspell’s Suppressed Desires. She has been a featured soloist with the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company in musical performances from New Orleans to Las Vegas, Atlanta to Montana, and throughout the greater New York tristate region in the popular Aesthetic Realism Cabaret about Love.
A lyric soprano, she studied with Shirlee Emmons and Oren Brown, and attended the Goldovsky Opera Institute. Under the auspices of Mrs. Serge Koussevitzky and the Musicians Club of New York, Ms. Wilson was featured artist in a Rachmaninoff program at Lincoln Center Library. She sang music by Sir Edward Elgar, from The Dream of Gerontius, at a conference on the composer at the University of Birmingham, UK, and the music of Marcabru at the Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference at the Centre d’Études Supérieures de la Renaissance in Tours, France. In 2007 she presented recitals of British and North American music in Rosario, Argentina, accompanied by her husband, composer Edward Green. Together they also presented a paper at Ithaca College as part of a symposium on Music and Lifelong Learning, entitled “Aesthetic Realism and the Art of Singing.”
Ms. Wilson is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and is included in Who’s Who in American Art for her work as co-director of the Terrain Gallery. Among her published writings is A Brief History of the Terrain Gallery, which can be read at www.TerrainGallery.org.
Bennett Cooperman
Aesthetic Realism consultant, actor and singer Bennett Cooperman graduated from Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts with a degree in acting.
Mr. Cooperman has had a lifelong love for acting, singing and dancing. At Syracuse Stage, he appeared in Bertolt Brecht’s Galileo opposite Howard Da Silva, and in Bye Bye Birdie. At the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, Mass., he appeared in William Inge’s Summer Brave and the musical Carnival.
Mr. Cooperman was a featured player on the daytime television series The Edge of Night, portraying Benny Hayes.
An Aesthetic Realism consultant since 1987, he and his colleagues give consultations to men of all ages. In public seminars at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, Mr. Cooperman has spoken about the lives and work of important, loved actors in history—each in relation to a central question of men’s lives. For example:
- What Makes a Man’s Life Large or Small?—includes a discussion of the great 19th century actor, Edwin Forrest
- True Pride: How Can We Have It?—taking up the life and work of Al Jolson
- Two Kinds of Anger—the wonderful Jackie Gleason can help us distinguish between two very different sources of anger in ourselves
In productions by the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company, Mr. Cooperman has appeared as Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello, both Cassius and Brutus in Julius Caesar, Caliban in The Tempest and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has portrayed Mr. Puff in Sheridan’s The Critic and Charles Surface in The School for Scandal, and has been on the boards as Alain in Molière’s The School for Wives. He also has sung in the company’s popular show, Rock ‘n’ Roll, The Opposites, & Our Greatest Hopes—A Celebration! and the company’s much-loved production of An Aesthetic Realism Cabaret about Love.
Mr. Cooperman lives in New York City with his wife, Meryl Nietsch-Cooperman. You can visit their website.
Carol McCluer
Carol McCluer was born in New Orleans and grew up in Brea, California. A graduate of CUNY with a degree in Education and Theatre, she appeared on the Julie Andrews Show; as a backup singer for Robert Goulet in Las Vegas; in a cabaret act; and touring South America with the recording group “Love and Kisses.” She has performed in television specials, national TV commercials, voiceovers, regional theatre, and played Melanie Sawyer on the soap opera All My Children, where she had the pleasure of working with Gwen Verdon.
Since 1989 Carol McCluer has worked with the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company, playing roles such as Nora Helmer in A Doll’s House; Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Revisited; Lady Cunegonde in Evil Seen Beautifully; or, Voltaire’s Candide and Viola in Absurdity in a Dukedom; or, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.”
Carol McCluer wrote an important, moving letter describing the life-changing effect of Aesthetic Realism on her life, which you can read: A Vital Letter— for you and everyone.
Ms. McCluer is a member of SAG-AFTRA, Writing Mastery Academy, and Friends of the Library.
Ann Richards
Aesthetic Realism associate Ann Richards of Oswego, New York began acting in children’s classes at Oswego State University and received a BA in theatre from Binghamton University where she studied stage movement with Christopher Katt, comparative drama with drama historian George Wellwarth, and classical singing. Among the roles she’s played are: Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Nurse in Loot, Sweet Young Miss in La Ronde, Bianca in Kiss Me Kate, and the English language premieres of Latin American underground drama The Story of A Kidnapping, and a farce, The Sorrows of Our First Lady by Ballesteros. After summer and dinner theatre in Rhode Island and upstate New York as Amy in Company, Lola in Damn Yankees, The Girl in The Roar of the Greasepaint, and Piglet in Winnie the Pooh, she moved to New York. She has studied acting with Julie Bovasso and Anne Fielding, and singing with Felix Knight and Carrie Wilson.
As a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity, Ms. Richards appeared Off-Broadway at the WPA Theatre in Album opposite Kevin Bacon. She was Connie Dayton in the daytime series Another World and made numerous commercials.
With the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company she’s played Mary Boyle in Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock; Mrs. Linde in A Doll’s House; Alice in Wat Tyler; Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew, and Alice in George S. Kaufman’s You Can’t Take it With You. In musical presentations at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation and in its outreach program, she’s taken part in Rock ‘n’ Roll, The Opposites, & Our Greatest Hopes—A Celebration!
Ms. Richards taught children’s theatre, directing various plays such as Grease, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and The Wizard of Oz. At educational conferences she has given workshops on the unparalleled success of Aesthetic Realism method in teaching dramatic literature and in finding the drama in all aspects of the English curriculum.
Christopher Balchin
From an early age in his native England, Christopher Balchin cared for acting and singing, playing Sherlock Holmes in a high school production of “The Blue Carbuncle,” and taking part in Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, as well as numerous barber shop and choral works. It was in English classes taught by Hubert Moore that he came to know and love the plays of Shakespeare.
After moving to New York City, he sang with the Metropolitan Singers and Greek Choral Society under Dino Anagnost, singing Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky and the works of Cole Porter at venues including Lincoln Center. It was in New York City that he had the immense good fortune to meet and study Aesthetic Realism, first in consultations and now in classes taught by the Chair of Education, Ellen Reiss.
Christopher Balchin has had the honor and pleasure of being in Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company presentations including musical productions such as Rock ‘n Roll, the Opposites, & Our Greatest Hopes—a Celebration!; dramatic presentations of Eli Siegel’s consideration of novels such as Jane Eyre; or, This Girl Had Good Will and Evil Seen Beautifully!, or, Voltaire’s Candide; and productions based on Mr. Siegel’s great lectures on the works of Shakespeare, such as Shakespeare—& What Is Love? a consideration of The Taming of the Shrew.
It was from works by Eli Siegel that he learned why he loved Shakespeare. He says: “The beloved Bard of Avon presents, through lords and ladies, clowns and “common” folk, emotions we all have—love, anger, regret, ambition. However, differently from people in our ordinary lives, Shakespeare expresses these emotions in lines that are beautiful because they put together opposites such as passion and control, grace and seriousness, intensity and ease—which we hope to make sense of in ourselves.” (See Honoring Shakespeare).
Karen Van Outryve
Karen Van Outryve is an actor, poet, and Aesthetic Realism consultant who began her study of Aesthetic Realism with its founder, Eli Siegel. She first learned of Aesthetic Realism while taking acting and musical comedy classes at the HB Studio in New York City. “Like many actors,” she says, “I was troubled by the feeling that Art and Life were so different. When I heard this principle, ‘The resolution of conflict in self is like the making one of opposites in art,’ I knew I had to study Aesthetic Realism. That study has made my life better than I ever dreamed possible—and also encouraged me to get to greater depths in art.”
With the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company, Ms. Van Outryve has appeared in dramatic presentations of some of Eli Siegel’s great lectures, including as Mrs. Candour in Sheridan’s The School for Scandal, Emilia in Othello, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night.
She says, “To hear Eli Siegel speak of Shakespeare, Corneille, Moliere, Ibsen, and show how the tragedies and comedies they wrote are about the feelings and questions of people today, is the most valuable thing that can happen to an actor, and I am eternally grateful I had that privilege.”
She is married to architect Anthony C. Romeo, and they continue their study of Aesthetic Realism today in classes with Ellen Reiss, Chair of Education.
Marion Fennell
Aesthetic Realism Associate Marion Fennell was born and raised in Yonkers, N.Y. and graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
She loved to sing from early childhood and took part in musical productions throughout her school years. After high school, she hoped for a career as a singer, but experienced something that afflicts many performers — crippling stage fright. That changed completely through what she learned studying Aesthetic Realism, and she’s happily sung for many audiences ever since.
In musical presentations at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation and in its outreach presentations, she’s sung in shows such as American Ethics, American Song; Rock ‘n’ Roll, The Opposites, & Our Greatest Hopes—A Celebration!; and most recently in An Aesthetic Realism Cabaret about Love, singing such classics as “Fever” and “Talk to Me.”
Marion Fennell has also taken part in public seminars at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation on a wide variety of subjects that are of interest to women, such as:
- “Do Women Have a Fight Between Love and Scorn?” considering, for example, Nellie Forbush in the musical South Pacific.
- “The Drama of Hiding and Showing in Women,” in which she spoke about aspects of the life and work of the actress and singer, Cher.
- “Modern, Smart, and Yet Unsure: The Drama in Women Between Confidence and Uncertainty,” including a discussion of Adele and her song “Rollin’ in the Deep.”
Ms. Fennell’s education continues in the professional classes taught by Aesthetic Realism Chair of Education, Ellen Reiss. She lives in Riverdale, N.Y., with her husband, Jeffrey Williams.
Alan Shapiro—Actor, Accompanist, Arranger
Originally from Philadelphia, Alan Shapiro is a performer, pianist, arranger and music educator. He has appeared in dramatic and musical productions by the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company as a singer and actor, and has played jazz piano professionally for many years. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University (BA) and the Manhattan School of Music (MM).
Mr. Shapiro has sung in a variety of shows by our company, for which he was also the musical arranger and pianist: Rock ‘n’ Roll, the Opposites, & Our Greatest Hopes—A Celebration!; American Ethics, American Song; An Aesthetic Realism Cabaret about Love and more. He appeared in the dramatic presentation of Eli Siegel’s lecture on Arthur Kober’s comedy, Having Wonderful Time, and in readings of other lectures by Mr. Siegel on great literature of the world.
As choral conductor and music teacher in the New York City public schools for 28 years, Mr. Shapiro was vocal director for many musical productions, including Fiddler on the Roof, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, and Gypsy.
As part of the Aesthetic Realism Foundation’s outreach program, Mr. Shapiro and Barbara Allen (see below) give after-school workshops for children, showing what Aesthetic Realism explains: that the deepest desire of every person, every child, is to like the world on an honest basis. These workshops include “Do We Want to Be Like Music?”
Alan Shapiro studies in professional classes for Aesthetic Realism consultants and associates, taught by Chair of Education Ellen Reiss. In public seminars at the Foundation, he has spoken on the music of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Richard Wagner, Johann Sebastian Bach and others. (You can see two of these talks on YouTube, here and here.)
Mr. Shapiro lives in New York City with his wife, Leila Rosen, an English educator and Aesthetic Realism associate.
See his website at www.AlanShapiroMusic.net.
Barbara Allen—Musical Director
Barbara Allen graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana where she studied flute with Charles Delaney. She taught in the Chicago public schools and later in West Orange, New Jersey.
Ms. Allen began her study of the education Aesthetic Realism with its founder, Eli Siegel in 1970. She is an Aesthetic Realism consultant, and with her colleagues conducts various classes, including The Opposites in Music Class at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation.
With Dr. Edward Green, composer and pianist, Ms. Allen has performed and presented discussions of important works from flute literature—for example:
- “What We Can Learn about Love from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonata in E-Flat”
- “Dignity and Abandon in Handel’s Flute Sonata in G Major”
- “Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G Shows the Victory of Self-Questioning”
You can visit her website here: BarbaraAllen.org.
Edward Green—Composer-in-Residence
Edward Green is an Aesthetic Realism consultant who had the honor to study with Eli Siegel from 1974 to 1978. He continues his study of Aesthetic Realism now in classes taught by Ellen Reiss. As Composer-in-Residence of the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company, he has composed overtures, songs, and incidental music, and has also accompanied several productions on piano and harpsichord.
As pianist, Dr. Green frequently performs in concert with flutist Barbara Allen at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation. Since 1980, he has taught the class “The Opposites in Music” with her. He is also Staff Composer at Imagery Films where he has collaborated with the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ken Kimmelman on several films, including Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana, based on Eli Siegel’s 1925 Nation magazine prize-winning poem.
Dr. Green’s music has been performed across the United States as well as overseas—including in Paraguay, the Czech Republic, Australia, and England. Among his many large-scale works are concertos for trumpet, piano, and alto saxophone, and his 2012 Symphony in Eb was commissioned by a consortium of thirteen of America’s leading Concert Wind Ensembles.
Edward Green’s PhD was earned at NYU. He is a Professor Emeritus at Manhattan School of Music, where he taught from 1984 to 2024. He also served for five years as Senior Specialist in American Music for the Fulbright Foundation. Among his many scholarly publications are The Cambridge Companion to Duke Ellington (editor), and China and the West: The Birth of a New Music (editor and contributor). Articles by him from the perspective of Aesthetic Realism have appeared in many scholarly journals, including The British Journal of Aesthetics (England); Onagaku—the Journal of the Musicological Society of Japan, and The International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music (Czech Republic).
He is married to Carrie Wilson, singer, actress, and Aesthetic Realism Consultant, and they make their home on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
You can visit his website at www.edgreenmusic.org and contact him at edgreenmusic@gmail.com.
Robert Colavito—Drummer & Percussionist
Robert Colavito was born in the Bronx and grew up in Rockland County, New York. From the age of seven, he had a large passion for drumming and followed his dream of becoming a professional musician.
He majored in Jazz Performance at the William Patterson School of Music and earned a degree in recording engineering from the Rockland Institute of Recording and Engineering in NYC. Early in his career, he had the good fortune to perform with such noted jazz figures as Bucky Pizzarelli, Rufus Reid, Vincent Hill, and the Heath Brothers.
As a studio musician, Rob Colavito laid down drum tracks for recordings of notable musicians, and for radio commercials. He has performed live with various bands throughout the New York tri-state area, and as a drummer and percussionist in many community musical theatre productions, including Grease, The Sound of Music, Bye Bye Birdie, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, and Anything Goes.
He has played with the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company since 2005 and says, “It is the highlight of my professional career performing with this esteemed theatre company and having new emotions about the meaning of music through these presentations.” These include Rock ‘n’ Roll, The Opposites, & Our Greatest Hopes!, The Great Fight of Ego vs. Truth, and An Aesthetic Realism Cabaret about Love.
Robert Colavito holds BA degrees from Long Island University in Music Education and Elementary Education, and an MA in Literacy from SUNY, Albany. Robert is a respected elementary school teacher for grades 3-5, and has directed after-school percussion and performance clubs for 25 years.