Meet Our Faculty & Staff!

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Bruce Grossman (he/him)

President & Owner

Bruce is so proud of the accomplishments of the Cultural Arts Playhouse over the last two decades. As owner and artistic director since its inception in 1995, Bruce and his staff have been bringing joy and laughter to Long Island families and audiences for twenty five years and counting!! Bruce started his career as a performer, which allowed him to understand the needs of actors on stage and how to get the most out of them. But even at an early age, and while getting his Bachelors and masters from Stony Brook University in theater and education, he always had a desire to direct. During his college days , he produced a production of Hair which was voted the show of the decade by Newsday! Bruce has a wealth of performing credits in commercials and film and tours. Some of his credits include the European tours of West Side Story and Jesus Christ Superstar and the national tour of the Emmy award winning None for the Road, a show preaching the evils of drinking and driving. As a performer, he has been received favorably by Long Island audiences and Newsday as Julian Marsh in 42nd Street and Josh Baskin in Big. Other credits include Daddy Warbucks in Annie, Father in Ragtime, Pseudolus in Forum and Captain Walker in Tommy to name a few. Bruce is pleased to have produced and or directed Long Island premieres of Big, Parade, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Carrie, Assassins, Altar Boyz and Spring Awakening to name a few. Cap has always been known for doing shows that are cutting edge and that other theaters don't do. Bruce has been featured on the nationally syndicated Twilight Zone radio series starring Jim Caviesel and Jason Alexander to name a few of the actors in the series. Bruce has taught at the collegiate and high school level over the years and currently is on staff at several elementary schools including Lakeside elementary in Merrick and high schools on Long Island. But for all of these accomplishments, Bruce is most proud of his children! Not just his daughter Brooke and son Jared, both flourishing at Universities and who grew up at the playhouse and made countless friends and memories, but the thousands of kids he has come into direct contact with as a director and teacher and mentor. To see the pride on a kids face as they excel in front of Cap audiences and the joy it brings to parents and family! There is nothing more rewarding than that. Growing the confidence and self esteem of a child is what Cap stands for! We also take pride in training our students for professional careers. Over 35 of Bruce's students and actors have made it to Broadway and film and tours and commercials. Some of the Cap alumni include Jamie Lynn Sigler of Soprano and Beauty and the Beast fame, Marissa McGowan as Eponine in Les MIs on Broadway . Bonnie and Clyde and A Little Night Music with Katherine Zeta Jones, Dan Domenech in Rock of Ages, Al Calderone in 13 and Law and Order, Brian D'addario from Les Mis and Little Mermaid and Danny Quadrino from Bye Bye Birdie and Newsies to name just a few!!! No theater can boast as many success stories! Twenty five years and counting!! We must be doing something right!!

 
 
 
 

Samantha Eagle (she/her)

Instructor, director, General Manager

Samantha has been involved with community theater since she was five years old, taking dance, acting, and music classes, working in the costume department, and performing in shows, such as Annie (Lily St Regis), Cinderella (Ugly Stepsister), and Rent (Joanne). She then studied vocal music and directing at the Tacoma School of the Arts for four years, and studied Musical Theater in the CAP21 Conservatory Program at Molloy College for three years. She has performed at the Madison Theatre as Merida in their annual Princess Tea Party, and sung in their Give Our Regards to Broadway series. She has appeared on the CAP mainstage a number of times, including Oliver! (Nancy), Avenue Q (Kate Monster), Hair (Jeanie), and All Shook Up (Natalie/Ed). She has directed shows at CAP Merrick, including Evil Dead: The Musical (2022), and Into the Woods (2022).

 

Domenick Napoli (he/him)

technical director & Director

Domenick is a graduate of SUNY Cortland graduating with a BA in Musical Theatre and a minor in Computer Applications. Domenick was an intern for the SUNY Cortland costume department and helped build sets at the University. Domenick has built sets for American Idiot, The Wedding Singer, Carrie, Next to Normal, All Shook Up, and Evil Dead. Along with the technical side of things, Domenick has also been performing since elementary school and got started with community theatre with CAP in Wantagh. He has worked with Regional Theatres such as the Argyle Theatre and Opera Ithaca. His performance credits include Rent (Roger), Next to Normal (Henry), Something Rotten (Minstrel/Nick u/s), All Shook Up (Dennis), The Wedding Singer (Robbie Hart), and American Idiot (Johnny). Directorial credits include All Shook Up, The Addams Family, Elf Jr, Grease, and West Side Story.

 

Andrew J Koehler (he/him)

YPT Director and Instructor

Andrew has been involved in the arts since he could walk, from choirs to dance competitions to theatre. Andrew attended Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria (founded by Tony Bennett), where he studied Vocal Music with a concentration in Opera and the Great American Songbook, performing in different events from concerts to cabarets, including appearances on stage at Symphony Space, Carnegie Hall, and Broadway’s Sam S. Shubert Theatre. In NYC, he has performed at Feinstein’s/54 Below, Don’t Tell Mama, and Off-Broadway at the Abrons Arts Center and Theatre Row. Additionally, he attended SUNY Cortland in the department of Musical Theatre, graduating in the Spring of 2023, where he performed and participated in the technical side of many events/shows! Technical Credits include; Lysistrata, Head Over Heels, Seussical (many times!), Possessing Harriet, Company, Proof, and Cabaret. A performer at CAP since 2022, his favorite CAP performance credits include; Evil Dead (Ed/Moose), Rent (Paul), Cabaret (Ludwig), Chicago (Billy Flynn), Something Rotten (Tom Snout). Creative Credits include; Socky Tells All (Off-Broadway), Our Little Secret (Off-Broadway), Relapse: the Musical. Directorial Credits include; No Strings Attached, 2B or Not 2B, Let It Come From You, and Annie Jr.