Dazzle Awards Creative Team

Connor Gallagher

Director/Choreographer

Connor is a New York-based director, choreographer and dance educator. Most recently he directed and choreographed The Big Gay Jamboree at the Orpheum Theatre in NYC, as well as the world premiere stage adaptation of Moana. He is also known for choreographing the world-wide musical phenomenon Beetlejuice, with productions on Broadway, Australia, London, South Korea and the currently running North American Tour.

 

Connor received the Astaire Award for his work on The Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of The Robber Bridegroom, directed by Alex Timbers. Other notable recent work includes a new adaptation of Beauty and the Beast for Disney Creative Entertainment running aboard the Disney Dream; the world-premiere stage adaptation of Disney’s Tangled; Robert Schenkkan and Neil Berg’s The Twelve (Denver Center); the HIFA Festival in Zimbabwe; Found (Philadelphia Theatre Company), 13 North American companies of ELF; and pieces for Goodspeed Musicals, The Public Theatre, Theatreworks USA, Buck County Playhouse, Lincoln Center, Papermill Playhouse, Westport Country Playhouse, ACT, Playhouse Square, and Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC. Last year he choreographed the world-premiere of Will Aronson and Hue Park’s IL TENORE at the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea.

 

Next up Connor will direct and choreograph the new musical Miss Step, by Melissa Li and Kit Yan. He graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory and was honored with the 2021 Young Alumni Award. He is a former competitive gymnast and made his Broadway debut as a performer in the final company of Beauty and the Beast. IG: @connorga. www.connorgallagher.com

Joel Mercier

Music Director

Joel is a New England based Director, Music Director, and Composer. No stranger to Cleveland, Mercier spent four years with Great Lakes Theater, musically directing their productions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, My Fair Lady, The Secret Garden and Les Misérables, which won the Cleveland Critics and Broadway World Cleveland Award for Best Music Director. Past orchestration, arrangement, & music direction credits include nationally recognized theaters all over the country such as the New London Barn Playhouse (NH), Northern Stage (VT), Goodspeed Opera House (CT), Center for the Arts (PA), Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ID), the Palace Theatre (NH), American Music Theatre (PA), and NYC’s Duplex, Westbeth Off-Broadway & Nokia Theatre Times Square. An award-winning composer, Mercier’s original productions & adaptations include Ghost Hunting and Lost in Wonderland (NH Theatre Factory), The Magic of Fairytales Series (Palace Theatre), Tom Sawyer (Winnipesauke Playhouse), and A Christmas Carol: A Sparkling New Musical which toured across the country in 2013. Mercier, a graduate of the Hartt School, was the Resident Music Director & Artistic Associate at the New London Barn Playhouse for six years, a Guest Artist at Dartmouth College for three, and is currently the Producing Artistic Director at North Country Center for the Arts Jean's Playhouse in NH. He is very excited to be back in Cleveland, having musically directed all the Dazzle Awards shows since its very beginning. www.joelmercier.com 

Rob Kovacs

Associate Music Director

Rob Kovacs, also known by his stage name 88bit, is a multi-award-winning video game composer, concert pianist, synthwave producer, singer-songwriter, and partnered Twitch streamer. He made history as the first person to perform a solo version of Steve Reich’s Piano Phase, playing both piano parts on two pianos simultaneously.

 

Kovacs composed the acclaimed soundtrack for the award-winning virtual reality game STRAYLIGHT, which earned multiple accolades and was nominated for a 2024 Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Award for Best Video Game Soundtrack Album. In collaboration with producer Save Point, Kovacs released Video Game LoFi: Super Mario 64, a collection of lo-fi, jazz-inspired arrangements of music from Super Mario 64. Their track "Dire Dire Docks" won the 2023 G.A.N.G. Award for Best Game Music Cover.

 

Through his 88bit project, Kovacs brings iconic video game music to life with intricate and innovative piano arrangements, often focusing on the 8-bit era. His arrangements include tracks from Marble Madness, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, R.C. Pro-Am, The Adventures of Lolo, and more. Kovacs has performed at renowned gaming events like PAX West, PAX East, GDC, Super MAGFest, TwitchCon, and the G.A.N.G. Awards. He’s had the honor of performing for legendary video game composers such as David Wise (Donkey Kong Country) and Takashi Tateishi (Mega Man 2).

 

Kovacs has collaborated with renowned artists such as Mark Mothersbaugh, Mega Ran, Insaneintherainmusic, Triforce Quartet, and even Twitch CEO, Dan Clancy. He has also performed with prestigious orchestras, including Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy and A New World: intimate music from Final Fantasy, as well as in national touring Broadway productions, including Mamma Mia!, MJ: The Michael Jackson Musical, White Christmas, and Wicked.

 

In addition to his video game music career, Kovacs has a rich history in the indie rock scene. He fronted two bands—Math + Logic and Return of Simple—whose album Saffron received airplay on Sirius XM and college radio. His 2021 solo album Let Go garnered regional airplay and national press, with features in American Songwriter, Glide Magazine, Cleveland Magazine, and podcasts such as Music Production Podcast and Level With Emily.

 

Kovacs is also a performing member of the No Exit New Music Ensemble, a contemporary classical group that commissions and presents new works. He serves as a professor of composition and songwriting at Baldwin Wallace University, where he mentors the next generation of musicians.

Jack-Anthony Ina

Stage Manager

Jack-Anthony Ina is a director, designer, and stage/production manager with over 300 production credits. His work has recently been seen in Atlanta, New York City, and throughout Northeast Ohio. Jack graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre: Stage Management and Arts Management & Entrepreneurship in 2020. He is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and is currently working as the Production Manager for Baldwin Wallace University's Conservatory of the Performing Arts. Jack also continues to work as a freelance director and designer. 

Recent Credits: Ordinary Days (Production Stage Manager), Ride the Cyclone (Production Stage Manager, Video Designer), A Soulful Christmas (Lighting Designer), Motown (Production Manager and Lighting Designer), Sister Act (Lighting Designer), Ghost the Musical (Production Stage Manager), The Wild Party (Production Stage Manager), Sweeney Todd (Choreographer, Lighting Designer), The Lightning Thief (Scenic/Lighting/Props Designer, Production Coordinator), The Color Purple (Lighting Designer), Kinky Boots (Lighting/Video Designer), Disney’s Newsies (Director, Music Director/Conductor), Secrets at 54 Below (Director).

IG: @jackanthonyina  jackanthonyina.com 

Julie C. Okuley

Assistant Stage Manager

Julie received her Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre degree from Siena Heights University in 2011. Back to reprise her role as ASM for the Dazzle Awards, other stage management credits include The River Bride, Breakout Session & The Outstretched Hand (Cleveland Public Theatre), A Streetcar Named Desire and Bright Ideas (The Brecksville Theatre), Bloody, Little Pieces (Blank Canvas Theatre), Disney Musicals in Schools Student Share (Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square 2016-18) and others. Julie has also most recently returned to the stage with appearances in Lakeland Theatre’s If/Then (u/s Kate) and Blank Canvas Theatre’s productions of We Will Rock You (ensemble). Favorite roles include Hannah in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, Nancy D. in A New Brain, and Lavinia in the two-part production of Mourning Becomes Electra. She has been seen on the Croswell Opera House stage in multiple productions, including A Chorus Line (u/s Kristine, Connie) and Titanic. Julie is currently employed full-time for the Education Department at Playhouse Square.

Whitney Miller

Assistant Stage Manager

Whitney Miller is a Cleveland-based, freelance Stage Manager and a full-time Project Manager, with a background in technical design. She is thrilled to be a part of the Dazzle Awards team. Whitney attended Case Western Reserve University for Chemical Engineering and Film Studies where she spent most of her time with the CWRU Footlighters. Some of her favorite past shows include Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Blank Canvas Theatre), Evil Dead the Musical (Blank Canvas Theatre), The Last Five Years (Players' Theatre Group), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Blank Canvas Theatre), and her most recent work in Head Over Heels (Near West Theatre). She's happiest in the theatre, writing, or taking photos with Shiny Penny Studios. You're all very talented!