THE RITZ STAFF
Bruce A. Curless
Founder / Producing Artistic Director
BRUCE CURLESS founded The Ritz in 1985 and remains head of the organization. He is a two-time Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award winner for his children’s show character Ritzy the Wolf. In 2006, he directed and appeared in the New York Premier of Blue Lou and the Bullyfish, as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Among his favorite directorial projects are Candide, Master Class, and Sweeney Todd, which he received a Philadelphia Barrymore Award nomination. He has been a guest director at The University of Pennsylvania, Foundation Theatre, Off Broad Street Theatre, and Rowan University. He appeared in the featured role in the Philadelphia Project Twenty 1 Film Festival winning entry, Ghost Light. He received the Applause Award for outstanding community contributions in the area of theatre and Camden County’s Martin Luther King’s Freedom Award. He was the co-creator and director of The Magick in the Music of Stephen Schwartz, an original musical revue developed at The Ritz Theatre Company with Stephen Schwartz.
Matthew Weil
Associate Artistic Director / Production Manager
MATTHEW WEIL is a graduate of Rowan University’s Theatre program with a concentration in directing and acting. He serves as the Associate Artistic Director and Production Manager with The Ritz Theatre Company and is also a freelance director in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area.
Robert Repici
Director of Education
ROBERT REPICI is an actor, director, and teacher who oversees Educational Programming, Public and Media Relations, and Casting here at The Ritz. An alumnus of Rutgers University (B.A.) and Arizona State University (M.A.S.), his professional work centers primarily on the creation and implementation of evocative arts programming that strives for proactive artist-audience engagement. With over a decade of educational and theatrical experience both on and off the stage, Robert is also a practiced teacher in the Theater Arts and Creative Writing fields, where his work revolves mostly around narrative theory, character creation, and devised performance.
Maria A. Bryan
Box Office, House & Group Sales Manager
MARIA A. BRYAN is delighted to represent The Ritz Theatre Company as the Box Office and Front of House Manager. Maria brings extensive experience in office management, administrative process development, and event management, having worked at executive levels within large corporations such as NCR Corp, AT&T, and CDI. A lifelong theatregoer, and a Mom to a talented performer, she truly enjoys being a part of the extraordinary behind-the-scenes efforts that make magic happen on stage for our audiences.
Dana Wilson
Finance & Accounting Manager
DANA WILSON has enjoyed productions at The Ritz since childhood, and she is thrilled to now be a member of the theater team. She is an alumnus of Rutgers University-Camden (B.A.) and University of Phoenix (M.B.A.). She brings experience in bookkeeping, office management, and event planning to The Ritz.
Lori Aleixo-Howard
Director of Development
LORI ALEIXO-HOWARD is so happy to join The Ritz Theatre Company’s full-time staff as the new Director of Development. She began her development career at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota and eventually became the Assistant Director of Development at Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. During her ten years on staff there, she and the development team successfully raised 1.1 million dollars in contributed income each season. She is also an active teacher, director, and performer, appearing on the Ritz stage most recently as Amanda in the 2019 mainstage production of The Glass Menagerie.
Megan Iafolla
Resident Costume Designer
MEGAN IAFOLLA has been part of the Ritz family for the past four years. She has been the Resident Costume Designer here at The Ritz since the start of 2022. Since 2021, she has also had the privilege of designing the costumes for the Ritz Senior Camp shows in the summer and for the Ritz Stage Starz shows in the autumn and spring. Megan also volunteers for her local high school’s theatre program. Many thanks to her Ritz family for all their support!
Will Bryant
Technical Director
WILL BRYANT is excited to begin his second tenure as Technical Director of The Ritz Theatre Company. He previously served as the Ritz TD from 2017-2018. Other professional experience includes filling the TD position at Philadelphia Scenic Works and at Cecil College’s Milburn Stone Theatre. Will holds bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Vocal Performance, both from the University of Delaware.
Matthew Gallagher
Safety Coordinator & Sound Engineer
MATTHEW GALLAGHER studied Sound Design and Engineering at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and continues to work at area venues as a freelance sound engineer. He holds certifications from various audio equipment manufacturers (including QSC Audio), is a New Jersey certified firefighter and EMT, and holds multiple certifications in the fire and EMS services. In addition to his service in public safety, he is also a Certified Crowd Manager and a member of Event Safety Alliance.