Michael Presser, President and CEO
Michael Presser is the founder and President of Inside Broadway, a New York City based non-profit theatre company for youth now celebrating its 41st anniversary season.
The organization was originally established in 1982 at the invitation of Bernard B. Jacobs, the late President of the Shubert Organization, Inc., as an effort to create a student ticket program for the Broadway musical Cats. Today, Inside Broadway develops and produces touring musical productions as well as a wide range of educational programs that allow students to interact with professionals in the field and experience theatre hands-on in the classroom. More than 30,000 students in 85 schools in all five boroughs participate each year in Inside Broadway’s Programs. The most recent repertoire features Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Smokey Joe’s Café, Marlo Thomas’ Free To Be...You and Me, George M. Cohan’s My Hometown, Oscar Hammerstein’s All Kind Of People, Irving Berlin’s Land That I Love, Richard Rodgers’ Broadway, Leonard Bernstein’s On The Town, Bye Bye Birdie, The Pirates of Penzance, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, and R&H’s Cinderella.
Mr. Presser has worked extensively in the commercial concert and artist management fields, having served as a consultant to the Geneva Opera, Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf, The National Theater in Prague, Theatre des Westens in Berlin, Theatre Aachen and Gaudi Musicals, Cologne. He has also served such notable artists as Karl Richter, Carlos Montoya, Peter Nero and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
He was an active participant in New York City community affairs for over 30 years as a member of Manhattan Community Planning Board #5 and served as its chairman. He has also served in the Times Square Alliance, Mayor’s Midtown Citizens Committee, The Broadway Association and the Town Hall Foundation. He is the recipient of the 2000 Heart to Heart Award for service in the Times Square Theatre District and the 2005 Theatre Museum Award for the Arts in Education. He was also honored by the Broadway League and the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds for over 25 years of service to the Broadway industry.
Mr. Presser is a member of The Broadway League, Opera America, The Producers League of Theatre for Young Audiences, Inc. (PLOYTA); The New York City Arts in Education Round Table (AIE); Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A.R.T./New York).
A Philadelphia native, he is a graduate of Temple University and a member of The University Club of New York, and a long time resident of Greenwich Village in New York City.
- Phone: 212-245-0710 ext 12
- Email: mpresser@insidebroadway.org
Katie McAllister, Executive Director
Katie McAllister is a graduate of the University of Maryland and has been working in the teaching field for over 30 years in both the academic and arts and education forums. Katie began her work with Inside Broadway in the “Be the Artist” program at Donnell Library and joined the teaching artist staff of Inside Broadway shortly thereafter. As Program Director for Inside Broadway, Katie has used her experience as a teacher as well as a performer to shape Inside Broadway’s Teaching Artist Residency Programs to reflect both the artistic and academic needs of students in schools today, developing programming for students of all abilities. She has written the Study Buddies and Educator Lesson Plans for Inside Broadway’s productions of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Smokey Joe’s Café, The Melody Lingers on... The Music of Irving Berlin and Richard Rodgers Broadway!. For Simply Elementary she wrote the book, lyrics and studyguide for the immigration musical Next Stop, America. Ms. McAllister is passionate about bringing arts services to students of all abilities and is the proud recipient of the 2007 Herbert Birch Friendship Award for excellence in Arts and Education for exceptional children
- Phone: 212-245-0710 ext 10
- Email: kmcallister@insidebroadway.org
Nicholas M. Sala, Company Manager, Associate Producer
Nicholas Sala has worked at Inside Broadway since 1998 where, as Company Manager and Associate Producer, he has managed over 24 Inside Broadway productions. Favorites include: Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Smokey Joe’s Café, On The Town and R&H’s Cinderella. He also produces Inside Broadway’s Creating The Magic programs. Creating The Magic is a unique behind the scenes look at a Broadway musical presented at a Broadway theater. Past collaborations have been with Broadway’s Wicked, Billy Elliot, Hairspray, and Mamma Mia! Nicholas is also the Associate Producer of The Broadway Beacon Awards, which are held annually in June. He also coordinates special Broadway concerts which are presented at the University Club.
Prior to Inside Broadway, Nicholas worked at Richard Frankel Productions in the Company Management Department for the 1998, revival of The Sound of Music and Livent for the Broadway premiere of Ragtime at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Under his own producing company, NMS productions, he has produced many staged readings through-out NYC.
He has also produced several concerts throughout the city. Most recently he was the Production Coordinator for an evening with Broadway legend Chita Rivera.
He is the President of the Board of Directors of the City Island Theater Group located on City Island in the Bronx. Nicholas is a graduate of The College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale with a BA in English Literature and a minor in secondary education.
- Phone: 212-245-0710 ext 13
- Email: nicks@insidebroadway.org
Hayden Kraus, Program Director
Hayden Kraus is a theatre artist and arts educator. He joined the Inside Broadway team as Program Coordinator in April 2022. Arts education has played a crucial role in Hayden's development and has helped him champion new tasks as a theatre professional.
Hayden previously worked as the Fine Arts Director at St. Mary Schools in Neenah, Wisconsin, where he oversaw all theatre production along with music and art education programs. He managed both the facility and served as the artistic director for all productions for the p3-12, private school system.
In 2013, Hayden co-founded Zephyrs Community Theatre in Northeast Wisconsin that produces family-based productions each summer with over 200 participants in cast, crew, and orchestra. The program also included of a free student edition, which consisted of a full production along with special workshops for the students.
Previously to Inside Broadway, Hayden worked at Theatre Row, an off-Broadway theatre on 42nd Street, as the Stage Door Coordinator.
Hayden is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, where he received his BFA in Design/Technology.
- Phone: 212-245-0710 ext 16
- Email: hayden@insidebroadway.org
Elisha Herring, Program Coordinator and Executive Assistant
Elisha Herring is a graduate of the University of St Andrews, where she studied French and German. She also participated in a large variety of student-led productions, both onstage and offstage; highlights include roles as artistic director for Gilbert and Sullivan's The Sorcerer, assistant producer for Sweeney Todd, and ensemble roles in several other productions.
Previously, she was the Executive Assistant at the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater.
- Phone: 212-245-0710 ext 11
- Email: elisha@insidebroadway.org
Laura Jean Hawkins, Government Relations
Laura Jean Hawkins is the President of Hawkins Consulting Inc and handles Inside Broadway's Government Relations.
- Phone: 718-545-1830
- Email: ljhawkins4502@gmail.com
Nicholas and Lence Communications, Public Relations
In 2007, Cristyne Nicholas and George Lence co-founded Nicholas & Lence Communications, building a successful award-winning, multi-platform firm to increase visibility and ROI for a diverse roster of clients. Nicholas & Lence Communications specializes in media relations, government & community affairs, crisis management, destination marketing and corporate positioning and has earned spots in New York Observer‘s “The 50 Most Powerful Public Relations Firms in America” and City & State New York’s “Political PR and Lobbying Power 50”.
- Phone: 212-938-0005
- Email: shinjung@nicholaslence.com
Kieran Kelly, Bookkeeper
- Email: kkelly@insidebroadway.org