Meet the Production Staff

The Farm was founded in 2000 by Rebecca Feldman, Artistic Director. It is a collective of writers and performers, including Jay Reiss, Dan Fogler, and Sarah Saltzberg. The Farm’s interest is in the role of improvisation in creating new work for the theatre. The Farm initially designates a two-week intensive period in which to discover, develop, and rehearse a play from the impulses borne mainly out of the pressure of a deadline. Previous projects include “Super” (at Atlantic Theatre Studios), “Why I Hate Florida” (workshop at White Wave in DUMBO) and “C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E” (at the Present Company Theatorium in October 2002), on which “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is based. The character and original dialogue of “Beth Marguiles,” “Vice President Douglas Panch,” “Mr. Barfee,” and “Logan Schwarzengrubenierre” were created by Rebecca Feldman, Jay Reiss, Dan Fogler, and Sarah Saltzberg, respectively.

Mariko Watt (Director) is a seasoned theater director, acting coach, musical director, drama teacher, and performer. She’s very excited to be working again with Mr. Doughty, Mr. Turner, and this incredibly talented cast! Prior to Poly Prep, Mariko spent time teaching at the International School of Brooklyn, Brooklyn Children’s Theatre, Queens Theater, and taught for over 15 years in her own private vocal and acting studio. Favorite directing credits include: Curtains, Sweet Charity, Legally Blonde, Freaky Friday, Suessical, Guys and Dolls, and Annie.

Daniel Doughty (Music Director) joined the faculty of Poly Prep in 2006. He teaches Middle and Upper School choral ensembles and general music classes. From 2014 to 2021, he was Department Chair of the Performing Arts Department. He currently serves as Director of Music, overseeing music curriculum and programming from Nursery to Grade 12 on both Poly campuses. Mr. Doughty is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Organization of American Kodaly Educators, the National Association for Music Educators, and the New York State School Music Association. He serves on the Kodaly Organization of New York board and is co-chair of their annual fall Diversity and Equity Summit. Spelling Bee is his sixteenth Poly production as musical director. Mr. Doughty would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of this production’s rehearsal accompanist, John Bowen (thank you, John!) and our first-ever student Assistant Musical Director, the immensely talented Zeke Wise (thank you, Zeke!).

Samuel Turner (Choreographer) New to the extraordinary faculty at Poly Prep, dance educator Sam Turner began his training in music and dance in high school. He was coached and mentored by Violette Verdy, Guillaume Graffin, Julie Kent, Jacque Cesbron, Iris Rosa, and George Pinney at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, performing principal roles within the classical, contemporary, and African diaspora repertoire. Upon graduation, he moved back to the East Coast to dance with leading choreographers Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, Graham Lustig, Elisa Monte, Jennifer Archibald, Lisa de Ribera, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, and Karen Gayle. He has toured throughout North America and Europe with The Metropolitan Opera, The Radio City Rockettes, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Dance Theatre, Cirque du Soleil, Roxey Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, and the Elisa Monte Dance Company. His passion for dance paved the way for dance education and choreographic projects, creating/ staging original pieces for dancers at The Harlem School of the Arts, The Joffrey Ballet School, Ballet Tech, American Youth Dance Theater, TAG Young Scholars, STEPS on Broadway

Youth, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Ballet Theater, Princeton Ballet School, Kicks Dance Studio, Diva Dance, and Art of Dance. As an ABT® NTC certified Fellow & Affiliate Teacher, he coaches and mentors students who are accepted into performing arts institutions and excellence programs.

Kim Griffin (Costume Designer) has designed for theater, musicals, dance, and opera; collaboration with directors, the design team, and the actors is integral to her process from beginning to end. Kim has worked at theaters such as Williamstown Theatre Festival, New Jersey Repertory Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre, Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars, Ohio Light Opera, Stageworks Theatre, Boomerang Theatre Company, Opera in the Heights, and The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston. She has toured with the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Legends Blue Unit and has stitched for The Met Gala, New York Fashion Week, The Golden Globes, Broadway shows, and national tours. She has also designed for Theatre for Young Audiences tours, along with university and high school productions. Kim is originally from Houston, Texas and earned her BFA in Theatre Design & Technology with a minor in music from Baylor University and her MFA in Costume Design from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. As part of the fulfillment of her master’s at MGSA, she studied at Rutgers Conservatory at Shakespeare’s Globe, and The School of Historical Dress in London, England.

Daniel Patrick Hogan (Scenic/Set Designer) has designed scenery, props, hair, and makeup for numerous productions. As a scenic designer, his favorite projects include Little Shop of Horrors, The Seafarer, The Pirates of Penzance, In the Heights, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and A Doll’s House. Recently, Daniel designed scenery for The Wallace Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd. He created an immersive, multi-levelled set that placed the audience in between different locations. His design utilized existing elements of the derelict Wallace Theatre and offered a unique viewing experience for each audience member. Daniel thoroughly enjoys transforming found spaces and designing new works.

David Higham (Lighting Designer & Technical Director) is in his thirty-first year at Poly, where he has been responsible for designing the lighting, sound, and scenery for over 170 productions. In addition to his work at Poly, Mr. Higham has designed lighting for productions at The Public Theatre, Lincoln Center, the Irish Arts Center, The Women’s Project, The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, and The National Shakespeare Company. Mr. Higham also has worked as a lighting designer for several New York City architectural and landscape design firms.