About Ilana Ransom Toeplitz
Alan Cumming, Reefer Madness
(April 20, 2014 - New World Stages)
Violet (Roundabout Theatre Company, 2014)
Mary Poppins
(Berkshire Theatre Group, 2015)
"Hot Honey Rag"
from Chicago. (Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute, 2018)
bare: A Pop Opera
Ilana Ransom Toeplitz is a director/choreographer specializing in new work, comedy, and musical theatre.
On Broadway, Ilana was Leigh Silverman’s Assistant Director on the 2014 Tony-Nominated revival of VIOLET starring Sutton Foster as well as the 2018 SDCF Mike Ockrent Fellow with Casey Nicholaw on THE PROM.
Ilana was the Associate Director for the national tours of DIRTY DANCING: THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE (2017-2018, by Eleanor Bergstein, directed by Sarna Lapine, choreographed by Michele Lynch) and A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL! (2014-2015, directed by Matt Lenz, choreographed by Warren Carlyle).
Ilana holds assistant or associate credits with Sarna Lapine, Leigh Silverman, Susan Stroman, Joe Calarco, Martin Charnin, Dan Knechtges, Baayork Lee, and with Signature Theatre (VA), Second Stage Theatre (NYC), New York City Center – Encores!, The Huntington Theatre, Keen Company, Pittsburgh CLO (Assistant Choreographer for the 2012 season), and the York Theatre Company.
Ilana is a Mike Ockrent Fellow and a Drama League Director’s Project Alum (2017 Leo Shull New Musicals Directing Fellow).
Joshua Henry, Sutton Foster & Colin Donnell in Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2014 Tony-Nominated Broadway production of Violet.
Ilana directed the original cast of REEFER MADNESS in 2014 featuring Alan Cumming at New World Stages and the 10th Anniversary Concert in 2015 at 54 Below. Other favorite Director/Choreographer credits include THE DROWSY CHAPERONE and the TheatreWorksUSA tours of CLICK, CLACK, MOO! and A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
In the world of new work, Ilana has developed and directed the premieres of LIVING OVER THE RAINBOW (Dallas Uptown Players), MY PRECIOUS SNUGGLEFLUFF by Nadav Weisel and Britt Bonney (Lincoln Center – Reading), JULIET AND JULIET by Natalie Tenenbaum (York Theatre – Reading), ARE YOU THERE, MORGAN FREEMAN? (NYMF), BIG BABIES by Matthew Wilkas (Berkshire Theatre Group), THE BRONTE STORIES by Katie Palmer, Sarah Ziegler & Lucas Tahiruzzaman Syed (New York Theatre Barn), SPELLBOUND: A PERFECT MUSICAL FAIRYTALE by Ben Boecker, SO SWEET! The Music of Eric Dietz (New York Theatre Barn), ALL THE WALLS by Eric Dietz, MARISOL: THE MAIL-ORDER COUNTRY MUSIC STAR by Ben Boecker and Laurel Haines (Manhattan Musical Theatre Lab), CRUDE by Maureen Condon (NYMF), SHARK ATTACK! by Jordan Wolfe and Patrick Kelly, and IF THE GLOVE FITS by Louise Schwarz (RAL Productions).
As a choreographer, Ilana has gotten her taps on productions of 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE (ACT of CT), MARY POPPINS (Berkshire Theatre Group), SEUSSICAL (BTG) and SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (Watertown Children’s Theatre - Boston Globe Critic’s Pick).
Aaron Patrick Craven as Johnny Castle leading the 2017-2018 National Tour of "Dirty Dancing: the Classic Story On Stage".
Offstage, Ilana was the Assistant Director on the 2017 Peabody-Award winning podcast “The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel”.
In addition to holding guest teaching artist titles with Berkshire Theatre Group and Clark University, Ilana was photographed and featured in Gabriela Herman’s book “The Kids: Children of L. G. B. T. Q. Parents”.
Ilana is a proud Pittsburgh native.
“Changing Lives” from Broadway’s The Prom (2018)
"Step in Time"
from Mary Poppins
(Berkshire Theatre Group, 2015)
The Bronte Stories
(February 2017 - New York Theatre Barn)
Patricia Noonan in "The Brontes"
(New York Theatre Barn, 2017)
"All That Jazz"
from Chicago (Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute, 2018).