Aside from Tony Montanaro, who was known worldwide for his physical theater, other well-known individuals associated with the Celebration Barn Theater include:
Avner Eisenberg: Considered to be one of the world’s greatest clowns. He is perhaps better known for his scene-stealing role in the Michael Douglas movie “Jewel of the Nile,” and has appeared on Broadway, at the Lincoln Center and on stages around the world as a vaudeville performer, clown, mime and juggler.
Aitor Basauri: Celebration Barn instructor and founding member of the acclaimed United Kingdom-based company Spymonkey.
Ato Blankson-Wood: Taught at Celebration Barn as part of the Encompass Collective this year and is a 2020 Tony Award nominee for best featured actor in a play for “Slave Play.”
Mike Iveson: Celebration Barn student in the 2000s, he has appeared on Broadway in “What the Constitution Means to Me” and in films including “West Side Story.”
Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley: Are teaching their first workshop at Celebration Barn this summer and were finalists for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in drama.
Bill Irwin: Actor, clown and comedian who performed at Celebration Barn this summer. In addition to serious Vaudeville chops, he won a Tony Award in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on Broadway, has been on Sesame Street productions and has appeared regularly on television series, including “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”
Tom Bergeron: The television personality, game show host, comedian and actor most recently known for hosting “Dancing with the Stars” was a student of Montanaro’s in the 1970s.
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