Leslie Fanelli

Leslie (Reuter) Fanelli is the Artistic Director and Founder of Theatre in Motion, a non-profit repertory company of the New York City/New Jersey area, although they have performed in South Africa and beyond. With Ms. Fanelli at the helm, the troupe consists of multi-ethnic, intergenerational creative and performing artists with and without disabilities, serving an equally inclusive audience demographic. In addition to original performances like "The Promise of Central Park" (from which her short films emanate), the company offers participatory, arts-in-education workshops in Creative Drama, Professional Development, Universal Design for Learning, and Multiple Intelligences. Leslie is the "Theatre for Everyone" teaching artist at the Tony Award-winning Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey; this is a creative drama class for young people with disabilities, their parents and other caregivers, and typical siblings. The musical shorts that she directed and produced, "Song of the Land" and "Back in 1873" with American Sign Language, were featured in 2015 in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' international digital arts festival. These musical shorts feature the wonderful William Dembaugh as "Frederick Law Olmsted" and Broadway's brilliant Gerald Small as the American Sign Language interpreter. Leslie Reuter grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and started her career there on the Showboat Majestic. She has traveled the world as performer and avid tourist, and is living happily ever after with her beautiful family.