Mana Allen

Mana Allen is a Musical Theatre educator, historian, director, writer, dramaturg, and former actor. A master teacher of song performance, her former students are appearing or have appeared in over 75 Broadway shows and have garnered numerous nominations and awards for acting, directing, choreographing, writing and producing in theatre, television and film. As a young actor, Mana created roles in 17 original musicals, including the original Broadway casts of Merrily We Roll Along and Smile. Mana has been a permanent volunteer to the NYPL Library for the Performing Arts since 2008, where she has worked on 60 exhibits and directed numerous musical events. She currently serves on the faculties of Barnard College and Manhattan School of Music. She was a founding faculty member of NYU/CAP21 studio. Mana hails from a Musical Theatre family. Her personal and family stories appear in The Untold Stories of Broadway by Jennifer Ashley Tepper.