The Minty Organization

About Our Honorees

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MICKEY TENNENBAUM     ~     2025 CARL W. LESCH MEMORIAL AWARD FOR EDUCATOR OF THE ARTS

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Mickey Tennenbaum is a teacher, director, and actor, originally from the Netherlands and raised in Brooklyn earning an MFA in Directing for Theatre at Brooklyn College. A high school Speech and Theatre teacher for 35 years, Mickey taught at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn (1970 – 1982) and New Dorp High School in Staten Island (1982 – 2003), as well as four years directing the musicals at Moore Catholic High School (1986-1989), before being invited to join the nationally ranked Theatre Department at Wagner College, where he has been teaching and directing since 2007.

 

While teaching is his first love, Mickey has also directed over 100 shows ranging from high school musicals to community theatre, to grand opera, and the New York Fringe Festival, and an annual presentation for the Wagner Holocaust Center at the St. George Theatre. Some favorite shows include “You Can’t Take It With You”, “Zombie Prom”, “The Wiz”, “Animal Crackers” “The Cradle Will Rock” and “Spamalot”. He has acted and directed for many of the theatre groups in Staten Island where he met people who became life-long friends and one, Karen O’Donnell, who became his wife. His daughter, Lee Tennenbaum, lives and teaches in Staten Island, with her husband and two daughters, Lucy and Molly. Rounding out the family portrait are his stepsons E.T. and David Micha and their daughters Julia and Katie.

 

Mickey and Karen currently live in Manchester, N.J. where they continue to be active in community shows and where Mickey feeds his love of classic film with a steady diet of programming on Turner Classic Movies. Among his other accomplishments are a Time-Warner National Teacher Award, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities for independent study in film history, an Adjunct of the Year award from Wagner College, an appearance on Antiques Road Show with a piece of his extensive classic Mickey Mouse collection, a World’s Greatest Dad award from his daughter,, and – oh yes – a 3 game run on “Jeopardy!”.

 

“For over 50 years, Mickey has been a dedicated teacher, director, and mentor to generations of theatre students,” said Minty Organization Executive Director Kayla McBratney. “While his achievements are long and distinguished, his most impressive legacy is the impact he has had on his students’ lives, which is truly evident by their admiration for him decades later. That is the hallmark of a true educator.”

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ANALISE SCARPACI     ~     2025 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

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Analise Scarpaci, a Staten Island native, has graced the stage on Broadway with roles such as Lydia Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire, The Musical, as well as performances in Matilda, The Musical and A Christmas Story, The Musical. Most recently, she appeared as Debra in the world premiere of Empire Records, The Musical at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. This winter, Analise will appear in two episodes of a very popular television franchise. She currently holds a BFA in Musical Theater from Pace University. A 2017 graduate of Notre Dame Academy, Analise was also an active participant in the theater programs at St. John Villa Academy and Monsignor Farrell during her high school years. Her roles during her high school career include Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar at NDA (2017 Minty Award Winner Outstanding Supporting Actress), Amalia in She Loves Me at Monsignor Farrell, Mayzie in Seussical at St. John Villa, and Vivienne in Legally Blonde at St. John Villa Academy. Analise also appeared in high school productions as an elementary school student as JoJo in Seussical at NDA and Molly in NDA's Annie. In addition to her stage career, Analise is a singer-songwriter with original music available on all streaming platforms, including her latest single, Flashbacks. She also shares her passion for the arts by teaching voice, acting, and dance to kids and teens, both virtually and in person on Staten Island.

 

“From the time Analise was 6 years old I knew she was destined for the stage. Throughout her career I have had the pleasure of watching her grow from a talented little girl to the remarkable woman she is today,” said Minty Organization board member Tanya Glassman. “Her journey from community theater to Broadway, while studying the craft and creating her own voice, is an amazing accomplishment.”

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CHARLES SULLIVAN     ~     2025 COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT AWARD
 

Charles Sullivan has been involved in theatre on Staten Island for 60 years. He was in Minty Honoree Carl Lesch’s choir at Sacred Heart Church and appeared in plays and musicals at his alma mater Monsignor Farrell High School, and in musicals at St. Joseph Hill Academy, as well as the first musicals at St. John’s Villa and St. Joseph by the Sea. Charles was also busy in community theatre, appearing in numerous productions with Staten Island Civic Theatre, In the Wings, Hemlock Theatre, Sundog Theatre, Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre, Seaview Playwright’s Theatre, Renato Productions, OutLoud, The Emerson Players, and Staten Island Summer Musical Theatre. Along the way he was directed by and/or appeared alongside several Minty Honorees.
 

After Msgr. Farrell, Charles attended Yale University, graduating with a degree in English and Theatre Studies. During his time in New Haven, he was a member of the Whiffenpoofs of 1978, singing throughout the United States and Europe and recording an album in Munich. Post college, he worked at the TKTS Booth in Manhattan (and the Staaten on SI) and performed in Summer Stock and Rep Theatre in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and California. He then attended New York Law School, where he served as Editor in Chief of the NYLS Law Review and Graduation Class Speaker. After clerking for Judge Roger Miner of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Charles spent 30 years as a corporate and entertainment litigator, serving clients as diverse as Goldman Sachs and Prince, Exxon and DMX, and Japan Tobacco and Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle, and later as General Counsel for a boutique consulting firm.

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Upon retirement, he returned to his first love, and has been pursuing theatre adventures on Staten Island ever since. In 2019, Charles and Gary Bradley founded Ghostlight Players, a Staten Island community theatre, now operating from Hemsley Hall in Richmondtown. One of the great joys of creating theatre with Ghostlight is the ability to continue the tradition of welcoming high school students to community theatre – and Ghostlight has become a conduit for dozens and dozens of Minty Award nominees and winners to continue to nurture their passion for theatre in a supportive environment. In addition to being a Minty Judge, Charles is a Board member of Where to Turn and SI Arts, has served on the Boards of Cap 21 and The Actor’s Center, and was Chair of the 201 West 16 Owner’s Corporation Board for 20 years.
 

"Since returning to the Staten Island theatre community in 2018 Charles Sullivan has been a tremendous resource and example for young performers across the Island. From the founding of Ghostlight Productions which has featured numerous Minty students both onstage and behind the scenes since its creation in 2019, to assisting in honoring our Catholic High Schools’ theatre history through the Minty Awards over the years, I can think of few better deserving of the community enrichment award," said Minty alum and 2024 host James McKeon.

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