Staff

Julie Cadunzi

March 5, 2025 By

Julie Cadunzi joins Sundog Theatre’s leadership team with over 25 years of corporate experience along with eight years within the New York City Department of Education. Her expertise lies in relationship management, analytical thinking, strategic planning, leadership, and organization.

As General Manager, Julie is responsible for leading and executing smooth day-to-day operations of programmatic, administrative, and ﬁnancial procedures across the organization. She works closely with the executive director in partnership with Sundog’s programs manager and supervises the business manager, bookkeeper, and office staff.

Julie loves to go to the theatre and volunteers with various organizations. She is very passionate about Sundog Theatre’s mission and aims to build upon the conpany’s reputation by continuing to effect positive change in our community.

Born and raised on Staten Island, she is an alumna of P.S. 32, I.S. 24, St. Joseph by the Sea High School, and The College of Staten Island.

Elyssa Paige

November 1, 2024 By

Elyssa Paige entered the scene at Sundog Theatre with a professional writing, editing, sales, marketing, and management background. Native to Staten Island, she lived in San Diego,CA for over 20 years, working in the superfoods industry, print media, and non-profit mentorship programs in public schools. Her experience in the arts ranges from writing and photography to jewelry making and music.

Returning to NYC and finding a home with Sundog Theatre reflects alignment with her passion for inspiring people and uplifting communities through the arts. Homeschooling her two children through the pandemic taught her that learning deepens with music, that visual arts enhance creativity, and stories leap out of pages when students become the characters.

Ellen Petillo

September 7, 2018 By

Ellen Petillo has over 30 years of business experience in brokerage, investment advisory, accounting, and most recently in banking – with expertise in client liaison, payroll, billing, and office management. Her past background in managing an office environment complements Sundog’s growing organization.

Ellen handles Sundog’s financial operations and day-to-day management within the company and likes the interaction of working with a not-for-profit company that makes positive changes in the community.

Ellen has lived on Staten Island since she was a young child and attended Port Richmond High School and College of Staten Island.

Jeannine Otis

February 20, 2017 By

Jeannine Otis has participated in a variety of arts-in education initiatives as a curriculum design consultant, coordinator, and teaching artist. These include: music, music therapy (extensive experience in special education), movement, drama, conflict resolution through drama and mediation, theatre as a tool to address community issues, inter-generational arts programming, creative writing for songwriting and script writing, and relating modern hip-hop culture to topical themes involving positive community awareness and self-expression. She developed and delivers Sundog’s “Soundtrack of Life” Program which encourages students – through music and spoken word – to communicate artistically about a variety of issues such as gun violence, the environment, and oppression – to discuss resolutions as they relate to students’ lives.

Jeannine has been singing since the early ’80’s when she toured with such groups as Kool and the Gang and Shirley Allston and the New Shirelles. Among her stage appearances are principal roles in: Steel (Galt McDermot of Hair) by the American Repertory Theater, and Jerusalem (Liz Swados) produced by New York’s Public Theater. She also appeared at the Supper Club in Manhattan. She performs classical, pop, jazz, dance, R&B, and gospel music and has sung with Grover Washington, Webster Lewis, and Arthur Prysock.

Featured on two gold records (Dana Dane, Profile) and Reed Seed (Grover Washington, Motown), her single, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” went to the Top Ten in Germany, Italy, and England.

A graduate of Wellesley College (B.A. in Music and Sociology) and Emerson College (M.A. in Theatre), when Jeannine is not performing or recording, she is Director of Music at Saint Marks Church in New York City.

Stephen Fehr

February 20, 2017 By

Stephen Fehr has been Sundog’s technical director since its inception in 2002, handling all aspects of production including lighting, sound, and set design/building. He also has worked as technical director for Tracey Esposito’s Chicken Parmigiana at Caroline’s Comedy Club, Sanford Meisner Theatre in Manhattan, and The Muddy Cup in Staten Island. Steve has served as technical director at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and has designed lights for many theatre companies, including Sundog, Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Mount Loretto’s CYO, as well as the Strawberry One-Act Festival in Manhattan. His degree is in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University.

Julie Cadunzi

Elyssa Paige

Ellen Petillo

Jeannine Otis

Stephen Fehr

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