Bert Bernardi is an actor, director and playwright of over two hundred original musicals. His extensive theatrical experience includes Artistic Director of the former Downtown Cabaret Children’s Company (28 years!), Artistic Director of The Theatre Barn in New Lebanon, New York, and Associate Artistic Director of Millbrook Playhouse in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania.  His work has also been seen at Music Theatre North, NY, The Arundel Barn Playhouse, ME, Surflight Theatre, NJ, the former Boston Post Road Stage Company, CT, Theatreworks New Milford, CT,  and Theatre Fairfield at Fairfield University. Bert also continues his long association with Cortland Repertory Theatre in Central State New York where he has worked as a Guest Director for over a decade. With composer Justin Rugg, his original musicals have been published and licensed by internationally-known Steel Spring StageRights, and was commissioned to create an original musical for students at NYU’s Steinhardt School.  With composer Scott Simonelli, he has adaptations of award-winning children’s books include Cinderella Skeleton, Auntie Claus and The Adventures of Dish & Spoon.  Bert has also served on the Nominating Committee for the Connecticut High School Musical Theatre Awards. In 2017, he was given the Cultural Contribution Award of Distinction by the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce.  For his life work in this field, Bert was bestowed the Connecticut Critics Circle Tom Killen Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre in Connecticut.