AURORA STAFF
Ben Heller (President)
Ben Heller has been at Aurora Productions since 2003. Prior to joining Aurora, he was the Production Manager at Manhattan Ensemble Theatre as well as a freelance Off Broadway manager and stagehand. His production management philosophy is to provide the creative team and production staff with the best possible tools and support to realize their goals, while also providing general managers and producers with the most efficient and fiscally responsible methods to do so. Ben is a graduate of NYU's Production and Design track in the Drama department at the Tisch School of the Arts. He has guest lectured at NYU, The Broadway League, and Broadway Master Class. He lives in Brooklyn.
Liza Luxenberg (Senior Vice President)
Liza has been a member of the Aurora family since 2009. Prior to joining Aurora, she pursued a career as a Stage Manager, having received dual degrees from Indiana University in Theatre and in Stage Management from the Individualized Major Program. Since joining Aurora, she has had the opportunity to work on shows of all shapes and sizes both on Broadway and Off including a matinee performance of To Kill A Mockingbird at Madison Square Garden for 18,000 New York City Public School students. Her favorite part of Production Management is the first day of Tech when the full Company gets to see all the parts and pieces coming together from page to stage. Liza is from Winter Park, Florida and in her free time enjoys getting out in the sun to make up for all that time in a dark theatre.
CORI GARDNER (BUSINESS AFFAIRS MANAGER)
Cori joined the Aurora team in 2016. She is the Co-Founder and Executive Producer of The PATH Fund, Inc. and the annual ROCKERS ON BROADWAY concert series. Cori was Talent Manager for Whole Artist Management, the General Manager for Gingold Theatrical Group and Managing Director for Wingspan Arts, Inc. Stage Management - Broadway: Triumph Of Love (ASM) and Off-Broadway: I Do! I Do! and No Way To Treat A Lady, Tour: David Copperfield - Dreams and Nightmares (US & Asia). Cori was a Managing Partner in RIOT Entertainment, which was a lead producer on the smash Off-Broadway hit Bat Boy: The Musical, which won both the Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Awards.
Kyle Schuller (Production Manager)
Kyle is thrilled to join Aurora Productions. He was most recently on tour with Feld Entertainment as Production Manager for Disney on Ice: Dream Big! and Sesame Street Live: Let’s Party!, which took him all over the world. Other favorite tours have been with Mythbusters: Jamie and Adam Unleashed!, and Mannheim Steamroller Christmas. Kyle also spent a year in the Production Management department of The Public Theatre. A native of Ohio, and graduate of Wright State University, he worked as a Stage Manager for August: Osage County, Carousel, and other shows. He has also been on tour with Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon- Live Spectacular and Walking with Dinosaurs. He lives with his cat, Huck, who currently has dreams of being the first cat on Broadway (paid in catnip), assuming he stops biting people first.
Nic Forero (Deputy Production Manager)
Nic is originally from Niskayuna New York, and joined the Aurora team in 2022. He holds a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from Purchase College. Other credits include The Colonial Theatre in Westerly RI, and Park Playhouse in Albany NY. When not at work Nic spends his time skiing or baking.
Jack Rhea (Deputy Production Manager)
Jack joined Aurora Productions in July 2018, having worked as a Production Management PA on Tootsie: A Comedy Musical in Chicago and moved to New York to join the cohort of interns in January. Jack holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from The Theatre School at DePaul University. Jack worked for Broadway in Chicago in the operations department and worked on multiple pre-Broadway tryouts. Regional and other credits include NYSAF/Powerhouse Theatre, WPPAC, and Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Delaney Teehan (Deputy Production Manager)
Delaney Teehan has been with Aurora Productions since Fall 2021 when she joined the company as an academic intern. She recently graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied Stage and Production Management in the Production and Design Studio. She has previously worked for Broadway Licensing as their Licensing/Acquisitions Intern, the Tank as a production designer, and the Laguna Playhouse as a stage manager. Originally from Los Angeles, CA, Delaney is now based in New York City’s East Village.
MARTIJN APPELO (PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT)
Originally from the Netherlands, Martijn joined Aurora full time after an internship in the 2018-19 season. Prior to Aurora, Martijn interned at Hudson Scenic Studio and worked for both Spoleto Festival USA and I.A.T.S.E. Local #395. He is a graduate of University of Michigan’s BFA theatre design and production program and enjoys playing piano in his free time.
LUKE RICCA (PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT)
Luke joined Aurora in 2015 after relocating from Illinois. Luke worked with Broadway In Chicago, first in the theatre operations department before leading the production team. Through his work bringing pre-Broadway premiers, national tours, and concerts to Chicago, Luke began a relationship with Aurora that eventually brought him to New York. Luke earned a BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University. If he’s not in a theatre, you’re like to find him on a trail headed for the backcountry with a camera in hand.
John Chapman (Warehouse Manager)
John joined Aurora Productions in 2018. Prior to Aurora, he worked as a laboratory technician and warehousing in the craft brewing industry. John studied Biology and Music at University of Wisconsin and Arizona State University. When not at the warehouse you may find John rolling his upright bass around the city in search of a gig.
JESSE YOUNGSTEIN (STUDENT INTERN)
Jesse is a full time NYU Student who is joining AURORA as an intern for the Fall Semester of 2023.
Gene O'Donovan (Founder)
Gene was the founder of Hudson Scenic Studio in 1980 and its President until 1994 when he left to pursue Production Management on a full-time basis as Aurora Productions. He retired in January of 2015 but continues his commitment to Aurora as a consultant. Gene teaches, inspires and shares his theater experience in Production Management at SUNY Purchase and Columbia University. He is the recipient of the Broadway Masters and Legends Award and a TONY Honors Award For Excellence In The Theater. Gene is married to Linda Batwin O'Donovan (principle of Batwin+Robin Productions). They have five children and six grandchildren.