American Magic-Lantern Theater

America's Only Authentic 1890's Magic-Lantern Shows

The American Magic-Lantern Theater is a two-person troupe of international theatre performers, drawn from the following:

Terry Borton

Terry Borton, producer of our international theatre, and its lead performer, is a fourth-generation lanternist who grew up watching magic-lantern shows as a child.

"My great-grandfather had an 1869 kerosene magic lantern. My father had vivid memories of his neighborhood shows at the turn of the century. When I was a kid, my father used that same lantern to put on shows for us, telling the old stories in great-grandpa's dramatic style -- the style I use in our shows now." (See Borton Family Magic-Lantern History. )

After ten years of giving amateur magic-lantern productions, Borton formed a professional troupe, The American Magic-Lantern Theater, in 1992.

Before devoting full-time to the magic lantern, Borton had a wide background in the modern media. For fifteen years he was Editor in Chief of the children's newspaper, Weekly Reader, which, with a circulation at that time of eight million, was the largest newspaper in the world. As company spokesman he appeared regularly on network TV news programs and radio talk shows.

He is the author of two books and hundreds of articles, is the lead performer on two records of poetry readings, has written scores of radio scripts, and is executive producer of "KIDS-TV," a children's TV show. Borton holds a doctorate in education from Harvard, and is currently working on a book on the magic-lantern and America's foremost magic-lantern artist, Joseph Boggs Beale, whose slides are featured in our international theatre shows. (See Cinema Before Film.)

Nancy Stewart

Soprano, Nancy Stewart, is equally at home in opera, operetta, musical theater, oratorio and recital. She has performed leading roles with several opera companies and has been the featured soloists of many orchestras. She is Director of Music at St. Francis of Assisi, Director of the award winning German choruses The Edelweiss and The Turners Singing Society and Director of the Greater Meriden Community Chorus. She performs regularly with the Greater Hartford Opera Ensemble. She is a faculty member of St. Joseph College where she teaches voice and continues her vocal study with Josh Greene of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She has been performing with our international theatre company for sixteen years, since its inception.

Jacqueline Alvarez McKiernan

Jacqueline Alvarez, International Theatre performer.

Jacqueline Alvarez McKiernan, soprano and pianist, was graduated from The Indiana University School of Music, and received her Masters in Music from The University of Hartford's Hartt School. She performs at numerous events in the Northeast, is cantor and assistant organist at St. Brigid's Catholic Church in West Hartford, CT, teaches piano and voice, and is the Membership Director of the Hartford Children's Museum. She has performed with our international theatre for eight years.

Valerie Nicolosi

Valerie Nicolosi, mezzo-soprano and pianist, received her Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and her Masters from the University of Tennessee. She is the recipient of numerous opera awards, including The Richard F. Gold Career Grant and a Liederkranz Prize. Presently, she tours the country singing leading operatic roles on the main-stage of regional opera houses such as the Des Moines Metro Opera and the Knoxville Opera, teaches voice, and performs as a recitalist, best known for her performances of The Holy Rosary in Song. She has performed with our international theatre for three years. For more, visit her web site.

Ashley Piatek

Ashley Piatek, organist, pianist, trumpeter and soprano is a recent graduate of the Hartt School of Music. She is director of music and organist at St. Rita Church in Hamden, Connecticut where she oversees five choral ensembles and accompanies weekly masses. Miss Piatek enjoys music composition and music history and plans to pursue a graduate degree in both in the near future. She has been performing with our international theatre for two years.

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