The Lab Faculty
Stage Lab Berlin brings together an international faculty of performers, educators, directors and industry professionals. Faculty members vary throughout the year depending on the programme, ensuring participants benefit from a diverse range of artistic perspectives and professional experience.
Diipti Firmstone
FOUNDER | Artistic Director | VoiceÂ
Australian opera and musical theatre performer, educator and Artistic Director Diipti Firmstone is based in Berlin and is passionate about developing the next generation of performers through outstanding, holistic performing arts training.
Â
With over twenty years' experience as both a performer and teacher, Diipti has built an international career spanning opera, concert performance, musical theatre and vocal pedagogy. Alongside performing, she has taught extensively across Australia & Germany, working with children, young people, aspiring conservatoire students and professional performers.
Â
Drawing on her Australian training and international career, Diipti believes the strongest performers develop through an integrated approach - where singing, acting, movement and creativity are taught together, not in isolation.
Â
As the founder and Artistic Director of Stage Lab Berlin, she created the academy to bridge the gap between traditional music education and the collaborative reality of today's performing arts industry. Her vision is to create an international training environment where young artists can develop technical excellence, confidence, creativity and a deeper understanding of the profession through collaboration with leading performers, educators and industry professionals.
Â
At Stage Lab Berlin, Diipti leads the academy's artistic vision, working alongside an international faculty to prepare performers for auditions, further study and professional careers in the performing arts.
​
www.diipti.com
Lawrence Rush
Musical Director | ComposING | ACTING
Lawrence Rush is an award-winning American composer, musical director, performer and educator with an international career spanning musical theatre, opera and arts education.
Â
With decades of experience as both a performer and teaching artist, Lawrence has worked with leading organisations including The Neighborhood Playhouse, TADA! Youth Theater, Brooklyn Children's Theatre, STEPS on Broadway and, most recently, Berlin Brandenburg International School.
Â
In Summer 2026, he joins the faculty of the Berklee College of Music Musical Theatre Summer Program in Boston.As a composer and lyricist, Lawrence is best known for Pride & Prejudice – The Musical, a Richard Rodgers Award Finalist and Eugene O'Neill Musical Theatre Conference Finalist, which has been performed internationally and featured at New York's renowned 54 Below.
Â
At Stage Lab Berlin, Lawrence leads the musical direction of the programme, bringing together his expertise in vocal coaching, acting through song and musical storytelling. Passionate about nurturing young performers, he creates a supportive and inspiring environment where students are encouraged to develop confidence, artistry and a genuine connection between music, text and performance.
Â
www.lawrencerush.com
Eric Little
Musical DirectorÂ
Eric Little is an American musical director, conductor, pianist, performer and educator whose work spans musical theatre, opera, collaborative performance and international arts projects.​
Â
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Eric has worked extensively throughout the United States as a music director, conductor, pianist and teaching artist. He spent over a decade working with Portland Center Stage, one of the leading regional theatre companies in the United States, where he music directed and conducted productions including RENT, The Music Man and Fun Home, while also performing as an actor and vocalist in a wide range of productions.​
Â
As a collaborative pianist and rehearsal accompanist, Eric worked with Portland Opera, preparing and accompanying complex operatic scores for rehearsal and performance. His work bridges the worlds of opera, musical theatre and contemporary performance, bringing a uniquely versatile perspective to his teaching and artistic leadership.​
Â
Internationally, Eric served as a U.S. State Department Arts Envoy in Cairo, Egypt, where he collaborated with Egyptian and American artists on cross-cultural performance projects, devised new theatrical works and performed at the Cairo International Festival of Contemporary and Experimental Theatre.
Â
Passionate about developing young performers, Eric has led workshops, summer intensives and musical theatre training programmes for teenagers and emerging artists throughout the United States and internationally. His teaching focuses on musicality, storytelling, ensemble collaboration and authentic performance practice.​
Â
At Stage Lab Berlin, Eric serves as Musical Director, guiding students through music rehearsals, ensemble work and performance preparation while helping young artists develop confidence, creativity and strong collaborative skills.
Jess Rucinski
Musical DirectorÂ
American pianist Jess Rucinski is a collaborative pianist, musical director and vocal coach with an international career spanning opera, musical theatre and vocal performance.
Â
Jess is currently a Korrepetitorin at Theater Bonn and has previously worked with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Brandenburger Theater and Berlin Opera Academy. She has held prestigious Piano Fellow positions at the Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West and the Tanglewood Music Center, where she performed in the US premiere of George Benjamin's Written on Skin. At Aspen, she served as Opera Piano Fellow for Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, combining her expertise in both opera and musical theatre.
Â
A graduate of Harvard University, Jess combines exceptional musical precision with a warm, collaborative approach to coaching singers. Her work ranges from Baroque opera to contemporary music, helping performers build confidence, artistry and a deep connection between music and text.
Â
At Stage Lab Berlin, Jess joins the faculty as Musical Director for Week 2, working closely with participants to develop confident, expressive and musically compelling performances while fostering the collaborative spirit at the heart of great musical theatre.
Rachel Nash
Movement | Dance | Choreography
Rachel Nash is an international dancer, choreographer, movement educator and lyric soprano whose work spans ballet, opera, musical theatre and contemporary performance.
Â
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Rachel trained at prestigious institutions including the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School and Ballet Academy East. She performed professionally with Oregon Ballet Theatre, Richmond Ballet and Charlottesville Ballet, dancing principal and featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Mikhail Fokine and other leading choreographers. In 2022, she was selected as one of only 22 dancers to perform in the 90th Anniversary Gala at Jacob’s Pillow, one of the most celebrated dance festivals in the world.
Â
As a choreographer, Rachel has created original works for ballet companies, universities and training institutions across the United States and Europe. In 2024, she was appointed Resident Choreographer for the Berlin Opera Academy’s Summer OpernFest, where she choreographed her first full-length opera, and in 2025 she served as Assistant Director for Opera Zuid’s production of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi in the Netherlands.
Â
Passionate about nurturing the next generation of performers, Rachel brings a uniquely interdisciplinary approach to teaching, drawing upon her extensive experience in dance, acting, music and movement. She holds a BFA in Dance from Point Park University and is currently completing her Gyrokinesis teacher certification while pursuing a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership.
Â
At Stage Lab Berlin, Rachel leads movement and choreography, helping performers develop confidence, physical storytelling, stage presence and authentic artistic expression.
Leslie Unger
Director | Choreographer | Movement & Performance
Leslie Unger is an American director, choreographer, educator and performer whose distinguished international career spans more than three decades across Europe and the United States.
​
Based in Berlin, Leslie has established herself as a respected artist, director and educator working across musical theatre, theatre and performer training. As a performer, she appeared in the European tour of Cats before spending seven years at Berlin's Theater des Westens. Her directing and choreography credits include the Berliner Ensemble, alongside productions throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United States.
Â
An accomplished educator, Leslie has taught, directed and mentored performers at internationally recognised institutions including Yale University, The Hartt School, SVA Musical Berlin and numerous professional training programmes throughout Europe and North America. Her collaborative approach encourages performers to combine technical excellence with imagination, authenticity and confident storytelling.
​
At Stage Lab Berlin, Leslie leads movement, performance and artistic collaboration, helping performers develop physical storytelling, stage presence and the confidence to communicate with authenticity both on and off the stage.