Eric Schaeffer
Eric Schaeffer (Director) is the artistic director/co-founder of Signature Theatre, Washington DC, recipient of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award and home to the American Musical Voices Project, the largest musical commission program in the country. Broadway: Putting It Together, Glory Days. West End: The Witches of Eastwick. Kennedy Center: artistic director, Sondheim Celebration; Sunday in the Park With George, Passion, Mame, Follies. Regional: Mark Taper Forum, Goodman Theatre, Ford's Theatre and Arena Stage. Signature: world premieres of The Hollow, First You Dream, Saving Aimee, Nevermore; the American premieres of The Fix and The Witches of Eastwick; as well as Les Misérables, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods among others. Six Helen Hayes Awards for Direction.
COLIN ESCOTT
Colin Escott (Co-Author). Born in England, Colin Escott lives near Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of several books, including Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll, the first in-depth account of the Sun Records story. He co-produced “Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues” for PBS and BBC, and won a Grammy for The Complete Hank Williams on Mercury Records. He is a consultant to Time Life Music.
FLOYD MUTRUX
Floyd Mutrux (Co-Author) apprenticed at Alley Theatre, Houston; Second City, Chicago; studied in NY while working at Second City and attending Colombia University; in Los Angeles, created idea, wrote, directed or produced 50 films in 25 years: American Hot Wax (Best Picture, Director, Village Voice, etc.), Scarecrow (Best Film, Cannes), Hollywood Knights, Urban Cowboy, The Untouchables, American Me, Freebie and the Bean, Up in Smoke, Dick Tracy, Ice Cube's new football movie and with his wife, Birgitte, created a rock 'n' roll Field of Dreams, Moon Over Memphis. (floydmutrux.com)
DEREK McLANE
Derek McLane (Scenic Design). Credits: The Miracle Worker; Ragtime; 33 Variations (2009 Tony Award, Best Scenic Design); The Pajama Game (Tony Award, Best Revival); Grease; The Threepenny Opera; Little Women; I Am My Own Wife (Tony Award, Best Play); The Women; Present Laughter; Holiday; Ruined; Lie of the Mind; Becky Shaw; Rafta, Rafta; 10 Million Miles; Things We Want; The Voysey Inheritance; Two Trains Running; Hurlyburly; Abigail's Party; Aunt Dan and Lemon. Awards: 1997 and 2004 Obie Awards; 2004, 2005, 2007 Lucille Lortel Awards; 2006 Tony nomination.
HOWELL BINKLEY
Howell Binkley (Lighting Design). B'way works include Memphis, West Side Story (Tony nom.), Guys and Dolls, In the Heights (Tony nom.), Jersey Boys (Tony Award), Avenue Q, Parade, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony nom.) and How to Succeed.... Extensive regional and dance works. Joffrey Ballet (Billboards), Parsons Dance (co-founder) for which he has designed more 60 pieces and the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration. Five-time Helen Hayes Award recipient, 1993 Sir Laurence Olivier Award and Canadian Dora Award for Spider Woman, 2006 Henry Hewes Design Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Jersey Boys.
JANE GREENWOOD
Jane Greenwood (Costume Design). More than 100 Broadway/Off-B'way credits including Present Laughter, A View From the Bridge, Waiting for Godot, Thurgood, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Trumpery, Heartbreak House, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, On Golden Pond, A Moon for the Misbegotten, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Master Class, The Sisters Rosensweig. Metropolitan Opera: revival of Adriana Lecouvreur (2009), Dialogue of the Carmelites, The Great Gatsby; Chicago Lyric Opera: Nabucco and Rigoletto; SF Opera: La Favorita. Film: Arthur, Can't Stop the Music, Glengarry Glen Ross. Awards: Irene Sharaff Life Time Achievement Award, Theatre Hall of Fame, 15 Tony nominations. Professor, Yale School of Drama.
KAI HARADA
Kai Harada (Sound Design) attended Yale University before leaving to pursue a career in theatrical sound design. As associate to sound designer Tony Meola, he has worked on such projects as A Christmas Carol; The Sound of Music; Disney's Der Glöckner von Notre Dame; Kiss Me, Kate; Sweet Smell of Success; and Wicked. Regional and Off-Broadway designs include Two Cities, Heaven Help Us!, Under the Bridge, Barbie Live! in Fairytopia and Million Dollar Quartet in Chicago. In his spare time he supervises the sound for Wicked around the world.
CHUCK MEAD
Chuck Mead (Musical Arrangements and Supervision). For the past 15 years singer/songwriter Chuck Mead has stood at the forefront of the Americana roots music movement as co-founder and front man of the three-time Grammy-nominated and Country Music Association Award-winning country band BR-549. After five acclaimed albums and two hit EPs, Chuck released his first solo record Journeyman's Wager in 2009 and continues to tour the world. Also known as a record producer, MDQ is Chuck's first foray into musical theatre.
MICHAEL KELLER
Michael Keller (Music Contractor). Music coordination for Broadway: American Idiot, All About Me, The Addams Family, Fela!, Memphis, Next to Normal, West Side Story, Billy Elliot, In the Heights, Wicked, Mamma Mia!, The Lion King; Barbra Streisand concerts (1994- 2007). Pamela, Zachary and Alexis make it all worthwhile.
TOM WATSON
Tom Watson (Hair and Wig Design) is head of the wig department at the Metropolitan Opera. He has designed wigs for more than 40 Broadway productions. Recent Broadway designs include The Addams Family, A View From the Bridge, Present Laughter, Wicked, Rock of Ages, South Pacific and Sunday in the Park With George.
DAVID RUTTURA
David Ruttura (Assistant Director) has worked as an associate/assistant on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally and internationally with Walter Bobbie, Marc Bruni, Doug Hughes, Thomas Kail, Des McAnuff and Philip Wm. McKinley. Directing credits with At Play Productions, Second Generation, EST, 24 Hour Company, among others.
ROBERT WITHEROW
Robert Witherow (Production Stage Manager). Broadway: Next to Normal, Boeing-Boeing, Avenue Q, Baz Lurmann's La Bohème, Putting It Together. National tours: White Christmas (Toronto), The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Proof, Rent, Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. Off-Broadway: Rose's Dilemma (MTC), Dinner With Friends. Regional work includes more than 20 productions at Arena Stage in Washington DC. Film: Burlesque (Thanksgiving 2010).
CAROLYN KELSON
Carolyn Kelson (Assistant Stage Manager). Broadway: Boeing-Boeing, Avenue Q, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, La Bohéme. Other NYC: Sinatra at Radio City. Additionally Carolyn has production managed with Aduro Productions, and she is the talent manager and PSM for the Tribeca Film Festival's Family Festival.
TELSEY + COMPANY
Tesley + Company (Casting). Broadway/tours: Enron, The Addams Family, All About Me, Race, Memphis, Next to Normal, Rock of Ages, South Pacific, In the Heights, Wicked, Legally Blonde, Peep Show in Vegas. Film: Sex and the City 1 and 2, Jonah Hex, Main Street, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, I Love You Phillip Morris, Rachel Getting Married, Dan in Real Life, Then She Found Me, Across the Universe, Ira & Abby, Rent, Pieces of April, Camp, Grey Zone, Finding Forrester, Bone Collector.
RELEVANT THEATRICALS
Relevent Theatricals (Producer), headed by Gigi Pritzker and Ted Rawlins, develops and produces new work for the stage. Current projects include The Great Gatsby, on course to open in London next year; Snapshots, a new musical with book by David Stern and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; and a new musical version of Dennis the Menace. Relevant's sister company, Odd Lot Entertainment, develops and produces film properties. Current films include Rabbit Hole, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire, starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart and Dianne Wiest and directed by John Cameron Mitchell.
JOHN COSSETTE PRODUCTIONS
John Cossette Productions (Producer). John Cossette was destined for Broadway. As rumor has it, in his early days managing an Off-Broadway theatre, he learned that shutting off the air conditioning ten minutes before intermission sold more drinks. Thirty-plus years later, Cossette has become a major force in music, television, live events and theatre. Credits include 18 years producing the Grammy Awards®; ten years for the BET Awards, earning him two NAACP Image Awards; the grand re-opening of Radio City Music Hall; live concerts in Central Park and Centennial Olympic Park for the 1996 Olympic Games; and MusiCares for NARAS.
AMERICAN POP ANTHOLOGY
American Pop Anthology (Producer). An anthology series about the people "who made the music that changed the culture of our country." Along with Escott and Birgitte (choreographed MDQ in Florida), is workshopping The Alan Freed Show, The Fat Man Sang, Boy From NYC, Lonesome Town (with John Kaye), Someday My Prince Will Come. After a one-year workshop in L.A., Baby It's You (about the Shirelles) is coming to NY in the 2010/11 season.
BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
Broadway Across America (Producer) is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring musicals and plays across 40 North American cities. Under the supervision of Beth Williams (COO and Head of Production), Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre. Current Broadway productions include Promises, Promises; Lend Me a Tenor; La Cage aux Folles; Hair; and West Side Story. Touring productions include Dreamgirls and Nickelodeon's Storytime Live. Please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.
JAMES L. NEDERLANDER
James L. Nederlander (Producer). President of the Nederlander Organization and son of James M. Nederlander (Chairman). He is the third generation of a family known for owning and operating theatres around the world as well as theatrical productions, cultural presentations and popular music attractions. Current productions include West Side Story, Come Fly Away, The Addams Family, Next to Normal and Race. Upcoming productions include a live show with magician David Blaine.
