ROGER BEAN (Creator/Director). The Marvelous Wonderettes was originally created for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where Bean created several new musicals reimagining different eras and genres of American music. Route 66, Life Could Be a Dream, Honky Tonk Laundry and Why Do Fools Fall in Love? have been produced in theatres across the country, and his ’40s musical The Andrews Brothers was a recent West Coast hit at Musical Theatre West. Bean has written and/or directed for Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Delaware Theatre Company, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Madison Repertory Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Skylight Opera Theatre, The Laguna Playhouse and numerous stages in between. www.rogerbean.com.
DAVID ELZER (Producer) David Elzer won the 2007 Ovation Award for the record breaking, smash-hit, 19-month run of The Marvelous Wonderettes and Winter Wonderettes at the El Portal Forum Theatre, He is also a producer on Sister Act: The Musical, opening in London's West End in 2009. He also was a producer on Jewtopia, Off Broadway (also at the Westside Theatre), The Laramie Project at the Laguna Playhouse and Catalpa and Shyness is Nice at the Alliance Theatre. He is also developing an original musical, Justin Love, with Lori Scarlett and David Manning (Sneaux, The Break-Up Notebook: The Lesbian Musical).
As President of DEMAND PR, one of Los Angeles most respected theatrical marketing and public relations firms, he represents The Antaeus Company, Cabrillo Music Theatre, Celebration Theatre, Colony Theatre Company, Furious Theatre Company, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, NoHo Arts Center, Open Fist Theatre Company, Rubicon Theatre Company, Theatre Tribe and West Coast Ensemble. He is also proud to represent the L.A. Stage Alliance and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle for the past several years. He has created marketing and p.r. campaigns for some of L.A.'s longest running shows including The Marvelous Wonderettes, Julia Sweeney's Letting Go of God, Jewtopia and Bark, and represented such shows as Matt and Ben, Confessions of a Mormon Boy, Turnaround (with David Schwimmer, Tom Everett Scott and Jonathan Silverman), Sam. (with Sam Harris), Grand Hotel the Musical (Peter Schneider dir.), tick...tick...BOOM!, the L.A. premieres of Side Show, The Laramie Project and Fuddy Meers (at the Colony Theatre), the L.A premiere of Sunday in the Park with George and Floyd Collins (West Coast Ensemble), among many others. He also was the publicity representative for the Los Angeles premiere of Disney's The Lion King. Thanks for checking out our website! Now go buy a ticket or two! www.demandpr.com.
PETER SCHNEIDER (Producer) has enjoyed an extensive and multifaceted movie and theatrical career. His directing credits include Sister Act, the Musical, scheduled to open in London’s West End in 2009, The Breakup Note Book, Marc Blitzstein opera, Regina, a revival of Grand Hotel, the Musical, Glen Roven’s Norman’s Ark, and a Live action / Animation short staring Julie Andrews celebrating the 40th anniversary of Mary Poppins. He has also directed for the WPA Theatre, Playwrights Horizon and Circle Rep. His Broadway producing credits include the multi-awarding winning The Lion King, for which he won a Tony Award, and Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida. As President of Animation and Chairman of the Studio for the Walt Disney Company for 17 years, he was responsible for creating and distributing over 50 movies including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, (Golden Globe Award Winner), Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Roger Rabbit, Remember the Titians and Princess Diaries. He was the Associate Director of the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival, is a world champion bridge player, having won the Transnational Open Teams in Estroil Portugal,has an honorary doctorate from Purdue University, is married, has two daughters and lives in Los Angeles and New York.
JANET MILLER (Choreographer) has been directing, choreographing and teaching theater for twenty eight years. She is currently the Artistic Director for the Torrance Theatre Company where she has directed fifteen productions in her six year tenure. She is also a founding artist for the newly formed Manhattan Beach Players. She has worked on both the East and West coasts on such shows as Side By Side By Sondheim, South Pacific, Kiss Me Kate, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Fantasticks, Annie Get Your Gun, Dames At Sea, The Odd Couple, Taming of the Shrew, Of Mice and Men, The Man Who Came To Dinner and The Crucible to name a few. Her talents have taken her all over the world, working in diverse settings such as Choate Rosemary Hall in CT and grand theme parks in Bangkok, Thailand. She was staff choreographer and director for Golden State Theatre for seventeen years and formerly at the historic Variety Arts Center in Los Angeles for six years. Janet is also resident director/ choreographer for Brain Brew Inc., an interactive entertainment company. Ms. Miller is a sought after as a musical theater tap instructor and is known in both LA and New York for her inspired coaching of actors for musical theater. She is the recipient of the Torrance Excellence in Art award and also a Back Stage West Garland winner. JM would like to thank the production staff and the Marvelous Wonderettes for all their brilliance!
MICHAEL CARNAHAN (Set Design).
Recent credits include The First Breeze of Summer (Signature Theatre); Three Mo’ Tenors; Lend Me a Tenor: The Musical directed by Roger Bean, Candida, The Matchmaker (Utah Shakespearean Festival); Cuttin’ Up (Pasadena Playhouse, Cleveland Play House); I Have Loved Strangers (Clubbed Thumb); The Sex Habits of American Women (Signature Theatre); Gem of the Ocean (ACT, McCarter); Create Fate, Tough Titty, Cabaret & Main, As Dreams Are Made On, The Chekhov Cycle, Red Angel (all Williamstown Theatre Festival); Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s Lackawanna Blues (many venues); A Distant Country Called Youth, Howie the Rookie (Irish Arts); Pygmalion, Intrigue and Love (Jean Cocteau Rep); Brando (Audax).
BOBBY PEARCE (Costume/Wig Design) was nominated for a Tony Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Broadway’s Taboo. Designed Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Las Vegas); The Syringa Tree (New York/London); The Who’s Tommy (tour); Liza Minnelli’s appearance on “Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary Celebration”; “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” (Halloween 1999–2001). He designed the film Let It Snow starring Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera’s tour Chita & All That Jazz and Behind the Beat starring Vicki Sue Robinson. Currently Bobby designs “The Big Gay Sketch Show.” He has made over a dozen appearances on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.” He has designed costumes for of numerous celebrities including Bea Arthur, Bebe Neuwirth, Faith Prince, Larry Gatlin, Madeline Kahn, Elizabeth Ashley, Cyd Charisse, Glenn Close, Leslie Uggams, Laurie Beechman, Tracy Ullman, Marla Maples and Gwen Verdon. www.bobbypearce. com
JEREMY PIVNICK (Lighting Design) designed the Los Angeles and Laguna Playhouse productions of The Marvelous Wonderettes. His work has been seen locally and internationally in such cities as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Edinburgh and Dublin. He has received numerous awards including the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Career Achievement.
CRICKET S. MYERS (Sound Design). Broadway: assisted Michael Roth on Brooklyn Boy at Manhattan Theatre Club. LORT designs: Nightingale (Mark Taper Forum); Two Unrelated Plays and Come Back, Little Sheba (Kirk Douglas Theatre); Some Girl(s) and Emergency (Geffen Playhouse); Orson’s Shadow (Pasadena Playhouse); The Marvelous Wonderettes (Laguna Playhouse). Cricket has designed over 200 productions in Los Angeles and has been nominated for multiple awards. Finalist for the TCG/NEA Career Development Grant, named a Young Designer to Watch by Live Design magazine April 2007 and an Artist to Watch by L.A. Stage magazine September 2007.
www.cricketsmyers.com
BRIAN BAKER (Orchestrator) - Los Angeles credits include: orchestrations and original music direction of the world and west coast premiers of The Marvellous Wounderetts with writer Roger Bean; Raisin with the late Nell Carter; Always, Patsy Cline with Sally Struthers (2004 Ovation Nomination for Best Musical Director); Joseph and the Amazing Techicolor Dreamcoat with Christa Jackson; Falsettos, recorded for the National Public Radio with Chip Zien, Michael Rupert and Steven Bogardus. Musical Direction for One Way Ticket to Hell (also producing its original cast recording.) Seussical (Norris Center Theatre.) His regional credits include: You're a good Man Charlie Brown, Raisin (California Musical Theatre, Sacramento), Cinderella (Sacamento Theatre Company), orchestrations and MD for Route 66 and Winter
Wonderrettes (world premiere at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre) also with writer Roger Bean. Brian has been the vocal director for many shows at the Utah Shakespearean Festival including: A Funny Thing...Forum, Pippin, Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, The Fantasticks, and Damn Yankees. Brian was the Musical Director at Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria from 1995-1997. He also composed scores to many plays, including Miracle Worker, Turn of the Screw, The Seagull. Brian currently teaches and is a Musical Director at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and owns Monolith Music (theatrical music designs.)
JAY BINDER C.S.A (Casting). Jay Binder with Jack Bowdan C.S.A, Mark Brandon & Sara Schatz have cast over 70 Broadway shows including A Chorus Line, Gypsy, The 39 Steps, Grease, Is He Dead?, Inherit the Wind, Journey’s End, …Virginia Woolf, Sweet Charity, Wonderful Town, Movin’ Out, 42nd Street, The Music Man, The Sound of Music, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, The King and I and all 14 seasons of Encores! Film: Hairspray, Dreamgirls, Chicago, upcoming Nine. Television: “Once Upon a Mattress,” “The Music Man.” Eight–time Artios Award winner.
MICHAEL BORTH (Conductor/ Orchestrations/Synthesizer Programming). National tours: supervisor of Gypsy and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, conductor of Man of La Mancha and Will
Rogers Follies (with Larry Gatlin). Regional highlights: Mame with Carol Lawrence and Sally Struthers; Follies with Betty Garrett, Julie Wilson and John Raitt; and Gidget (dir. Francis Ford Coppola). Love to Lindsay. ROY GABAY (General Manager) has produced and/or managed many shows on Broadway, Off-Broadway, on tour and overseas. Current productions include The 39 Steps, Fela! and Irena’s Vow.
MICHAEL CASSELLI (Production Manager) graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with an M.F.A. in sculpture. He has worked extensively in the downtown performance scene with artists and companies including Anne Bogart, Meredith Monk, Elizabeth Streb, Richard Foreman, Reza Abdoh and Foundry Theatre. Casselli received a 1998 Bessie for Theatrical Design with Elizabeth Streb.
ANITA ROSS (Stage Manager) Anita is a second-generation Stage Manager. Broadway: Judgement at Nuremburg, Night Must Fall, The Sunshine Boys, The Gin Game, State Fair, She Loves Me. Off-Broadway: Kaos, The Jazz Age, The Persians, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, All in the Timing, The River, Shakespeare's Cabaret II. Various national tours and regional theatre productions, Anita is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association.
KELLY VARLEY (Assistant Stage Manager). Off-B’way: New Works Then series (The Public), Matt & Ben (P.S.122), Dames at Sea (Jean Cocteau Rep), A Special Providence with Micheal Moriatry (Minetta
Lane). National tours: 51st Dream State, Anglo American Ballet Company. In addition to being a SM she has been the Technical Director for Circle in the Square Theatre School for the past 12 years.
KATHY FABIAN/PROPSTAR (Properties Coordinator). Fabian’s Broadway credits include Les Liasons Dangereuses, South Pacific, Sunday in the Park with George, The Homecoming, Cyrano de Bergerac,
Pygmalion, Old Acquaintance, 110 in the Shade, Talk Radio, Prelude to a Kiss, Spring Awakening, High Fidelity, Barefoot in the Park, Souvenir, Steel Magnolias, Sweet Charity, Match, Fiddler on the Roof, Bobbi Boland, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Golda’s Balcony. Fabian has created props Off-B’way with Atlantic Theater Company, The Vineyard Theatre, Manhattan Class Company, Manhattan Ensemble Theater, The Big Apple Circus, Bay Street Theatre Company and many more.
MICHAEL SPELLMAN (Producer's Assistant) Film, television and stage actor Michael Spellman hails from "good ol" Detroit, Michigan. Before joining the Springfield High faculty, he attended New York City's American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating from the school's Los Angeles campus in 1999. After furthering his skills at Oxford University's Balliol College, he made his way back to the states to formally pursue his career in acting. He made his film debut in the award-winning indie production "How to Ace an Intervention" and in his break through television role, he played recurring character, Dr. Jim Babinski in the long-running series "ER." His first role in a major release will be in the upcoming "Charlie Wilson's War" directed by Mike Nichols, starring Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman. In his spare time, Mr. Spellman enjoys ditching class, necking, and baseball. He would like to send his love and thanks to those really cool cats, Roger Bean and David Elzer and to those Marvelous Wonderettes, for making his first trip to the 'production' side of things a really swell experience. www.michaelspellman.com
