Creative Bios - Drowsy Chaperone

LISA LAMBERT (Music & Lyrics). The Drowsy Chaperone (Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson, NAMT’s 2004 Festival of New Musicals). Canadian Credits: The Drowsy Chaperone (Fringe of Toronto Festival, Theatre Passe Muraille, Mirvish Productions: Wintergarden Theatre); Honest Ed: The Bargain Musical and Mirth (Poor Alex Theatre); Ouch My Toe (Fringe of Toronto Festival); The Irish Musical, and People Park (Rivoli); All Hams On Deck (Summer Works); An American in Harris (Second City); An Awkward Evening With Martin & Johnson (Tarragon, Tim Sims Playhouse). TV: “Slings & Arrows”(Rhombus Media, broadcast on Showcase and the Sundance Network); “Getting Along Famously” (CBC); “Skippy’s Rangers: The Show They Never Gave” and “The Joe Blow Show” (Comedy Network). Film: Pippi Longstocking; Highway 61; Blue. Radio: “Madly Off in All Directions;” “Definitely Not the Opera.” Upcoming: Season three of “Slings & Arrows” on the Sundance Channel.

GREG MORRISON (Music & Lyrics). The Drowsy Chaperone (Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theater); NAMT’s 2004 Festival of New Musicals. Canadian Credits: Composer/Musical Director for Hello…Hello (Tarragon Theatre); Pochsy’s Lips; Oh, Baby; Citizen Pochsy and Pochsy Unplugged (Toronto Fringe; Canadian/U.S. tours); The Drowsy Chaperone (Toronto Fringe, Theatre Passe Muraille, Mirvish Productions, Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto); Mump and Smoot in Something Else (Canadian Stage, Yale Repertory Theatre); Mump and Smoot in Flux (Canadian Stage); An Awkward Evening With Martin and Johnson (Tim Sims Playhouse); The Age of Dorian (Artword Theatre). TV songwriter credits: “Slings & Arrows” (Rhombus Media for Showcase/Sundance); “Getting Along Famously” (CBC); “The Joe Blow Show” (Comedy Network). Other: Musical Director for The Second City National Touring Company, “Alumni Café” (Tim Sims Playhouse). “The Chumps and The Muckrakers” (CBC Radio). Upcoming: Season three of “Slings & Arrows” on the Sundance Channel.

BOB MARTIN (Book/Man in Chair). Please see bio on the cast page.

DON McKELLAR (Book). Co-founder of Toronto’s The Augusta Company, for whom he co-created six critically acclaimed experimental plays. Since then, Don has become a ubiquitous presence in the Canadian Independent Cinema. As a screenwriter for the award-winning films: Roadkill (for director Bruce McDonald); Highway 61; co-writer of Dance Me Outside; Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (with director Francois Girard); and The Red Violin. For TV he wrote and starred in the CBC series “Twitch City” (which also played on the Bravo Network in America). As an actor in films: Exotica (directed by Atom Egoyan); eXistenZ (David Cronenberg); When Night Is Falling (Patricia Rozema); Clean (Olivier Assayas); Waydowntown; The Red Violin; The Event; Monkey Warfare. He is a regular on “Slings & Arrows” currently playing on the Sundance Channel.

CASEY NICHOLAW (Director). Broadway: Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Choreography for Monty Python’s Spamalot directed by Mike Nichols. Other New York credits include Bye, Bye Birdie for City Center Encores! directed by Jerry Zaks; Candide starring Patti LuPone and Kristin Chenoweth for NY Philharmonic (also on PBS Great Performances); South Pacific at Carnegie Hall, starring Reba McEntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell (soon to air on PBS Great Performances); the musical staging for Can-Can (City Center Encores!) directed by Lonny Price; and Sinatra: His Voice, His World, His Way at Radio City Music Hall directed by Des McAnuff and starring the world-famous Rockettes. Other original musicals Mr. Nicholaw has choreographed include Lucky Duck (The Old Globe) directed by John Rando; The Road to Hollywood (Goodspeed Opera House) directed by Walter Bobbie; and The Prince and the Pauper (5th Avenue Theater/The Ordway). TV: PBS Great Performances and segments for The Today Show and ABC.

DAVID GALLO (Scenic Design). Broadway: Gem of the Ocean (Tony Nom); Hughie; Ma Rainey; King Hedley II; Epic Proportions; Thoroughly Modern Millie (London also); Charlie Brown; View from the Bridge; Jackie (London also); Lion in Winter. Off-Broadway: Bunny Bunny, Jitney (London also); Wild Party; Blue Man Group (Boston, Chicago, Vegas). Extensive European credits. Numerous awards including Drama Desk, NAACP, Obie, American Theater Wing, Outer Critics, Lortel, Eddy, Ovation, LA Critics. Smithsonian permanent collection.

GREGG BARNES (Costume Design). Broadway: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Flower Drum Song (Tony Nomination); Side Show. New York: Sinatra (Radio City); Encores!; Kathy and Mo Show; Pageant; The Christmas Spectacular. NYC Opera: Cinderella; Merry Widow. West End: Pageant (Olivier Nomination). National Tours: On The Record; Ringling Bros. Circus; Princess Classics on Ice. Regional: Flower Drum Song (Mark Taper; LA Drama Critics Award); Allegro (Signature Theatre; Helen Hayes Award) and Lucky Duck (Old Globe; San Diego Critics Award). TDF Young Master Award.

KEN BILLINGTON (Co-Lighting Design). Projects this season include Ring of Fire, Title of Show the current touring productions of Chicago, Annie, Doctor Dolittle, and Riverdance for which he’s the lighting supervisor. Ken has designed over 80 Broadway and 70 Off-Broadway shows including Chicago, Lily Tomlin in The Search for Signs…, Footloose,  Candide, Annie, Foxfire, Tru, Sweeney Todd. He is the recipient of the Tony, Drama Desk, Los Angeles Drama Critics, and Ace Awards and the Luman for his architectural lighting.

BRIAN MONAHAN (Co-Lighting Design). Off-Broadway: The Woman In Black (co-design with Ken Billington). Regional: Jim Henson’s Bear In The Big Blue House – Live!: The Radio City Christmas Spectacular.  Los Angeles: Disney’s Steps In Time; Save It For The Stage: The Life of Reilly; Three Grooms and a Bride. Concerts: Frank Sinatra (12 world tours); The Ann-Margret Show (5 U.S. tours); Charles Aznavour (Carnegie Hall). TV: Frank Sinatra’s 75th Birthday Celebration and Showtime’s The Ultimate Event: Frank, Liza, and Sammy (ACE Award).

ACME SOUND PARTNERS (Sound Design). Broadway: The Light in the Piazza, Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dracula the Musical, Twentieth Century, Fiddler on the Roof, Never Gonna Dance, The Boy From Oz, Avenue Q, Gypsy, La Bohème (Drama Desk Award), Flower Drum Song, Elaine Stritch At Liberty, Bells Are Ringing, A Class Act, Jane Eyre, The Full Monty. National: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Disney’s On the Record. The partners are Tom Clark, Mark Menard, and Nevin Steinberg.

BERNARD TELSEY CASTING (Casting). Bernie, Will, David, Beth, Craig, Tiffany, Stephanie, Betsy, Carrie, and Justin thank A. Arlen, C. Beguelin, J. Bonney, S. Bray, C. Bushnell, P. Collins, B. Crowley, J. Doyle, D. Goldfarb, R. Greenberg, M. Greif, G. Griffin, J. Guare, T. Herlihy, W. Holzman, H. Hunt, D. H. Hwang, N. LaBute, L. Lambert, J. Lane, J. Larson, J. Mantello, B. Martin, D. McKellar, T. Meehan, A. Menken, G. Morrison, C. Nicholaw, M. Norman, J. O’Brien, M. O’Donnell, J. Rando, B. Russell, R. Schiff, S. Schwartz, M. Shaiman, M. Short, N. Simon, M. Sklar, S. Sondheim, A. Willis, S. Wittman, D. Yazbek, J. Zaks, ACT, ATC, HSC, MCC, NBC, and STC, for trusting us. Although we have our pride, we have been known to cast for food.

JOSH MARQUETTE (Hair Design). Broadway/off-Broadway: The Great American Trailer Park Musical; Altar Boyz; the past three productions of Broadway Bares. Associate Hair Designer for The Wedding Singer and all Mamma Mia! companies in North America. Other NY: Designed numerous productions for The Juilliard School, Ars Nova, and LAByrinth.

JUSTEN M. BROSNAN (Makeup Design). Hairspray (Principal Makeup Designer); Brooklyn (Makeup/Hair designer); Hairspray, National Tour (Makeup Designer); Broadway Bares (Makeup Designer); Beauty and the Beast (Makeup Designer, N.S.M.T); The Cherry Orchard (Makeup/Hair Designer, Ithaca College). Television. Editorial etc. For God, Kath (mum) and family, Wilfredo and George. Thank you to all who shared with me.

LARRY BLANK (Orchestrations). Upcoming: Martin Short’s Fame Becomes Me (with Marc Shaiman). Broadway: La Cage Aux Folles, The Producers, White Tie and Tails. London: The Producers, Guys and Dolls, Beautiful and the Damned. National Tours: Seussical, Dr. Dolittle, White Christmas. Performers: Barry Manilow, Barbara Cook, Michael Crawford, John Barrowman, Michael Feinstein, Bernadette Peters, Martin Short, Tommy Tune, Nathan Lane, Rodney Gilfry, Marilyn Horne. Film: Chicago, The Producers, six films for Marc Shaiman. Music director and guest conductor for many Broadway shows and symphonic concerts.

GLEN KELLY (Dance & Incidental Music Arrangements) is the music arranger for The Producers, Spamalot, Frogs, Beauty And The Beast, High Society, Steel Pier, Dance A Little Closer, and A Christmas Carol. For New York City Ballet, he arranged the music and co-wrote the libretto for Double Feature. Other ballet credits include Thou Swell (for NYCB) and But Not For Me for the Martha Graham Company. Film: The Producers. Future projects: Young Frankenstein the musical.

PHIL RENO (Music Direction & Vocal Arrangements). Broadway:  The Producers, Thou Shalt Not, Cats, Dame Edna: The Royal Tour and Back With a Vengeance. Tours: Joseph…starring Donny Osmond, Music of the Night (world premiere), Sweet Charity director Bob Fosse, Starlight Express. Off-Broadway:  A New Brain, The Diva Is Dismissed, Chess. Recent: arrangements/orchestrations for Garry Marshall and Paul Williams’ Happy Days. Regional: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, I Sent a Letter To My Love. TV: Broadway Under the Stars  (CBS: 2002-2005). Film: The Producers.

CASEY HUSHION (Assistant Director). Broadway: Good Vibrations. Casey has directed many regional productions and workshops in New York. New Works Scout for Goodspeed Musicals. Thanks to the other Casey, Mom, Dad, Nana and husband Marc.

JOSH RHODES (Assistant Choreographer). South Pacific at Carnegie Hall; Harmony (Associate Choreographer); Gypsy of the Year (Choreographer, Lyricist); The Cosmopolitan (Book, Lyrics). NAMT Songwriter’s Showcase, and Joe’s Pub. Currently performing in Chicago on Broadway.

THE CHARLOTTE WILCOX COMPANY (General Manager). Broadway: The Wedding Singer, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Bombay Dreams, Taboo, By Jeeves, Play On, On the Waterfront, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Broadway & touring: Jesus Christ Superstar, The Full Monty, Ragtime, Grease, Damn Yankees, Chicago. Touring: Stones in His Pockets, Sunset Boulevard, Busker Alley, City of Angels, Oba Oba, Steel Magnolias, On Your Toes, La Scala Ballet, The Canton Acrobats, and the Peking Opera. Regional:  The Drowsy Chaperone (Ahmanson Theatre).

KEVIN McCOLLUM (Producer) has won Tony Awards for Best Musical for RENT in 1996 and Avenue Q in 2004. In 1995 Mr. McCollum co-founded The Producing Office with Jeffrey Seller. The Producing Office is represented on Broadway by RENT which won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is now a major motion picture, and Avenue Q. More recently he produced the debut stage production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas with companies in San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles. In 2002 Mr. McCollum produced Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of Puccini’s La Boheme, which won two Tony Awards. Prior to that, Mr. McCollum produced the Off-Broadway hit De La Guarda, which ran for six years. Mr. McCollum is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and has a Masters Degree from the Peter Stark Program at USC.

ROY MILLER (Producer) produced the Broadway revival of Herb Gardner’s I’m Not Rappaport in 2002. From 1991 to 2004 Mr. Miller was with Paper Mill Playhouse, one of the most acclaimed regional theatres in America, producing shows such as Crazy For You (broadcast nationwide on PBS and Emmy-nominated); Follies starring legendary performer Ann Miller; Gypsy with Betty Buckley; Chess directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall; The Wizard Of Oz (transferred to Theatre At Madison Square Garden); and Stephen Schwartz’s Children Of Eden. Mr. Miller produced the tours of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2000 and A Chorus Line in 2002.

OSTAR ENTERPRISES (Producer). Bill Haber’s OSTAR Enterprises has produced History Boys; Well; Bridge & Tunnel; Woman in White; Monty Python’s Spamalot; The Pillowman; Democracy; Bea Arthur; The Smell of the Kill; Amour; Imaginary Friends; Proof; The Green Bird; Dirty Blonde; High Society; Freak; The Scarlet Pimpernel; and the acclaimed revivals of Glengarry Glen Ross; Jumpers; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Man of La Mancha; Hedda Gabler; Dance of Death; Noises Off; The Iceman Cometh and 1776. London: Sunday in the Park with George; Journey’s End; The Prisoner of Second Avenue; Hay Fever; Madame Melville. Off-B’way: Thurgood; On The Line; The Shape of Things; If Love Were All; If Memory Serves; Madame Melville. Winning three Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize.

BOB BOYETT (Producer). Broadway: Bridge and Tunnel, Monty Python’s Spamalot (2004 Tony Best Musical), The History Boys, Well, The Woman in White, Jumpers, Democracy, The Pillowman, Glengarry Glen Ross, Fiddler on the Roof, Fortune’s Fool, Dance of the Vampires, A Year with Frog and Toad, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? (2002 Tony Best Play), Topdog/Underdog (2002 Pulitzer Prize), Hedda Gabler, Sweet Smell of Success, The Crucible and The Elephant Man. London: Boston Marriage, Lobby Hero, Jumpers, Fuddy Meers, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? UK, Sunday In The Park With George UK and Monty Python’s Spamalot UK.

STEPHANIE McCLELLAND (Producer). Founder of Green Curtain Productions (GCP). Along with The Drowsy Chaperone, GCP is represented this season on Broadway by The History Boys, The Color Purple and Spamalot; in London by the upcoming Sunday in the Park with George.  Other credits: Glengarry Glen Ross (Tony Award), The Pillowman, Spamalot (Tony Award; Drama Desk Award), Democracy, Jumpers, Flower Drum Song. GCP’s New York/London commercial interests include: Little Shop of Horrors, Gypsy, Man of La Mancha, The Producers, Guys and Dolls. Board memberships: The Juilliard School, London’s Donmar Warehouse, American Associates of the National Theatre. Thanks, ever, to Carter, Cary and Spencer.

BARBARA HELLER FREITAG (Producer) has loved the theatre from the instant she saw her first play and has loved The Drowsy Chaperone from the minute she heard Man-In-Chair’s first words. Over the years she’s supported such productions as The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Caroline, or Change; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (All Tony nominees); Brooklyn, the Musical; and The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (Tony winner for Best Play). Barbara is on the board of the Transport Group and is a patron of Lincoln Center Theater and the Manhattan Theatre Club. This spring she is producing a psychological thriller, Tryst, at the Promenade Theatre.

JILL FURMAN (Producer). Jill’s company, Arthouse Pictures, develops and produces film and theater projects. She is currently co-producing On The Line at the Cherry Lane Theatre, and “Freestyle Love Supreme”, which performs at various venues in New York City and comedy festivals around the world. She associate produced the Broadway revival of Sly Fox, the Tony Award-winning play Fortune’s Fool, and Elaine May’s Adult Entertainment. She also produced the feature film Endsville.  Jill is on the Board of Directors of MCC Theater and is a member of the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

SONNY EVERETT (Associate Producer). Avenue Q (Associate Producer, Tony Award); producer/partner Rodgers and Hammerstein’s State Fair; The Unexpected Man (London, N.Y.); Collected Stories; Vita and Virginia; Beauty Queen of Leenane; June Moon; The Laramie Project; Gross Indecency; Tru (Lewis and Jay Presson Allen); As Bees in Honey Drown; Blown Sideways Through Life; Hurlyburly; La Boheme (Broadway). Producer Kitty Carlisle Hart’s producer in the U.S. and the Europe. Most recently producer of all three companies of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.

MARIANO TOLENTINO, JR. (Associate Producer) is thrilled and honored to be making his Broadway debut with The Drowsy Chaperone. He is co-founder of Urologic Surgery Associates, S.C. in Illinois. During his training, he lived in the New York area for eight years, and is finally realizing a dream to be associated with Broadway. He is also involved with Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life and the musical For The Glory. A very special thanks to MU brod Raymond Poliquit. AFTG!

PAUL MACK is founder and President of a professional fund raising consulting firm outside of Toronto. Prior to starting his company 12 years ago, Mr. Mack worked as a professional actor/singer/dancer, appearing in dozens of musicals in New York, across the country and Japan. In 2004, he co-produced the NAMT Festival reading of The Drowsy Chaperone in New York. Mr. Mack is honored to have played a central role in bringing this original Canadian musical to America for audiences to enjoy.