Drew Fornarola is a composer, lyricist, and playwright living in New York City. His work includes COLLEGE The Musical (NYMF Award for Excellence, published by Dramatic Publishing Company); THUCYDIDES (2009 Samuel French Festival Winner, Published by Samuel French); UNCLE PIRATE (Vital Theater) and VOTE FOR ME – A MUSICAL DEBATE (commissioned by Tony award-winning producer Robyn Goodman). His original underscore and sound design for Buddy Thomas’ DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND is also published by Samuel French. Drew is the recipient of the NYMF Award for Excellence in Lyrics, was named a Richard Rodgers Award Finalist in 2008. He is currently teaming with Marshall Pailet on a new “video game musical” commissioned by the New Musical Foundation, and is developing a new full-length play with Scott Elmegreen. Drew has studied at Princeton University and the BMI Workshop. www.drewfornarola.com
Dan Lipton holds a degree in music composition from Northwestern University. Lipton wrote music for the off-Broadway play Prometheus Bound (Aquila) and orchestrations for the musical Most Wanted (La Jolla). He performed onstage as music director of The Coast of Utopia (Lincoln Center), Herringbone (Williamstown, McCarter) and The Bridge Project (BAM, Old Vic). As a pianist, Lipton accompanies Audra McDonald in concerts across the country. He also performs with Kelli O’Hara as her music director/arranger. His solo albums — ZEITGEIST, Life In Pictures and Travelogue – have earned four ASCAPlus Awards for Popular Music. He played on three Grammy-nominated albums: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty and John Lithgow’s Sunny Side of the Street.
Shawn Northrip is a playwright and composer with an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from New York University and BA in Theatre Education from Catholic University. His punk rock musical TITUS X has had several critically-acclaimed productions in DC and New York, was nominated for an Innovative Theatre Award, and is anthologized by New York Theatre Experience. His follow-up show, LUNCH, was developed by the Kennedy Center’s Kenan Foundation, earned the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust Grant, premiered at the New York Musical Festival, and is published by Playscripts, Inc. CAUTIONARY TALES FOR ADULTS AND THE MANY ADVENTURES OF TRIXIE TICKLES, his parody of children’s shows, earned the Pick of the Fringe for Best Musical at the Second Annual Capital Fringe Festival, and was remounted in Round House Theatre’s Silver Spring Series. He collaboration with the Brazen-faced Varlets, RAMONA AND JULIET, earned the company three Artie Awards and an Iffy Award. His other projects include: THE PLAYDOH GOLEM (commissioned by Theatre J); DREAM DATE, THE MUSICAL and LOST SOCK for the Madcap Players; OF ALL THE TESTS I TOOK IN HIGH SCHOOL for the Source Theatre Festival; and IZANAMI AND IZANAGI for Rorschach Theatre Company’s Myth Appropriations. Shawn Northrip is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.
Marshall Pailet – recent writing credits include On a Glorious Day (formerly The Chocolate Tree) and Where It’s At. Upcoming writing projects include Trinity, Funk Pond, and Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire. Recent directing credits include Stuck, The 49 Project, Thursday, With Kings in the Back, The 70 Scenes of Halloween, The Darq Knight, and Bat Boy. His work has been showcased at the NY Fringe Festival, NYMF, Prospect and TRU (New Voices Finalist). As an actor, he has performed on Broadway in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Sound of Music, and A Christmas Carol. He is a proud graduate of Yale University, and received the V. Browne Irish Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts in 2009, and the John Thoroun Fellowship for Special Study at Cambridge University in 2007. He is embarrassed to have a website, but does have one, and it is www.marshallpailet.com.
Mike Pettry is a New York-based composer/lyricist and musician. He is a 2007 Jonathan Larson Award Winner. Musicals include The Time Travelers Convention, Long Distance, World of Heroes, The Wonderful World of Zidney (featured highlight at Kennedy Center Page to Stage Festival), and Flipside (2007 NYU Frederick Loewe Award winner). Mike’s songs have been performed in readings and cabarets all over the country. Muzz Skillings (formerly of Living Colour) is producing several of Mike’s songs for a forthcoming Lin McEwan album. Mike’s solo album “The Voices In My Head” is available on iTunes. He also scored music for the film The Promise of New York (Big Muddy Film Festival Audience Choice Best Documentary). Mike toured the country with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2007-2008) as assistant conductor, and off-Broadway musician credits include Rooms: A Rock Romance (Time Life cast album available on Amazon and iTunes) and Signs of Life (music director). Other music direction includes RENT and Miracle on 34th Street at the John W. Engeman Theater. Other NY performances include The Black Suits (SPF – Public), Green Eyes (Fringe), and Things To Ruin: The Songs of Joe Iconis (Second Stage). BA from Shepherd University, MFA in musical theatre writing from NYU/Tisch. www.mikepettry.com
David Rossmer holds a degree in theater from Penn State University. He composed music for the off-Broadway play Spain (SPF) and has performed numerously on and off-Broadway, in films and TV shows (Barrymore Award nominee, Nerds). Rossmer is author of the play When the Dog Comes Knockin’ at Your Door and is developing a TV show with Steve Rosen called SAY AH. Along with Lipton and filmmaker Jeff Yorkes, Rossmer co-wrote and produced the film A Bathroom Story, which won the Robot Media Film Festival. He is singer, songwriter and keyboardist for the rock band The Misconceptions, whose second album Super Orange Happy Sauce was just released.
Michael Ogborn was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, and currently makes his home in New York City. A graduate of DeSales University,he made his Off-Broadway debut in 1993 with the critically acclaimed musical revue Box Office of the Damned, featuring then “new-comer” Kristen Chenoweth. He has worked steadily in the professional theater for the past twenty years composing original musicals, cabaret revues, song cycles and special material. His work has been produced at the Arden Theatre Company, People’s Light & Theater Company, The Wilma Theater, and 1812 Productions in Philadelphia, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; City Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA; Horizon Theater, Atlanta, GA; Diversionary Theater in San Diego, CA; Theater LaB, Houston, TX and Radio City Music Hall, in New York City. Some career highlights and awards include the World Premier productions of Baby Case and Café Puttanesca at the Arden Theatre Company under the direction of Terry Nolen; creating special material for the legendary Radio City Rockettes, and receiving first prize for piano composition in the Mordechai Anielewicz Creative Arts Competition. As a “Piano Man”, he received Philadelphia Magazine’s 1992 “Best of Philly” Award for Cabaret Performer, a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award in 1993 for the PBS music video “Soldiers in the Sky” and in 2003, the “Harrington Award” for outstanding creative achievement given by BMI Musical Theater Workshop. In 2002, his musical fantasia Baby Case, received eleven Barrymore nominations and four Barrymore Awards including Outstanding Music and Best Musical of theYear.
CRAIG POSPISIL is an award-winning playwright with an MFA from New York University’s Dramatic Writing Program. He is the author of MONTHS ON END (Purple Rose), SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN (Detroit Rep), THE DUNES (Theatre Conspiracy) and the collections LIFE IS SHORT and CHOOSING SIDES, all published by Dramatists Play Service. He wrote the book for the musicals DRIFT (NY Musical Theatre Festival), with composer Jeremy Schonfeld, and DOT COMET (New Musical Foundation), with composer Michael Ogborn. Craig has written more than 50 one-acts and short plays, including DISSONANCE, IT’S NOT YOU, PERCHANCE and ON THE EDGE, which are published by Playscripts, Vintage, and Smith & Kraus. His work has been seen at Ensemble Studio Theatre, New World Stages, Bay Street, NY Fringe, West Coast Ensemble and Caldwell Theater, performed in a dozen countries, and translated into Danish, French, Greek and Cantonese. He is the editor of anthologies Outstanding Men’s Monologues and Outstanding Women’s Monologues, Volumes I & II, and Outstanding Short Plays. A native New Yorker, Craig is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and Artistic Advisor to the Winter Harbor Theatre Company in Portland, Maine. www.CraigPospisil.com
A.D. Penedo (lyricist/librettist, playwright). Musicals: Who’s Your Baghdaddy? or How I Started the Iraq War (“Best Overall Production,” DC Fringe, Summer 2011; “Must See Production of 2011,” Maryland Theater Guide; 2011 Osborn Award nominee); The Chocolate Tree, formerly On a Glorious Day (Stages Rep, Houston, 2010; ACE Theater, Eugene, Oregon, 2008; NAMT, 2007; NYMF, 2006); Where It’s At (Yale, 2008); Swimming Upstream (NY Fringe Festival, 2005; Princeton, 2005; Dillons, New York, 2003; ASCAP, 2003); Hollywoodland (musical in development commissioned by the New Musical Foundation); Loch Ness (family musical in development). Plays include: The Three Times She Knocked (Best Playwrighting, NY Fringe, 2011); Off the Record (New York, 2010); Thursday (Yale, 2009); Dance of the Fireflies (Yale, 2007; Payan Theater, New York, 2007).
David Eric Davis is a NYC-based lyricist, composer, visual artist, writer and director. His rock musical comedy F#@KING UP EVERYTHINGTAROT READING: Love, Sex and Mommy at The New York Fringe Festival and wrote and directed STRIKE!, a performance piece based on the sounds of bodies moving through air and colliding, which premiered at Movement Research at the Judson Church, NYC. His band Uncle Izzy can be heard at www.uncleizzy.com and his photo collection Contemplating My Pipik can be seen at www.davidericdavis.com. (book, music and lyrics) sold out an extended run at the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) and won the Best of Fest Award for Best Book and Honorable Mention for Lyrics. In 2011 a new production at Woolly Mammoth, Washington, D.C., received rave reviews. Davis is the recipient of grants from Theater League’s Fund for New Musicals and the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust and a participant of CAP21’s 2011 Writers Co-op. He directed the premiere of
SAM FORMAN, a writer for the stage, screen and TV, co-created (with Beau Willimon) the Civil War era television pilot Hickory Hill for AMC. Sam recently wrote the lyrics for the new musical Broadway’s Next Season (dir. Alex Timbers) and is the lyricist and co-book author for the musical I Sing! which has been produced commercially off-Broadway and in theaters around the world. A CD recording of the York Theater Concert Cast of I Sing! is available in stores worldwide from Jay Records. Sam’s other plays and musicals include: The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall (Stage 13, NYC dir. Sam Gold; Theater J, Washington DC dir. Shirley Serotsky) We The People (TheaterWorks USA) F#@king Up Everything (co-book writer, NYMF 2009 dir. Stephen Brackett) The Grille Room (Cherry Lane Mentor Project, dir. Thomas Kail), Quarterlife (Ford Center, NYC workshop dir. by Mark Brokaw; Pico Playhouse, Los Angeles, CA dir. Matt Doherty) Please Stop Talking (Cherry Lane Theater, NYC dir. Erwin Mass ; Willlamstown Theatre Festival, dir. Portia Krieger), Fringical! (Ars Nova, NYC; American Theatre of Actors, NYMF 2004, dir. Thomas Kail) Schmoozy Togetherness (Williamstown Theatre Festival, dir. Johanna McKeon) The Quiet Game (Hangar Theater, Ithaca NY dir. Daniel Kramer) Krankenhaus Blues (Blue Heron Theater, NYC, The Abingdon Theatre, NYC, dir. Donna Mitchell) Hunter for Hunter Green and Narcissus and Goldstein (Singularity Company, NYC dir. Benjamin Salka) Sam is an alumni of Youngblood at EST, Ars Nova’s Play Group and the proud producer of Creation Nation which the New York Times has called:”A late night cabaret phenomenon.” Sam is a member of the WGA, The Dramatist’s Guild and is represented by CAA.