Sam Carner won the 2015 Kleban Prize for Most Promising Librettist. He received his BA from Yale University and received his MFA from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program on a Departmental Fellowship.

In addition to his work with Derek Gregor, Sam wrote the children’s musical BARNYARD FOLLIES as a commission for the Children’s Theatre of Maine. BARNYARD FOLLIES won the Moonlit Wings International Playwriting Festival and was presented at children’s camps around the DC area in the summer of 2017, going on to a production at the Perth Youth Theatre in Australia, with more productions slated around the US for 2018.

His one-act play, BRADY, was performed at the University of Southern Maine, and his 1920′s-style college musical, JUST CALL ME ELI! won the John Golden Prize for Best Original Musical by a Yale Undergraduate in 2000.

Over the past several years, Sam has lectured regularly on various musical-theatre-related topics at Yale. Sam has taught Musical Theatre History and Analysis at NYU and Yale and songwriting at NYU

Derek Gregor received his BA from Skidmore College and his MFA from the NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program.

In addition to his work with Sam, Derek writes pop and country music with Selda Sahin (www.seldaandderek.com), and their work is performed frequently in Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York.

Derek and Selda wrote the score to the movie musical GRIND and the children’s musical HE SAID, SHE SAID, which toured the east coast in 2016.

He has written country music with Laura Bell Bundy, and one of their songs was recently featured on her CD, LONGING FOR A PLACE ALREADY GONE. He was a founding member of the rock band, M-Lab, which released the albums A BOLD AND HOPEFUL SPARK and FROM BASER ELEMENTS.

Derek has taught songwriting at NYU.

James Gray is currently working with the TOHO Theatre Group on their New Tokyo production of the Mel Brooks hit musical The Producers. He recently choreographed a K-POP number for an episode of Madam Secretary for CBS working with director Leslie Libman He also staged the Emmy Award Winning TV Special, Mel Brooks – The AFI Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dolby theatre Hollywood, aired on TCM. He also choreographed the newly released movie Humor Me starring Elliot Gould, Annie Potts, Priscilla Lopez and Bebe Neuwirth. For Theatre he choreographed Annie at the North Carolina Theatre Raleigh starring Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba as Miss Hannigan, and Oliver! at the historic Goodspeed Opera House. James directed and choreographed the MITF hit Peg O’ My Heart, the Musical at the June Havoc Theatre NYC (Best Musical Award).

For Susan Stroman, James has served as her longtime associate choreographer/director, resident director/choreographer on many projects including the Mel Brooks musical The Producers and the world premiere of Young Frankenstein, the Musical, (recreating the direction/staging for the UK and US National Tours), the original Broadway production of Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway as well as the Mandy Patinkin/Taylor Mac two-hander The Last Two People on Earth: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville at the American Repertory Theater. He was the associate choreographer for FATWA: The Musical, the show-within-the-show starring Lin Manuel Miranda, F.Murray Abraham and Larry David for HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Working closely with Jason Robert Brown and legendary directors Harold Prince and Susan Stroman, James was the associate/resident choreographer for the world premiere of Prince of Broadway in Tokyo and the hit Broadway production at the Manhattan Theatre Club, New York. James set the original choreography for TOHO Theatre Group’s brand new musical production of Bullets Over Broadway in Tokyo James was the associate choreographer on the original Broadway production of A Christmas Story, the Musical; working with Oscar, Tony and Grammy winning composer/lyricist team Pasek and Paul and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s Carousel starring Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn and NYC Principle Ballet dancers Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild

As a performer James was seen in the Broadway and London stage productions and Film version of the Mel Brooks musical The Producers with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. James was honored to play Carmen Ghia in the Royal Variety Performance of The Producers in the presence of HRH Prince Charles for UK Independent Television. The Original Broadway production of Mel Brooks Young Frankenstein the Musical (Igor), the U.S. First National Tour of 42nd Street and White Christmas at the Pantages theatre, Hollywood. Jubilee! Las Vegas and dancing with the famous Bluebell Girls in Bravissimo and C’est Magique at the Lido De Paris and The Sporting Club in Monte Carlo James made his London West End debut in the Stephen Fry and Mike Ockrent award winning musical Me and My Girl at the Adelphi Theatre. He also appeared in the original London cast productions of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, at the Dominion Theatre and Jerry Herman’s Mack and Mabel at the Piccadilly Theatre. A particular thrill was partnering Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno in The Styne Way Gala honoring Jule Styne and dancing with Broadway’s legendary Carol Channing in the Hello Dolly Gala both at The London Palladium.

James is the founder of Audition Truth, a workshop that prepares musical theater performers for the high-pressure world of Broadway auditions. He has taught in the UK , Japan and across America.

JACKIE BURNS is Broadway’s longest running Elphaba in Wicked and is the face of the brand. She replaced Idina Menzel in the National Tour of If/Then and was also a part of the original Broadway company. Her other credits include the Tony Award-winning revival of Hair (OBC) and Rock of Ages (original off-Broadway company). Selected regional theatre credits include: PCLO, Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed, Casa Mañana, George Street, Alley theater. Film/TV: "Set it Up,” "The Magnificent Meyersons,” “Ghost,” “Great wall of Warren.” Jackie has sung all over the world with Grammy and Tony Award-winning composer, Frank Wildhorn. Most recently she has created roles in the new musicals, A Walk on the Moon and Cowboy Bob.