Creatives

Thomas Meehan is a three-time Tony Award winning librettist for the Broadway musicals Annie, 1977; The Producers, 2001 (co-written with Mel Brooks); and Hairspray, 2003 (co–written with Mark O’Donnell). He collaborated on many Broadway musicals including I Remember Mama; Ain’t Broadway Grand; Bombay Dreams (with Meera Syal); Cry Baby (with Mark O’Donnell); Young Frankenstein (with Mel Brooks); Elf, The Musical (with Bob Martin); Chaplin (with Christopher Curtis); Rocky; the upcoming Dave, The Musical (with Nell Benjamin); and the off-Broadway musicals, Annie Warbucks; Death Takes a Holiday (with Peter Stone) and the upcoming The Lady Eve (with Maury Yeston). He was a long-time contributor of humor pieces to The New Yorker, which were published in a collection entitled Yma, Ava, Yma, Abba, Yma, Oona, Yma, Ida, Yma Aga… and Others, by Simon and Schuster. Mr. Meehan, in collaboration with the poet J.D. McClatchy, co-authored the libretto of the opera 1984, composed by Lorin Maazel, first performed at London’s Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in 2005. He was an Emmy Award winning writer of television comedy, and a collaborator on screenplays, including Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs, To Be or Not To Be, The Producers and One Magic Christmas. He was a member of the Council of the Dramatists Guild.. 

Martin’s career in the entertainment industry began in 1957 when he created the role of Big Deal (one of Jerome Robbins’ authentic juvenile delinquents) in the original company of West Side Story. He played the role for exactly 1,000 performances. Since then, he was involved in over 140 theatrical, television, film, and night club productions as a director, producer, composer, or lyricist. He is one of the dozen people who have won Emmys, Tonys, and Grammys, and the Peabody Award for Broadcasting. Annie, which came to Broadway in 1977, originally ran for 2,377 performances, and has been revived there three times. He directed Annie 19 times (after directing the original production in New York), in London, Montreal, Amsterdam, and Melbourne as well as Annie’s 14 national U.S. companies. He collaborated with Charles Strouse, Vernon Duke, Marvin Hamlisch, Mary Rodgers, and twice with Richard Rodgers on I Remember Mama and Two by Two. He wrote for, or directed, Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Jack Lemmon, Ann-Margaret, Jack Benny, Anne Bancroft, Betty Hutton, Sutton Foster, Sarah Jessica Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bebe Neuwirth, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Larry Kert, Chita Rivera, Jane Lynch, Tony Bennett, Jason Alexander, and Jay-Z, among countless others, and for his wife, Shelly Burch (who originated a leading role in the original company of Nine). Most recently, “Tomorrow” from Annie became one of the 100 most performed musical numbers in the last century.

A graduate of New York’s P.S. 87, Townsend Harris H.S., and the Eastman School of Music, Charles has studied composition with Aaron Copland, Arthur Berger, and David Diamond in the US and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Charles has composed copious chamber music, two piano concertos, a string quartet and two operas. After which, being broke like most composers, he was a rehearsal pianist and dance arranger for many shows, played in bar rooms, ballet classes, at weddings and strip joints (a particular boon for one who was to write the music for the film The Night They Raided Minsky’s). One morning in 1960 he awoke to find he had written (with Lee Adams and Mike Stewart) Bye Bye Birdie (Tony Award), which is still among the most performed musicals in America, followed by Golden Boy with Sammy Davis, Jr. (Tony Nomination). Then came, Applause (Tony Award), It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman, Rags (Tony Nomination) and Annie (Tony Award).  In-between, there have been scores for movies including Bonnie and Clyde and All Dogs Go to Heaven. Throughout his career, Charles has received the Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Frederick Lowe and the Leonard Bernstein Awards for musical achievement.  He is married to director/choreographer Barbara Siman and is the father of Benjamin (attorney, author, composer), Nicholas (psychotherapist), Victoria (screen writer) and William (also a screen writer). 

JENN THOMPSON (Director) is thrilled to be helming the national tour of Annie after having appeared as Pepper in the original Broadway run, many moons ago. Recent credits include the World-Premiere musical Anne of Green Gables – A New Musical at Goodspeed Opera House (available on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, etc.) where she has also directed Gypsy, Bye Bye Birdie, Oklahoma! and The Music Man. Other recent credits include Diary of a Wimpy Kid – The Musical at Children’s Theatre Company in association with Kevin McCollum and Buena Vista Theatrical (watch for upcoming album release) as well as Chains and Conflict for Off-Broadway’s celebrated Mint Theatre, where Jenn’s 2016 production of Women Without Men garnered both Lortel and Off-Broadway Alliance Award nominations for Outstanding Revival as well as 5 Drama Desk Award nominations including Outstanding Director and Revival. In addition to extensive productions in NYC, Jenn’s work has been seen at theaters across the country including; Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Denver Center, Hartford Stage, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Portland Stage, City Theatre, Barrington Stage, Theater Aspen, Theaterworks Hartford, Pioneer, The Rev, Arizona Theatre Company, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and many more. Jenn is married to actor Stephen Kunken, they live in Brooklyn NY with their daughter Naomi. This is for Martin, Charles, Tom and Peter. jennthompsondirector.com

PATRICIA WILCOX (Choreographer) choreographed Motown the Musical, for which she won the Fred Astaire Award and an NAACP Award.  Motown enjoyed long runs on Broadway and in the West End, and numerous tours here and abroad.  Also, on Broadway and on tour, Ms. Wilcox choreographed A Night with Janis Joplin.  At Encores! Off-Center, she choreographed the critically acclaimed Little Shop of Horrors, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Ellen Greene. National tours: An Officer and a Gentleman, Children’s Letters to God, Bowfire (and the resulting PBS special), Blues in the Night (NAACP Nomination), and Seussical.  Selected regional: The Secret Garden (Denver Center); Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Children’s Theatre Company); Beautiful (The Muny), The Music Man (Connecticut Critics Circle Award) Bye Bye Birdie (Connecticut Critics Circle nomination) and Gypsy at Goodspeed Opera House.  Her work has been seen at The Kennedy Center, The Old Globe, The Alley Theatre, The McCarter Theatre, Missouri Repertory Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre, Pioneer Theatre, Sacramento Music Circus, ATC, and Paper Mill Playhouse. Ms. Wilcox created original works for the Houston Symphony, Minnesota Pops, Phoenix Symphony, Lyrics & Lyricists at the 92^nd Street Y, Broadway Under the Stars, Norwegian Cruise Line, as well as for ice-skating medalists for three Winter Olympics. Pattiwilcox.com

WILSON CHIN (Set Designer) Broadway: Cost of Living, Pass Over (Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominations), Next Fall. Off Broadway: Roundabout Theatre Company, Second Stage, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center, Playwrights Horizons, Public Theater, Signature Theatre. With director Jenn Thompson: The Secret Garden (Denver Center Theatre), Oklahoma and Anne of Green Gables (Goodspeed Musicals). Opera: Turandot (Washington National Opera), Lucia di Lammermoor (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Eine Florentinische Tragödie/Gianni Schicchi (Canadian Opera, Dora Award winner). Film/television: Pass Over (dir. Spike Lee), “Game Theory with Bomani Jones” (HBO), “Blindspot” (NBC). Eastern Region Board member of Local USA 829. Instagram: @wilsonchindesign

Broadway’s Holiday Inn, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (West End – Olivier Nomination, National Tour, Japan and Australia), and Allegiance (Drama Desk Nomination). Designed for Radio City Rockettes, Roundabout, Manhattan Theatre Club, NYC Opera and City Center Encores among others. He has extensively worked in Regional Theatres across the U.S., commercial projects, operas, and for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He is the recipient of the 2010 TDF Irene Sharaff Young Master Award. @alejo_vietti_costume_design

PHILIP S. ROSENBERG (Lighting Designer) Broadway and West End: Mrs. Doubtfire, Pretty Woman, The Elephant Man, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and It’s Only a Play. Regional: Kennedy Center, La Jolla Playhouse, Ford’s Theatre, The Guthrie Theater, The Old Globe, TheatreWorks, Hartford Stage, Alliance, Huntington Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Dallas Theatre Center, Denver Center Theatre, The Alley Theatre, Arena Stage, The McCarter Theatre, Manhattan School of Music, Portland Stage Company, TACT, Barrington Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Dorset Theatre Festival, Bay Street Theatre, Goodspeed Opera, Two River Theatre Company, George Street Playhouse, and Westport Country Playhouse.

Broadway: In Transit, Disney’s Aladdin (MX, UK, DE, JP, AU, US), Jekyll and Hyde, A Christmas Story the Musical, Scandalous, Newsies, Memphis, The ThreePenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park and Steel Magnolias. Numerous national tours and regional productions at theaters across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. 

ASHLEY RAE CALLAHAN (Hair & Wig Design) (She/Her) is an Emmy Nominated Hairstylist. Her design work includes Annie (National Tour) West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Muny) Evita (ART, STC & NYCity Center) Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (NWS & Maltz Jupiter)and Once Upon a One More Time (STC). Broadway & Television Associate/Assistant Designer Credits include: New York New York, Beetlejuice, Ain’t Too Proud, NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live!, Summer, The Color Purple Revival, Holiday Inn, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Allegiance. Television/Movies Hairstyling: The Crowded Room, Stranger Things, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ghosted, Oppenheimer, Eileen, Law and Order: SVU & The Gilded Age.

CHARLOTTE WOERTLER (Dog Trainer) is thrilled to be back this season with Annie! A dream come true! A proud graduate of The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College, Charlotte has been training animals for the stage and screen for over 20yrs. Favorite projects include Clifford the Big Red Dog, Lady and the Tramp, Where the Crawdads Sing, & Treasure Buddies.

Paul has had the honor to have served as Casting Director on the following projects:  Broadway: West Side Story, Come Fly Away, August: Osage County, A Moon for the Misbegotten, On Golden Pond, Hot Feet, Caine Mutiny Court Martial and the upcoming Once Upon a One More Time.  National Tours: West Side Story (US and World Tour), A Bronx Tale, Dirty Dancing, Legends!, Whistle Down the Wind, On Golden Pond, August: Osage County, The Bodyguard, and the current running tour of Cats.  Regional Theatres include: Goodspeed Opera House, Bucks County Playhouse, Delaware Theatre Company, TheaterWorks Hartford, TUTS, Pasadena Playhouse and Asolo Rep.

MATTHEW SMEDAL (Music Supervisor). Music Direction, Broadway: Mrs. Doubtfire (Matthew was also the music director of Doubtfire’s Original Cast Album). Off- Broadway: Clueless The Musical starring Dove Cameron. National Tours: The Bodyguard, Matilda First National, Ghost The Musical, and Catch Me If You Can. Toronto: Matilda (RSC + Mirvish Entertainment). Assoc. Music Super: Mrs. Doubtfire (First national tour). Elsewhere: An American In Paris (Cape Playhouse), Singin’ In the Rain (Ogunquit), Oliver (Maltz Jupiter), Anne of Green Gables (Goodspeed, World Premiere); As a pianist: Opéra de Rennes’ presentation of Cole Porter’s La Revue des Ambassadeurs, and for Grammy-award nominee Deborah Cox at the US Open Women’ s Singles Final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.

Talitha Fehr has worked on over 75 national and international productions and tours since 2005.  Highlights include: Sister Act, Mamma Mia!, School of Rock, Come Fly Away, Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, as well as the 2010 Olympic Ceremonies in Vancouver.  She dedicates her work on Annie to the memory of her mentor, Sam Lutfiyya.

Dan Delange is the resident orchestrator at Goodspeed Musicals, where he has orchestrated over 50 new and newly revived productions. His orchestrations were recently heard in the West End’s production of Show Boat, which was nominated for Best Musical Revival at the 2017 Olivier Awards in London. He has orchestrated for The Jim Henson Company, Julie Andrews, Rosie O’Donnell, Live Theatricals at Universal Studios, Manhattan Concert Productions, and for composers Paul Williams, Jerry Herman, Harvey Schmitt, Mark Hollman, Peter Link, Charles Strouse and Stephen Schwartz. His scores have been heard on Broadway, London’s West End, Carnegie Hall, National and European tours, film, television, and at regional theaters around the world. He’s a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

ANDREW DAVID SOTOMAYOR (Music Director). Off-Broadway: Curvy Widow (Premiere). First National Tours:Tootsie, Escape to Margaritaville. Recent Credits: My Best Friend’s Wedding (Ogunquit Playhouse), The SpongeBob Musical (Broadway At Music Circus), El Otro Oz (Atlantic Theater Company), On Your Feet!, (Paper Mill Playhouse). Endless love to his wonderful husband, Bart. For more, visit soto.fun

HEATHER CHOCKLEY (Director of Production) joined the CXL team 5 years ago after having toured, both nationally and internationally, for 15 years. After that lifetime on the road, she finds she likes not living out of a suitcase the whole time. Now based in the DC metro area, she also does a bit of political event work, and shares the crew member recruiting responsibilities at CXL.

BRIGHAM JOHNSON (Production Stage Manager)  Tours: Annie (North America, China), Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Christmas in Killarney. Norwegian Cruise Line. Regional: The Rev Theatre Co., Arizona Theatre Company, Skylight Music Theatre, Musical Theatre West, Gateway Playhouse, Florida Repertory, Triad Stage, and Connecticut Repertory. Brig is a graduate of Western Carolina University. Special thanks to his family and friends.

TARA TOLAR-PAYNE (Stage Manager) (She/Her) is thrilled to join the Annie Tour! National Tours: Girl From the North Country, Jesus Christ Superstar. Pre-Broadway: Frozen. Regional: Asolo Rep Theatre, Santa Fe Opera, Phamaly Theatre Company. Endless gratitude to everyone in her life who supports her in all that she is and does!

OLIVIA GORDON (Assistant Stage Manager). Tour: Kimberly Akimbo. Regional: Frozen (Fulton Theatre), Titanic, 9 to 5, The Buddy Holly Story, Something Rotten (Maine State Music Theatre). Training: Michael Jackson ONE (Cirque du Soleil). Shenandoah University Graduate ’24. Love & thanks to family, friends, and mentors.

NYKOL DEDREU (Sub Stage Manager). Commercial credits: Blue Man Group, Polar Express, NETworks Productions, Norwegian Cruise Lines. Regional: Phoenix Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Fulton Theatre, Phoenix Metropolitan Opera, Music Theatre of Wichita. Dance: Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Rennie Harris Puremovement, Kinetic Light. Education: Head of Stage Management- Columbia College Chicago, Adjunct Professor- Northwestern and DePaul Universities.

KYLE M. DILL (Sub Stage Manager) Tours: A Christmas Carol, Annie, Nassim the Play, Waitress, A Bronx Tale. He is a DC based stage manager and the production manager of the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center. Member of Actors’ Equity Association. BFA: Shenandoah University. @kylemdill

DEANA MARIE KIRSCH (General Manager) brings over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry to Annie, with a diverse portfolio of projects worked on in LA, NY, Las Vegas, and on national tours. Her credits include Criss Angel Mindfreak, Jersey Boys, BAZ, Mat Franco: Magic Reinvented Nightly, Absinthe, Wonderland, A Chorus Line, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and TINA.

ROYCE MATTHEWS (Company Manager) is a former Walt Disney Imagineer who walked down Main Street, and now walks down Easy Street. National Tours: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, Elf: The Broadway Musical (Company Manager); the new Peter Pan, Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady (Assistant Company Manager).

ANGELA STROHBECK (Assistant Company Manager) is beyond excited to join her first national tour! She brings 3 years of Broadway experience as a Coordinator for Columbia Live Stage and Producing Associate for Lia Vollack Productions. Broadway: Groundhog Day, Almost Famous, and MJ: the Musical.

CRC PRODUCTIONS (Producer). Carolyn Rossi Copeland founded the award winning Lamb’s Theatre on West 44th Street. The historic theatre was home to new musicals and plays. She was recruited to be Vice President of Creative Affairs for Radio City Entertainment/Madison Square Garden where she oversaw theatre productions, tours and new development. In 2006 she opened CRC Productions and has produced plays and musicals on Broadway, Off Broadway and National tours. She is currently the Executive producer of the Broadway bound musical GET HAPPY and serves as Executive Producer of Strouse iP, the company that manages the works of award-winning composer Charles Strouse. She is a board member of The Goodspeed Opera House and Many Hopes. Carolyn is happy to be back at The Garden! www.crcproductions.org

CROSSROADS LIVE (Producer & Tour Management) brings together some of the world’s top producers of live entertainment, now all under one banner. With offices in London, New York, Washington, D.C., Sydney, and Melbourne—our global platform ensures the best-loved titles from Broadway and the West End can be embraced by audiences around the world. Crossroads Live North America is an innovative, full-service theatrical production company delivering the Broadway experience to audiences in North America and beyond. Our 2023-2024 Season: Annie, Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas, My Fair Lady, Pretty Woman, The Phantom of the Opera (China). 

JUDITH ANN ABRAMS (Co-Producer) Multi Tony & Olivier winning producer of Come From Away, “Kinky Boots, Spring Awakening, to name a few highlights.

JIM KIERSTEAD (Co-Producer) is an Emmy, Olivier, and six-time Tony Award-winning producer of Kinky Boots, Pippin, Hadestown, The Inheritance, Company, and The Lehman Trilogy. Current projects include Romeo + Juliet, The Hills of California, Gypsy, Cabaret, and Smash. kiersteadproductions.com

VASI LAURENCE (Co-Producer). Theater/Film: Passing Strange (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award/Best Musical) and made into an award-winning film directed by Spike Lee. Other credits: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, Tootsie (National Tour), several Off Broadway shows and film projects, including the award-winning play The Housewives of Mannheim. Many thanks to Marcia andTom Nigro, Linda and Michael Standley, and Lois Barth. We are delighted to be partnering with Crossroads Live North America. Mosby78@aol.com

BOND THEATRICAL (Tour Booking, Marketing & Publicity) is an independently owned theatrical booking, marketing and publicity company representing award-winning Broadway shows and live entertainment properties. BOND connects artists and audiences by forming strategic, authentic and profitable partnerships between producers and presenters across North America. For a complete list of current projects, please visit BondTheatrical.com

Carolyn Lawson PT, founder and CEO. Global leaders in live entertainment, film, and performing arts medicine. We are honored to be part of the amazing company of Annie.  Highlights: Broadway: Disney’s The Lion King, Hello, Dolly!, The Music Man, The Cher Show. Tours: Movin’ Out, Tootsie, Hamilton. Concerts: P!NK, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, U2.

MTI is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser, and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide. MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students. MTI maintains its global headquarters in NYC with additional offices in London (MTI Europe) and Melbourne (MTI Australasia).