is an ex-history teacher (James Monroe H.S.) who has become one of today’s successful popular song writers. Many of his songs have been consistent favorites; they include: “Wonderful, Wonderful,” “See You In September,” “Johnny Get Angry,” and “Broken Hearted Melody.” His original conception of 1776 first took shape over a decade ago, derived from his love for both the men and the period in which they lived. The result is the combination of his avid interest in history (having majored in it at New York and Cornell Universities) and his talents as a composer-lyricist. He was rewarded with a Tony Award and the N.Y. Drama Critics’ Prize for Best Musical.
The only writer ever to win the Tony, Oscar and Emmy, wrote the new, revised book for the currently-running musical, Annie Get Your Gun, his sixteenth Broadway production. His most recent musical, Titanic, was the latest of his four Tony Awards (out of seven nominations). His musicals 1776, Woman of the Year and The Will Rogers Follies, won the Tony as well as the N.Y. Drama Critics Awards. He won the Academy Award for his screenplay, Father Goose, the Edgar (Mystery Writers of America Award) for his film Charade and the Christopher Award for the screen adaptation of 1776. Among his other films are The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, Mirage, Arabesque, Sweet Charity, Who’s Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? and Just Cause. Writing for television he won the Emmy Award for an episode of the acclaimed series The Defenders. His other TV credits include the pilots for sixteen network series, four network and cable features, and his collaboration with Richard Rodgers on the NBC musical special of G.B. Shaw’s Androcles and the Lion. He is a long-time member of the Dramatists Guild of America, the professional society of playwrights, composers and lyricists, having served as its president for 18 years.
was twice nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award as Best Director of a TV comedy, and won the award for “The Alan Brady Show” episode of Mad About You. Hunt has also directed episodes of Frasier, Coach, Ladies Man, and many other sit-coms. He has directed plays and musicals in New York and Los Angeles, including the recent productions of A.R. Gurney Jr.’s Ancestral Voices and Stand Up Opera starring B.J. Ward (nominated for three Ovation Awards). Last year in New York, he directed the all-star centennial salute to Noel Coward at Carnegie Hall. For L.A. Theatre Works and National Public Radio, he has directed a number of programs including Black Water, an opera with libretto by Joyce Carol Oates, which he will direct again in New York in November, as well as the award winning 14-hour production of Babbit featuring Ed Asner and an all-star cast. He is the author of the best-selling theater book How to Audition, and as a lyricist he won the MAC (Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets) Award for the song “Errol Flynn” which he wrote with Amanda McBroom.
was orchestrator/conductor on Broadway for Noel Coward’s Sail Away and Richard Rodgers’ No Strings; created orchestrations for Jule Styne’s Hallelujah Baby and Tommy Tune’s Grand Hotel; on records Matz has arranged, conducted and produced albums for Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, Melissa Manchester, Kiri te Kanawa, Nancy La Mott, Barbra Streisand and recently he arranged Barbara Cook’s recordings of songs with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein. On TV, Peter was arranger/conductor for Carol Burnett’s long-running series, and composed scores for more than fifty TV movies, and many feature films (Sidney Lumet’s Bye Bye Braverman is Matz’s favorite). Matz composed the music for The Gorey Details, which played at New York’s Century Center Theater in the Fall of 2001, and more recently, created the orchestrations for the hit musical, The Boswell Sisters at the Old Globe in San Diego. Peter and his wife, actress/singer/ psychotherapist Marilynn Lovell are active fund-raisers for APLA, Shanti Foundation, Aid for AIDS and other local AIDS organizations; the CD of their show “Say It With Music”, recorded live in New York, is available on the “Original Cast Records” label. Matz has been musical director of all the REPRISE! musicals since its inception.
Los Angeles productions include: Do I Hear A Waltz (Pasadena Playhouse), 6 Dance Lessons in 6 Weeks (Geffen Playhouse), Grave White Way (Hudson Theatre), Musical Chairs (El Portal Theatre), Fiorello!, Threepenny Opera, Sweeney Todd (REPRISE!), Robber Bridegroom, Bakers Wife, Take Me Along (MTG/Pasadena Playhouse), Songs of the Tall Grass, Chang & Eng, Actor, Lawyer, Indian Chief (Falcon Theatre), Cabaret (East/West Players - Drama-Logue Award), Assassins (LATC - Ovation Award Nominee), She’s a Handful (HBO Theatre - Director), Is It Just Me (CBS & Odyssey), Pirates of Penzance (La Mirada), Dancing at Lughnasa (McCoy/Rigby – La Mirada), Comedy of Errors, As You Like It (Shakespeare L.A.). New York productions: Good Times (Manhattan Theatre Club), One Man Band (South Street Theatre). Regional: A Chorus Line (Director/Choreographer – San Jose & Sacramento), Jekyll & Hyde, Triumph of Love (Santa Barbara CLO). London West End: Snoopy (Duchess Theatre), Blockheads, an original musical (Mermaid Theatre – Co-Author/Choreographer). Television: Brooklyn Bridge (pilot), C.L.A.S.S. (Cable special/co-director), Guidepost Junction (kid-vid series). Industrials/Concerts: Annual Alzheimer Gala (1992-1996 – Director), Sony Pictures Broadway (1993-Director), PAWS/LA (1992-1996), S.T.A.G.E. (1989-1998), Gay Men’s Choir (1998-2000). Film: Ella (Choreographer), The Human Quality (Director), Country (Director).
This is Mr. Wissmann’s fifth design for REPRISE!, the others being The Boys From Syracuse, Fiorello!, Of Thee I Sing and last season’s production of Mack & Mabel. He has designed for The Pasadena Playhouse, the La Mirada Performing Arts Center, The Westwood Playhouse, South Bay Civic Light Opera, The Tiffany, The Colony, The Odyssey, The Beverly Hills Playhouse, The Ivy Substation, The Matrix and Coconut Playhouse, Florida. He has also worked as Set Designer for the Rogue Music Theatre, Oregon, and is the Resident Set Designer for The Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara. He has received numerous Drama-Logue Awards and the NAACP Theatre Award for Set Design for the musical Sisterella. He resides in Pasadena with his wife Shelly, and their co-designs, Michael and Joanna.
began his career as a costume designer with director Michael Michetti and his Yuletide Carolers. Since those happy days of hot gluing holly on hats, Scott has had a great time working his way around the country. Highlights during the past 15 years include: residency at Southern California Music Theater (1986 to 1991); Gypsy, starring Joanne Worley, No, No, Nanette, West Side Story and Singin’ in the Rain. Broadway: Jack—An Evening with John Barrymore; Las Vegas: Beehive (Sahara and Luxor hotels); and the high seas for Princess Cruises, Royal Cruise Lines, Holland America and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Scott worked on an original musical adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde (Papermill Playhouse,1998). Other original productions include: Hurry, Hurry, Hollywood! by Sam Harris and Bruce Newberg, James A. Michner’s Sayonara and Fame—the Musical at the Alex Theater; the 128th edition of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus, designing over 300 costumes for showgirls, clowns and elephants! Most recently, Scott has had enjoyed the experience of working with Olympic star Michelle Kwan, designing outfits for competitions, the Champions on Ice national tour and her television special Michelle Kwan Skates to Disney’s Greatest Hits. Also, Disney on Ice with Feld Entertainment’s The Little Mermaid on ice, and 75 Years of Disney Magic, an anniversary show celebrating The Walt Disney Companies lengthy achievements “on ice”.
has created designs for twelve REPRISE! productions including Sweeney Todd, Mack & Mabel, and Hair. He recently designed the acclaimed production of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks at the Geffen Playhouse. He has designed over seventy-five productions for South Coast Repertory Theatre and shows for the Mark Taper Forum, International City Theatre, Opera Santa Barbara, CLO South Bay, Fullerton CLO, Sacramento Music Theatre, and Ford’s Theatre Washington D.C. His lighting can be seen at theme parks in 6 different countries including Universal Studios Hollywood, Japan, and Florida, Warner Bros. Movie World Australia, Germany, and Spain, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Disneyland. His architectural lighting can be seen at Santa Monica Place, South Coast Plaza Mall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Los Angeles Music Center, and many other shopping malls, restaurants, churches, residences and Las Vegas casinos and hotels. A recipient of the Lighting Designer of the Year 2000 Award, Mr. Ruzika is also head of the Graduate Lighting Design Program at U.C. Irvine.
has designed over 70 theatrical shows, including Measure for Measure, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Cinderella at the Ahmanson, First Picture Show at the Taper, and the first three seasons of REPRISE! Other work includes Play On, and Only A Kingdom (Pasadena Playhouse); Masada (Shubert Theatre in LA); Joseph…, and Singing in the Rain (Denver’s Arvada Center for the Arts); Forever Plaid, and Blues in the Night, (Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami); and The King and I, South Pacific, and Into the Woods (Long Beach CLO). For television Mr. Allen assisted in the sound system design for the 1998 Academy of Country Music Awards with Emmy Award winning sound designer Bruce Burns, and equalized the sound at the 56th Golden Globe Awards and 14th Soap Opera Awards. As a mixer he just completed 8 months as Production Sound Engineer with the national tour of Titanic, and last year he engineered the gala production Saturday Night at the Summit attended by Bill Clinton and the leaders of the G-7 countries. He won the 1999 L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Cinderella, five L.A. Drama-Logue Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, and an Ovation Award nomination for Best Sound Design in a Large Musical.