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Douglas Day Stewart first gained recognition in 1980 for writing the breakthrough television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, which launched the career of John Travolta and won Stewart Emmy and Writer's Guild nominations for best writing. But he is best known as the Academy Award nominated writer of An Officer and a Gentleman, starring Debra Winger, Richard Gere and Lou Gossett. Based on Stewart's own experiences as a Naval Officer during the Vietnam era, the 1982 film is one of the highest grossing love stories in film history. Among Stewart's other credits are The Blue Lagoon starring Brooke Shields and The Scarlet Letter starring Demi Moore.
[ READ MORE ]In 1988 Stewart wrote and directed Thief of Hearts, a love story and thriller, and in 1990 Listen To Me, a story of college friendship among debaters. More recently, Stewart has written a novel entitled The Flying Man, and co-written the book An Officer and a Gentleman. Stewart lives in Hawaii with his wife, Judith, an artist. He is currently at work with his son, Sean, on the screenplay for a thriller set against the modern L.A. music scene, entitled True North.
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Sharleen Cooper Cohen is the author of seven, internationally-published novels – The Day After Tomorrow, Repeat Performance (Regina's Song), The Ladies of Beverley Hills, Marital Affairs, Love, Sex and Money, Lives of Value and Innocent Gestures (over two million in print). Her theatrical credits include Street Corner Symphony (associate producer, Broadway), Jerry Herman's The Best of Times (producer, London, West End), Sheba (book and lyrics, producer, Off Broadway), Bingo (producer, Off Broadway), Duet (associate producer, Off Broadway), Cookin' At The Cookery (producer, Arkansas Repertory Theatre), and Stormy Weather (book/musicologist, producer, Prince Music Theatre Philadelphia 2007 and Pasadena Playhouse 2009).
[ READ MORE ]Work in development includes Blackout (book and lyrics), Da Ponte (producer) and the original screenplay Paying Natasha. Cooper Cohen has developed the musical An Officer and a Gentleman based on the screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart, as co-book writer with Douglas Day Stewart and producer with John Frost.
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Ken Hirsch was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and is now living in Los Angeles. Most proud of having avoided having a real job for over 30 years, he is the co-writer of the hits "I've Never Been To Me" for Charlene, "Two Less Lonely People In The World" for Air Supply, "No One In The World" for Anita Baker and "If I Could" for several artists including Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles and Celine Dion. He has co-written with some of the world's most renowned lyricists including Hal David, Gerry Goffin, Paul Williams, Howie Greenfield and Ron Miller and his songs have also been recorded by numerous other artists including Grammy award winners Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight, Harry Connick Jr., Dolly Parton, B.B. King, and Placido Domingo.
[ READ MORE ]His songs have been featured in several motion pictures including Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Bowfinger and Shrek the Third. He has cowritten two fully produced musicals with the late Ron Miller, Daddy Goodness and Clothespins & Dreams, and has written the musical version of An Officer and a Gentleman with Robin Lerner. He attributes much of his success to his mentor, the legendary Brill Building writer, Doc Pomus. And finally, he abhors people who drop names!
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A native of New York, Robin Lerner graduated from NYU film school and headed west to pursue careers in both screenwriting and songwriting. Merging her love of musical theatre and film, she created animated musical features for Disney, Amblin, and Warner Brothers, working with composers Galt MacDermot, Frank Wildhorn and George Stiles, and producers Steven Spielberg and Cameron Mackintosh.
As her songs found success in the pop world with Sheena Easton, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Jermaine Jackson, Luther Vandross and the Backstreet Boys, Lerner signed with Maverick Music in 1996 and started traveling back and forth to Nashville. Over the past 15 years, Lerner's songs have been recorded by great country artists such as Randy Travis ("Out Of My Bones", #1), Tim McGraw ("She's My Kind Of Rain", #1) and Faith Hill ("This Kiss", #1).
[ READ MORE ]In 1999 "This Kiss" was awarded single of the year at the 1999 Academy of Country Music Awards, and was named ASCAP Song of the Year. "This Kiss" was also nominated for a Grammy and went on to win Song of the Year at the 2000 CMA's.
In 2002 Lerner returned to her film roots penning the screenplay Princess of Thieves, which aired on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney and starred Keira Knightly. Since then she has collaborated with numerous Nashville and international recording artists on their respective albums and projects. To her great delight, Bette Midler performed her song "September" (a ballad which reflects on the actions of 9/11) every night during her infamous "Kiss My Brass" tour.
Lerner has written two musicals for the stage, An Officer and a Gentleman with composer Ken Hirsch, and Tears of Heaven with composer Frank Wildhorn, which enjoyed its world premiere in Seoul in February 2011. Robin has her own publishing company, Massabielle Music, and is represented by Whitney Daane at Kobalt Music in Nashville and LA.
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John Frost is the Managing Director of The Gordon Frost Organisation. Born in Adelaide, he began in show business at the age of 16 as a dresser for J.C. Williamson on their production of Mame. Since then he has worked his way up the showbiz ladder: Wardrobe Master, Stage Manager, Company Manager and now Producer. In 1983 he teamed up with the late Ashley Gordon to form The Gordon Frost Organisation. Together they negotiated the lease for Sydney's Footbridge Theatre, where they successfully produced a range of shows including, Jerry's Girls, Night Mother, The Venetian Twins and Women Behind Bars. The company then moved into large scale musicals such as Big River, The King and I, South Pacific, Hello Dolly!, The Secret Garden, Smokey Joe's Café, Cabaret and Crazy for You.
[ READ MORE ]He co-produced Sir Peter Hall's acclaimed productions of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband starring Googie Withers and John McCallum, and Lady Windermere's Fan starring Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London.
In 1998 John Frost joined forces with Sports and Entertainment Limited (SEL) to produce Grease – The Arena Spectacular! The production broke all box office records for an arena event in Australia. His production of The King and I on Broadway won the coveted Tony Award® for 'Best Revival of a Musical' as well as the Drama Desk and New York Outer Critics Circle Award. John has also been the recipient of two Mo Awards and a Sydney Critics' Circle Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 from GLUGS.
In 1999 John Frost and SEL presented The Main Event, which toured to critical acclaim and huge box office success. This was followed by a production of the Tony Award®-winning play Art starring Tom Conti. A hugely successful production of The Sound of Music starring Lisa McCune was followed by Annie with Anthony Warlow, Man of La Mancha, The Wizard of Oz and Footloose.
In 2004/2005 John co-produced around Australia The Producers. This highly acclaimed production garnered five Helpmann Awards® including Best Musical for 2005. In the same year John also co-presented an arena production of Grease starring John Farnham. John was represented on Broadway with the smash hit musical Hairspray for which he won his second Tony Award®. Since January 2006 he has produced the national tours of the National Theatre of Great Britain's celebrated production of An Inspector Calls, the Broadway theatre icon Mandy Patinkin and Hollywood and cabaret legend Debbie Reynolds.
John Frost, in partnership with The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific, presented The Phantom of the Opera Australia Tour starring Anthony Warlow. In 2009 John was represented on Broadway with the play, Exit the King, starring Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon. Also in that year, John brought Mandy Patinkin back on tour to Australia with fellow theatre icon Patti LuPone.
John produced the Australian and Asian tour of Chicago, the Australian premiere season of the new musical Doctor Zhivago, and the Australian tours of the play Calendar Girls and Fame the Musical. John was producer for the Julie Andrews tour of Gift of Music and is also one of the producers of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – The Musical, currently playing in London. In Australia, John is Co-producer of the Broadway blockbuster Wicked as well as producer of a new production of Annie.
In the 1999 Australia Day Honours, John was awarded an OAM for his contribution to the Arts.
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Simon began his career in New Zealand before emigrating to Australia in 1984 to take up a position as lecturer and director at the West Australian Academy for Performing Arts. In 1987 he joined Melbourne Theatre Company as Associate Director and in 1990 he was appointed Artistic Director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia. After freelancing nationally and internationally between 1994 and 1999, he returned to MTC as Artistic Director in 2000.
His directing credits range from new works to contemporary and Shakespearean classics to musicals to opera. He has directed works by most of the great contemporary writers: Albee (A Delicate Balance), Beckett (Happy Days), Brecht (Arturo Ui), Churchill (Cloud Nine, Serious Money), Hare (The Blue Room), McDonagh (The Pillowman), Orton (What the Butler Saw, Entertaining Mr Sloane), Shepherd (Buried Child, A Lie of the Mind), and Stoppard (Arcadia, Rock'n'Roll).
[ READ MORE ]He has also directed the premieres of many new works by leading Australian writers, including David Williamson, Hannie Rayson and Stephen Sewell. Songs for Nobodies is his fourth collaboration with Joanna Murray-Smith.
Simon's musical credits in Australia include Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (which also had seasons in New Zealand and Canada and is currently running on the West End and Broadway), The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Urinetown the Musical, Company, The Threepenny Opera, Cabaret and High Society (in an adaptation by his wife, Carolyn Burns, which also toured regionally in the UK.) In New Zealand he directed Oliver!, Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Pirates of Penzance.
Among his many classical productions, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, A Comedy of Errors and The Importance of Being Earnest all toured nationally in Australia. Simon's opera credits include La Bohème, Falstaff, L'Elisir d'Amore and Lulu for Opera Australia, The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni for Opera New Zealand and A Midsummer Night's Dream and Billy Budd for Hamburg State Opera.
His many awards include Green Room Awards for Best Direction: Richard III (MTC 2010), Best Direction: August Osage County (MTC 2009), Best Musical: Priscilla (2008), Best Direction and Best Production of an Opera: Lulu (Opera Australia 2004), Best Direction: Proof (MTC 2002), Best Direction of a Musical: Company (MTC 2001) and Helpmann Awards for Best Direction: Richard III (MTC 2010) , Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical: The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (MTC 2006), Best Play and Best Direction of a Play for Inheritance (MTC 2004) and Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production and Best Presentation for Children Twinkle Twinkle Little Fish (Windmill Performing Arts 2003).
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Andrew's most recent choreographic credits include the Broadway production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Broadwayworld.com Toronto award for Best Choreography), Melbourne Theatre Company's productions of Next to Normal and Hamlet and The Production Company's Anything Goes which he also co-directed. Other recent credits include MTC's The Drowsy Chaperone starring Geoffrey Rush (Helpmann and Green Room Award Nomination) and The Production Company's revival of The Boy From Oz starring Todd McKenney (Green Room Award nomination).
[ READ MORE ]Other choreographic credits include the original Australian production of Eurobeat – Almost Eurovision (Green Room Award nomination for Best Choreography), which was revived for the Edinburgh Festival, West End and UK tour. The smash hit Menopause – the Musical, (nominated for Helpmann and Green Room Awards), Leader of the Pack – The Ellie Greenwich Musical (Betty Pounder Green Room Award winner for Best Choreography, Helpmann Award nomination), Sideshow Alley (QPAC and Pratt Prize Workshop), The Merry Widow for Melbourne City Opera, Wombat Stew, Prodigal and the cabaret shows Doris Day-So Much More Than The Girl Next Door, 'Tegrity and Newley Discovered. Andrew has worked extensively with The Production Company, choreographing Carousel, Mame and The Boy Friend (2009 Green Room Award nomination) and as co-choreographer with Ross Coleman on The Music Man and Bye Bye Birdie (receiving Green Room Award nominations for both productions).
Andrew's television credits include the Australian series of So You Think You Can Dance, "Indigeridoo" and "Ja'ime's Assembly Routine" on the cult TV show We Can Be Heroes, Dead Gorgeous for ABC/BBC TV and The Librarians for the ABC. He has choreographed and staged the Helpmann Awards live telecast for Foxtel.
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Dale graduated from the NIDA in 1989 and has been working continuously ever since designing for theatre, opera and television. He was Resident Designer at the Queensland Theatre Company from 1990-4 and Resident Designer at the Melbourne Theatre Company from 1995-8. As well as his work with QTC and MTC, Dale has worked extensively with the Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir, Bell Shakespeare, State Theatre Company of SA, Playbox, Malthouse and The Production Company. Favourite productions include August Osage County, Great Expectations, God of Carnage and History Boys for MTC, Exit The King, Measure for Measure and The Chairs for Belvoir, Twelfth Night for STCSA, Summer Rain, The Marriage of Figaro and Brilliant Lies for QTC, King Lear for Bell Shakespeare, and The Convict's Opera for STC.
[ READ MORE ]His previous musical theatre credits include The Rocky Horror Show, The Drowsy Chaperone (Helpmann Award nomination), The Sapphires, Titanic The Musical, Funny Girl, Mame, She Loves Me and The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Green Room Award nomination). Dale has received numerous awards and nominations for his design work, including Helpmann, Green Room and Sydney Theatre Award nominations, plus Tony Award nominations for his set and costumes on Belvoir's production of Exit The King.
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For the past 17 years Matt has worked as a lighting designer for almost all of Australia's leading performing arts companies. His credits for the Melbourne Theatre Company include Next to Normal, A Behanding in Spokane, Don Parties On, Life Without Me, All About My Mother, Boston Marriage, The Ugly One, The Grenade, The Swimming Club, The Drowsy Chaperone, Godzone, God of Carnage, The Birthday Party, August: Osage County, Realism, Grace, The Hypocrite, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Blackbird, Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot, Frost/Nixon, Rock 'n' Roll, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?, The Pillowman, Don's Party, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Tomfoolery, The Female of the Species, Festen, Doubt, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dumb Show, Hitchcock Blonde, King Lear, The Sapphires, Urinetown, Blithe Spirit, The Blue Room and The Woman in the Window.
[ READ MORE ]His long association with Queensland Theatre Company spans over thirty-five productions, including Betrayal, Titus-Anatomy, Heroes, The Woman Before, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Christmas Carol, Oedipus the King, The Goat, Proof, The Venetian Twins, The Lonesome West, Phaedra, The Messiah, Buried Child, The Forest, The Sunshine Club and Radiance.
For Sydney Theatre Company his lighting commissions include The Grenade, Rock 'n' Roll, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Urinetown, Doubt, Blithe Spirit, The Glass Menagerie, Morning Sacrifice and The Sunshine Club. He created the lighting for the multi-award-winning A Beautiful Life for Matrix Theatre, Kooemba Jdarra's The 7 Stages of Grieving and Playbox/Ilbijerri's Stolen. He has lit productions for Bell Shakespeare (Much Ado About Nothing, The Alchemist, As You Like it, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, The Merchant of Venice) Company B Belvoir (The Sapphires, Paul) and Playbox (Thieving Boy/ Like Stars in My Hands, The Sick Room). He has lit many shows for The Production Company including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, 42nd St, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Kiss Me Kate.
Matt has worked for Opera Australia (La Sonambula, La Boheme), Victorian Opera (The Turn of the Screw, Xerxes, Orphee et Eurydice), New Zealand Opera (Xerxes) and Opera Queensland (La Boheme, Cinderella, Cosi fan tutte). His work for dance includes productions for Expressions Dance Company (Where the Heart is) and Queensland Ballet (Sync, Petrushka, Cloudland, Don Quixote, The Fold/Burning). He has received or been nominated for numerous awards, including a 2005 Helpmann Award for his lighting on Urinetown, which followed his 2003 Helpmann Award for The Blue Room.
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Born and raised in Queensland, Dave studied at QUT under Steve Russell and Max Olding and then left Australia for several years as Band Master/Musical Director on various ships for NCL, PCC and P&O Cruise Lines. Dave then moved to Tokyo with a jazz trip before returning to Australia where he has been in demand not only as a pianist/ conductor but also for his work as a composer, arranger and programmer.
[ READ MORE ]Dave has worked with a variety of people from Glen Shorrock to Caroline O'Connor and was a part of the ABC's triple platinum selling Long Way To The Top tour. His first album of original work, Duty Free Happiness, was recorded in 2005 and his second album, Thespianage, has recently been released. Dave's theatre credits include Musical Director on Asian tour of Saturday Night Fever, (Australia/New Zealand/South East Asia and United Kingdom) , the World Premiere of Priscilla – Queen of the Desert (as Associate Musical Director)and the Australian tours of Avenue Q and FAME (as Musical Director). Most recently Dave has been Musical Director of Rock of Ages.
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Dean recently directed Next to Normal for the Melbourne Theatre Company, Hansel and Gretel for OzOpera and codirected Anything Goes for The Production Company. Other directing credits include The Last Five Years (45 Downstairs, SBW Stables Theatre and NSW tour - Green Room and Helpmann Award nominations - Best Director of a Musical), Prodigal (45 Downstairs), Once We Lived Here (45 Downstairs) and Virgins: A Musical Threesome (CUB Malthouse).
[ READ MORE ]He is Worldwide Associate Director of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – The Musical, and recently returned from the Broadway premiere. His cabaret credits as writer/director include: Britney Spears: The Cabaret (Green Room nominations for Best Cabaret/Best Director of a Cabaret); Liza (on an E); I'm Every Woman (Sydney Opera House, Sydney Theatre Award – Best Cabaret); Newley Discovered (Sydney Opera House/Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Sydney Theatre Award nomination – Best Cabaret); Experiment: Cole Porter (Adelaide Cabaret Festival) and at this year's Festival, Josie in the Bathhouse and In Vogue: Songs By Madonna. With composer Mathew Frank he has written the musicals Prodigal (off- Broadway season at the York Theatre, Green Room – Best Original Score), Once We Lived Here (Green Room – Best New Musical), Virgins and The Silver Donkey.
