Musical Theatre Radio presents "Be Our Guest"

Jerrell L. Henderson is a Theatre Director, Puppeteer, and African American Theatre Historian and Archivist. Through the mediums of theatre and/or puppetry and film, Jerrell seeks to disrupt generational curses of self-hate (i.e. racism, homophobia, religious intolerance, etc.). Intellectually curious and emotionally dexterous, Jerrell is at home in a number of wide-ranging genres including, but not limited to, American Realism, Magical Realism, Traditional and Contemporary Musical Theatre, Poetic Black-Queer Narratives, and Live Spectacle Events.

Upcoming projects include directing Ragtime at Metropolis Arts Center this Spring. A recipient of a 2023 Henson Foundation Workshop Grant and the 2022 League of Chicago Theatre’s Samuel G. Roberson Fellowship, Jerrell will present an original shadow play titled, AmericanMYTH: Crossroads with Free Street Theatre this Fall. Recent projects include directing Reverie by James Ijames (2022 Pulitzer Prize recipient for Fat Ham) with Azuka Theatre in Philadelphia, co-directing Marys Seacole by Jackie Sibblies Drury with Griffin Theatre in Chicago, and collaborating with The Classical Theatre of Harlem and St. Ann’s Warehouse on: When The World Sounds Like A Prayer (https://www.cthnyc.org, walkwithamal.org) in Bryant Park in NYC. Other credits include Mlima’s Tale with Griffin Theatre (Jeff Award nomination for Direction and Best Play), The River with BoHo Theatre, and Untitled with Inis Nua (Barrymore Award nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play). Puppet short films include a filmed version of his signature puppetry piece, I Am The Bear with The Chicago International Puppet Theatre Festival. Other puppet short films include, Hamlin: La Revue Sombre with Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams and Diamond’s Dream with Chicago Children’s Theatre. His Juneteenth Puppet Protest: The Welcome Table was featured in the New York Times (June 2020) and his Fall 2020 puppetry celebration of the lives of John Lewis and C.T. Vivian titled, Black Butterfly was later expanded into an educational performance piece with Tria Smith of Guild Row and a student collective working with Urban Growers Collective on Chicago’s South Side. He received his MFA in Theatre Directing from Northwestern University (2015), is an artistic associate with Black Lives, Black Words, is a member of Lincoln Center’s Directors Lab (2012), and was a Henson Foundation sponsored participant at the Eugene O’Neill National Puppetry Conference (2020). He is on the board of Directors Gathering. (DG) is a national organization based in Philadelphia, PA which offers theatre directors consistent community, resources, and elevation.

 As a theatre historian and archivist, Jerrell contributed to Fifty Key Musicals (Routledge Press). He authored the chapter on Shuffle Along (1921) and co-authored the chapter on The Wiz (1975). He also serves as the creator and curator of black_theatre_vinyl_archive on Instagram. black_theatre_vinyl_archive is an extensive collection of vinyl albums which highlight the contributions of members of the African Diaspora in Theatre/Musical Theatre History.

Moe: A Rap Opera

Jewelle Blackman is a Dora nominated Canadian actor, violinist, singer/songwriter and playwright.  Born and bred in Toronto, Jewelle has worked extensively in theatre, television and film across North America.  She was most recently seen on Broadway starring as “Persephone” in the Tony and Grammy winning Best Musical HADESTOWN.  The same show where she made her Broadway debut and was part of the OBC originating the role of “Contralto Fate”. While in New York Jewelle performed two sold-out Cabarets at the iconic 54 Below and was the anthem singer at Madison Square Gardens. Canadian credits include the Companies of HADESTOWN, WE WILL ROCK YOU; THE LION KING; CAROLINE OR CHANGE; DREAMGIRLS; CROWNS, and three seasons at The Stratford Festival. She was also the headliner for the Toronto Symphony’s 2023 Canada Day Celebration. Jewelle’s other show ROOTED: A Musical Poem is also debuting at the Toronto Fringe this year and will be presented Off-Broadway later this summer.

Laura Landauer is an amazingly diverse entertainer, equally comfortable performing as an actor, singer, or comedian. She has received world wide attention for her spot-on portrayal of Celine Dion. Her short films have appeared on television shows, including Entertainment Tonight, across North America and Europe, and have extensive world-wide viewership online.

 She has performed at The Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Yuk Yuk’s Toronto, The Debaters and Just For Laughs Montreal.

 Laura has appeared on television shows including Bathroom Divas, Video on Trial, and Look-a-Like.

 You can also watch her as the evil Shapeshifter & her goofy twin The Form Changer on the PBS/TVO show ODD SQUAD.

Claire Rice

I have been a theatre nerd for as long as I can remember. Everything is a big song and dance when I’m around. That’s one reason children have always responded well to me! I started babysitting at 12, and continued to nanny into my 30s, making strong connections with every family. After graduating Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, I became a drama, music, and dance teacher, as well as a director for children’s musicals.

I have since honed my skills of teaching music and drama for babies, children, and youth. I founded Dramagination - a very creative acting class for ages 3-12 where kids can follow their instincts, gain confidence, and practice their dramatic techniques. Directing full scale musicals with children became one of my favourite parts of my job, fostering a safe space to learn and perform, and creating lasting memories for everyone involved.

I specialize in developing children’s creativity - where children invent characters, stories, and worlds, and I help them to collaborate and turn their ideas into fully realized productions.

I trained in Toronto, and have since worked in this field in New Brunswick, England, Switzerland and Vancouver. I’m really excited to bring my offerings to York Region and beyond!

Andrew Seok

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Andrew Seok began his career as a Musical Theatre Singer & Composer, branching out into Singer / Songwriter, Record Producer, TV / Film Composer, Theatre Creator, and Filmmaker. He is currently the Artistic Director of Eclipse Theatre Company which he co-runs with Artistic Producer, Chilina Kennedy.

With the success of his first stage musical, ‘ECHOES’, Andrew went on to produce and direct the feature film version, which premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2018. He is currently in the final stages of post-production for his second musical feature film, ‘What Am I Without You?‘. Andrew has written and directed a musical short film starring Ma-Anne Dionisio and Jeff Madden, as well as a dance short film where the entire story is told through contemporary dance, both soon to be released. In 2019, Andrew wrote the Toronto Fringe Festival hit, ‘Unravelled’ as his second live stage musical project, and followed that up with his sold out and critically acclaimed, ‘The Man With The Golden Heart‘.

Andrew has written and produced music for worldwide campaigns for Nike, Coke, Samsung, Visa, Dove, X-Box, The Super Bowl, BMW, Dragon Ball Z, as well as numerous TV series such as, ‘Playmakers‘ (ESPN), ‘Global Morning Show‘, ‘Canada’s Worst Driver‘, ‘Marketplace‘ (CBC), and many shows on television. Andrew has also worked with artists such as, Feist, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace), Jully Black, Jeff Healey, and Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Anastasia); as well as having produced songs featured in the ‘American Pie‘ movie franchise, and producing the Juno nominated album, “Enter The Beat”.

Most recently, Andrew has written a short musical film, ‘90 Days‘, a love story during Covid-19 times, and his third feature length musical film, ‘Where Do We Go From Here?‘, a story about the complexities of modern relationships; and is writing a RomCom about Asian life in North America.

Rosamund: A New Musical

KIRK CAMBRIDGE-DEL PESCHE hails from the beautiful West Indies archipelago of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He proudly boasts an eclectic blend of ethnicities.

With a portfolio that includes work with MAC Cosmetics,  BareMinerals, Broadway; Tours; TV; Boston Ballet; Boston Lyrics Opera; Opera Company of Philadelphia; Boston Symphony Orchestra; New York Symphony Orchestra.

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Make-up designed for -

Broadway: Trouble In Mind, Clyde's, Skelton Crew, Birthday Candles, Skin Of Our Teeth, For Colored Girls, Strange Loop, POTUS, Into The Woods, The Piano Lesson, Ain't No Mo, Camelot and Merrily We Roll Along.

Off-Broadway: Merry Wives, Sand Blasted, Confederates, Into The Woods and Melissa Etheridge - My Window

Regional: Disney's Hercules

Opera: This Little Light Of Mine

National Tour: Into The Woods & The Wiz

Spring 2024 - Disney's Hercules Global Premier in Germany & The Wiz Broadway

Carmel is a composer/lyricist, arranger, music supervisor/director, conductor of musical theatre, based in NYC. Composition credits include Renascence, produced Off-Broadway by Transport Group in 2018. Music director/arranger credits include the Broadway productions of Funny Girl (revival), If/Then, Hands on a Hardbody, American Idiot, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, as well as Broadway's The Notebook.

Well Behaved Women

Kailey Marshall is a New York-based composer/lyricist who creates queer, femme forward, pop-infused musical theatre. Marshall’s work has been featured at 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, Don’t Tell Mama’s, the Highline Ballroom, and Lincoln Center. Her musicals Confirmed and Songs for Slutty Girls received readings in association with Pace University’s New Musicals Program and she won the Twenty-Somethings Two Fresh Pens Contest with her song “Give It Up” and Taylor Louderman’s Write Out Loud competition with her song “Brave”. Her country revenge thriller, Vengeance, was developed as a part of Molloy College’s Pop/Rock Lab. Her most recent work, A Long Line of McKinney Women, was commissioned by Nebraska Wesleyan University and received its world premiere in 2023. You can find her pop concept album, Ghostwriter, on Spotify & Apple Music.