Musical Theatre Radio presents "Be Our Guest"

Michael Shaw Fisher is an actor, producer and writer of musicals, films, and novels in Los Angeles. His original musical DOCTOR NYMPHO VS THE SEX ZOMBIES won Best Musical at the Hollywood Fringe in 2018. His show SKULLDUGGERY: THE MUSICAL PREQUEL TO HAMLET premiered at Sacred Fools Theatre Company in 2016 and earned him an Ovation Award for Best Lyrics and Music. His solo show, SHAKESPEARE’S LAST NIGHT OUT won an Ovation Award for “Best Book of an Original Musical” after winning “Top of Fringe” at the Hollywood Fringe 2015 and "Best Solo Show.” As Artistic Director of Orgasmico Theatre Company, Michael penned and performed in the Ovation-nominated DOOMSDAY CABARET (2012), Best Fringe Musical-winning EXORCISTIC: THE ROCK MUSICAL PARODY EXPERIMENT (2013) and THE WEREWOLVES OF HOLLYWOOD BLVD. (2014). As an actor he has appeared in the Ovation nominated and Top of Fringe-winning SHAKESLESQUE with Cherry Poppins. He’s also appeared in Ben Moroski’s TILT also appeared in Theatricum Botanicum’s RICHARD III and ROSE COTTAGES in 2011.

Michael has performed a variety of other plays as well as written, produced and directed others. He has a passion for storytelling in all forms and can’t wait to bring more exciting and original theatre projects to life in Hollywood. He is in love with his wife and son.

DAVID SERERO (Otto Frank/Director/Producer)

David Serero, has received international recognition and critical acclaim from all over the world. At 38 years old, he has already performed more than 2,000 concerts and performances throughout the world, played in over 100 films and recorded 20 albums. He entered the prestigious Who's Who America for demonstrating outstanding achievements in the entertainment world and for the betterment of contemporary society. In 2019, he received the Morocco Day Distinguished Achievement Award, and the Trophy of the Culture of Morocco and has been honored by Royal Air Maroc as one of the 15 most influential moroccans worldwide. That same year, he received the 2019 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, David Serero was Awarded by the Trophy for Diversity by the UNESCO. David Serero is a member of the Recording Academy and of the Television Academy and a voting member both of the Grammys and Emmys. He has given concerts in Paris at the Opera Garnier, Olympia, Eiffel Tower; in New York at the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Times Square; in London at the Royal College of Music, Wembley Stadium; and in Moscow at the Tchaikovsky Hall; in Amsterdam at the Concertgebouw, the Budapest Opera conducted by Placido Domingo and more. He made his sold out West End debuts at the Dominion Theatre. He has sung more than 30 lead roles in Opera, Operetta and Musical Theater. In his extensive discography, he has recorded Cast Album Recording of iconic roles such as Shakespeare's Richard III and world Premiere adaptations. He is also the founder and producer of several music and film festivals.

During the 2017/2018 season in New York, David Serero starred as Cyrano De Bergerac (Rostand), Don Giovanni (Mozart), Barabas (Marlowe's Jew of Malta), King Ahasuerus (from musical Queen Esther's Dilemma), King Lear (Jacob Gordin's The Yiddish King Lear), Napoleon's title role from Napoleon by Stanley Kubrick.

For the 2018/19 season in New York, David starred as Nabucco's title role, Romeo (Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in a Jewish adaptation), Figaro (Mozart's Marriage of Figaro) which he directed and adapted. He opened his 2019/20 season with « Anne Frank, a musical », starring as Otto Frank, which he directed and produced, and the world premiere of "Lost in the Disco" with Lisa Azuelos. Upcoming engagements are Shylock (Merchant of Venice), his own theatrical adaptation of Carmen, Anne Frank a musical, "Lost in the Disco" at the Public Arts Hotel, Rodrigo in The Cid among others.

CHILINA KENNEDY

Chilina is known for playing Carole King in the musical Beautiful on Broadway for over 1,200 performances. She also recently originated the Tony-award winning role of Dina on the First Broadway National Tour of The Band’s Visit. Chilina’s first appearance on Broadway was in 2012 when she played Mary Magdalene in Des McAnuff’s Jesus Christ Superstar, which also had successful runs at the Stratford Festival of Canada and the La Jolla Playhouse. Other US credits include the world premiere of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, in which she originated the role of Phoebe at Hartford Stage and The Old Globe in San Diego (San Diego and Connecticut Outer Critics nominations), the world premiere of A Sign Of The Times as Cindy (Delaware Theatre Company), Binky in the Off-Broadway world premiere of This Ain’t No Disco (Dir. Darko Tresnjak/Chor. Camille A. Brown) and Sophie in the 1st US National Tour of Mamma Mia!. Selected Canadian credits include the title role in Ted Dykstra’s Evangeline (Charlottetown Festival and original recording), the title role in Ross Petty’s Pantomime The Little Mermaid (Toronto Critic’s Award), three seasons at the Stratford Festival (three Broadways World Awards) including Maria in Gary Griffin’s West Side Story, Eva Peròn in Evita, Lois Lane in Kiss Me Kate, three seasons at the Shaw Festival, the World Premiere of The Lord of the Rings (Mirvish), Philia in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Stratford/Toronto), Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest (Neptune) and the title role in Mary Poppins (Theatre Aquarius).

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Chilina is also a singer/songwriter with a debut album “What You Find In A Bottle”, released in 2015. Chilina has written a new musical Call It Love with Eric Holmes, who is known for being a writer for The Good Fight on CBS. Featuring music and lyrics by Chilina, book co-written by Eric and Chilina, and musical arrangements by Rick Fox, Call It Love has been developed in the New York City area by Eclipse Theatre Company with the first Canadian workshop planned for May 2020. Chilina has worked with Burt Bacharach, guest starred in concert with the TSO, Colm Wilkinson and Jason Robert Brown. You can hear Chilina’s voice on CBC’s Celebrate The Seasons and Carols For A Cure. Chilina is a graduate of Sheridan College and the Birmingham Conservatory for classical theatre in Stratford.

Musical Creators’ Institute is on a mission to empower early-career musical theater creators. We work to provide unique tools and insights into musical theater form from highly-experienced, top-level musical theater professionals. We aim to do this with a program size that is large enough to provide ample collaborative opportunities and small enough to provide individual attention and at a price-point that will not saddle our students with years of debt.

We believe in fostering a shared language between artists with diverse areas of specialization. This involves supporting the development of multi-disciplinary artists and offering all artists opportunities to expand their areas of knowledge.

The philosophy of program founder, Kleban-Award-winning lyricist-librettist Sam Carner considers all ideas and concepts as viable and views the role of a training program as helping students to express their ideas with greater clarity and to build greater drama around their themes. This leads to a supportive, non-judgmental environment that encourages exploration and artistic passion.

Develop your own unique artistic voice, explore new collaborations and artistic communities, and gain a solid framework in musical theater structure and style.

With Duncan Abel, she adapted Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train, which had a record-breaking UK tour and West End run in 2019 and her new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d toured the UK produced by the Wales Millennium Centre and Wiltshire Creative, followed by a tour of India. 

For radio, Rachel adapted Sebastian Faulks’ novel The Girl at the Lion d’Or for a five part series for Woman's Hour on Radio Four, transmitted in 2009. Her Afternoon Play When I Lost You, also co-written with Duncan Abel, was transmitted on Radio Four in July 2013.

Moonshadow, the musical she co-wrote with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), opened at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010, and then was produced at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne in June 2012. That Girl, was produced at the Soho Theatre in June 2012, by DryWrite. Rachel also wrote the book for the original musical Only the Brave, which opened at the Wales Millennium Centre in March 2016 with music composed by Matthew Brind.

Emmy Award Winner and Mexican star of theatre, music, and television Mauricio Martínez, will perform at 54 Below on October 5th and 6th. In his new show 5’11, Based in NYC, Martínez will sort through songs of what might have been from his musical, “What If”. 

The show will be recorded and released as Mauricio's first live album.

Adrian and Aly are founders of Penumbra Theatre Théâtre Pénombre and are producing the musical Be More Chill in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, October 4-7th, 2023.

Michael Radi

The King's Legacy

Hi, I’m Mark Brown and I’m a playwright. For more than 20 years I was an actor but I made a mid-career switch to writing. My mom always said I should have something to fall back on. For the longest time I thought she meant a mattress.

The acting worked out okay. I did a lot of theatre, TV and film. I was blessed to work with some really great actors, from George Clooney to Philip Nolen. From Tom Hanks to the Rally Monkey. But I grew weary of the acting business as it became more and more last minute. I would get a lot of calls from my agent saying things like, “You need to be in Santa Monica in 45 minutes.” It wasn’t my agent’s fault. It was just the business.

So I heeded my mom’s advice and I fell back on the much more stable career of playwriting. What was I possibly thinking? But so far things have worked out. Excuse me while I go knock on the largest piece of wood I can find.

I’ve been fortunate to have my plays produced all over the world: Off-Broadway, across the U.S. (including the 50th state, Hawaii), Canada, England, India, Turkey, South Africa, Bangladesh and China. I consider myself very lucky.

http://markbrownwriter.com/

If you liked Austin Powers, The Full Monty, or Avenue Q, you’ll like THIS IS TOM JONES!