Howard Ashman followed a distinguished career as a musical comedy librettist, lyricist, playwright, and director with his animated feature film debut, Disney's critically and popularly celebrated The Little Mermaid. Ashman received the 1989 Academy Award® for Best Song for "Under the Sea," written with his longtime collaborator, Alan Menken. Ashman and Menken garnered a total of six awards for The Little Mermaid, including two Academy Awards®, two Golden Globe Awards®, and two Grammy Awards®.
Born in Baltimore, Ashman received his education at Goddard College and Boston University, and earned an MFA from Indiana University. He moved to New York in 1974 ... read more
Alan Menken is a Disney legend who has won more Academy Awards than any other living individual, including eight Oscars with 4 for Best Score and 4 for Best Song; 11 Grammy Awards (including Song of the Year for "A Whole New World"); and 7 Golden Globes. He is best known for his work on Disney films including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, Pocahontas, Enchanted, and Tangled, as well as the onstage musicals Newsies, Little Shop of Horrors, A Christmas Carol and Sister Act. He is currently working with Lin-Manuel Miranda ... read more
Sir Tim Rice is an author and Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Emmy Award, Tony Award, and Grammy Award-winning lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita; with Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA, with whom he wrote Chess; for additional songs for the 2011 West End revival of The Wizard of Oz; and for his work with Alan Menken on Disney's Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and the musical King David. He also worked with Elton John on Disney's ... read more
David Friedman is a multi-talented artist who has made a name for himself in the Broadway community as a composer, lyricist, and pianist. Born in New York City in 1950, Friedman began playing the piano at the age of four and was composing music by the time he was six. He attended the Manhattan School of Music and later the Juilliard School, where he studied piano and composition.
Friedman made his Broadway debut in 1983 as the conductor and pianist for the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." He went on to work on several other Broadway productions, including "Song ... read more
Natasha Katz is a New York-based lighting designer. She is a six-time Tony Award winner who has designed extensively for theatre, opera, dance, concerts, and permanent lighting installations around the world. Her recent Broadway credits include: Diana, The Music Man, All My Sons, Burn This, The Prom, Frozen, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Cats, School of Rock, An American in Paris, Aladdin, Skylight, The Glass Menagerie, Once, Follies, The Coast of Utopia: Salvage, and Aida. ... read more
Music supervisor and arranger for Broadway's The Producers. Other Broadway credits include The Book of Mormon, Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone, Beauty and the Beast, The Frogs, High Society, Steel Pier, Dance a Little Closer and A Christmas Carol. For New York City Ballet, he arranged the music and co-wrote the libretto (with Susan Stroman) for Double Feature. Other ballet credits include Thou Swell (for NYCB) and But Not for Me for the Martha Graham Company. ... read more
Robert Jess Roth is a director, whose credits include The Opposite of Sex [Williamstown, MA (Regional), 2006], Lestat [Broadway, 2006], Beauty and the Beast [West End, 1997], and Beauty and the Beast [Broadway, 1994]. ... read more
Rick Sordelet - Fight Director - Rick and his son and partner, Christian Kelly-Sordelet, created SORDELET INC, www.sordeletinc.com with 73 Broadway credits that include Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Wolf Hall. Also staged the fights for the opera Cyrano de Bergerac starring Placido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera House, and the LaScala in Milan, Italy; and for over 65 productions on five continents including Ben Hur Live European Tour and sit down in Rome. Film: Ben is Back starring Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges, The Game Plan starring Dwayne Johnson; Dan in ... read more
Danny Troob has arranged and orchestrated music for many Broadway shows over nearly 40 years. He has previously been nominated for Tonys for his work on Shrek the Musical (2009) and The Pajama Game (2006). His film work includes the movie of Newsies, among many others. ... read more
