JOHN-MICHAEL TEBELAK (Book, Original Concept and Direction) originally wrote Godspell as his Masters Thesis project at Carnegie-Mellon in 1971. Subsequently, he directed productions of Godspell at La MaMa Theatre, the Cherry Lane Theatre, the Promenade Theatre, and on Broadway. He received the 1971 Drama Desk award for Most Promising Director. In 1972, Mr. Tebelak directed the play Elizabeth I on Broadway, and off-Broadway staged The Glorious One in 1975 and Ka-Boom in 1980. He is also co-writer of the 1973 film of Godspell with David Greene. He was dramaturge for the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York and staged liturgical drama there, and the church’s theatre bears his name. John-Michael Tebelak died April 2, 1985 of a heart attack in New York City.

STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Music and New Lyrics) has also contributed music and/or lyrics to Pippin, The Magic Show, The Baker's Wife, Working, Rags, Children of Eden, My Fairytale and Wicked. He collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the songs for Disney's Enchanted, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and wrote the songs for DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt. He has written an opera, Séance on a Wet Afternoon; English texts for Bernstein's Mass; and two musicals for children, Captain Louie and My Son, Pinocchio. Schwartz has released two CDs of original songs, Reluctant Pilgrim and Uncharted Territory, and his career is the subject of the book Defying Gravity. He is the current president of the Dramatists Guild and has been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Other awards include three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards and four Drama Desk Awards. www.stephenschwartz.com.

MATT RAFTERY (Director and Choreographer) has directed and choreographed I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Guys & Dolls, Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty at the Marriott Theatre and All Shook Up at Northwestern University. His credits as a choreographer include Cabaret, 9 to 5, Now & Forever: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Jeff Nomination), South Pacific, Pirates of Penzance (Jeff Nomination), The Music Man (Jeff Nomination), My Fair Lady, The Bowery Boys (Jeff Nomination) and Les Misérables, also at the Marriott Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Stage Kiss (Goodman Theatre), Funny Girl (Drury Lane Oakbrook), The Christmas Schooner (Theatre at the Center), Godspell (Northwestern University), Beauty and the Beast, Guys and Dolls, Carousel, Brigadoon, Pirates of Penzance and Oklahoma! (Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre), A Wonderful Life (Porchlight Theatre), Sideshow (Colony Theatre, LA) and Oliver! (Illinois Theatre Center). As an actor, he has appeared on Broadway, National Tours and in numerous regional productions, including over 20 productions here at the Marriott Theatre. Matt received his BFA in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan University.

RYAN T. NELSON (Music Director) is the Music Director in Residence for the School of Communication at Northwestern University where he coordinates all musical activities for the Theatre and Interpretation Center, teaches in the Music Theatre Certificate Program, and music directs and supervises several productions each year, including AMTP productions and the famed WAA-MU show. He is the Resident Music Director at Chicago’s Marriott Theatre, where he has music directed dozens of productions, including the world premieres of Hero, Now & Forever: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and For the Boys. His work on A Chorus Line and The Light in the Piazza at the Marriott has been recognized with Jeff Award nominations for excellence in Chicago theatre. Most recently, Ryan conducted Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Musical (2013). He has conducted and recorded with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), the Rembrandt Chamber Players, and Ensemble Dal Niente. Nelson was formerly an Assistant Professor of Music in Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. His Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in conducting are from the University of North Texas, where he was a student of Eugene Migliaro Corporon.

THOMAS M. RYAN (Resident Scenic Designer) Some favorite Marriott Theatre designs include Les Misérables, Oliver!, Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof, Chess, 1776, Cabaret, Hello, Dolly! (Jeff nominated), Miss Saigon, and Cats. He has taught at Moorhead State University, the Latin School of Chicago and Northwestern University. Other theatrical designs have been seen at Chicago Opera Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Northlight Theatre, Northwestern University, Maltz-Jupiter Theatre, Maine State Music Theatre and the Fulton Theatre. Non-theatrical work has been seen locally at Navy Pier with holiday décor, the Notebaert Nature Museum (interactive treehouse), large scale sports caps, helmets and jerseys on Chicago sculptures and broadcast designs on The Big Ten Network and NBC 5 Chicago. A special thanks to my assistants S & C.

JESSE KLUG (Lighting Designer) returns to Marriott Theatre where he has previously designed Cats, 9 to 5, Love, Perfect, My One & Only, Dreamgirls, Hero, 42nd Street, Fiddler on the Roof, Spelling Bee, and Nunsense. Off Broadway: The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Lortel, Hewes Nomination), The Screwtape Letters (Off Broadway and National Tour), The Hunchback Variations, Romulus, and The Hourglass. Regional: Goodman Theatre, Drury Lane, Broadway in Chicago, Chicago Shakespeare, Marriott Theatre, Victory Gardens, Lookingglass Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Asolo Rep, Court Theatre, Writers Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory, Geffen Playhouse, Virginia Stage, Fulton Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Indiana Repertory, American Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, First Stage Milwaukee, Timeline Theatre Company. He is a Jeff and After Dark Award recipient. jessekluglightingdesign.com

ERIN WUORENMA (Costume Coordinator) is excited to partner with Godspell’s design team. Graduating from Bradley University, Erin found a true passion for art in fashion. Chicago design credits include A Christmas Carol in Concert for PBS, Hero at Marriott Theatre, Icarus for BoHo Theatre, CloClo, Land of Nod, and Girl on a Train for Chicago Folks Operetta. Costume Coordinator credits for Big River at BoHo, national and local commercials for HMS Media including Elf and Sound of Music. She has worked in various capacities in costumes including Designer at Necessary Theatre in Louisville, Shop Manager at Maine State Music Theatre, Craftsperson for Louisville Ballet, and Wardrobe Supervisor for over 10 productions for Northwestern University’s Opera Department. Over the last 5 years, Erin works in Marriott’s Costume Shop. Erin wants to thank her families for their everlasting support and is happy to share billing with fiancé, Greg Steilen.

ROBERT E. GILMARTIN (Sound Designer) has been engineering and designing theater around Chicago since 2002. His engineering experience includes work with Lookingglass Theater, Marriott Theatre, Steppenwolf, and The Goodman. Design credits include Marriott Theatre's productions of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Light in the Piazza, Hairspray, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, The Drowsy Chaperone, Once on this Island, A Chorus Line, The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, 42nd Street, Shout!, For the Boys, White Christmas, Legally Blonde, The Pirates of Penzance, Hero, Dreamgirls, My One and Only, Now and Forever, South Pacific, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change and many Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences productions. Robert graduated from Middle Tennessee State University's school of Recording Industry Management. Thanks to Buster and Family.

SALLY WEISS (Properties Designer) This is Sally’s 19th production with the Marriott Theatre having most recently designed the properties for Cats. In Chicago, Sally has worked as a scenic, lighting and props designer and is a proud company member of New Suit Theatre Company. Previous designs include scenic design for Alice In Wonderland here at Marriott For Young Audiences, lighting design for Much Ado About Nothing and Gruesome Playground Injuries at Rasaka Theatre Company, The Gog/Magog Project with director Brant Russell, Icarus and Striking 12 at Bohemian Theatre Ensemble and props design at Notre Dame Shakespeare and Next Theatre. She has been the Props Manager at The Weston Playhouse in Weston, Vermont and The Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. and received her BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland at College Park. Currently Sally resides in Chicago and attended the MFA Stage Design Program at Northwestern University studying scenic and lighting design. To see examples of her work visit sallyweissdesign.com.

MICHAEL HENDRICKS (Production Stage Manager) stage manages all main stage productions here at Marriott Theatre. He is married, the father of three adult children, older guy photo model, actor when necessary, musician, writer, horse racing enthusiast, White Sox fan and Misericordia volunteer. Upcoming role: Father of the Bride in Greta and Scott Tie the Knot.

PATTI GARWOOD (Musical Supervisor/Conductor) has been with the Marriott Theatre since 1994. Other Chicago musical directing and conducting credits include the Grant Park Orchestra featuring Dennis De Young, Catskills On Broadway at the Shubert Theatre and Oliver!, Song and Dance and Kopit and Yeston’s Phantom at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse. Prior to making the Chicago area her home, Patti served as Resident Musical Director at the Fireside Dinner Playhouse in Fort Atkinson, WI and at the Musicana Dinner Playhouse in West Palm Beach, FL. Other regional theatre work includes La Comedia Dinner Theatre in Springboro, OH; the Capitol Theatre in Rome, NY and the Harbor House on Nantucket Island, MA.

MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL (MTI) is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting schools as well as amateur and professional theatres from around the world the rights to perform the largest selection of great musicals from Broadway and beyond. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these shows to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 60,000 theatrical organizations in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.

PRODUCTION STAFF
Assistant Stage Manager: Terry Ghiotto*
Sound Engineer: James Guess
Wardrobe Supervisor: Samantha Holmes
Backstage Crew: Bob Silton
Set Construction: Ravenswood Studio, Inc.
Warehouse and Properties Manager: Rob Rahn
Production Electrician: Rachel West
Resident Assistant Lighting Designer: Charlotte Rathke
Press Representative: Noreen Heron & Associates, Inc.
Kate Hughes, Lianne Wiker, Katharine Nichols, Ellen Molina,
Holly Gustavson, Susan Duffy, Kelly Erdman
www.heronpr.com

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association

‍COSTUME SHOP
Cutter: Diane Hinman
Stitchers: Alexis Kee, Carol Lenz, Erin Wuorenma

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