Creative
Bonnie Lee Sanders: Book/Music/Lyrics
Bonnie Lee Sanders is a Bistro Award winner for outstanding singer-songwriter and a MAC Award winner. she writes scores for film and TV and for Sesame Street and many well known recording artists. Her one-woman shows, “Positive Influences”, and “Bonnie’s Broadway Moon Song Shoppe”, were performed in NYC. and presented in theaters around the country. Bonnie, with her collaborators, Mark Barkan and Terry McCauley, received a grant for a workshop in Seattle, Washington for their production, "Wild Goose Chase", coming to NYC shortly, a musical story of the life and love of John James Audubon and his devoted wife, Lucy. "The Lady and the Champ", starring Jake Lamotta, featuring Carl Shimkin, had a run at the Richmond Shepard Theater in New York. She also has collaborated with the late Jule Styne and Elaine Stritch on a radio show, "Broadway Live", created for Sardis'. Bonnie's songs have been performed in a musical production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Spoleto Festival. Presently, she has been working with Brenda Bergman on a TV pilot, "Banana Hill Nut Farm", a musical TV series based on her experiences in the music business, and she is happy to be alive and not committed.. yet.. to tell her story. She misses her dear friend and co-writer, Ellen Schwartz, who she has spent most of her adult life with -- writing, laughing and crying on their journey to stardom and most of all, her soul mate, Arthur Shimkin. Bonnie has two sons and a grandson who she is extremely proud of. They all reside in New York City.
Thank you Tony Stevens! Your spirit is with me.
Bianca Leigh: Book/Co-Librettist
New York: Tales of the City, the Concert (Mrs. Tolliver, Music Box Theatre); Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge (Time/Wind, Here Arts Center); Busted: the Musical (writer & actress, Laurie Beechman Theatre). Regional: Trans Scripts (Tatiana, American Repertory Theater); Tales of the City: The Musical (Frannie Halcyon in workshop, American Conservatory Theatre). TV & Film: Transamerica, Hurricane Bianca; “Law & Order: SVU”. Education: BFA, Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts. Miss Leigh was profiled this year in Cranes New York for her work with students at
NYU Medical School, and was the commencement speaker at Rutgers University’s Lavender Graduation in 2014
Ellen Schwartz: Book/Music/Lyrics
Ellen, a member of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, first collaborated with Bonnie and Tom on the album, "Meet The Mr. Men and "Little Misses". Their show, "Come Up ‘N See Me", won the Quest Fest Competition, a program sponsored by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It, subsequently, was directed by Joe Brancato at the Penguin Rep and the part of Mae West was played by a man. A newly revised version, by Bianca Leigh, starring Debbie Gravitte as Mae, is being presented by the York Theatre as part of its Developmental Reading Series.
Ellen collaborated on The "Trapped Family Singers", presented as part of the New York City Fringe Festival and wrote the lyrics for "A Letter to Harvey Milk", which was a finalist for the prestigious Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre.
She will be missed.
Crystal Chapman: Director
Crystal Chapman is proud to make her theatrical directorial debut with "Come Up 'n' See Me". She
served as assistant director on the documentary "What I Did For Love". As an an award winning
choreographer her credits include "Oklalhoma!", "Carnival", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way
to the Forum", and 4 seasons of "Glorious Christmas Nights". She is the Artistic Director of the New York TheatreDance Ensemble in New York City which strives to keep musical theatre dance styles alive through recreations of repertory and new works. Crystal is also a popular tap teacher at the renowned Broadway Dance Center. As a performer she has had the privilege to work with directors such as Roger Rees, Tony Stevens, Christopher Chadman, and Randy Skinner.
ROBERT R. BLUME: Consulting Producer
Mr. Blume has been an entertainment producer for over 25 years and this year marks his 19th year as an Executive Producer of the annual DRAMA DESK AWARDS ("the Golden Globes of the theatre”), now in partnership with and under the leadership of TheaterMania.com.
His current theatrical productions include ON KENTUCKY AVENUE, the Famed Atlantic City Club Harlem Musical, which performs periodically in NYC and New Jersey; and a new Broadway production of THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE scheduled to open in the 2017-2018 season featuring Christina Bianco in the title role of LV. He is also a Consulting Producer to a musical in development for Broadway about the life of film legend Mae West entitled COME UP 'N SEE ME.
Mr. Blume most recently was the Producer of three (3) productions starring International Chanteuse, Adrienne Haan in FROM BERLIN TO BROADWAY TRANSATLANTIC at the Cabaret International Festival at the Metropolitan Room in New York; a concert entitled TEHORAH, which celebrated 50 years of German-Israeli Diplomatic Relations at Weill/Carnegie Hall in NYC; and a new show ROCK LE CABARET! at THE CUTTING ROOM in NYC! pending further development for a future off-Broadway run.
Other current entertainment projects include co-Executive Producing a TV pilot for kids titled CHILDISH DREAM TALES – MESS-UP ROOM (available on Amazon); and as a VIP Judge/career coach in Acting/Modeling Competitions throughout the United States.
As a talent manager, Mr. Blume is partnered with noted talent representative Michael Katz. Their company, Katz-Blume Management, guides the careers of celebrity performers Christina Bianco and Sally Mayes
Mr. Blume is proud to have been a 20-year Tony voter as a member of The Broadway League and is currently a Drama Desk voter and Advisory Board Member of the DUKE ELLINGTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS.
THOMAS SPAHN: Musical Director
Thomas G. ("Tom") Spahn, American composer and musician, is a three-time Emmy Award winner as well as A Grammy Award nominee. Spahn was the long time Musical Director and Arranger for Earth Kitt and has worked with many legendary musicians and composers including; Edgar and Johnny Winter, Divine, Eddie Fisher, Carol Burnett, Nancy LaMott, Galt MacDermott and Liza Minnelli, as well as Robert De Niro and Jonathan Demme. Tom evolved from a musician to vocal coach, audio engineer, musical director, orchestrator, producer and composer. He produced for Broadway theater, opera, musicals, television, radio and movies. He is a Recording Producer at Sesame Street since 1980.
