Judy Craymer (Original Producer/ Co-Creator) graduated from the Guildhall School of Music in 1977 and has since worked extensively in the theater, film, television and music industries. Judy originated the idea of Mamma Mia! and, in 1996, formed Littlestar Services Limited with Benny Anders-son, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Richard East to produce the stage musical in London. Since then, she has produced 50 productions of Mamma Mia! in 16 languages around the world. In 2002, Judy was presented with a Woman of the Year Award in recognition for her international success with Mamma Mia!. In the Queen’s birthday honors list of 2007, she was honored with an MBE for her contribution to the music industry. In 2008, Judy produced Mamma Mia! The Movie, starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. That same year, she was honored with the Women in Film ITV Achievement of the Year Award. Mamma Mia! The Movie was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy, a BAFTA for Outstanding British Film and Judy was personally nominated by BAFTA for the Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement. Mamma Mia! The Movie is the highest grossing live-action musical film worldwide. In 2010, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation presented Judy with its Humanitarian Award for her commitment to raising breast cancer awareness and research funding around the globe with Mamma Mia! and through the sale of the specially created Rock Chick Supremo T-shirts. Following a passion for horses and show jumping, Judy was asked to be a passion for horses and show jumping, Judy was asked to be an ambassador for British Showjumping and is proud to support the British Team. Judy also produced Viva Forever!, an original musical based on the songs of The Spice Girls.
Björn Ulvaeus (Music & Lyrics) was born in 1945 in Gothenberg on the west coast of Sweden. After a successful local career in Sweden with a folk group in the mid-1960s, he started his collaboration with Benny Andersson. They then went on to form ABBA with Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Even during the ABBA years, the idea of writing a musical seemed appealing and, in 1981, Björn and Benny met Tim Rice and co-wrote Chess with him, which opened in the West End in 1986. In 1995 Björn and Benny opened a new musical called Kristina Från Duvemåla, which played for three years in Sweden. Their most recent musical is the Stockholm production Hjälp sökes, which opened in 2013. Bjorn is one of the producers for Mamma Mia! The Party, which opened in Stockholm in January 2016. Benny Andersson (Music & Lyrics) Born in Stockholm on December 16, 1946. Instructed by his father and grandfather, he started to play the accordion at the age of 6, and he has not stopped yet. Catherine Johnson (Book) Theater: Rag Doll, Renegades, Suspension (Bristol Old Vic); Too Much Too Young (Bristol Old Vic and London Bubble); Boys Mean Business, Dead Sheep, Little Baby Nothing (Bush Theatre, London); Shang-a-Lang (Bush Theatre and national tour); Mamma Mia! (worldwide); and Through the Wire and A Letter to Lacey for NTConnections. Creative consultant on ABBA the Museum, Stockholm. Television: “Casualty,” “Byker Grove,” “Love Hurts,” “Gold,” “Linda Green.” Original screen-plays: “Rag Doll,” “Where’s Willy? “(HTV) and “Sin Bin” (BBC), the series “Love in the 21st Century” (Channel 4) and “Dappers” (BBC3). Awards: Catherine has won the Bristol Old Vic/HTV Playwrighting Award, Thames Television’s Writer-in-Residence Award and Thames Television’s Best Play Award and was nominated in 2002 for a Tony Award for Best Musical Book for Mamma Mia! Film: Catherine wrote the screenplay for the Mamma Mia! movie released July 2008. Kevin P. Hill (Director and Choreographer, Producing Artistic Director). Born and raised in Waltham, Massachusetts, Kevin began his theatrical career as dancer and actor. He appeared in National Touring companies of Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing, Leslie Uggams and Michele Lee, Anything Goes and the International Touring Company of A Chorus Line. New York audiences have seen him in the Off-Broadway production of Party. Regional credits as a performer include: West Side Story, Good News! A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady and Marvin in Falsettoland. Kevin has directed and choreographed over 100 productions across America. He has had the privilege of working with such stars as Marin Mazzie, Joanne Worley, Kathleen Turner, Josh Groban, Jonathan Groff and Tony Award winner, Cady Huffman. In New York, he was the assistant to the director of On the Twentieth Century at the New Amsterdam Theatre and assistant to the choreographer on the revival of Guys and Dolls. He directed and choreographed A Christmas Carol, Young Frankenstein, Mary Poppins, and Sister Act here at NSMT, and Mamma Mia!, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Sister Act, Young Frankenstein, Mary Poppins, and Grease at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea in Rhode Island, where he is also Producing Artistic Director. Kevin has been nominated as Best Director/Choreographer for his work on Smokey Joe's Café, Rent, The Full Monty, Chicago, and Edwin Drood, and was awarded the NH Theatre Award for Best Choreography for West Side Story at the Papermill Theatre. Future projects include an original danced play called Standing Still. As a Professor of Dance, Kevin has been on faculty at Pennsylvania State University, Kansas State University and most recently The Boston Conservatory of Music. He currently owns Hill Studios Dance and Fitness Center located in Newton, Massachusetts, and is a proud member of SDC, AEA and Dance Masters of New England, Chapter 5. Bob Bray (Music Director) was the Musical Director/Conductor for Mamma Mia! at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas as well as playing and conducting Mamma Mia! on Broadway throughout its 13-year run. He conducted the National Tour of Show Boat directed by Hal Prince and starring Len Cariou and Cloris Leachman and was the Assistant Conductor for Damn Yankees starring Jerry Lewis. More recently he conducted the International Tour of Dreamgirls and the Montreal premiere of Beauty and the Beast. On Broadway he played in the orchestras for Aspects of Love, Beauty and the Beast, My Fair Lady (Richard Chamberlain), Show Boat, Chicago, Ragtime, Fosse, Hairspray, Seussical, Cabaret, Annie Get Your Gun (Bernadette, Reba), The Lion King, Wicked, Assassins, Pacific Overtures, 110 in the Shade (Audra McDonald), Jersey Boys, Matilda and most recently Hello, Dolly! (Bette). He also spent three years training all the kids for the Broadway and touring casts of Matilda the Musical. Kyle Dixon (Scenic Design). Kyle’s scenic artwork may be seen across the United States, from NYC to Las Vegas. Recent scenic designs include: Peter Pan, Mame, 42nd Street, Young Frankenstein, The Music Man, West Side Story (North Shore Music Theatre), Camelot (Westchester Broadway Theatre), The Broadway Classic Music Dance Review (Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, Beijing, China) Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mamma Mia!, Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Producers, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Music Man, Beehive, Buddy, West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, Sister Act, and Young Frankenstein (Theatre By The Sea, BroadwayWorld Regional Award), Growing up 70’s starring Barry Williams (Off Broadway), Angelina Ballerina, The Musical (NYC, Toronto, National Tour), Fancy Nancy, the Musical (NYC, National Tour), StinkyKids (Off Broadway Alliance Award), It Shoulda Been You (starring Kim Zimmer) and The Wizard of Oz (Gretna Theatre, BroadwayWorld Regional Award), Xanadu, Doubt, The Secret Garden and The Merchant of Venice (Williams Center for the Arts), and many more. Kyle has designed concert events for Faith Prince, Tommy Tune, Pam Tillis, and the NC Gubernatorial Inauguration Gala (Telly Award). In addition to theatre, he is the designer of NC’s historic Elizabethan Gardens’ Winter Lights, a ten-acre holiday display. www.KyleDixonDesigns.com Dana Pinkston (Costume Design) has designed costumes for theatres across the country, including Theatre By The Sea, Wayside Theatre in Virginia, Pennsylvania Centre Stage and Struthers Library Theatre, both in Pennsylvania, Snowmass/Aspen Rep in Colorado and Potluck Productions in Kansas. In 1994 Dana won the prestigious ACTF/ Kennedy Center National Award for Excellence in Costume Design for her designs for Our Country's Good, as well as Penn State University's Arts and Architecture Creative Achievement Award. Dana is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. Jose Santiago (Lighting Design) is happy to return after lighting Peter Pan, 42nd Street, Evita and Spamalot Past designs include: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mamma Mia!, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and the entire 2016 & 2017 seasons at Theatre By The Sea, Rent, Anything Goes, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Sister Act The Musical, Young Frankenstein, White Christmas (Gateway), Of Mice and Men (Bay Street Theatre); Man of La Mancha, La Cage aux Folles, Mame (The Wick Theatre), Smokey Joe's Cafe (Merry- Go-Round Playhouse). He received his Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design from Florida State University. jsantiagodesign.com Don Hanna (Sound Design) is happy to be returning to North Shore Music Theatre for Mamma Mia!, where past credits include the recent production of Peter Pan, Mame,42nd Street, Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, West Side Story, and Billy Elliot. Other notable credits include: Wizard of Oz 2017-2019 International Tour (Sound Design, Apex Touring), Once The Musical and In The Heights, Regional Premiers (Engeman Theatre), The World Premier of Heartbreak Hotel (Sound Design, Ogunquit Playhouse), Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Sound Design, Ogunquit Playhouse), The Million Dollar Quartet (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse), Saturday Night Fever Regional Premiere (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse), Billy Elliot (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse), Rock of Ages Regional Premier (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse), Young Frankenstein Regional Premier (Sound Designer, Gateway Playhouse/Ogunquit Playhouse). Touring Credits include: Pippin (Associate Sound Designer/Head audio, Apex Touring), Fame The Musical (Sound Design), The Million Dollar Quartet National Tour (Head Audio), Smokey Joes Cafe 20th Anniversary Tour (Head Audio). Don is currently the Head Audio and Shop Manager for Frontier Show Productions and a freelance Sound Designer and Engineer in the NY Tristate area. A special thank you to my friends, family and Bethany for their continual love and support. Natalie A. Lynch (Production Stage Manager). With NSMT: Peter Pan, Mame, The 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 Musical Seasons. Other Credits Include: Capital Repertory Theatre, Reagle Music Theatre, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, New Repertory Theatre, Pioneer Theatre Company, STAGES St. Louis, Stoneham Theatre and Maples Repertory Theatre. National Tours: The Magic Tree House: The Musical and A Christmas Carol. Natalie began at NSMT as the SM Intern in 2005 and is thrilled to return once again to her theatrical home. She is a graduate of University of New Hampshire and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Special thanks to her parents, her family and friends, and to Rachel for all of the endless love and support. Dakotah Wiley Horan (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be back for the 2018 Season having worked as the Assistant Stage Manager on Peter Pan, Mame, A Christmas Carol ’17 & ‘16, 42nd Street, Evita, Young Frankenstein, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Music Man, West Side Story, Spamalot and Singin' In The Rain, and as the Production Assistant for Mary Poppins and Funny Girl. Some of her previous Stage Management credits include: Capital Repertory Theatre: Marvelous Wonderettes, Cactus Flower, 33 Variations, Leslie Uggams in Uptown Downtown, Man of La Mancha, and Single Girls Guide. Pendragon Theatre: Clean House, Twelve Angry Men, A Christmas Story. CPS: The King and I. She is a graduate of SUNY Postdam and Universidad de Sevilla. She would like to thank her parents for instilling and encouraging her love of theatre, her very supportive friends and Natalie, Tom, and Kevin for this amazing opportunity. John David Eldridge (Assistant Music Director) is thrilled to be returning to NSMT for “Mamma Mia”, where he previously music directed Madagascar. John is primarily a pianist/keyboardist, conductor, and theater music director who also freelances as a vocal coach, keyboard programmer, arranger, and orchestrator. New York (Off-B’way): Ride The Cyclone (Synthesizer Programming Assistant). Boston: Reagle Music Theater (A Chorus Line, Asst. MD; 42nd Street, Oscar), Wheelock Family Theater (Seussical, MD; In The Heights, Keyboard Programmer), Greater Boston Stage Company (Altar Boyz, Keyboard Programmer), Gloucester Stage Company (Songs For A New World, Sound Designer & Assoc. MD). Community Theater (as MD/conductor): Pentucket Players (Cabaret, Jesus Chris Superstar, Mame), Arlington Friends of the Drama (The Light In The Piazza, …Spelling Bee), Wakefield Repertory Theater (Chicago, Into The Woods), Moonstruck Theater Company (Little Shop of Horrors, Fame). In addition to his work in musical theater, John has performed extensively as a pianist, percussionist, and vocalist with orchestras, wind ensembles, jazz bands, and choruses across the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, and Japan. As of January, he is also a new dad! John lives in Chelmsford with his wife (Shannon) and son (Benjamin). www.johneldridgemusic.com. Kelly Baker (Costume Coordination) is thrilled to be coordinating her first season at NSMT! A graduate of Bridgewater State College, Kelly has been involved with the costume and wardrobe department at NSMT for the past 8 seasons. She has previously been the Wardrobe Manager at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee (2015-2018), as well as working with New England Conservatory, Stoneham Theatre, Odyssey Opera, and OIV’s Ouroboros Trilogy. Special Thanks to Kevin for this opportunity, my family and Mark for their unwavering support, and to Kat, Sandra and the wardrobe dream team for all of their amazing hard work! Hi Mama! Bill Hanney (Owner/Producer) is honored and proud to have been responsible for the re-opening of the nationally renowned North Shore Music Theatre in 2010. He began his career in show business at age 19, leasing and developing movie theaters, including his first multiplex in Quincy, Massachusetts. Before long, he was booking rock shows (Jefferson Starship, Rush) and other types of live entertainment, which eventually led to the presenting and producing of Broadway productions. One such show was an appearance by the legendary mime artist, Marcel Marceau. As president of Broadway Productions, Bill presented national tours such as Annie, Amadeus, Dancin', Peter Pan, Rocky Horror Show and Mark Twain starring Hal Holbrook, throughout New England including Worcester, Springfield, Portland, Maine and Boston. Aside from his work operating North Shore Music Theatre, one of Bill's crowning achievements was the 2007 purchase and re-opening of Theatre By The Sea, a landmark 500 seat professional summer theatre and restaurant, which is in its twelfth year of operation in Wakefield, RI (theatrebythesea.com). Throughout his career, Bill has stayed focused on his movie theatre chain having bought, built, owned, operated and sold more than 30 cinemas. His company, Entertainment Cinemas, currently operates seven movie complexes in four states. In 2009, Bill was elected President of the Theatre Owners of New England. Bill's ongoing work with NSMT inspires him to consider acquiring additional performance venues at which he plans to someday share his productions between his theatres. Bill has been named to the North Shore Top 100 by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce. In 2012, he was recognized by both the Beverly Chamber of Commerce and Salem Chamber of Commerce as Business Person of the Year. He is the recipient of the 2015 Leslie S. Ray Hall of Fame Award, presented by the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce. Bill is a member of the League of Broadway Producers and was involved with the recent revival of Pippin, as well as developing several new musicals. Matthew Chappell (Associate Producer/Casting) is honored to join this remarkable creative team as resident Casting Director and Associate Producer for Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre and T resident Casting Director for Theatre By The Sea. An accomplished performer, he is fortunate to have worked all over the world in more than 30 productions, including several shows at NSMT, as lead vocalist in Stephen Schwartz’s Magic To Do for Princess Cruise Lines, and appearances at Feinstein’s/54 Below, The Duplex, Carnegie Hall, and The Metropolitan Room. For many years, Matthew worked as a talent agent, casting associate, and photographer for Heyman Talent Agency, specializing in TV/film, commercials, runway, print and voiceovers. He is a former Associate Producer for Encore International, casting and producing shows for theme parks, cruise ships, and corporate events. Music Theatre International (MTIShows.com) 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 U.S. and in over 60 countries worldwide. Actors' Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) Since 1955, NSMT has become one of the most attended theatres in New England, with approximately 250,000 patrons annually. With a national and regional reputation for artistic achievement, NSMT has received numerous industry awards including Elliot Norton Awards, IRNE Awards, the Rosetta Le Noire Award from Actors' Equity, and the Moss Hart Award. NSMT produced the World Premiere of Memphis in 2003, the show went on to win four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Under the new ownership of Bill Hanney in 2010, NSMT continues to annually produce a musical subscription series and an annual production of A Christmas Carol along with celebrity concerts, children's programming, and year-round education programs for all ages. |
