It's On! (2012)

Paige Davis ("Mort" - Wed, July 11th)

Paige Davis is best known as the effervescent star of “Trading Spaces,” TV’s groundbreaking design-reality show. During her first season on the show her wedding to actor Patrick Page was featured in a prime-time episode of TLC’s “A Wedding Story,” and became one of the highest rated cable shows of the season. Ms. Davis’ book, Paige by Paige, A Year of Trading Spaces, spent several weeks at the top of the New York Times Bestseller list. Her true love, however, is theatre and dance. Most recently Paige received rave reviews for her performance in the Broadway revival of Boeing Boeing, and before that she traveled the country performing the title role of Sweet Charity in the show’s Broadway tour.  She starred on Broadway as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago. She also performed in the U.S. national tour, and the Las Vegas and Portugal productions. Before Chicago, Paige played Babette in the first national tour of Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast. She also enjoyed a stint in the national tour of the Vagina Monologues. Regionally she most recently appeared opposite her husband, Patrick Page, in The Old Globe’s production of I Do! I Do!. She has also appeared as Maria in The Sound of Music at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Val in A Chorus Line at the Austin Musical Theatre, April in Company at the Missouri Repertory Theatre, Irene in Hello, Dolly! and Katherine in Pippin. She has even toured as a dancer with The Beach Boys! She recently debuted her solo cabaret act, Taking a Chance.

Jenna Leigh Green (Lucy)

Jenna Leigh Green made her Broadway debut as Nessarose in Wicked. Jenna originated the role of Nessarose in the Los Angeles production as well as the 1st national tour where she also covered the role of Elphaba. Other NYC: bare (ATA) and workshops of bare, Mask, Heathers, A Room With a View, Bedbugs and Twilight: the Musical. Jenna is best know as the girl you love to hate, Libby Chessler on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Other TV/Film credits include Dharma and Greg, ER, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, Castle, Bones, First Shot, You Again and the soon to be released My Eleventh.

Colin Hanlon (Charlie)

 ABC Modern Family (Steven) Tim/Producer on Submissions Only (hit Webseries) Broadway/Off-Broadway credits include: Wicked 1st National Tour (Fiyero), Rent, The Pirates of Penzance (Frederic) and I Love You Because (Austin, CD on PS Classics).  Edward Cullen in Twilight:The Musical. Luke in the regional premier of Next Fall at St. Louis Rep.  Warren in Michael Mayer’s On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (New York Stage & Film).  He’s worked at KC Rep, Westport Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Cape Cod Theatre Festival, and 3 seasons at the O’Neill Theatre Center.  Syracuse BFA Drama graduate.

Curt Hansen (PJ)

CURT HANSEN is a Wisconsin native. Broadway: Hairspay, Next To Normal (and First National Tour). Regional: Parade (Center Theatre Group), Legally Blonde (Arvada Center). TV: The Good Wife, Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush as Dak Zevon.  Selected NYC Readings: Bare, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mrs. Sharp, and The Flamingo Kid. Much love to his family, Hay, BRS, and Mike at Principal Entertainment. www.curthansen.com  Twitter: @curt_hansen

Sheryl Lee Ralph (Whitley)

Original DREAMGIRL, Sheryl Lee Ralph’s award winning body of work in film, television and the Broadway stage includes originating and creating the role of ‘Deena Jones’ on Broadway in Dreamgirls, which earned her a Tony Award Nomination and a Drama Desk Award Nomination for Best Actress. She returned to Broadway originating the role of ‘Muzzy Van Hossmere’ in Thoroughly Modern Millie.  Her extensive film credits include Sister Act II with Whoopi Goldberg, The Mighty Quinn with Denzel Washington,Mistress with Robert De Niro, and Eddie Murphy’sDistinguished Gentleman to name a few.  A passionate AIDS activist, Sheryl Lee Ralph is the producer and creator of the critically acclaimed DIVAS Simply Singing!  

 

Mindy Sterling (Babs)

Is best known for her character portrayal of “Frau Farbissina” in The Austin Powers Trilogy.  A veteran improviser, improv teacher and director, she honed those skills with the Groundlings in Los Angeles. She is currently on Disney’s Ant Farm playing the self absorbed Principal Skidmore She can also be seen on ICarly as the mean teacher, Miss Briggs. She is the voice of Lt. Lin Beifong on the Nickelodeon Animated Series Legend of Korraas well as many other animated shows.   She has guest starred on 2 Broke Girls, Desperate Housewives, Curb Your Enthusiasm, My Name is Earl, King of Queens among others.  Her memorable film credits include Mars Needs Moms, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and Reno 911.  “It’s On! is Mindy’s third theatrical collaboration with Stan Zimmerman, the others being the acclaimed LA productions of “Gemini” and “A Tuna Christmas”.

 

 

Michael Urie ("Mort" - Tues, July 10th )

Michael Urie:  Broadway: How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Bud Frump).  Off Broadway:  The Cherry Orchard (CSC), Angels in America (The Signature), and The Temperamentals (Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, and Theatre World Awards, Drama League nomination).  Other NY Theatre:  The Revenger's Tragedy (Red Bull), The Roaring Girle (Foundry), Phenomenon (HERE), Another Vermeer (HB Playwrights), WTC View (Fringe).  Regional:  The Old Globe, Vineyard Playhouse, South Coast Rep, Seattle Rep, The Folger Shakespeare, Barrington Stage, Hyde Park (Austin), The Blank (LA).  Film:  Thank You For Judging (co-director/exec producer), Beverly Hills Chihuahua, WTC View, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, The Decoy Bride, and the upcoming movies Petunia, and He's Way More Famous Than You (also director).  TV:  Marc St James on "Ugly Betty", and this fall, Michael premieres on the new CBS series "Partners". Training:  Juilliard.

Stan Zimmerman (Conceived, Co-Writer, Director)

Writer/Exec Producer/Co-Creator:  Rita Rocks (Lifetime).  Writer/Producer: Gilmore Girls (WB) and Roseanne (ABC) where he received the WGA Nomination – Best Comedy Episode for the infamous “Kiss Episode”.  Writer: The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very Brady Sequel, Annie (ABC-MOW) and The Golden Girls (NBC) where he received another WGA Nomination – Best Comedy Episode.  Director: Entertaining Mr. Sloane (Actors Company) which received 3 BroadwayWorld awards including Best Play and Best Actress – Olivia d’Abo, BLINK & You Might Miss Me (Asylum Lab, Hwd Fringe, SF Fringe, Vancouver’s Chutzpah Festival and Palm Springs) which received 2 BroadwayWorld awards including Best Director: Play, Spike Heels (Actors Circle Theater), A Tuna Christmas (Asylum Theatre), Gemini (Celebration Theatre), music video “All I Want” for the band Whore’s Mascara (LOGO).  Dancer/ Broadway: Nureyev & the Joffrey Ballet – Homage to Diaghalev (Mark Hellinger Theatre).  TV Host/Showrunner: SITUATION:COMEDY (Bravo) produced by Sean Hayes.  Teacher: LA (Actors Company, Beverly Hills Playhouse, The Network Studios, ActorsWest), NYC, and Atlanta.  Education: Cranbrook Theatre School (MI), Hampton Playhouse (NH), and a BFA in Drama from NYU/Circle-in-the-Square. 

 

Christian McLaughlin (Co-Writer)

Christian with Valerie Ahern, worked on the infamous Married with Children.  As a team, Christian and Valerie have also written for Desperate Housewives, Hannah Montana, Hot Properties, and Clueless.  They’ve had stints on the daytime soaps – The Young and The Restless and  The Bold and Beautiful.  They created and executive produced MTV’s Emmy nominated steamy soap opera Spyder Games.  Christian produced and directed a live stage production of The Phacts of Life in Los Angeles.  He gained notoriety in his early twenties with the publication of his novels, Glamourpuss and Sex Toys of the Gods.  Christian has worked with Stan on the Bravo reality series SITUATION:COMEDY, Lifetime’s Rita Rocks and  last year’s 21st annual Divas Simply Singing! benefit.   Christian and Valerie recently wrote for the new Nick at Nite soap, Hollywood Heights starring James Franco and are on the writing staff of the Disney Channel hit series, Jessie.

Jake Anthony (Musical Director)

Jake Anthony works as a composer, vocal coach, and Music Director in the L.A. area.  After Jake’s L.A. theater work includes Snoopy! at the McCadden Place Theater, as well as the West Coast premieres of Splendora and Songs from an Unmade Bed at Celebration Theatre.  As a composer, Jake co-wrote the 15-minute "mini"-musical "Oh God, We're Gonna Die!" with Jeff Marx (co-author of Avenue Q), and the full-length shows Now and Then a Hero, with book and lyrics by Larry Johnson, Wanting Miss Julie, with book by John Sparks and Lyrics by Patricia Zehentmeyr, as well as Freakdance, with the Upright Citizens’ Brigade founding member Matt Besser, which is now a feature film starring Amy Poehler.  Jake also serves as Music Director of The Performer’s Workshop at the Academy of New Musical Theater, and directs the new “theatrichorale” Perpetual Surrey, L.A.’s first choral ensemble dedicated solely to the performance of theatrical choral repertoire.

Rebecca Roffman (Co-Producer)

Rebecca began her theatrical career as a stagehand and ASM on the off-off-off Broadway production of I Never Sang For My Father in the spring of 2003.  Following this experience she moved to Syracuse New York where, while attending Syracuse University’s acclaimed Drama Program and the Whitman School of Management, she was able to work on several productions with Syracuse Stage the regional LORT theater.  Throughout her tenure at Syracuse she continued working in New York City on several Broadway/Off-Broadway productions as part of Arielle Tepper’s New York Summer Play Festival and in the production office of the Manhattan Theatre Club.  In 2007 Rebecca made the decision to move to Los Angeles, where she worked with critically acclaimed producers, 4th Wall Productions, as Stage Manager on an original piece Beautiful Morning.  Along with the many theatrical productions Rebecca still works on today she has also begun working in production on television shows including Rita Rocks (Lifetime,) Retired at 35 Season 1 (TV Land,) and a variety of pilots for TV Land, ABC, WB, and the Disney channel.

Janet Billig Rich (Co-Producer)

Janet started her journey to the theater from the world of music where she worked as an artist manager, re-cord company executive and music supervisor.  Among her current projects are Tony nominated hit musical Rock of Ages, the kids-themed musical Camp Lisa and Everyday Rapture with Sherie Rene Scott.  Other endeavors include The Lisa Loeb Eyewear Collection with Lisa Loeb, music supervision of a number of independent and documentary films and contributing to the growth of the next generation of music professionals through her involvement with the Grammy in The Schools program with NARAS.

La Vie Productions LLC  (General Manager)

Dedicated to developing, producing and managing new works, fostering new talents and attracting new audiences. Current projects include:  Academy (a new musical by John Mercurio and Andrew Kato); LIBERTY A Monumental New Musical (opening at The Warner Theatre, CT this summer); Taking Step Three13 (rock-musical adaptation of Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment"); How We Got Away With It (a new comedic-thriller film, currently in post-production). Some recent past credits include: Psycho Therapy (at The Cherry Lane Theatre); The Kid Who Would Be Pope (NYMF 2011); Time Between Us (NYMF 2011); Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice The Musical (NYMF 2011); The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (a multi-media performance adaptation of the world-famous novel - 2011 Edinburgh International Festival); The Sphinx Winx (Off-Broadway 2011);The Love Project Journey (a documentary film & CD about world musicians); Vinilo (a NYC Latin rock band); Above Hell's Kitchen (NYMF 2010); Cool Papa's Party; Fat Camp; General & Production Management for the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2008 & 2009; Irena's Vow (Associate Producer, Broadway);  Love, Inc (Norfolk, VA); Einstein's Dreams (based on the bestselling novel); Capture Now; In The Heights; High Fidelity; Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello; Hurlyburly (revival with Ethan Hawke and Parker Posey); Shockheaded Peter; De La Guarda in NYC, Seoul, Korea, Israel, and Las Vegas.  Upcoming: a new musical based on a popular Korean film bound for Broadway with OD Musical Company; In The Summer of '68 (a original musical starring Kurt Peterson & Victoria Mallory, dir. Larry Moss), Capture Now (an original film based on the play), 100 Years Into The Heart (a new musical), a new musical by Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford.