SANDY BOREN-BARRETT (DIRECTOR) - Sandy Boren-Barrett has been with Stages Theatre Company (STC) since 1990, allowing her to pursue her passion for theatre production and education, along with community building theatre serving young audiences. During her time in leadership STC has been awarded National recognition with the 2017 Harold Oaks Award for Innovative Contributions to the Field of Theatre for Young Audiences, as well as the 2018 – 50/50 Applause Award for promoting gender equity with playwrights. STC’s 2019-2020 season selection was highlighted in TYA Today Magazine as an example of “a promising increase in representation specifically in works that feature the stories of contemporary young people of color”. Sandy led an international performance tour and artistic exchange with “the egg Theatre, the Young Peoples Theatre of Theatre Royal” in Bath England. Collaboration is at the core of her work, and as an accomplished director has directed over 75 productions at STC which include many new works, dance-inspired productions, and world premieres. She directed the local premier, mainstage production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the musical which remains the highest attended production at Stages Theatre Company. Sandy remains on the Executive Committee, as former chair of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA) and last spring worked with Racially Conscious Collaboration (RCC) to gain her certification in racial equity organizational leadership.

SARAH HOHENSTEIN BURK (MUSICAL DIRECTOR) - A performer and recording artist on keyboard, violin, vocals and percussion, Sarah Hohenstein Burk has toured the U.S., Europe and the Middle East with a variety of ensembles and theatre troupes. Ongoing endeavors include directing and performing with her jazz trio, as well as dates with various jazz, big band, R&B, gospel, classical chamber, international dance and variety ensembles. She has played the roles of music director, conductor, composer, instrumentalist and arranger in countless theatre productions and is actively involved in the development and production of new works at Stages Theatre Company, the History Theatre, Theater Latté Da and Green T Productions.

KRYSTI WIITA PHILLIPS (CHOREOGRAPHER) - Krysti Wiita Phillips loves being back with the Stages Theatre Company Family! After working alongside Michael Matthew Ferrell, she is honored to step into the choreographer position. She has worked on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical (2022), Stage’s Tuck Everlasting, Elf the Musical, Jr. (2021 & 2019), Mary Poppins, and Beauty & the Beast. Krysti has also worked at many theatres around the twin cities including Theatre Latte Da, Children’s Theatre Company, Artistry, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, Duluth Playhouse, GREAT Theatre, and Eagan Community Theater. She has also had the joy of working with Hennepin Theatre Trust’s SpotLight Awards and high schools around the area. Krysti is extremely grateful to her husband and daughter, Jory and Delaney, and her family for all of their love and support.

ALAN MENKEN (COMPOSER) - Theater: God Bless You Mr Rosewater, Little Shop Of Horrors, Real Life Funnies, Atina: Evil Queen Of The Galaxy, Kicks, The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz, Beauty And The Beast, A Christmas Carol, Weird Romance, King David, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, Sister Act, Leap Of Faith, Aladdin and Newsies. Film: Little Shop Of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, Newsies, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Hercules, Life With Mikey, Lincoln, Home On The Range, Noel, Enchanted, Shaggy Dog, Tangled and Mirror Mirror. Songs: Rocky V, Home Alone 2 and Captain America. Awards: 8 Oscars (19 nominations), 11 Grammys (including Song of the Year), 7 Golden Globes, Tony® (plus 4 nominations), Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, New York Drama Critics, Olivier and London's Evening Standard Award, Drama League. Honors: Songwriter's Hall of Fame, Doctorates from New York University and University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

HOWARD ASHMAN (LYRICS) - Best known as a pivotal creative mind behind the renaissance of Disney animation and his work on The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast (which is dedicated to, "Our friend, Howard Ashman, who gave a Mermaid her voice and a Beast his soul...") Ashman's first love was theater. Ashman was a founder of off off Broadway's renowned WPA Theater, where he conceived, wrote and directed God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, as well as the classic musical, Little Shop of Horrors (both music by Alan Menken). In 1986, he wrote and directed the Broadway musical Smile (music by Marvin Hamlisch). Lamented as a lost treasure of the 1980's theater scene, Smile remains popular on High School and College campuses throughout the country. Howard Ashman died in 1991 from complications of AIDS. For more information, please visit howardashman.com.

TIM RICE (LYRICS) - Tim Rice has worked in music, theater, and film since 1965, when he met Andrew Lloyd Webber, a fellow struggling songwriter. Rather than pursue Tim's ambitions to write rock or pop songs, they turned their attention to Andrew's obsession - musical theater. Their first collaboration, The Likes Of Us (lyrics by Tim, music by Andrew), was an unsuccessful show based on the life of Dr. Barnardo, the Victorian philanthropist. Their next three works together were much more successful: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita. Tim has also worked with other distinguished popular composers such as Elton John (The Lion King, Aida), Alan Menken (Aladdin, King David, Beauty and the Beast), and Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (Chess). From Here to Eternity, with music by newcomer Stuart Brayson, coproduced with Lee Menzies, directed by Tamara Harvey, and with book by Bill Oakes, premiered in the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2013. He formed his own cricket team in 1973 and was president of the MCC in 2002. In 2013, he wrote and presented a 52-part series for BBC Radio 2, American Pie, a trawl through the music and musicians of every American State. He has won several awards, mainly for the wrong thing or for simply turning up.

LINDA WOOLVERTON (BOOK) - Linda Woolverton's writing credits include the screenplay for the animated feature film BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Golden Globe winner and Academy Award Best Picture nominee); the screenplay (shared) for HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY; screenplay (shared) for the animated feature film THE LION KING; the book for the Broadway musical BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical, winner 1998 Olivier Award Best New Musical); and book (shared) for Elton John and Tim Rice's Broadway musical AIDA. Also she has written two young-adult novels, STAR-WIND and RUNNING BEFORE THE WIND. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts from California State University Long Beach and a Master's degree in Theatre from California State University Fullerton. Linda is currently involved in writing and producing film projects for Miramax and Revolution studios. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Lee Flicker and daughter Keaton.