CREATIVE TEAM BIOS

NICK BLAEMIRE (BOOK, LYRICS) - Nick was born in Washington, DC. He grew up in Bethesda, MD, where he began doing theater at a young age, and continued until he was accepted to the University of Michigan's music program, where he graduated in 2006. He subsequently moved to New York City until he got his first Equity job touring the country in Altar Boyz, an Off-Broadway musical spoof of boy bands. He returned to New York after being cast in the Original Broadway Cast of Cry-Baby, based on the John Waters film. Simultaneously, Nick wrote the music and lyrics for the original musical Glory Days, which played on Broadway at the same time as Cry-Baby. His career has continued to blossom with film and television roles, and the opportunity to work with actors such as Lois Smith, Oliver Platt, Bruce Willis, Debra Monk, Larry Bryggman and other stage and screen legends. Nick is the youngest person ever to have written a Broadway musical (Glory Days) while also performing in another Broadway musical (Cry-Baby) at the same time.

MADELINE SMITH (MUSIC ADAPTATION, VOCAL AND INCIDENTAL ARRANGMENTS) - Broadway: Waitress (Piano/Conductor sub), War Paint (Key 1 sub). Off-Broadway: Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future (Ars Nova), Skin of Our Teeth (Theatre for a New Audience), Futurity (Soho Rep/Ars Nova), 1001 Nights (Atlantic Theater Company), The Light Princess (New Victory Theater), An Octoroon (Theatre for a New Audience). Regional, etc.: We Live In Cairo (ART), Loch Ness (FLMTF), Ragtime on Ellis Island. Adaptations: Frozen JR. and Frozen KIDS (Disney); B.A. from Harvard University. When she took up the baton for “Waitress” in 2016, the then 24-year-old Madeline A. Smith ’14 became the youngest female conductor on Broadway. Today, Smith wears many hats in the musical theater world, from directing and conducting “Ragtime on Ellis Island” to adapting, arranging, and orchestrating a stage adaptation of Disney Channel’s “Descendants” for high school productions. Located in New York City, the music director, arranger, and conductor has taken advantage of a slower-paced arts industry during Covid-19 to reflect and try new things. “I recorded an album of a show that I worked on in 2019 and I finally learned how to cook,” she said with excitement. “I’m also doing a lot of yoga and keeping plants.” But just two years before carving her name into Broadway history, Smith was at Harvard, working on a joint Music and Classics senior thesis.

MATHEW TISCHLER (ORCHESTRATIONS, MUSIC PRODUCTION) - Matthew Tishler is an Emmy-nominated, multi-platinum songwriter and music producer who has written and produced songs for film, television, radio, stage, and theme parks. He is known for his work with teen pop artists such as Ashley Tisdale, Dove Cameron, Olivia Holt and JoJo Siwa, as well as popular K-pop/J-pop artists like EXO, Taeyeon, Namie Amuro, Kumi Koda, EXILE Atsushi, Twice, Stray Kids and BTS. His projects have combined sales of over 20 million units.

JOSANN MCGIBBON (WRITER) - McGibbon has been screenwriting with Sara Parrot for over 30 years. Other works include, The favor, Three Men and a Little Lady, Runaway, and The Starter Wife which received nominations from the Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. Her work on Descendants won the Writers Guild of America Award in television for Outstanding Children’s Long Form. She also was responsible for Descendents 2 & 3.

SARA PARROT (WRITER) - Parrot has been screenwriting with Josann McGibbon for over 30 years. Other works include, The favor, Three Men and a Little Lady, Runaway, and The Starter Wife which received nominations from the Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. Her work on Descendants won the Writers Guild of America Award in television for Outstanding Children’s Long Form. She also was responsible for Descendents 2 & 3.