MICHAEL L. COOPER (Book and Lyrics) is the recipient of the 2005 Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, Daryl Roth Award, and Daniel Marshall Multicultural Award for Musical Theatre (TRU New Voices Series). A native of Nogales, Arizona, Michael received his BA in Theatre from Williams College and his MFA from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. At NYU, he wrote the book and lyrics for “Sunfish,” with composer Hyeyoung Kim, which was showcased at the 2006 National Alliance of Musical Theatre’s 18th Annual Festival of New Musicals at New World Stages (directed by Stafford Arima), and further developed by the Lark Play Development Centre. “Sunfish,” was previously workshopped as part of the WriteAct Festival of New Works at New York University’s Graduate Acting Program (May 2005, directed by Lonny Price) and was also a finalist in the Alliance Theatre’s Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition (Staged Reading, Spring 2006.) Other projects include: “The Strange Affair of Dr. Crippen” (2005 Stages Festival of New Musicals, Theatrebuilding Chicago) and “The Story of An Hour,” written with composer Joshua Salzman. Michael is member of the Dramatists Guild and BMI Workshop.

DAVID MALLAMUD (Music) has received awards from ASCAP, The American Academy of Arts and Letters and was the first recipient of The Leonard Bernstein Young Composers Award. His music has been performed by a variety of ensembles including The New World Symphony, The Westchester Philharmonic, The Dogs of Desire, The Great Noise Ensemble and The Albany Symphony. He was composer-in-residence at the Grand Canyon Music Festival and holds degrees from Eastman and Juilliard. He also completed a year of graduate studies at Yale with Ned Rorem. Recently, he wrote the music for Lynn Thompson's dramatic retelling of the Wilkie Collins novel, The Woman in White, presented at The Tribeca Performing Arts Center and wrote additional music for the Actors' Theatre's production of Twelfth Night. He has been featured on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer and Classical Guitar Alive. His piece, Spatula, for solo guitar was recently published by Les Productions D'Oz. He is currently working on a mini-opera for the Dogs of Desire, an oratorio with Jared Eberlein for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and an operetta with author/playwright Trav S.D.

RACHEL KLEIN (Director/Choreographer/Costume Designer) Recent Directing Credits: The Tragedy of Maria Macabre (an on-going work in progress developed by an Emerging Artists Residency Grant from the Field) Lizardman! A new musical-- book by Michael L. Cooper, Music by David Mallamud; Hound by John Patrick Bray; All Kinds of Shifty Villains by Robert Attenweiler; Sir Sheever by Benjamin Spiro; Sean Gill’s Our Prison, Go-Go Killers!, Stage Blood is Never Enough, and Aenigma, as well as several devised movement pieces including Metro, Rock N’ Roll Medusa, and La Enferma. Rachel’s choreography has been featured at Night of 1000 Stevies, La MaMa, Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, 45 Bleecker, Banzai!, Bowery Poetry Club, the Bushwick Site Fest and Open Studios Festival, the Hiro Ballroom, the Bushwick Starr, the Duplex, the Downtown Clown Review, and Don Hill’s. Rachel holds a BA in theater directing from Columbia College Chicago, and is an associate member of the SDC. Rachel recently assistant directed John Gould Rubin on his production of In the Daylight, Off-Broadway. Currently, Rachel is collaborating with IT award winning actor and playwright, Bill Connington on his upcoming production of Princes of Darkness. www.rachelkleinproductions.com