ANDY BLANKENBUEHLER (Director) Currently, Andy’s work can be seen on Broadway in the highly acclaimed new musical In The Heights, for which he has won the Tony Award, Lortel Award, the Outer Critics Award, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding choreography.  His Other recent work includes the Broadway-bound musical 9 to 5,  Broadway revival of The Apple Tree, the new Broadway-bound musical Waiting for the Moon (Music by Frank Wildhorn), the world premiere of the musical A Wonderful Life, as well as the Off-Broadway play Burleigh Grimes (directed by David Warren, with music by David Yazbek).

New York audiences have seen Andy’s work in the hit City Center Encores! Production of The Apple Tree, Pippin (benefit concert starring Ben Vereen), A Bad Friend (Lincoln Center Theatre), City Center’s Career Transition for Dancers Gala and Town Hall’s Broadway By The Year: 1930, 1938 and 1978.  Regionally, his choreography has been seen in Red, Hot and Blue (Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House), Kept (Theatreworks), Quark Victory (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Bells Are Ringing (Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera) and Gypsy (Portland Center Stage).  On television, his choreography has been seen on So You Think You Can Dance, The Sopranos, MTV, and commercials for Wendy’s, Saturday Night Fever, and The History Channel.  Andy has staged concert work for Bette Midler, and he directed, choreographed and co-conceived the hit Caesars Palace production Nights On Broadway.

As a performer, Mr. Blankenbuehler has appeared on Broadway in Fosse (singing Mr. Bojangles on the cast recording), Contact, Man of La Mancha, Saturday Night Fever, Steel Pier, Big, Guys and Dolls, as well as the pre-Broadway productions of Parade and On The Town.  He has toured the US and internationally with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Music of the Night, West Side Story, Camelot, Fosse, and Guys and Dolls.  He has appeared in many commercials and television programs, including The Sopranos, and he has sung in concert with Whitney Houston, The Temptations, Edwin McCain and Trisha Yearwood.  Andy teaches at NYC’s Broadway Dance Center, Steps, and across the country for New York Dance Alliance.

JEFF WHITTY (Libretto) Jeff Whitty won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Avenue Q.  Plays include The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler (currently running at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival), The Hiding Place, The Plank Project, Suicide Weather, and Balls.  Theaters presenting his work include the Atlantic Theater Company, South Coast Repertory, the Vineyard Theater, the New Group, and New York Stage and Film/Vassar.  Currently at work on the libretto for a musical version of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City.  As an actor, he has appeared regionally, Off-Broadway, and in film and TV. 
 

LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA (Co-Composer/Co-Lyricist) Lin-Manuel Miranda is the star-composer-lyricist of Broadway's 2008 Tony Winner for Best Musical In The Heights.  In The Heights received 4 2008 Tony Awards, and Lin-Manuel received a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Off -Broadway,  the show received 9 Drama Desk Nominations, including Best Music, Best Lyrics, and an award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. Additionally, In The Heights won the Lucille Lortel Award and Outer Critic's Circle Award for Best Musical. Lin-Manuel received an Obie Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for the show. 

As an actor, Lin-Manuel received a 2007 Theater World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance and the 2007 Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising Male Performance, courtesy of Actor's Equity Foundation. Lin-Manuel also received the ASCAP Foundation's Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award at its annual ceremony in December of 2007 and a Medal of Honor from the National Arts Club in 2008.

Lin-Manuel is a co-founder and member of Freestyle Love Supreme, a popular hip-hop improv group that performs regularly in New York City. The group has also toured the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as the Aspen, Melbourne and Montreal Comedy Festivals. He lives in New York.

TOM KITT (Co-Composer/Co-Lyricist) Tom is the composer and co-orchestrator of High Fidelity (Broadway),and the Broadway musical Next to Normal (previously staged at Second Stage and Arena Stage in DC), which received the Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Score (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Drama League Nominations). He composed the original music for From Up Here (MTC) and his songs with the Tom Kitt Band (www.tomkittband.com) have been featured in film and TV. As a Musical Director, Conductor and Arranger, Tom has worked on several Broadway and Off-Broadway shows including 13, Laugh Whore, Urban Cowboy, and Debbie Does Dallas.

AMANDA GREEN (Co-Lyricist) Amanda is writing the lyrics and co-writing the music for HANDS ON A HARDBODY, based on the documentary, collaborating with Trey Anastasio, band leader of PHISH, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright. It is being produced by The La Jolla Playhouse.

She wrote the lyrics for High Fidelity (Broadway 2006) writing with Tom Kitt.Tapped by the legendary Arthur Laurents (Gypsy, West Side Story) she wrote additional lyrics for the revival of Hallelujah Baby(Arena Stage, directed by Mr. Laurents).   She is a winner of The Jonathan Larson Award, and Abe Ohlman Award from The Songwriter’s Hall of Fame for Excellence in Songwriting.

 She’s written episodes for The Wonder Pets for Nick, Jr. and has been a regular contributor to PLAYBOY Magazine.

She co-starred/wrote the lyrics for the NY Fringe Festival hit For The Love Of Tiffany: A Wifetime Original Musical (music Curtis Moore).  Also with Mr. Moore, Once Upon A Primetime and Up The Week Without A Paddle (Garland Award, LA Drama Critics Circle Nomination, Best Score).

She and Broadway stars perform her songs everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Birdland, to The Bluebird Café in Nashville.  Her revue “Put A Little Love In Your Mouth! The Songs Of Amanda Green” sold-out at Off Broadway’s Second Stage Theater and Joe’s Pub. CD available at www.greenpiecemusic.com 

As a theatrical lyricist, she is a recipient of the 2004 Jonathan Larson Award.  She also received an L.A. DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATION (Best Score), a GARLAND AWARD (Best Score) and ‘Critics Pick’ of The Los Angeles Times, for her lyrics for the musical comedy UP THE WEEK WITHOUT A PADDLE (music by Curtis Moore). Also with Mr. Moore, she wrote ONCE UPON A PRIMETIME (2002). She has won two MAC AWARDS (Manhattan Association of Cabarets)(Outstanding Musical Comedy Performer and Comedy Song). She’s received Backstage Magazine’s BISTRO AWARD (Outstanding Comedy Song) and The ABE OLMAN AWARD (Excellence In Songwriting) from THE SONGWRITER’S HALL OF FAME. She has been cited a Critics Pick by THE NEW YORK POST, THE DAILY NEWS, and TIME OUT NEW YORK.

Her original revue “PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR MOUTH! The Songs of Amanda Green” costarring Amanda and several Broadway stars, sold-out at Off Broadway’s Second Stage Theater, and at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater,.  A live CD of the show has garnered unanimously rave reviews, and was voted “CD Pick Of The Month” by THEATERMANIA.COM. She has written special material for the stars Kristin Chenoweth and Christine Ebersole, and she and many Broadway performers have performed her songs in concert halls and clubs including Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall with Michael Feinstein, Birdland, Town Hall, on Broadway in NOTHING LIKE A DAME, etc.  Her one-woman show “TAKE IT LIKE AMANDA!” was a critical and popular success at The Laurie Beechman Theater, where it was extended twice.  She has also contributed humorous articles to Playboy Magazine. She graduated from Brown University.  She is the daughter of the late legendary writer and lyricist Adolph Green (SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, THE BAND WAGON) and the actress Phyllis Newman.