The Creative Team

RICK SPARKS (Director) recently helmed  (in association with CBS/Millrock/SKahn) I Love Lucy Live On Stage for Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas. He won several of his 16 Los Angeles theatre awards for direction and musical staging of They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, A Clockwork Orange, Down South, Psycho Beach Party, and Divorce The Musical.  The latter, along with Schoolhouse Rock Live Too, found both shows listed simultaneously as LA Times Critics' Choice. This inspired the national entertainment magazine Backstage to call Sparks one of five stage ‘Directors You Ought To Know’ in the country. Other shows include That Perfect Moment, The Nothing Boys (produced by TV’s “Entourage” producer Rob Weiss), Laguna Playhouse's Don’t Talk to the Actors, The Colony Theater’s critically acclaimed production of Clutter, (about the famous packrat Collyer brothers) and John Patrick Shanley’s West Coast premier of Where's My Money? Rick has also co-produced/ written several cult hits including Highballs, Ahoy!, Dead Bride Running, A Charlie Brown Commercial Christmas, as well as They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

RACQUEL LEHRMAN, Theatre Planners (Producer) is the founder and managing director of Theatre Planners, her own theatre production/PR firm. She graduated from NYU-Tisch School of the Arts and lived in NY for over ten years producing theatre. Theatre Planners has since developed into a very busy and successful outlet for actors, writers, producers and theatre companies. Doing everything from producing, publicity, consulting, printing, graphics and more. Racquel loves to make productions a reality and help to keep the theatre scene in LA alive and strong. Racquel has acquired the Actor’s Gang old space on El Centro and is the new owner of the LOUNGE THEATRES in Hollywood on Theatre Row. To learn more about Racquel and Theatre Planners, go to www.theatreplanners.com 

ADAM FLEMMING (Set Designer) has previously worked with director Rick Sparks on A Perfect Moment (Theater Planners/NOHO Arts Center/Little Victory) and Schoolhouse Rock Too! Live (Greenway). Recent projects include the world premiere of Caught (Zephyr), The Beast on the Moon (Strasberg) and Gwendoline Yeo’s Laughing With My Mouth Wide Open (El Centro). Recent projection designs also include Tales From Hollywood (Odyssey) and On Emotion (Son of Semele). Adam is a graduate of CalArts, a designer with the O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference, and an artistic associate with Son of Semele ensemble. www.mousetechie.com 

SHARELL MARTIN (Costume Designer) A few of Sharell's design credits include the award winning Jekyll and Hyde West Coast script revision, Bark! in Chicago, original costumes for The Marvelous Wonderettes and MRE’s My Fair Lady, all with critical acclaim. Some new works include Journey to Dollywood, Trojan Pie, Rose Bowl Queens, It’s the Housewives, That Perfect Moment and Baggage Claim at the Hudson, and The Next Big Thing and the award winning Prove It on Me at the Adler. She also is credited for the World premiere and Garland nod of Silk Stockings along with PILGRIM and Luisa Fernanda Opera at Ricardo Montalban. Some of her film credits include Kafka with Melanie Lynskey, The Florist with Marshall Manesh and Navid Negahbar, The Handkerchief with Rosalind Ayres and Eloisa De Laurentiis, plus Boppin at the Glue Factory with the Rance Howard. Sharell has also just completed her second season with 3DT as resident designer/consultant, which included design of Peter Pan and Hello Dolly with Ruth Williams. She is thrilled to be back at Theatre Planners with R&R and this amazing story.

FRANCOIS-PIERRE COUTURE (Lighting Designer) completed his masters degree in theatre design from UCLA 2006. He was nominated for an Ovation Award for scenic design of A Picasso at the Geffen Playhouse, received a Garland Award for scenic design of The Quality of Life at the Geffen Playhouse and was nominated for best scenic design for Stranger at the 2010 LA Weekly Awards. Other designs include: Scenery, Lighting and projections for Maestro @ Geffen Playhouse; Scenery for 1951-2006 @ LATC; Scenery for Beethoven as I knew Him @ San Diego Old Globe, Geffen Playhouse, Chicago Water Tower; Scenery and lighting for Wounded, Spring Awakening and Survived @ Power House Theatre. For more information visit fpcouture.com

JOSEPH "SLOE" SLAWINSKI (Sound Designer) Sloe’s designs include Tree Fall for Rogue Machine Theater (LA Weekly Award – Best Sound Design 2009), The Sunset Limited for Rogue Machine, Heralds for Theatre Tribe, and is the sound designer for The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He would like to thank the incredible and amazing Gabrieal Griego for her continuous support during all of his creative endeavors. Without her encouragement and support he wouldn’t have made it this far.

PEITOR ANGELL (Original Music) is a composer, arranger, record producer –you will find his MINDSCAPE Electronica series, his Pacific Coast Jazz recordings on the soundtrack of Façade, as well as the releases of Monte Carlo & His Orchestra featuring Kristi Rose, and his work in popular contemporary music on The Sweet Inspirations CD, "In the Right Place", Pat Hodges’ Billboard Top 10 Club Hits “You Make Me Feel Good”, “Love Revolution”, “Saving My Love” and Thelma Houston's CD, "A Woman's Touch".  Currently he is finishing up 2 new CDs for Monte Carlo & His Orchestra – one, titled "Kiss Yesterday Goodbye" (a soundtrack for a swinging 60’s London movie that doesn’t exist), the other an homage to the European Pop Singers of the early 60’s, called "The International Set".  

ANGELICA ESTEVEZ (Stage Manager) hails from the sunny beaches of Miami. She caught the theatre bug while working in the theatre dept. at the University of MO-Columbia. She worked her way up starting as their box office clerk, and moved on to house manager. She just couldn’t get enough so she changed her major to theatre, and started working on crews for shows like Grease, Steel Magnolias, Gypsy, and many more. She has continued the pursuit of her passion and has go on to stage manage several shows in Los Angeles like Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Romeo and Juliet, Miracle Worker, and Luisa Fernanda among others. Angelica even had the pleasure of being part of the Hollywood Fringe festival this year. She has even got some chances to be on stage in Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Peter Pan and You Can’t Take It With You. Angelica would like to thank you the audience for supporting theatre in LA, and hopes that you enjoy the magic of tonight’s performance.

NIK ROYBAL (Assistant Stage Manager/Ensemble) recently assistant directed [title of show] at Celebration Theatre, directed by Michael Shepperd, and performed in Guys & Dolls (Sky) at Santa Monica City College. Off-Broadway: Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise (ASM/PA); Godot Has Left the Building (ASM). Acting credits: Birds of Paradise, A Man of No Importance, West Side Story, The Illusion, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, Honour, Working, Electra, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He attended Connecticut College and Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Nik thanks family and friends for their support.

RAUL CLAYTON STAGGS (Casting Director) is a freelance casting director who has helped cast many projects for Racquel Lehrman and Theatre Planners, as well The Getty Villa Workshop Series, The Geffen Playhouse, Disney Creative Entertainment, The Theatre @ Boston Court, Furious Theatre Co., Circle X, Playwrights' Arena (where he also serves as Associate Artistic Director) and others. Recent credits include Jewtopia at The Greenway Court, Caught, directed by Nick DeGruccio at The Zephyr, and the soon to be released indie film, Longhorns, written and directed by David Lewis.