Creative Team Bios

Crystal Skillman (Playwright) is an internationally award-winning dramatist. Plays include NYTimes Critics’ Picks CUT, GEEK, OPEN as well as KING KIRBY, co-written with Fred Van Lente about the life of Marvel’s co-creator, artist Jack Kirby, which is now a podcast series on Broadway Podcast Network. Her new play commission THE ROCKET MEN will receive a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere at three NNPN theatres around the country in their 2025-2026 seasons starting this fall (Phoenix Theatre, Indianapolis; Synchronicity Theatre, Atlanta; Angels Theatre, Nebraska). During the slow-down of the pandemic Crystal’s plays made their international debut with RAIN AND ZOE SAVE THE WORLD. The play premiered in Jermyn Street’s season in the UK with Drew & Dane Productions, who have also optioned MARY AND MAX, which she is the bookwriter of, for Broadway. Featuring music by noted composer Bobby Cronin, the musical is based on animator Adam Elliot’s award-winning film. Shortly after, OPEN (featuring Lily Ali-Oschatz) debuted in the Onstage festival in Italy. This year Crystal’s first graphic novel has just come out from Rocketship Entertainment; she has previously written for Wondery Kids, Adventure Time comics, and Marvel comics. She is a proud alum of the WP Lab, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, and Youngblood at EST, where she is a member. She is represented by Brian T. Sherman (IPEX Artists Agency). https://www.crystalskillman.com/ Instagram @crystalskillman

Jessi D. Hill (Director) (she/her) Recent: SMALL (2024 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations), THE ASK by Matthew Freeman at wild project. New York: NYTW, Public Theater/Joe’s Pub, Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages, LAByrinth, Rattlestick, Women’s Project, 59E59, P73, New Group, Keen Company, LaMama, Clubbed Thumb, Ensemble Studio Theatre, wild project, Musical Theatre Factory, The Acting Company, Barrow Group, New Dramatists, Playwrights Realm, New Georges. Regional: Old Globe, George St. Playhouse, A.R.T, People’s Light, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Diversionary, TheatreSquared, Orlando Shakes and others. International: Edinburgh, London, New Zealand, Berlin, Hamburg, Brussels, Ukraine and Rome. She currently teaches directing at Fordham and Barnard. MFA Directing: Yale. www.jessidhill.com

Megan Hill (The Magician) is a Brooklyn-based actor and writer. As an actor, she has originated roles in the world premieres of Zoe Geltman's A(U)NTS; Sandy Rustin's THE SUFFRAGETTE'S MURDER; Ramiz Monsef’s THE ANTS; Leah Nanako Winkler’s THE BRIGHTEST THING IN THE WORLD and KENTUCKY; Crystal Skillman’s OPEN and CUT; Amy Staats’ EDDIE AND DAVE; Mara Nelson Greenberg’s DO YOU FEEL ANGER?; Rob Askins’ HAND TO GOD; Joshua Conkel's THE SLUTS OF SUTTON DRIVE and LONESOME WINTER (which she also co-wrote); and Joshua Conkel and Matt Marks’ THE HOUSE OF VON MACRAME. Megan was nominated for two Helen Hayes awards for her work in POTUS at Arena Stage. She also received a Drama Desk Award nomination and was named one of the Best Comedic Performances of the Year by The New York Times for her portrayal of David Lee Roth in EDDIE AND DAVE. Her play THE LAST CLASS: A JAZZERCIZE PLAY has enjoyed runs in New York, DC, and Seattle. BFA Acting/Original Works: Cornish College of the Arts. MFA: ART/MXAT IATT at Harvard. www.meganhill.net Instagram: @meganhillwhat

Midnight Theatricals (Producer) is a Tony-nominated production company dedicated to developing and showcasing innovative, diverse storytelling worldwide.

Its inaugural production, Afterglow, originally slated for a two-month run in the summer of 2017, extended six times and finally closed after a record-breaking year and a half run Off-Broadway.

Afterglow continues to thrive with runs across North America, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and plans for Australia in 2026. The play will return to New York City for its tenth anniversary production in 2027.

Other notable works include Scarlett Dreams starring Andrew Keenan-Bolger, safeword (both by S. Asher Gelman), and the cult favorite slasher cheerleader musical, We Are The Tigers. At the beginning of the pandemic, the company pioneered a virtual reading series featuring Tony nominee Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney.

Award-winning dance films include The Greatest City in the World and the internationally recognized In Memoriam. Additional work include Hir in London, Pulitzer Prize finalist Here There Are Blueberries with Tectonic Theater Company, On Your Feet National Tour, Velour: A Drag Spectacular at La Jolla Playhouse, and the Broadway productions of The Last 5 Years and Pulitzer Prize-winning Fat Ham, which received five Tony nominations, including Best Play. Midnight Theatricals is also a producer on the upcoming Noam Ash film “Bookends”, starring Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham.

THE TANK (Co-Producer) Founded in 2003, The Tank is an Obie Award-winning, multi-disciplinary non-profit arts presenter and producer, which provides a home to emerging artists working across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, puppetry, and storytelling. Led by Artistic Director Meghan Finn, Managing Producer Molly FitzMaurice, and Director of Artistic Development Johnny G. Lloyd, The Tank champions emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. In doing so the company removes the economic barriers from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form. From the company’s home with two theaters on 36th Street, The Tank serves over 3,000 artists every year, presents 800 to 1,000 performances, and welcomes an average of 36,000 audience members annually. The company fully produces a curated season of 8-12 theatrical World or New York premieres each season. In addition to a 2020 OBIE Award for Institutional Recognition celebrating our Extraordinary Support of Emerging Artists, The Tank has been honored with 6 Drama Desk nominations for our co-produced work, and an official New York City Council proclamation. Recent work includes hit productions of Midnight Coleslaw Tales from Beyond the Closet!!! by Joey Merlo (2024), Invasive Species by Maia Novi (2023), Joan of Arc in a Supermarket in California by Chloe Xtina (2023), Mahinerator by Jerry Lieblich (2023), New York Times Critics’ Picks Simon and His Shoes (2022), Taxilandia (2021, 2023 OBIE Award), OPEN by Crystal Skillman (2019), Red Emma & The Mad Monk by Alexis Roblan (2018), and The Offending Gesture by Mac Wellman (2016); as well as Drama Desk award-nominated productions The Hunger Artist (2018), The Paper Hat Game (2017), the ephemera trilogy (2017), Ada/Ava (2016) and youarenowhere (2016). https://thetanknyc.org/

THE FLYING CARPET THEATRE COMPANY (Co-Producer) Incorporated in 2003, Adam Koplan (Founding Artistic Director) created The Flying Carpet Theatre Company (FCT) after spending formative time training at Playwrights Horizons in New York City and at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris. Over nearly 20 years, The Flying Carpet Theatre Company has created and/or premiered 20+ original plays including early works by artists who continue to shape the American Theatre such as Robert Lopez (Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, Frozen) and Geoff Sobelle (All Wear Bowlers, The Object Lesson, Elephant Room). We have performed our shows in our home bases of New York, NY and Atlanta, GA and have toured nationally to 15 states, and internationally to Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Dublin, Prague and Rome. We generate new theatre that uses American historical stage traditions — physical theatre, dance, circus arts, vaudeville, puppetry, stage magic, cabaret performance, autobiographical storytelling, live music performance, and more — to tell stories about big ideas. American entertainment history reflects the best and worst of our society, and we utilize this tension to investigate flashpoints in our culture. By rooting our work in age-old theatrical forms, we pursue innovative theatrical experiences that connect us to our basic human need for telling stories while inspiring essential, complicated and deep discussion. We are committed to delighting, inspiring and challenging audiences by making performance art in collaborative, communal, non-hierarchical creative spaces and bringing our transformative theatre to communities across the globe. Please visit https://flyingcarpettheatre.com/ to learn more about The Flying Carpet Theatre Company.

Emily Owens PR (Press Representative) Founded in 2007, Emily Owens PR specializes in representing World Premiere productions Off and Off-Off Broadway. With over 18 years of experience, Emily has built a solid reputation for representing ambitious new work, and a strong track record of securing high-profile media coverage for early-career playwrights. EOPR's clients include performing arts venues, theatre festivals, indie theatre companies, and self-producing artists. www.emilyowenspr.com