Cast & Creative
Creative
Jonothon Lyons
Book
Jonothon Lyons is an Independent Theater Award winning writer (Outstanding Original Short Script, The Tenement, 2010) and a recipient of the Jim Henson Foundation Seed Grant (Ensō, 2013). He has performed Off-Broadway in Little Shop of Horrors, Blue Man Group, and Sleep No More. And at The Metropolitan Opera in Simon McBurney’s Die Zauberflöte, Lileana Blain-Cruz’s El Niño, and Anthony Minghella’s Madama Butterfly. He’s received over 2 billion views and 5 million followers for his viral internet creation Buddy the Rat @jonothonlyons. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity, AGMA, The Dramatists Guild, and the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Ben Bonnema
Music/Lyrics
Ben Bonnema has received a Jonathan Larson Grant, the Fred Ebb Award, and the Harold Adamson Lyric Award. Theatre: One Way with Christopher Staskel (NAMT, Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed), Boys Who Tricked Me (Musical Theatre Factory, “heart-healing musical theatre” –Joshua Barone of the New York Times), The Lost Girl with Arianna Rose. New Media: Peter Panic with James Marion (Adult Swim Games, two million downloads). His debut novel will be published by Harper-Collins in 2027. Ben holds an M.F.A. from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. He helped form the Climbers United union.
David Alpert
Director
David Alpert won the Wilde Award for his direction of Fully Committed, and was nominated for Best Director for A Scythe of Time at the New York Musical Festival. Off-Broadway: Our Brother’s Son (The Linney). Broadway/Off Associate: If/Then, The Trip to Bountiful, The Best Man, Talley’s Folly, Old Friends, Flashdance, Guys & Dolls. Founding Artistic Director of BroadwayCon, Creator of “E-Ticket to Broadway” podcast, producer of the “Living for Today” concert benefiting Gilana’s Fund, Creative Director for Idina Menzel (Carnegie Hall, Radio City, Bridges Tour, “Which Way to the Stage” on Disney+). David was named a Distinguished Alum of Western Michigan University, is a member of SDC, and on faculty at NYU.