Pants — Director of Walking in Memphis... and God of Our Fathers
Pants is the nom de guerre of artist, writer, director, performer and collaborator Chantal Pavageaux. Original works include
tres bitches -or-i wanna go to moscow (Twin Cites Chekhov Festival),
The Love Party (Red Eye Theatre), and
The Political Party (currently in development for November 2, 2008). Within the last year, she directed both
God of Our Fathers and
Jihad: The Musical. [insert joke here] She is the co-founder of performance collective The Royal Lace Paper Works, is an associate of the SFA Grocery: an art manufactory, and has collaborated with theatrical companies including but not limited to Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Target Margin Theater, the TEAM, and The Bushwick Hotel. She also fashions hairstyles and make-ups as Les Short and creates fabric and paper works from recycled materials. Recently, she was featured in the
Minnesota Monthly's article,
You Know You're Cool When..., How to tell if you've made it in the local arts scene.
J. Michael Feldman — Co-writer of God of Our Fathers
J. Michael Feldman, born Michael J. Feldman, grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he created and performed numerous comedic solo pieces including
Diagnosis: Jew Pain, which toured festivals across the country and was performed in Jerusalem in 2005. After graduating from NYU, Michael worked behind the scenes on the award-winning television show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Michael was also a member of the sketch comedy troupe Fresh Meat, which toured across the country and Canada to critical acclaim. He is currently writing a new solo show about the Jewish life cycle with solo performer Jon Ross. His latest project,
MuscleBound, is a multidisciplinary one-man show/documentary which tackles the prevalent yet rarely discussed topic of male body image issues. The show has toured over 60 universities, high schools, and health conferences across the U.S. Michael is also a co-writer for The Arab-Israeli Conflict the Musical - coming soon...
Matt Kalin — Composer of original music for God of Our Fathers
Matt Kalin is a lifelong musician with training in classical and jazz performance and composition from Columbia University, the California Institute of the Arts, and the MacPhail Center for the Arts. He has also studied Jewish Philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Matt has performed in nightclubs, community centers, and other settings around the United States and Europe and has taught music, creativity, and spirituality to students of all ages. Matt currently runs a music production studio in Minneapolis, where he has produced album-length CDs and demo EPs for regional artists. In 2005, Matt released a collection of his own music for young children and their families, Feelin' Good, and expects to complete a secong album for kids by the end of 2007. More information about Matt and his music can be found at
www.mattkalin.com.
Croft Vaughn — Technical Director of Walking in Memphis...
Most recently, Croft was the assistant director for the smash hit romantic comedy
JOY at the producers club. He wrote and directed,
They Want Us Dead, We Can't Stay Here! which saw a sold out performance at Dixon Place. Other original works include
Shepherd a classical hero myth and gay love story,
Chunky Gold an adult fairy tale, and
Flight Light a dance meditation on the paradox of a kite's string. He enjoyed a four-month performance-internship with Big Dance Theatre, performing a work in progress at Jacob's Pillow. Croft worked with downtown theatre artists Ken Nintzel, David Neuman, Stacey Dawson, Jordan Allen-Dutton, Penny Arcade, and Synaesthetic Theatre. His performance venues range from P.S.122 to The Duplex Cabaret, from Dance Space Center, to Blue Heron Arts Center and throughout the U.S. He toured with W.T.E. Theatre Company to Edinburgh's Fringe Festival 2003, with plans to return this August. Croft was the assistant Director for the
Snoopy! Concert at Symphony Space featuring Broadway's Sutton Foster. Croft is a graduate of NYU's Experimental Theatre Wing at Tisch School of the Arts.
Lonnie Schwartz — Dramaturg for God of Our Fathers
Lonnie Schwartz is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Script Development in Columbia University's School of the Arts. She has collaborated previously on a production of Eugene Ionesco's
Rhinoceros and will soon be working on Sarah Kane's
Cleansed. Lonnie graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English lit. and has served on staff at The Juilliard School for two years while concurrently working as a script reader for The Underwood Theater. She is a student ambassador to The Public Theater and is studying with noted directors Anne Bogart and Gregory Mosher. She is now working as a dramaturge on several Columbia student productions.
Meg Keene — Creative partner for Walking in Memphis...
Meg Keene currently works as a Equity Research Associate in San Francisco, covering west coast financial institutions. Her primary love is innovative philanthropy and fundraising. Previously she worked as the Associate Director of Fundraising and Operations for the New York Musical Theatre Festival, as a Development Associate for Theatreworks/USA, and in the development office of the Manhattan Theatre Club. She helped to found Zoo Theatre where she worked as a Managing Director, producing several events including a world premiere of
Dreaming of Norton at Theatre Row, and a benefit featuring a mini-concert by Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul & Mary. She directed and taught at New York's Children's Theatre Company. She worked closely with Jon Ross in the development process of
Walking in Memphis: The Life of a Southern Jew, and directed the shows first iteration. Meg graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
