Eleni Gianulis-Vermeer is co-founder and CEO of Tony Award-winning production company, Creative Partners Productions, and a talent manager across mediums of theater, film and television. She has also served as an Executive Producer of various concerts and events including DGF Toasts Stephen Schwartz’s 70th Birthday and the annual NYC musical theater festival, Elsie Fest. Eleni previously held positions with Sony BMG, Jeff Wald Entertainment, Artists Den Entertainment and the not-for-profit, Invisible Children. She holds a Master of Music Degree in Musical Theater from New York University and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Southern California. Eleni also sits on the Board of Directors for the Dramatists Guild Foundation where she serves as the Communications Chair.

Roe Green, an arts patron and community activist, is Chief Executive Officer of the Roe Green Foundation. With a B.A. in Theatre and Communications from the University of Colorado and a Masters degree in Theatre from Kent State University, her experience in stage and business management includes Cain Park; the Cleveland Opera; and the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. She is responsible for the Roe Green Visiting Director Series for the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State and the University of Colorado, and “Green House,” a domestic violence shelter in Geauga, Ohio. Ms. Green, “avid” theatergoer and traveler to over 160 countries, was a competitive ballroom dancer for more than 12 years. Green believes that “art is what makes us human. Art gives us our humanity — if people can’t create any longer, we’re in trouble.” Her philosophy on giving is, “If I have five oranges, I eat one, save one, and give the other three away.” She is the President Emeritus of CAVORT, Inc., the Conference About Volunteers of Regional Theatres, a member of Kent State University School of Theatre and Dance Advisory Board, the Foundation Board of Kent State University, the Board of Porthouse Theatre, the Board of the Cleveland Play House, and the Governor’s International Council of the Shaw Festival in Canada. In November 2012, Roe Green was recognized with the University of Colorado Alumni Recognition Award for “her generosity of spirit, her allegiance to learning and her passionate advocacy for the arts.” In 2004, she established the Roe Green Visiting Theatre Artist Residency, which provides funds to annually bring to campus an accomplished theatre professional to work alongside CU Students. Ms. Green has also pledged $2 million in order to establish the Roe Green Endowed Chair in Theatre, the first endowed faculty position in the arts at CU-Boulder.

Samuel D. Hunter grew up in Moscow, Idaho and lives in New York City. His full-length plays include The Whale (Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, GLAAD Media Award, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Play), A Case for the Existence of God (New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, Hull-Warriner Award), Little Bear Ridge Road (Broadway run; Jeff Award, Best New Work), Grangeville (Drama Desk and Outer Critics nomination for Best Play), A Bright New Boise (Obie Award, Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), Greater Clements (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play, Outer Critics Circle Honoree), Lewiston/Clarkston (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), The Few, A Great Wilderness, Rest, Pocatello, The Healing, and The Harvest, among others. His film adaptation of The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser, was nominated for the 2023 BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received two Oscars, including Best Actor. He was also a writer and producer on all four seasons of FX’s Baskets. He is the recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, a 2012 Whiting Writers Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Idaho. His work has been presented on London’s West End, Broadway, and off-Broadway in New York City by Lincoln Center Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, LCT3, Signature Theatre, Page 73 Productions, Clubbed Thumb, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre. Elsewhere, his work has been produced by Theatre Royal Bath, Theatre Rotterdam, Dallas Theatre Center, Seattle Rep, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, South Coast Rep, and Victory Gardens, among others. Two published anthologies of his work are available from TCG Books, and another is forthcoming. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council and a current Resident Playwright at the Signature Theatre in New York City. He holds degrees in playwriting from NYU, The Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and Juilliard.

David Henry Hwang’s stage works include the plays M. Butterfly, Chinglish, Yellow Face, Golden Child, The Dance and the Railroad, and FOB, as well as the musicals Aida (reconceived revival launched 2023 in Europe), Soft Power, Flower Drum Song and Disney’s Tarzan. Called America’s most-produced living opera librettist by Opera News, he has written thirteen libretti, including five with composer Philip Glass. His screenplays include M. Butterfly and he is penning an Anna May Wong biopic to star actress Gemma Chan. Hwang co-wrote the Gold Record “Solo” with the late pop music icon Prince and was a Writer/Consulting Producer for the Golden Globe-winning television series The Affair from 2015-2019. He is currently show running and creating a new television series, Billion Dollar Whale. A professor at Columbia University and recent Chair of the American Theatre Wing, Hwang is a Tony Award winner and three-time nominee, a Grammy Award winner and two-time nominee, a three-time OBIE Award winner, and a three-time Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. He was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2018 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021; his star was unveiled on the Lucille Lortel Playwrights Sidewalk in 2022.

James Ijames is a Pulitzer Prize winning and Tony Award nominated playwright, a director and educator. James’ plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon, Wilma Theatre, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre (Philadelphia, PA), The National Black Theatre, JACK, The Public Theater (NYC), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Definition Theatre, Timeline Theater (Chicago IL) Shotgun Players (Berkeley, CA) and have received development with PlayPenn New Play Conference, The Lark, Playwright’s Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, Villanova Theater, Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre and Victory Garden. James is the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist recipient, and two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size with Simpatico Theatre Company and Gem of the Ocean with Arden Theatre. James is a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrence McNally New Play Award for WHITE, the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner for ….Miz Martha, a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, a 2019 Kesselring Prize for Kill Move Paradise, a 2020 and 2022 Steinberg Prize, the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama recipient  and a 2023 Tony nominee for Best Play for Fat Ham. James was a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective. He received a B.A. in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and a M.F.A. in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. James is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University. He resides in South Philadelphia. 

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based playwright. His plays include Everybody (Signature Theatre; Pulitzer Prize finalist), War (world premiere, Yale Rep; LCT3), Gloria (Vineyard Theatre; Pulitzer Prize finalist), Appropriate (Signature Theatre; OBIE Award), An Octoroon (Soho Rep.; OBIE Award), and Neighbors (The Public Theater). A Residency Five playwright at Signature Theatre, his most recent honors include the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright from London’s Evening Standard, a London Critics’ Circle Award for Most Promising Playwriting, a MacArthur Fellowship, the Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama, the Benjamin H. Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Steinberg Playwriting Award, and the inaugural Tennessee Williams Award. Having taught at NYU, Juilliard, and Hunter College, where he was director of the MFA Playwriting program, he now serves on the faculty at University of Texas-Austin.

Donald Loftus is a New York playwright, librettist, and lyricist.

Most recently, his drama, “THE SPRINGVALE ARMADILLO,” was presented by The Cincinnati L.A.B. Theatre, The Tyler Civic Theatre in Tyler, Texas, The Depot in Hampton, Connecticut, The Road Theatre Company in Los Angeles, and The Open-Eye Theatre in Margaretville, New York. His full-length psychodrama, “PER,” was produced by the Theatre Lab Theater Project in Tampa, The Playwrights Round Table in Orlando, Dean Productions in Los Angeles, The Laughing Pig Theatre in Mesa, Arizona.  The Emerging Artist Theatre Festival in NYC presented his latest musical, “ILLUSION”, which was also selected for the Colorado New Musical Festival.  His many one-act plays have been presented on stages across the United States, the United Kingdom, Surathkal, India, Queensland, Australia, and Uppsala, Sweden.

Before focusing on playwriting full-time, Donald had a distinguished career in the luxury beauty industry. He served as the U.S. President of several companies, including Versace Profumi, Y.S.L. Beauté, Procter & Gamble Prestige, Wella’s Cosmopolitan Cosmetics, and Sanofi Beauté. In these roles, he managed the fragrance and cosmetic brands of Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Christian Lacroix, and many more.

Donald served as the chairman of the boards of both The Fashion Group International and The Fragrance Foundation and was a member of the board of directors of The Women’s Project Theatre. He has been honored by The American Cancer Society, The March of Dimes, B.R.A.G., The Fragrance Foundation, Fashion Group Int’l, and The Dramatist’s Guild Foundation with a Patron of the Arts Award for his work in helping keep live theatre thriving.   He is proud to serve on the Board of Directors of The Dramatists Guild Foundation.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an award-winning composer, lyricist, and actor. He is the creator and original star of Broadway’s Tony-winning musicals, Hamilton and In the Heights. Hamilton – with book, music and lyrics by Mr. Miranda, in addition to him originating the title role – was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and earned a record-breaking 16 Tony Nominations, winning 11 Tony Awards including two personally for Mr. Miranda for Book and Score of a Musical. The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hamilton won the 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Both Mr. Miranda and Hamilton won the 2016 Drama League Awards for Distinguished Performance and Outstanding Production of a Musical, respectively. Miranda, Thomas Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler and Alex Lacamoire were awarded a 2018 Kennedy Center Honors for their collaborative achievement in Hamilton and its continued artist impact.

 For its sold-out Off-Broadway run at The Public Theater, Hamilton received a record-breaking 10 Lortel Awards, 3 Outer Critic Circle Awards, 8 Drama Desk Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Musical, and an OBIE for Best New American Play. Material from the show was previewed at the White House during its first-ever Evening of Poetry & Spoken Word in 2009, Lincoln Center Theater’s 2012 American Songbook Series and New York Stage and Film’s 2013 Powerhouse Theatre Season at Vassar College. The Chicago production of Hamilton opened in October 2016, with a 1st National Tour and London production both opening in 2017. A second national tour launched in 2018, with a third national tour premiering in 2019. The London production of Hamilton went on to win 7 Oliver Awards in 2018, including Best New Musical and Outstanding Achievement in Music for Mr. Miranda and orchestrator Alex Lacamoire. The Hamilton Mixtape, a concept album inspired by the show’s score featuring top rappers and musicians in the music industry was released on Dec. 2, 2016. Miranda received a 2017 MTV VMA Award in the “Best Fight Against The System” category for the video “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)” off of The Hamilton Mixtape.

 Mr. Miranda’s In the Heights (originally conceived by Miranda, book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, and direction by Thomas Kail), received four 2008 Tony Awards with Miranda receiving a Tony Award for Best Score, as well as a nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. In the Heights also took home a 2009 Grammy Award for its Original Broadway Cast Album and was recognized as a Finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. In 2016, Miranda won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music for the Original London production of In the Heights. Off-Broadway, In the Heights received a Drama Desk award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance, the Lucille Lortel Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and Mr. Miranda received an Obie Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics. The film adaptation of In The Heights, with songs by Miranda and screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes, will be released by Warner Brothers in 2020.

Mr. Miranda is the co-composer (with Tom Kitt), and co-lyricist (with Amanda Green) of Broadway’s Bring it On: The Musical (2013 Tony Nom., Best Musical, 2013 Drama Desk Nom., Best Lyrics). He contributed new songs to the revival of Stephen Schwartz’ Working and Spanish translations for the 2009 Broadway Revival of West Side Story. In 2014, Mr. Miranda received an Emmy Award with Tom Kitt for their song, “Bigger” from the 67th Annual Tony Awards. He collaborated with J.J. Abrams on the song, “Dobra Doompa” for Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. Mr. Miranda contributed music, lyrics and vocals to several songs in Disney’s animated feature film Moana which earned him 2017 Oscar and Golden Globe nominations and a 2018 Grammy Award for the original song, “How Far I’ll Go.”

Mr. Miranda played Charlie Kringas in the 2012 City Center Encores! production of Merrily We Roll Along and can be heard on the 2012 Cast Recording released by PS Classics. He also appeared in the 2014 City Center Encores! Off-Center production of tick, tick… BOOM! as Jonathan. In 2019, Miranda starred as King Arthur in a benefit concert performance of Camelot for Lincoln Center Theatre. He appeared as the Narrator in his one-act musical, “21 Chump Street” as part of This American Life: One Night Only at BAM on June 7th, 2014.

Mr. Miranda is a recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award, the National Arts Club Medal of Honor, the ASCAP Foundation’s Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award and the Portrait of a Nation Prize. He has received stars on both the Puerto Rico Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He serves as a Council Member of The Dramatists Guild and was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to New York City’s Theater Subdistrict Council in 2015.

On July 8. 2016, Mr. Miranda and Jennifer Lopez released the charity single, “Love Make The World Go Round” as a tribute to the victims of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting. He has continued to respond to tragedy with music, teaming with composers Benj Pasek & Justin Paul and Tony Winner Ben Platt for “Found/Tonight” supporting the March For Our Lives Initiative. 

Mr. Miranda has actively supported the relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in September 2017, creating the benefit single, “Almost Like Praying” as well as releasing its Salsa Remix, benefitting the Hispanic Federation’s UNIDOS Disaster Relief and Recovery Program, helping relief and recovery efforts on the island. In honor of the historic 2019 run of Hamilton in Puerto Rico, the Miranda family, the producers of Hamilton, and the Flamboyan Foundation partnered to create the Flamboyan Arts Fund, raising $15 million for arts and culture on the island. 

In 2003, Mr. Miranda co-founded Freestyle Love Supreme, a hip-hop improv group that has toured the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as the Aspen, Melbourne and Montreal Comedy Festivals. The group created a limited television series for Pivot in 2014 and made its Broadway debut in a self-titled show in the fall of 2019.

Mr. Miranda released a book of his collected tweets, Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You through Random House, featuring illustrations by Jonny Sun. He has lent his voice to the audiobook recordings of Gmorning, Gnight!, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saen.

Mr. Miranda’s TV/Film credits include: His Dark Materials, Fosse/Verdon, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Curb Your Enthusiasm (2018 Emmy Nomination, Guest Actor), Saturday Night Live (2017 Emmy Nomination, Guest Actor), The Electric Company, Sesame Street, The Sopranos, House, Modern Family, Polar Bears, Do No Harm, Smash, How I Met Your Mother, Freestyle Love Supreme, Inside Amy Schumer, Bartlett, Difficult People, Billy on the Street, Hamilton’s America, Drunk History, DuckTales, Nina’s World, BoJack Horseman, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, 200 Cartas, Speech and Debate, Moana (2017 Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, Grammy Award for Best Original Song) and Mary Poppins Returns (2019 Golden Globe Nomination, Best Actor). He received his B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2002. He lives in NYC with his wife, sons and dog.

Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Golden Globe Award-winning songwriters Benj Pasek & Justin Paul are best known for their work on Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman. Their accompanying albums for each project have appeared in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, the latter of which is certified Gold in the US, and Platinum in the UK and Australia. Other credits: Broadway – A Christmas Story, The Musical; Off-Broadway/Regional – Dogfight, James and the Giant Peach, Edges; Film – Trolls; Television – Smash, The Flash, and A Christmas Story, Live! Upcoming projects include the live-action movie musicals Aladdin and Snow White at Disney, and original animated musical Foster at Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios.