Sheng Lei (雷昇) is a New York City-based composer/musician born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan with an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He is currently writing and developing a historical musical, Tropical Angels, supported by the National Taichung Theater of Taiwan, which will premiere in summer 2022. He is always excited about collaborating with artists of all kinds of medium, including musical theatre, plays, and dance. He believes musical theatre is an ultimate form of storytelling that has no boundaries nor limitations - capable of expressing the inexpressible, making the unseen heard. He/Him/His.

David Thomas Cronin is a New York City-based actor, director, and educator. Bachelors of Music in Voice Performance and Music Education from The Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music. David is currently an elementary school music teacher while facilitating his own private voice studio. Recently David directed an equity showcase production of Cabaret and music directed Spring Awakening. David is also a resident teaching artist at The White Plains Performing Arts Center, The Gallery Players, and The Walt Disney Theatrical Group “Disney on Broadway”. Humbled and eternally grateful to Sheng, Meng-Huan, and Sobina for this opportunity to tell this story. He/Him/His. @davidtcronin

Photo by Yadin Goldman

Sobina Chi Kanter (祁苡瑄) is a New York-based pianist, music director, and educator. This native of Taipei, Taiwan came to the States to further her performing career. She received her BA and MM in Jazz Performance from CUNY Brooklyn College. She hopes to continue to make an impact on the New York musical community and abroad. Music director credits include: The Gallery Players: Little Women (2019), Once Upon A Mattress (2019), A New Brain (2018), You’re a Goodman Charlie Brown (2017), Marry Me a Little (2017). Bishop Kearney High School: Wizard of Oz (2019), Godspell (2018). She/Her/Hers.

Emily Chiu is a Taiwanese-American musical theater writer, composer, and translator. Writing credits include: American Girl Live! (US National Tour – Mattel Inc.); Bak Chang (commissioned by the 5th Ave Theater); Unshelved (2020 Xintiandi Festival, Shanghai Conservatory of Music); Keaton and the Whale (Eric Weinberger Emerging Librettists Award, AMAS Musical Theater, the PitCH @ The Finger Lakes Musical Theater Festival); Apollo (Highland Arts Theatre), Zookeeper, and You Gave Me a Sheep (National Asian Artists’ Project). She holds a BA in music from Brown University and an MFA from NYU Tisch’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program. She/Her/Hers. www.emilychiu.net

Yang Yen-Su (楊雁舒) is a Taipei-based educator, actress, and translator. She holds an M.F.A. in Acting and a Ph.D. in Theatre Theory. She has experience in translating theatre scripts and movie subtitles, including Private Fears in Public Places (script) and Antonia’s Line (movie). She also interprets for concerts and artist lectures in Taiwan. She is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Taipei. She/Her/Hers.

Mu-Hsi Kao (高慕曦) is an MA student in Theatre at CUNY Hunter College with backgrounds in English, sociology, and art history. She believes in storytelling for social impact. In addition to theatre-making, she develops educational board games, curates civic engagement and open-sourced community events, and writes for a Mandarin international news platform for youth media literacy. She is a writer, artist, producer, researcher, and a Taiwanese global citizen. She/Her/Hers.

Cédric Jouarie is a French director based in Taiwan where he runs the production company Kamomé International with his wife, writer/producer Dan-Kee Chuang. Together, they’ve made a number of short films, art videos, and commercials. Jouarie has also written, produced, and directed (with Chuang producing) the multi-awarded revenge-thriller The very Last Day.