WU’ER KAIXI – CONCEIVER
Known for his leading role in the 1989 Tiananmen student movement, Mr. Wu’er Kaixi is a Chinese democracy activist living in exile in Taiwan. He became known to the world with his televised rebuttal with The Chinese Premier Li Peng and has been listed as No. 2 on the Chinese government’s 21 most wanted student leaders. Where he lives in Taiwan, he is a celebrated political commentator, columnist, and documentary producer. He is of Uyghur origin and one of the more vocal Uyghur genocide awareness campaigners. As a long-time press freedom defender, he serves as the Emeritus Board Member for Reporters Without Borders. With his Human Rights defending record, he currently serves as the General Secretary of the Taiwan Parliamentary Human Rights Commission.
DARREN LEE – DIRECTOR
Darren Lee has an extensive list of works and credits in the theatre industry including one of his latest roles as The King of Siam in the US national tour of The King and I. His career in the theatre has been nothing short of successful with having New York director/choreographer credits on 24 Hour Musicals; History of War; Heading East; Hair and An Ideal Husband, among others. He has performed in Broadway performances of Chicago, Guys and Dolls and in the original companies of Allegiance; Miss Saigon and Victor/Victoria with Julie Andrews to name a few. Additionally, his film credits include Hackers, opposite Angelina Jolie, Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You and Sisters with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. In addition to his work on Tiananmen, Lee is currently in development as the director/choreographer for the world premiere of the new musical The Tale of the Gift Prince by Lezlie Wade and Daniel Green.
DREW FORNAROLA – COMPOSER
Drew Fornarola (music & lyrics) is a songwriter and playwright from New York City and the artistic director of Starring Buffalo. He has written for DreamWorks’ SHREK and VEGGIETALES franchises, and was most recently represented off-Broadway by STRAIGHT (co-written with Scott Elmegreen), a New York Times Critics’ pick recently adapted into a major motion picture. Other theater: THUCYDIDES (pub. Samuel French), UNCLE PIRATE (pub. Samuel French), TILLY THE TRICKSTER (collab. With SNL’s Molly Shannon, pub TRW), SHREK THE HALLS: THE MUSICAL (DreamWorks), among others. Film: 1 NIGHT IN SAN DIEGO (Hulu), VEGGIETALES: NOAH’S ARK (DreamWorks), STRAIGHT (BH5 Studios), HIGH SCHOOL ZOOMSICAL (Broadway Unlocked). Drew has headlined concerts around the world including Lincoln Center (NYC), London Theater Workshop (London), Broadway au Carre (Paris) and Bar Fedora (Los Angeles). Proud alumnus of Princeton University and the BMI Musical Theater Workshop.
SCOTT ELMEGREEN – AUTHOR
Scott Elmegreen is a playwright, composer, and author based in NYC and Chicago. His shows include Straight; Expecting; Hip Hop Cinderella; Vote For Me; Ivy+Bean; Awesome Allie, First Kid Astronaut; Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy; The Magic School Bus, Live!; COLLEGE The Musical; and Thucydides. He wrote the music for Colin Quinn Long Story Short; The PhD Movie; We Can’t Reach You, Hartford; Daguerreotype; What I Took in My Hand; and orchestrated S’Wonderful: The New Gershwin Musical. His shows have premiered on Broadway, off-Broadway, on national tour, on television and in film, and in theaters across the country and around the world. He is a graduate of Princeton University, and teaches musical theater writing and songwriting at the University of Chicago.
JASON ROSE – PRODUCER
Jason Rose entered the world of musicals in April 2015 as Lead Producer and the motivational force behind ¡Americano!, a record setting musical that premiered at The Phoenix Theatre Company in 2020 and recently finished its Off Broadway run in June 2022 where it was enjoyed by President Obama, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda among thousands of others. Other theatre involvement includes the current developments of two new shows: The Ghost of John McCain and Bar Mitzvah in Birmingham. Rose is the president of Rose + Allyn Public & Online Relations located in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he and his firm are recognized as one of the most creative and cutting-edge public relations and public affairs firms in the Southwest. Rose is also The Founder and Producer of The Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, the nation’s most attended polo event.
