Here I Am Creative

Co-Creator/Director

Samantha Roberts

(she/they) is a graduate of Temple University where she obtained a BFA in Musical Theatre. Her performance credits include: Mrs./Betty u.s. in Sunday in the Park with George, Ensemble in Age of Power, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, and Ensemble in Forget I Said Anything. Her directing and choreographing credits include: Here I Am, Forget I Said Anything, Just Getting Started, The Quartet, Seussicial, and Godspell. She is incredibly passionate about musical theatre and strives to create non-conforming theatre that can be told by any person and remain universal. She is also a second degree Black Belt In Tang Soo Do karate and loves teaching self defense.

Co-Creator/Music Director/Orchestrator

Christian Cantrell

(they/he) is a Queer, Filipino-American Composer, Lyricist, Orchestrator, Music Director and Conductor. Their original works include Here I Am (2022), Golden Gate Dreams (2020), Color Your World (2019) and The Waiting Room (2018). Off Off Broadway: A Seat at the Table, Forget I Said Anything. Enjoy the show! @christianwritesmusicals

More about Cantrell + Roberts

After meeting on a Zoom call, Cantrell and Roberts instantly knew they were meant to create together! After countless texts, calls, and plans, they moved to New York and began their journey.
Upon arriving, Sammi and Christian began planning their introduction to New York City: "Just Getting Started." They decided to put together a two-act musical event featuring their individual works and four collaboration pieces, two of which became the main themes of "Here I Am!"
The first song they wrote together was "Down," a smoky jazz song with the theme of falling down. Shortly after, during a brainstorming meeting, Christian began playing a tune that instantly caught Samantha’s attention. She immediately knew what this piece would be… an apology she had struggled to musicalize on her own.

While not initially connected, following a last-minute casting change, Roberts ended up singing both "Down" and "Here I Am"... leading the duo to realize that these weren’t standalone songs; they were the protagonist, Scarlett's, evolution.

The rest is history!