Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Creative

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Producer, Director
Laura Hilger
Laura is an award-winning director and educator with a passion for bold, transformative storytelling. As the founder of Rose Theatrics, she is thrilled to bring boundary-pushing theatre to life in the Chicagoland community. Currently serving as Director of Speech and Theatre at Marian Catholic High School, her work has led students to state-level success in both performance and interpretation. In addition to her educational and community work, Laura is a private acting and audition coach for performers of all ages. Endless gratitude to the incredible team and cast who took a chance on this vision. To her family and friends...thank you for embracing every idea, every obstacle, every late night, and every triumph. You're beautiful as you feel. For Erica.
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Assistant Director
Angel Alzeidan
Angel is a professional actor, singer and educator. She received her training from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy and has a BFA in Musical Theatre from The New School in NYC. Recent credits include: Princess Mary/Chorus in The King’s Wife (Paramount Theatre Spark Lab), Natalie in Next to Normal (Paramount Theatre), Khalilah in the World Premiere of Siluetas: A New Musical (Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center & Power Street Theatre Company), and Understudy Young Layal & Marwa in the World Premiere of Layalina (Goodman Theatre). She also recently made her feature film debut as Seema in “The Alien". The biggest shoutout to her artistic partner in crime, Laura Hilger. This would not have been possible without her friendship, constant support, and unwavering belief. @angel.alzeidan
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Vocal Director
Jonathan Michael Cortez
“A shining element…” Jonathan is pleased to join Rose Theatrics again, this year as Vocal Director. Typically onstage, Jonathan has sung with South Shore Opera, previewing new works for their season, as Collins in Rose Theatrics RENT, Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Sister Act as Curtis, Ensemble in Legally Blonde and in Humperdinck’s Hansel Und Gretel. Other credits include Young Artist Programs across the state in the chorus of Puccini’s La Rondine and Verdi’s Ernani, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and Fasolt in Das Rheingold. Currently, Jonathan sings with the Chicago Fringe Opera on their premiere improv group: OP*ERRATIC, with Consonance - Chicago Choral Artists, and the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus. @thejonathancortez
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Choreographer/Drifter
Terrence Lorenzo
Terrence Lorenzo is a dancer and choreographer from West & South Suburban Chicago. A graduate of Millikin University (Acting ‘15), with further training in Los Angeles and New York City, Terrence is now Staff at Red Clay Dance Company. He’s honored to work on his first Rose Theatrics production!
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Stage Manager
Abby Urban
Abby is excited to be back stage managing for Rose Theatrics! This is her second production stage managing with Rent being her first. She has been performing and helping with all things behind the scenes since she was young. When she isn’t performing or helping backstage, she is a multimedia broadcast journalism major at Ball State, where she is the News Director for NewsLink Indiana. She would not only like to thank the entire creative team but the cast and crew for having faith in her leadership capabilities and for always trusting and believing in her. She would also like to thank her parents and younger brother for always supporting her dreams and pushing her to stay creative and stay involved with the arts. Enjoy the show and always support local artists and local theater, for the creators of today and tomorrow!
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Light Design & Construction
Vasili Patrianakos
Set Design
Zachary Gipson
Assistant Stage Manager
Fotis Patrianakos
Prop Master
Liam Kalousek
Assistant Stage Manager
Clarke Stalling
Microphones, Construction
Emily Guzman
Sound Operation
Shawn Mallo
Sound Design/EQ
Andrew Vega
Wardrobe
Lisa Frustaci
Wardrobe
Tori Cates
Wardrobe
Devine Costumes

Original Creative Team

Carole King - Pop music would be very different without the contributions of Carole King, who at age 17 wrote her first #1 hit with Gerry Goffin, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," for the Shirelles. The dozens of chart hits Goffin and King wrote during this period became legendary, but it was 1971's Tapestry that took King to the pinnacle, speaking personally to her contemporaries and providing a spiritual musical backdrop to the decade. More than 400 of her compositions have been recorded by over 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles and six Grammys.

Gerry Goffin - Born in Brooklyn in 1939, Gerry Goffin met Carole King at Queens College, and their musical collaboration began almost immediately. They married in 1959, and that same year wrote their first hit song "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" (The Shirelles). The duo penned more than 50 Top-40 hits including "The Locomotion," "Natural Woman" and "Up on the Roof." In 1987, Goffin and King were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Goffin has left an indelible mark on American music.

Cynthia Weil - Cynthia Weil was the acclaimed lyricist of classic songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," the most-played song of the 20th century. In addition to the songs heard in Beautiful, she set the words to later standards including "Somewhere Out There," "Here You Come Again," "He's So Shy," "Just Once" and "Don't Know Much," to name just a few. Weil was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, honored with multiple Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards for "Somewhere Out There" as the Motion Pictures Song of the Year and Song of the Year. Weil passed away on June 1, 2023.

Barry Mann - Barry Mann has written the melodies of some of the most influential pop songs in musical history. In addition to "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," the most-played song of the last century, and the songs heard in Beautiful, he composed later standards like "Somewhere Out There" (winner of two Grammys), "Here You Come Again," "Sometimes When We Touch," "Just Once" and "Don't Know Much." Together he and Cynthia Weil have amassed an incredible 112 pop, country, and R&B awards from Broadcast Music Inc. for significant radio air play. He has been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.