Disaster! The Musical Creative

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Director
Jessa Blackthorn
With a BFA from Rockford University, Jessa has utilized her classical training to take on a wide variety of roles, both onstage and behind the scenes, but this is her first time directing a full-scale show! Directing credits include The OLT One-Act Play Festival (Director: Cowboy Chuck, 2022; For Whom The Yell Tolls, 2023), and The Wedding Singer (Cherry Blossom Players, Assistant Director). Other backstage credits include costume design for Man of La Mancha at Theater League of Clifton and Honk! at OLT, as well as several productions at NJIT including Legally Blonde (2024), Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play (2023), and Urinetown (2023). Jessa has also choreographed Godspell and The Wedding Singer at Cherry Blossom Players. Acting Credits include 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche (Lulie) at Nutley Little Theater, It Shoulda Been You (Jenny) at Bergen County Players, Antigone (Antigone) at St. James Players, Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice) at Old Library Theater, Follies (Young Heidi) at Players Guild of Leonia, and The Hamlet Experience (Ophelia) at The NY Theatre Festival. She also performs bimonthly in The Rocky Horror Picture Show with The Cosmic Light Cabaret in Teaneck and Chatham, NJ! Love to Chris & Noodles! jessablackthorne.com
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Musical Director/Keyboard 1
Scott Burzynski
Scott teaches General Music at two of the coolest elementary schools in the known universe, namely Washington and Garfield schools in Kearny. He has recently retired from his side career as a church organist. Scott’s work in community and educational theatre has included directing, music directing, conducting, keys programming, and more recently accompanying rehearsals and playing keys in pit orchestras. He is thrilled to be back at W.H.A.T. as Music Director for this production. Favorite previous music direction credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Legally Blonde, Camelot, and In the Heights. Thanks to the production team, musicians, and the entire cast for being so great to work with on this production!
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Choreographer
Bong Dizon
Bay Area Transplant Bong Dizon is ecstatic to return to WHATco for his third choreographic project with this amazing company after having previously choreographed last summer’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A Jersey City resident of 17 years, Bong is blessed to have been able to perform (and sometimes choreograph) in the Tri-State area in countless projects and with a dozen dance companies. Stage Credits include: Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream w/ WHATco), Messenger (Antigone), Club Owner/Ensemble (Miss Saigon), Angel/George (The King and I), and IQ (Hairspray), just to name a few. Choreography Credits include: Seussical-The Musical, Peter Pan, and Hairspray at Woodminster Amphitheatre in Oakland, CA, Starting Here, Starting Now, The Taming of the Shrew, Sondheim VS Webber, and Alice In Love? at Cal State Hayward. #GoPioneers! For more info: www.bongdizon.weebly.com Thank y’all for comin!
Producer/Properties
Brandi-Leigh Miller
Stage Manager
Athena Nakrosis
Athena is happy to be working at WhatCo again she stage managed last summer's production of A Midsummers Nights Dream. She has also stage managed Man of La Mancha, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Into the Woods. Currently she is working for Princeton University creating and designing props. 
Assistant Stage Manager
Jasmine Viera
Jasmine has been with whatco for 2 years already. In productions like Aladdin jr as Kassim, Grease jr as Rizzo, and midsummer nights dream as peaseblossom. She has also done sound for “the best Christmas pagent ever” and stagr managed “and then there were none”. She is so glad to be working as assistant stage manager for disaster.
Set Design
Brian Sullivan
Sound Designer
Jim Miller
Lighting Designer
Luis Andrade
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Costumer
Julia Sharp
Technical Advisor
Keith Raulerson
Keyboard 2
Owen Seaver
Guitar
Joe Dolahan
Drums
Dan Giannone
Reeds
John Kubowicz
Crew
Ed Shea
Crew - Slot Machine Attendant
Ellen Lebofsky

Original Creative Team

Seth Rudetsky is the afternoon Broadway deejay and host of Seth Speaks on SiriusXM Radio. He played Sheldon on Broadway in The Ritz and starred opposite Sutton Foster in They’re Playing Our Song for the Actors Fund. He produced/conducted the Dreamgirls concert with Audra McDonald (Nonesuch Records) and Hair with Jennifer Hudson (Grammy nomination). As a comedy writer, he has three Emmy nominations for“The Rosie O’Donnell Show.” As an author, his newest novel is The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek (Random House).

Jack Plotnick has a BFA in musical theatre from Carnegie Mellon. He co-wrote/directed the Sony Pictures feature Space Station 76, starring Patrick Wilson, Matt Bomer and Liv Tyler. Jack produced/starred in the awardwinning feature film Girls Will Be Girls and the Lifetime TV series “Lovespring International.” As an actor, he’s appeared in countless TV shows and features with recurring/regular roles on “The Mentalist,” “Buffy,” “Reno 911,” “Drawn Together,” “Ellen” and “Action.” His film work includes Meet the Fockers, Down With Love and Gods and Monsters. Jack’s acting workshops are highly acclaimed, and his free ebook, New Thoughts for Actors, is available at www.JackPlotnick.com.

Musical Arrangements and Scoring by Joseph Joubert

Song Arrangements by Seth Rudetsky

Vocal Arrangements by Michael McElroy

Dance Arrangements by David Dabbon

Piano/Vocal Score Arrangements by Steve Marzullo

 Originally Produced on Broadway by 
Robert Ahrens Mickey Liddell/LD EntertainmentHunter Arnold
James WesleyCarl DaikelerBurba Hayes

DISASTER!

Music Publishing Credits

“ALL RIGHT NOW”

Written by Andy Fraser and Paul Rogers.

Used by permission of Blue Mountain Music.

“THAT'S THE WAY I'VE ALWAYS HEARD IT SHOULD BE”

Written by Carly Simon and Jacob Brackman.

Used with permission of BMG Chrysalis.

 “A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN”

Written by Walter Murphy.

Used by permission of RFT Music Publishing Corp (BMI).

“MUSKRAT LOVE”

Written by Willis Alan Ramsey.

Used by permission of Wishbone Music c/o Don Williams Group.

“FEELS SO GOOD”

Written by Chuck Mangione.

Used by permission of Gates Music Inc.

“WITHOUT YOU”

Written by Peter Ham.

Used by permission of Kobalt Music Publishing.

“I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT”

Written by Dan England and John Ford Coley.

Used by permission of Sutjujo Music and Faizilu Publishing.

“THE LORD'S PRAYER”

Composed by Albert Hay Malotte.

Used by permission of Music Sales.

“TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS”

Written by Phillip Jarrell and Peter Yarrow.

Used by permission of Peermusic III, Ltd. and Muscle Shoals Sound Publishing.

“WHEN WILL I BE LOVED”

Written by Phil Everly.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“THREE TIMES A LADY”

Written by Lionel Richie.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“HAWAII 5-O THEME”

Written by Morton Stevens.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“THEME FROM MAHOGANY”

Written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“STILL THE ONE”

Written by Johanna Hall and John Hall.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“SATURDAY NIGHT”

Written by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE”

Written by Clifton Davis.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“NADIA'S THEME”

Written by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“MOCKINGBIRD”

Written by Charlie Foxx Publishing

“KNOCK THREE TIMES”

Written by Larry Brown and Irwin Levine.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“HOOKED ON A FEELING”

Written by Mark James.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“BEN”

Written by Don Black and Walter Scharf.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“COME TO ME”

Written by Tony Green.

Used by permission of Spirit One Music o/b/o Cicada Music Publishing.

“25 OR 6 TO 4”

Written by Robert Lamm.

“SKY HIGH”

Words and music by Desmond Dyer, Clive Kenneth Scott.

©Used by permission of Universal Music Corp. (ASCAP).

“REUNITED”

Words and music by Dino Fekaris, Frederick J. Perren.

©Used by permission of Universal-Polygram International Publishing, Inc. on behalf of itself and Perren-Vibes Music, Inc. (ASCAP).

“KNOCK ON WOOD”

Words and music by Stephen Lee Cropper, Eddie Floyd.

©Used by permission of Irving Music, Inc. (BMI).

“I WILL SURVIVE”

Written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris.

Used by permission of Universal Music Publishing.

“DO YOU WANNA MAKE LOVE”

Written by Peter McCann.

Used by permission of Universal Music Publishing.

“DAYBREAK”

Written by Adrienne Anderson and Barry Manilow.

Used by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“BABY HOLD ON TO ME”

Words and music by Gerald Edward Levert, Edwin Lamar Nicholas.

©Used by permission of Universal Music-Z Songs on behalf of Trycep Publishing Co. (BMI) and Warner Chappell Music Publishing.

“WE DON'T CRY OUT LOUD”

Words and music by Peter W. Allen, Carole Bayer Sager

 ©Used by permission of Irving Music, Inc. on behalf of itself

and Woolnough Music, Inc./Songs of Universal, Inc. on behalf of Begonia Music (BMI).

“I AM WOMAN”

Words and music by Ray Burton, Helen Reddy.

©Used by permission of Irving Music, Inc. on behalf of itself and Buggerlugs Music Co. (BMI).

“HOT STUFF”

Written by Peter Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey.

Used by permission of WB Music Corp.

“FEELINGS”

Written by Louis Gaste and Morris Albert.

Used by permission of Songs of Peer, Ltd. on behalf of Loving Guitar Music, Inc. and Fermata International Melodies Inc.

Sony/ATV Publishing can be reached at 424 Church Street, Ste. 1200, Nashville, TN 37219