Edinburgh Fringe

Kurt is an award-winning actor and director who had a great performing career in regionals, Broadway and National Tours before returning to Chicago to concentrate on directing and writing. Kurt is one of the co-founders of SoloChicago Theatre, whose Chicago production of Churchill, the Play was a runaway hit and won a Jeff Award for Best Solo Performance before moving to New York City to play six months at New World Stages. Kurt also directed SoloChicago's critically acclaimed 2nd production The Unfortunates which was Jeff award Nominated. Kurt directed The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey for American Blues Theater which garnered a Jeff Award for Best Solo Performance. Kurt has directed for the Apple Tree Theater (where he was producer), The Auditorium Theatre, Light Opera Works, Chicago College of Performing Arts, and of course SoloChicago, where The First Embassy by Ronald Keaton will soon be seen. You can read more about his work at kurtjohns.com

Gail’s obsession with HKMD began in August, 2011 when she read the novel on a whim. She'd never felt more seen or understood and it became her dream to share Fi with the world. When Kurt Johns directed Gail in the The Unfortunates, the obsession grew and the partnership was born to bring Fiona to life. A Chicago-based actor, she has worked with theatres such as Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Northlight, and The Goodman as well as The Cleveland Playhouse, Indiana, Asolo, and Merrimack Repertory Theatres, and Maltz Jupiter Theatre. She’s worked with Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Theresa Rebeck, Risa Brainin, Gary Griffin, Sean Daniels and up and comer Marti Lyons. You can get more of Gail at gailonline.net

Cecilia, a graduate of Royal College of Music (London), is a four-time Chinese Music Award winner for Best Composer of the Year. Beginning her professional career at age 15, Ms. Lin has written over a hundred pieces of pop music for various Asian pop stars and twenty one songs that reached #1 on Chinese Music Radio (Chinese Billboard). Ms. Lin also has a selection of film and TV credits, including composing additional material for Disney’s High School Musical (Asia). In 2015, Ms. Lin signed on with the Paris National Symphony Orchestra as its first Asian composer and is the youngest artist ever to be on the national stamp issued by the CHINA POST. Since 2018, Cecilia has been living in New York pursuing a career in the Broadway theatre industry, earning multiple awards as a co-producer including Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical. More information about Cecilia's illustrious career can be found at https://www.cecilialin.com

Jessica Wu (she/her) is an award-winning playwright, director, songwriter, dramaturg, and Broadway dancer in a past-life (A Chorus Line, Miss Saigon). Writing credits include: “You, Me, I, We” (APF’s Relentless Musical Award, semi-finalist; O’Neill Conference, semi-finalist; Live & In Color Bingham Retreat, finalist), “Good Mourning” (Moxie Arts NY New Play Commission, American Theatre Blue Ink Award finalist). and the new musical “Poupelle of Chimney Town” (International Premiere, Tokyo 2021). Jessica is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the BMI Lehman Engle Musical Theatre Writing Workshop, and currently serves as Artistic Producer at Brooklyn Children's Theatre. www.jessica-wu.com

Katie Spelman (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based choreographer and director; she was the Associate Choreographer on Moulin Rouge for the Boston, Broadway, and Australian companies, and was an associate on the Broadway productions of Amelie, American Psycho, and Once. Recent credits include Cabaret (Barrington Stage Company); the world premiere of An American Tail (CTC); Day 365 - Live from the Rainbow Room with Dylan Mulvaney, Once (Writers Theatre), The Notebook (CST), AD 16 (Olney Theater), The Beautiful Game (Tokyo), The Who’s Tommy (DCPA), and Oklahoma! (Goodspeed). She has also collaborated with Lookingglass, Ars Nova, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Camerata Bern, Court Theatre, The Hypocrites, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Timeline Theatre, and Northwestern University. She recently won a Helen Hayes Award for her work on AD16, and was the recipient of the SDCF Agnes DeMille commission in 2019.

Alchemation is a theatrical and media producing company committed to the development and presentation of new work. Founded in 2011 by Tony Award winning producer Kevin McCollum (Rent, In The Heights, Avenue Q, Drowsy Chaperone), Alchemation has mounted productions on Broadway, the West End, and on tour throughout the United States. Current projects include SIX and MRS. DOUBTFIRE and numerous other productions in development including THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and THE NOTEBOOK, opening soon on Broadway. Alchemation has also continued its collaboration with 20th Century Fox in developing titles in Fox's extensive catalogue. Learn more at Alchemation Website.