Recognized as one of the world's most successful concert artists of his generation from the People's Republic of China. His musical integrity and virtuoso technique have gained accolades from audiences and reviewers around the world, and he has performed for many world leaders. Most recently, Xiang Gao was a featured soloist performing for the Chinese President Hu JinTao and the visiting King Carlos I of Spain. In the past 20 years, he has performed with more than 100 symphony orchestras worldwide and is currently the UD Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music and the recipient of the UD Ceruti violin that was purchased by UD in 2004 for his international performing career which made national news. In 2014, Xiang was awarded the Delaware Governor’s Award in the Art for his contribution in the Art.

As a multifaceted musician, concert producer, and singer songwriter, Professor Gao composes, arranges, and performs in the styles of jazz, funk, bluegrass, Asian folk, pop, and Latin American music.  In August of 2012, Xiang Gao was commissioned by the Tsinghua University of China (One of China’s top three universities) to compose the film score Yuan Ming Yuan which was released in October 2012 with the documentary movie. The 40th anniversary of Earth Day’s theme song “Sleep now, O Earth,” - composed by Xiang Gao for children’s choir, Erhu, Indian drums and chamber orchestra - was successfully premiered in Delaware in April of 2010. As a member of the "China Magpie" ensemble established by Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, and the “6ixwire Project,” a crossover duet he and Erhu soloist Cathy Yang formed in 2009, Xiang is frequently featured on CCTV, China's leading TV station, performing live concerts for more than one billion TV viewers worldwide. Both crossover ensembles combine multiple styles, from Chinese folk to western classical and rock music.

With his strong interest in theater and Asian traditional music, Xiang Gao solo performed in the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. He created the acclaimed Butterfly Lovers Multimedia Violin Concerto, which recreates a popular ancient Chinese fairytale similar to Romeo and Juliet for the western world. This production was successfully premiered in the Grand Opera House of Wilmington, Delaware in 2004 and was most recently awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. An orchestral debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra took place on February 17 of 2007. Xiang Gao is also the creator and producer of very creative and engaging "iMusic" productions, which successfully humanize classical music in multimedia violin concerts that bring the audience of all ages and performers together with delightful artistic elements and special effects. His current projects include producing and directing “Encounters - the Qing and the West” – a theatrical concert he created to transport the audience on a musical journey of interactions between the Chinese Qing Dynasty(1644-1912) and the West, promoting cultural exchange and understanding. For more information, please visit XIANGGAO.NET, or view live video of his performances/compositions at Youtube.com/user/xianggaomusic.

Joyce Hill Stoner has written music and lyrics for 22 musical theatre productions including I’ll Die if I Can’t Live Forever, which ran Off-Broadway in 1974-75 and was called “the best mini-musical in town” by The New York Times.  It was purchased by Samuel French, Inc., has been performed regionally, and won a gold medal in an international music theatre festival in Arezzo, Italy in 1982.  Her other productions include Turn Back Columbus (Please Don’t Discover Us!) (lyrics, Toronto); Murder at the Last Resort (lyrics, Cleveland); 1000 Words (based on The Picture of Doran Gray) (lyrics and libretto, NYC), 1-900-THE-SHOW (about people who meet people through personals, Delaware and NYC, lyrics and music), Barbie: The Musical or As She Dreams It (Barbie and Ken do Shakespeare’s As You Like It—under the bed instead of in the Forest of Arden, Delaware and NYC, lyrics and music), and The Roswell Follies: An Alien Revue (an investigation of the living conditions for aliens in the Roswell holding facilities, featured in the first annual New York City Fringe Festival and The Triad in NYC, lyrics and co-composer).  Stoner was in the Lehman Engel BMI workshop from 1974 to 1980; classmates included Ed Kleban (A Chorus Line), Maury Yeston (Nine, Titanic), and Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin).

Her musical about H. F. du Pont and his collection (chairs came to life and sang about historical styles and the history of the du Pont family) honored Winterthur’s 50th anniversary in March 2002.  In March 2007 she was commissioned to write and perform a song for the 150th anniversary of the City of Wilmington: “Just Cross that Bridge. . . and come on down, to Wilmington the ‘be somebody’ town” accompanied by a 20-minute description of the history of Wilmington in rhymed couplets, performed by Stoner backed up by the Wilmington City Council.  In 2011 she wrote lyrics and music for “Delaware Salutes YouTube” in collaboration with the Wilmington Renaissance Corporation, Downtown Wilmington, and the Wilmington Mayor’s Office; the eight-minute video has had almost 5,000 views to date and was awarded a Delaware Division of the Arts Opportunity grant.

Professor Stoner has taught painting conservation and the history of art conservation for the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation for 37 years and served as its director for 15 years (1982-1997).  In 1996 she was promoted to the rank of full Professor at the University of Delaware and was awarded the Rosenberg professorship in 2009. She is a practicing paintings conservator and art historian.  She has recently been studying the Wyeth family of artists.  Andrew Wyeth painted her portrait in 1999.   Her 890-page, seven-year, 79-international-author book, The Conservation of Easel Paintings, was published in October, 2012, and she is now able to return to more work with musical theatre.

Scott F. Mason is a multi-faceted thespian who has been involved with theatre for over twenty-five years after minoring in it during his undergraduate years at the University of Delaware. He has written over twenty dramas, comedies, mysteries, inspirational fund-raiser events, and musicals and has been a member of the National Dramatists Guild.

He was the book writer for Mason-Stoner collaborations including First Reprise, Tales of the Turnpike, and Dickens of a Time, shows in NYC: 1-900-THE-SHOW and As She Dreams It. Two more collaborations, First Vote and Delaware’s Railroad to Freedom, were produced through the Delaware Humanities Forum and toured state schools.

His original dramas include the award winning one-act Answers, Frankenstein, and his autobiographical works All That Matters and Half Steps. His mysteries include Shadows, Act of Murder, Murder on Cue and several murder mystery tours for Delaware Parks and Recreation. Mason’s comedy works include Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, Get off My Case, and most recently Dame Edna’s Annual Family Barbecue which also featured Mason in his role as Dame Edna’s “honorary understudy” for which he has won several awards and has been inducted into the Sunburst Convention of Celebrity Impersonators Hall of Fame for Funniest Male and for Best Transition.

Relating to the characters and experiences of Campus Chatter, Mason wrote his first drama about college life while he was an undergraduate; it was called Quad and told the tale of one freshman and three seniors sharing a room. He was commissioned shortly after by the University of Delaware’s Provost Office to create a piece on campus diversity. In addition he created the scripts for Circulus, an event to raise awareness for the Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens with Intellectual DisABILITIES (DFRC), and Kaleidoscope which raised awareness for Cancer Care Connection. Both Circulus and Kaleidoscope were produced for two years in locations including the Wilmington Grand Opera House and Longwood Gardens. Each event involved Mason weaving personal stories (taken from interviews he conducted) into an evening of monologues and musical numbers

Mason holds a B.A. cum laude degree in Communication: Mass Media and a Master in Education degree in College Counseling, both from the University of Delaware where he has worked for the last twenty five years in the Student Life Division. He is currently the Senior Associate Director of the University Student Centers and works with student organizations, fraternity and sorority life, and campus programming. He is President of the Chapel Street Players in Newark and also an active actor, director, and dancer in local theater.

Scott F. Mason

   Book writer

           Xiang Gao

Composer and producer

             Joyce Hill Stoner

Lyricist and production advisor

Brian M. Touchette

       Director

Brian M. Touchette has been involved in almost every aspect of the theatre since the age of five. In high school and college he played the trumpet and French the past he has played both the trumpet and his favorite instrument, the French horn. In the past 20+ years he has worked with numerous theatres in the area including Wilmington Drama League and Candlelight Dinner Theatre; however, Chapel Street Players (Newark’s official community theatre) is the one he calls “home”. He is on the CSP Board as the VP of Technical Direction. This is a position that gives him an opportunity to express his creativity through light, scenic and sound design. He has also been seen on stage in numerous plays at CSP and is frequently found backstage as a stage manager. One of his favorite roles in theatre is directing. Brian has been very fortunate to work with several amazing stage directors (including Paula Shulak, Judith David and Scott F. Mason) whom have helped to shape his directing style.

Brian’s directorial debut was Other People’s Money in 1994 at CSP. Some directorial favorites include CSP’s productions of Amadeus, The Lion in Winter, Little Shop of Horrors and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. This is his first time collaborating on an original musical, but each of previous shows have, in different ways, prepared him for this undertaking.

Brian received his undergraduate degree in elementary and special education (’93) and Master’s degree in education leadership (’14) at UD. He is also an alumni of Harrington Theatre Arts Company (HTAC). He taught children with autism before his current position at the Delaware Department of Education. 

Marjorie (Marji) Eldreth

       Music director

Marjorie (Marji) Eldreth is a professional music director, and singing-actress. She has directed musical theatre productions in the area for over 20 years and is the music director and faculty member of the Cab Calloway School of the Arts. She is excited about music directing this new musical and developing songs with her cast and collaborators.

Jody Anderson

Choreographer

As a principal dancer with the Kansas City Ballet for 16 years, Jody Anderson had the honor of performing some of the greatest works of the 20th Century. She was also hand picked by Alvin Ailey to perform as a guest artist with his company The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Jody also performed and was the Associate Choreographer and Community Chorus Director with Kansas City's Starlight Theatre in addition to performing with St. Louis MUNY Opera, Atlanta Theatre of the Stars and Houston's Theater Under the Stars. As a choreographer she has staged original works for Kansas City Ballet, Delaware Dance Company, West Chester Dance Theatre in addition to choreographing musicals all over.  Jody was honored to be nominated for a Philadelphia Theatre Alliance Barrymore Award for her choreography for the New Candlelight Theatre's 2007 production of CHICAGO. She has been on the faculty since 2003.

       Qi Wei

Set co-designer

Qi Wei is one of the leading visual effect and scenic designers of the People’s Republic of China. In the past 15 years, Wei has designed more than 150 national and international public events broadcast on television in over 25 countries. These events include China’s 55th National Day celebration and 60th National Day celebration on the Tiananmen Square with more than 100,000 live performers each; New Year’s concert in the People’s Hall in Beijing in the past five consecutive years; opening ceremony celebration event for the 2005 Fortune Global Forum; final competition of the 54th, 55th and 57th Ms. World in China; and the final China competition of the 46th and`50th Ms. International in China, among others. 

William Browning

    Set co-designer

Mr. Browning regularly designs lighting and scenery for the Resident Ensemble Players (REP) Productions at the University of Delaware.  He has designed scenery and/or lighting for the Delaware Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, the Frankel Theatre and the Oulu City Theatre in Finland, Trier City Theatre in Germany, Next Generation Theatre, and Erie Playhouse. He also designed the lighting for iMusic5 and the set for the CNN national broadcast of the 2010 Delaware Senatorial Debates.  He received his M.F.A. in Technical Theatre from the University of Iowa and has served on the faculties of San Francisco State University, Centre College of Kentucky, Wright State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee prior to joining the faculty at the University of Delaware.

           David M. Brinley

   Scenic art and logo designer

David M. Brinley is an award winning artist and illustrator sought out by leading publications such as TIME magazine, Rolling Stone, Newsweek (US and International), AARP magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, GQ (US and London), SPIN, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles and New York Times magazines. David’s work has been published for conceptual covers, portraits, editorial spreads and spot illustrations for most major publications in the US and Canada. His solutions bring a unique visual perspective to complicated concepts or subjects that are difficult to describe textually.  David has collaborated with some of the best creative directors, art directors and designers in the field including Robert Priest, Janet Froelich, Devin Pedzwater, D.W. Pine, Ronn Campisi, Roger Black, Joe Newton, Steven Charny, Louise Kollenbaum, Brian Rea, Rob Wilson, Mark Maltais and the late Amid Capeci to name a few.  As an artist member of the Society of Illustrators NYC since 2004, David has participated as an exhibitor and juror for annual shows and have been represented for ten years by Gerald & Cullen Rapp NYC, one of the leading groups of professional illustrators internationally. His characteristic personal, editorial and portrait work has been exhibited regularly in industry annuals including American Illustration (18 career images), Communication Arts, The Society of Illustrators New York, SILA Los Angeles and 3 x 3.   

A graduate from distinction from Art Center College of Design and Hartford Art School’s prestigious MFA Illustration program (led by Murray Tinkelman), David is an Associate Professor of Art and Design at the University of Delaware. He has exhibited personal works nationally from New York to Los Angeles at the Society of Illustrators NYC, Gallery Nucleus, Creative Arts Center in Burbank, La Luz De Jesus Annual Juried Group Show (from 2002-2006 curated by Billy Shire) as well as Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery (curated by Richard 'Blue' Trimarchi). David was personally invited to participate by noted Los Angeles record producer and curator Brad Benedict for his 'Moods for Moderns' 20th Anniversary show in 2008 at Robert Berman Gallery in Los Angeles alongside thirty world renowned painters and such notable artists as Robert Williams, Eric White and Ron English.  Recent illustrations were selected and published in American Illustration 32, Comm Arts 54, SILA 51, 3x3 #10, #11 and Society of Illustrators 57 Annuals. 

Stephen Litterst

Light designer

Stephen Litterst is the technical director and lighting designer for

UD’s Mitchell Hall Theatre.  He comes to Mitchell Hall from 8 years

supervising the lighting, sound and projection systems and operations at

the Roselle Center for the Arts. Prior to returning to the University of Delaware, Stephen worked at Ithaca College, where he taught lighting and sound technology, as well as providing hands-on supervision of the student crews  for their six-production season each year.    While at Ithaca, he worked with

Broadway-bound performers like Jeremy Jordan, Aaron Tveit, and Lucy

Sorensen. Mr. Litterst developed his technical and design skills while touring

with the Richmond Ballet.

            Asher Denburg

   Arranger and orchestrator

Asher Denburg is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, arranger/orchestrator and music director. Just 20 years old, he is currently pursuing a degree in Contemporary Writing & Production with a minor in Conducting at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. There, he musically directs, plays, and provides orchestrations, arrangements, and keyboard programming for countless student and professional events. He provided orchestrations, arrangements, and additional music for Fable, which played a twice-extended run Off-Broadway as an official selection of the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2014. He’s also written orchestrations for original shows with Opera Delaware and French Woods Festival for the Performing Arts. Previously, he studied classical voice and jazz piano in the precollege division at Manhattan School of Music, and followed a similar curriculum at Cab Calloway School of the Arts. A Delaware native, he was also musically involved with many critically acclaimed productions in the greater Wilmington area.

                            Bin Li

Projection art designer and set design advisor

Bin Li is a senior set designer and projection art designer for the China National Centre for Performing Art (NCPA). As an award-winning designer with an international reputation, Bin has designed for more than 100 major productions for NCPA including opera, theatre, dance productions and musicals, they include set design for the new dance production Marco Polo that will world premiere in Milan, Italy in June of 2015, at the brand new National Performing Art Center of Italy.

                   Larry Raiken

              Additional material 

                Judith A. David

        Assistant stage director

Judith A. David has been involved in local theater for over 20 years.  She has served on the board of Chapel Street Players, adjudicated many festivals,  and is an award winning actress and director.    

                Susan T. Moak

               Stage manager

Susan (Susie) T. Moak is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts who enjoys working in all aspects of the Theatre.   Stage managing shows include Annie Get Your Gun, The King and I and  It’s a Wonderful Life allow down time between acting  and directing.

“When you love the theatre every job is exciting and an integral part of the whole.  I am thrilled to be a part of this production and this wonderful team”      - Susan

                     Emily Zhang

          Assistant stage manager

Emily Zhang is a Violin minor at the University of Delaware studying with Professor Xiang Gao. A member of the UD Symphony Orchestra since 2011, she has gone on tour to Colombia and New York. She joined the Campus Chatter team as a volunteer to explore her passion for live performance.