Rebecca Joy Fletcher (Author/The Shining Nightingale) is an ordained cantor and playwright, and a scholar and performer of International Jewish cabaret, highlighting the remarkable contributions of Jewish cabaret artists in Yiddish, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew, and English. KLEYNKUNST! Warsaw's Brave and Brilliant Yiddish Cabaret was originally produced by Kabarett Fete in January 2007, and then in an expanded version Off-Broadway by the National Yiddish Theater-Folksbiene in November 2007. Degenerate, her original show exploring the heyday of Berlin's cabaret culture, was developed under the auspices of the Makor/Steinhardt Center of the 92nd St Y Artists-in-Residence program, and premiered at Makor (NYC) in 2005. In both 2004 and 2005, she headlined as The Cabaret Artist in the Washington Heights Arts Stroll, a festival for the arts in upper Manhattan. Upcoming: A little Yearning, a round-the-world look at the cabarets of the 20's and 30's and GINGI, a trio of women cantor-performers premiering this spring with a show in honor of Israel's 60th. Ms. Fletcher also serves as cantor of Temple Israel, in Staten Island.
Spencer Chandler (MC) is an actor, director, writer, filmmaker, pianist, composer, cartoonist, painter, linguist, chef, inventor, and clown. Mentors and inspirations include Benjamin Franklin, Buster Keaton, Woody Allen, and director Peter Sellars. He is proud to have been the first American invited to join the international troupe of clowns who perform Slava's Snowshow around the world, including two and a half years Off-Broadway at the Union Square Theater in New York City and touring in the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and San Francisco. He is the artistic director and founder of Cannery Works, a nonprofit that provides production support to independent artists working in theater, music, film, and visual art (www.canneryworks.org). Spencer has also appeared in several principal roles on prime-time television: Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Deadline, and FOX's Jonny Zero (guest-starring as Luther the Skinhead). Film credits include Mendy, in which he played an ex-Satmar Hasidic drug dealer; Solidarity; and Young Goodman Brown. He has been working professionally in theater for over 20 years including three seasons with the Folksbiene-National Yiddish Theater. With love for his grandmother, who was born in Poland.
John-Richard Thompson (Director) is the author and director of Indigo Rat, a musical revue set in Berlin between the wars, which ran for two years in Greenwich Village and won the prestigious MAC Award (Manhattan Association of Cabarets) and Best Director Award and Best Theatrical Show from Theatermania.com. Indigo Rat was a follow-up to John-Richard's cult hit Erik and the Snow Maidens, which ran from 1997 through 1999 and won a combined seven awards, including Best Director Award. New York productions include Angel Mountain (2006), 18 Rabbit (2006), A Lightening of Fireflies (2005), Water Sheerie (2004), and Rain House (2003). A longtime advocate for children and adults with disabilities, he is co-author of two books with Anne Ford, Laughing Allegra and On Their Own, both designated as Finalists for the Books for a Better Life Awards.
Bob Goldstone (Musical Direction and Arrangments) On Broadway, Bob was orchestral pianist for Evita and assistant conductor for Charlie and Algernon. Off Broadway, he was musical director and arranger for Asylum: The Strange Case of Mary Lincoln, Tallulah Hallelujah (with Tovah Feldshuh), Bubbe Meises, Das Lusitania Songspiel (with Sigourney Weaver and Christopher Durang), Guilt Without Sex (with Marilyn Sokol ), and The Coolest Cat in Town. Among the top cabaret and concert artists Bob has worked with are: Eileen Fulton, Tovah Feldshuh, Karen Akers, Bruce Adler, Marni Nixon, Marilyn Sokol, Liliane Montevecchi, Eddie Fisher, and Dick Shawn. Bob did the musical arrangements for the feature film High Stakes and composed the score for the indie film, The Skip. Bob's many show orchestrations include: The Little Rascals, Hannah 1939, Michael Legrand's A Christmas Carol, The Housewive's Cantata, Dragons, and The Phantom Tollbooth. In the classical world, he was accompanist for the New Haven Opera, has participated in chamber music recitals at the Manes School, and has played orchestral piano for concerts by the 92nd Street Y Symphonic Workshop Orchestra and the Center Symphony.






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