Creative Team
Book & Lyrics by Sheryl Berk
Music & Lyrics by Ray Andersen
Produced by Laura Luc
Directed by Avery Pedell
Music Director Jack Richman
Choreographer Adara Allen
Associate Producer & Media Olivia Kuan-Romano
Production Coordinator Maya Jade Frank
Lighting Designer Ryan Sautner
Costume Designer Alyssa Luc
Stage Manager Keala Henry
Asst. Stage Manager Danielle Becht
Minor Guardian Katelyn Karcher
SHERYL BERK
Book & Lyrics
Sheryl Berk is a New York Times bestselling author eight times over and a highly sought-after celebrity ghostwriter who has worked with everyone from Britney Spears and Wendy Williams to Farrah Fawcett and Derek Hough. The founding editor-in-chief of Life & Style Weekly, she has spent more than 30 years covering Hollywood, the entertainment industry, and Broadway. She began her career at Theater Week/InTheatre Magazine before serving as the senior entertainment editor for both McCall’s Magazine and A&E Biography.
An established playwright and screenwriter, member of ASCAP, Maestras, NAMFT, as well as The Drama League and Dramatists Guild, she has penned an award-winning production for NYMF and has several works licensed with Concord Theatrical. Her number one bestseller Soul Surfer was adapted into a hit motion picture starring Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid and AnnaSophia Robb. www.sherylberk.com
RAY ANDERSEN
Music & Lyrics
For more than 30 years, New Jersey native Ray Andersen has written and performed music for children and families as mr. RAY - creating original songs centered on kindness, inclusion, creativity, and staying healthy & active. He’s brought his children/family live show from NYC, Los Angeles and London.
Before dedicating much of his career to family music, Ray was a member of the house band at Asbury Park’s legendary Stone Pony, Cats On A Smooth Surface, backing Bruce Springsteen on multiple occasions throughout the 1980s and even shows with him in the mid 2000s. He’s played keyboards for rock pioneer Chuck Berry and has opened for an eclectic mix of icons, from Eric Clapton to Pitbull and OneRepublic. In the mid-’90s, his original band opened for Matchbox Twenty’s on their German tour.
From 1998 to 2002, Ray was a full-time member of Meat Loaf’s touring band as a guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist, touring throughout Europe and the U.S. and appearing on national television shows including The Late Show with David Letterman, The View, and The Tonight Show and Britain’s Top Of The Pops.
In January 2021, Ray was appointed an Official United Nations NGO Representative of Pathways To Peace in recognition of his musical work with children, serving as a global ambassador of peace through music. Beyond performing, Ray works from his home studio, composing and producing music for national television commercials, including more than 20 spots for Publishers Clearing House. In 2023, he produced and recorded a cover of the Linda Ronstadt classic “Different Drum” for the Netflix Top 10 film The Tutor, starring Noah Schnapp.
SOUND MIND is the second show Andersen and Berk have created together, following their debut collaboration, Kalien The Alien, which continues to tour schools and regional theaters nationwide. www.RayAndersen.com
KOTA PRODUCTIONS
Producers
Kids of the Arts (KOTA) is a New York City-based nonprofit performing arts organization dedicated to giving young performers professional training and meaningful performance opportunities. Founded by Laura Luc, KOTA has produced New York productions, world premieres and original works, with alumni going on to appear in more than 60 Broadway productions and national tours. www.kotaproductions.com