The Creative Team

Chana Wise has written book and lyrics for Mary Marie (NAMT Festival, 2014, Richard Rodgers Award finalist, 2014, TRU Voices finalist 2019), Bagels! the musical (JETfest, 2016, Neil Simon Playwriting Contest finalist 2015, TRU Voices finalist, 2019), Tinseltown Christmas, and short film, The Coffee Quintet, all with music by Carl Johnson. Chana also wrote lyrics for The Max Factor Factor, (music – Joe Blodgett, book – Adrian Bewley) produced at the NoHo Arts Center, Earthbound, (book by Adam Hahn, music by Jonathan Price) and The Island, (book and music by Jonathan Price), both produced by SkyPilot Theatre, and for Cardinal Sins, at Centerstage Theatre in Washington. Her lyrics have also been included in songs performed by Cheyenne Symphony and Dubuque Symphony Orchestras. Chana is currently working on a new musical, “All You Can Eat” with composer Kevin Kelso. www.chanawise.com

Carl Johnson is an Emmy Award-winning film and television composer living and working in Southern California. He has written and orchestrated numerous pieces of music for feature films, television, and stage. Carl has recorded his music with symphonies  around the world, conducting in London, Canada, Japan, Los Angeles, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic.

Carl grew up in suburban Kansas, enjoying a thoroughly all-American childhood. He entered the University of Kansas to study medicine and become a physician like his father, but after two years changed his course of study to music. After graduating with honors from the University of Kansas, he was accepted into the USC film music program and after completing his studies there began writing music professionally. As a freelance Hollywood composer, he has written music for numerous feature films, including Piglet’s Big Movie, Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame II, and Winnie the Pooh’s Grand Adventure. Carl has also composed over 50 hours of music for numerous television projects, including Animaniacs and Batman: the Animated Series for Warner Brothers, Gargoyles and The Mighty Ducks for Disney, and Invasion America and Toonsylvania for DreamWorks. Among his accolades are Emmy Awards for his musical scores for Invasion America and Aladdin: the Animated Series, as well as three other Emmy Award nominations.  In addition to Bagels! the Musical, Carl’s musical theater works include Mary Marie, At Home in Mitford, The Coffee Quintet, and Tinseltown Christmas. As a professional orchestrator/arranger, Carl has recently worked on the movies Skyfall, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Wall-E. www.carljohnsonmusic.com