Director

Sandy Boren-Barrett has been with Stages Theatre Company (STC) since 1990, allowing her to pursue her passion for theatre production and education, along with community building theatre serving young audiences. During her time in leadership STC has been awarded National recognition with the 2017 Harold Oaks Award for Innovative Contributions to the Field of Theatre for Young Audiences, as well as the 2018 – 50/50 Applause Award for promoting gender equity with playwrights. STC’s 2019-2020 season selection was highlighted in TYA Today Magazine as an example of “a promising increase in representation specifically in works that feature the stories of contemporary young people of color”. Sandy led an international performance tour and artistic exchange with “the egg Theatre, the Young Peoples Theatre of Theatre Royal” in Bath England. Collaboration is at the core of her work, and as an accomplished director has directed over 75 productions at STC which include many new works, dance-inspired productions, and world premieres. She directed the local premier, mainstage production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the musical which remains the highest attended production at Stages Theatre Company. Sandy remains on the Executive Committee, as former chair of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA) and last spring worked with Racially Conscious Collaboration (RCC) to gain her certification in racial equity organizational leadership.

Joe Troiano is the author, script writer, lyricist, and producer behind all of the Spookley the Square Pumpkin and Holiday Hill Farm books, movies, songs, and stage shows. Joe first conceived of Spookley one Halloween night when his young son asked for a non-scary bedtime story about pumpkins. Joe Troiano is the award-winning author of more than ten children’s books including: The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin; The Legend of Mistletoe and the Christmas Kittens; The Legend of Jellybean and the Unbreakable Egg; The Legend of Lyla the Lovesick Ladybug; The Legend of Beacon the Bright Little Firefly; It’s Your Cloud; and TEAM Rudolph and the Reindeer Games. Joe is also an accomplished lyricist, having written songs for film, music recordings, television and stage. His credits include Spookley the Square Pumpkin, Calliou, Arthur, Disney’s JoJo Circus and Monster Mash the Movie.

Jeff Zahn is an award-winning music supervisor/composer. In addition to his work on Spookley the Square Pumpkin, Jeff was the music director and composer for the stage productions of Arthur’s Lucky Pencil, Cassandra’s Angels, Caillou, and Wimzie’s House. He has also produced projects for The Backstreet Boys, Wyclef Jean, Ziggy Marley, Art Garfunkel, Yo Yo Ma, The San Francisco Opera, Debra Harry and many others. As a musician, Jeff was an original member of the orchestra for Broadway production of Cats and he has performed with major headliners including Burt Bacharach, Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, Sammy Davis Jr, Earth, Wind and Fire, Dionne Warwick, and many other artists. Jeff has also supervised and composed the music for over 50 TV series including Arthur,Caillou: Are You Afraid of the Dark, Madeline,Paddington Bear, Richard Scarry, Wombles,Barney and Sesame Street. His film credits includeArthur, Twinkletoes, Frankenstein Sings; and Spookley the Square Pumpkin.

Cody R. Braudt is a Twin Cities based director, writer, and conceiver of live performance and theatrical events. As a director, his work has been seen at Stages Theatre Company, Walking Shadow Theatre Company, The Riley-Jacques Barn, The Depot Coffee House, The CalArts New Works Festival, The Trailer Trash Project, The CalArts Coffeehouse Theater, and Acting for Others. Cody also serves as the Director of Brand Experiences for West Coast Dance Explosion, a national touring dance education convention for aspiring dancers. 

JC Lippold constructs space for others to be curious and courageous in as a nationally renowned teacher of movement and mindset, a community engager and social movement trailblazer, a published writer, researcher and systems changer, a theatre director and gigging rock musician, and as a leadership, change and executive presence coach. JC is the Artistic Director of Minnesota’s premier senior rock ensemble Alive & Kickin and is grateful to be working on his 17th Stages Theatre Company Production.