“It was a pleasure to help push the writers to find how to best express the emotions of the characters in their story. I felt that with a little push, The Gray Area was able to find its personality and pull a lot of influence from the modern shows and music they resonated with. I hope that, as audience members, you too can also feel the same emotional pull that I did when bringing this music to life!”
-Andrew Pang, Music Mentor

“I am so proud to have gotten to work on the Gray Area with the brilliant, talented, and thoughtful “Team A” (I don’t think we ever came up with a name, but that’s okay because A stands for A-riginal.) From the very beginning, Azalea, Annie, Emma, and Leah routinely prioritized making sure everyone in the group had a voice and felt heard. With each meeting they were respectful and sensitive to each other, as writers, yes, but foremost as people. It was such a gift to walk beside them through both the joyous and the messy parts of creating a story. Back in November, when the team decided they wanted to write a story featuring a non-binary character, it was important to all the writers that they built their story respectfully. We had many conversations about what it means to write a character whose identity may not align with your own. Between reading and conversation we ultimately discovered that while one’s experience of gender can never be universal, the feelings of isolation, anxiety, and in some ways, fear, were things that many of us could relate to. They ended up creating a heartwarming story about a high schooler who wants to be seen as they are. As a non-binary writer myself, I am excited about this musical being shared with folks outside of our “writer’s room.” And on top of all of that, getting to watch Andrew Pang work his magic and bring so many of the team’s ideas to life is something I will never forget! I’m grateful to have been a part of the program this year and can’t wait to see what these four writers decide to do next.”
-B.J. Tindall, Writing Mentor

Sofia Raquel Sanchez (Director) They/Them, is a New York and Seattle based actor, playwright, and director with a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts. They believe in developing and fostering work that raises up multigenerational voices from diverse communities. Their work includes: Copious Love’s I Think I Love You- (playwright/ producer,) Finding Trails Short Play Festival’s Mi Cielo (playwright,) Village KIDSTAGE’s Out of Bounds (playwriting mentor,) Washington Ensemble Theater’s Dance Nation (Amina,) Copious Love’s Querida Familia: A Fundraiser for El Paso (producer,) Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet (Romeo,) Seattle Children’s Theater’s Ghosted (Kayla,) and Strawberry Theater Workshops’ Lydia (Ceci.)

Andrew Pang (Music Director/Music & Composing Mentor) graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s Degree of Music in Viola Performance and from Seattle Pacific University with a Master’s Degree in Viola. He currently teaches at Village KIDSTAGE as an Educational Music Teacher and Director, and is the Music Director for MyFloss Productions. Andrew enjoys transcribing and arranging music, as well as performing at weddings with a string quartet. He lives in Seattle with his cat.

B.J. Tindall (Writing Mentor) is a Black queer playwright, teaching artist, and sour candy enthusiast. They recently moved back to their hometown of Philadelphia after completing their MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage at Northwestern University. Since moving back to the city, BJ has been working with a number of organizations devoted to arts-Education, including Philly Young Playwrights and After-School Activities Partnerships as well as creating their own workshops designed to encourage writing-confidence for elementary school students.  BJ’s play Goodnight, Tyler received its world premiere in February 2019 at the Alliance Theater and has been published by Samuel French/Concord Theatricals in Fall 2020. Their other play, What We Look Like, had its inaugural production at Oberlin College’s new Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater also in February 2019. BJ is excited to be working with Village Theatre this season.

Robin Logerstedt (Stage Manager) is very excited to be working with Village KIDSTAGE for this Winter Cabaret. As a KIDSTAGE kid themself, it’s very exciting to see theatre continuing for everyone. The holidays will be very different this year but seeing and hearing joyful songs will make it feel special. They can’t wait to help these young artists show their skills in a new and unconventional way. Their previous KIDSTAGE credits include: High School Musical (2019) and Sister Act (2018).