Katie founded Classics on a Shoestring on the London Fringe in the late 1980s, directing Gorki s Vassa Zheleznova, Arden of Faversham and Euripides' Women of Troy (Gate Theatre, both won Time Out Awards); Live Like Pigs (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs), and

Howard Goodall is an award-winning composer of choral music, stage musicals, film and TV scores, is well known as a TV and radio broadcaster, and from 2007-11 was England’s first ever , leading a programme (Sing Up) to improve the provision of group singing for all primary-age children. His

Burton Lane, long one of popular music’s most revered songwriters, is one of the few American composers to have proved equally adept and successful in writing for both Broadway and motion pictures.

E. Y. (Yip) Harburg (1896-1981), in a career spanning over fifty years, was known as “Broadway’s social conscience.” A master lyricist, poet and book writer, Yip was always dedicated to social justice.

b. Fareed Milhelm Saidy, 11 February 1907, Los Angeles, California, USA, d. 14 May 1982, Santa Monica, California, USA. By profession a journalist, Saidy wrote sketches for revues before venturing upon full-scale works.

Peter Duchan wrote the book of the musical, Dogfight (based on the 1991 film), which had its world premiere in 2012 at Second Stage Theater, in a production directed by Joe Mantello and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli.