PITCH WEEK SESSION #2 GUESTS

Marleen Magnoni Alhadeff

Producer, Junkyard Dog Productions

MARLEEN MAGNONI ALHADEFF (Producer) is a Lead Producer of Broadway productions of Memphis (multiple awards including Best Musical), First Date and currently Come From Away (multiple awards including Best Musical) as well as off Broadway Production of Vanities. She and her husband were honored by NAMT for their efforts and commitment toward new works in 2018 and they remain committed to sustained efforts and passion towards new works. Marleen attended the University of Utah for a dance and ballet major followed by the University of Washington for an art & interior design major. She worked for over 30 years in the interior design field for both commercial and residential projects. In 2006 Marleen joined Junkyard Dog Productions as a partner. She is currently a member of The Broadway League, The National Alliance for Musical Theater, one of the Producing Partners of Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre since 2007 and on the Advisory Board of Seattle REP and Pacific Northwest Ballet. In the past she has served on the board of MusiComedy, Cornish College of the Arts Players Club, Mothers Against Violence in America, Seattle Children’s Museum and Chair of the Foundation for Early Learning. Marleen continues to be active in advocating for gun safety, environmental issues, campaign finance reform, civil rights initiatives, and access to the arts.

Michael Blaha

Producer, Fringe Management

Mike is an entertainment attorney, law professor, arbitrator and stage and film producer. His Los Angeles stage credits include “Bloody Poetry” (Beverly Hills Playhouse) “Cinderella” (UCLA Freud Theater, starring Zsa Zsa Gabor), “Byron” (Odyssey Theater), “Just Loretta,” (The Complex), “Three,” (2100 Square Feet Theater), “Job: The Hip-Hopera” (Stella Adler Theater; Los Angeles Drama Critics and LA Weekly Best Musical nominations), “Hoboken to Hollywood” (Edgemar Theater, LA Weekly Best Musical of the Year), and “Hitler’s Tasters” (Electric Lodge). Mike has also produced several shows at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, including “Richard Parker” (Best International Production), “Nigerian Spam Scam Scam” (Encore Award), “Pick of the Fringe” (Best Cabaret and Variety Nominee), and “Afghanistan is Not Funny.” (Best International Production). Mike’s other U.S. stage credits include “Bukowsical” in Los Angeles and at the New York Fringe, where it won the Best Musical Award, “runt” (Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York), “Latina Christmas Special” (Off Broadway), and “Bard Overboard” (Off-Broadway)..

Internationally, Mike has produced almost 100 shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as partners with Nigel Miles-Thomas in Fringe Management, including “runt,” (Fringe First; Sony Radio Academy Award winner for Best Drama for BBC World Service production), “Night in November” (Best Actor Award), “Sabotage: In Fine Form” (Perrier Best Newcomer Nominee), “This Is So Not About The Simpsons” (starring Harry Shearer), “A Night at the Sans Hotel” (Stage Award Nominee), “Elvis: Young and Beautiful” (Edinburgh Evening News Top Ten Fringe Shows), and multiple sold out, 5 star shows including “Trickboxing,” “Bad Arm,” “A Very British Lesbian” and “Agatha is Missing.”

In addition, Mike produced the worldwide comedy sensation “The Pajama Men” (The Times Double Act of the Year, Best Comedy Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Time Out Award for Best in Sydney Comedy Festival) in “Versus vs. Versus” and “Last Stand to Reason” in their sold out runs at the Soho Theater in London and continued his relationship with the Soho by producing comedian Will Franken’s hit show “Things We Did Before Reality” there.

Mike was one of the founding producers of Sci-Fest LA, the Festival of One Act Science Fiction Plays, which was presented from 2014-2016 and featured plays based on the works of such science fiction icons as Ray Bradbury, Ursula LeGuin, Clive Barker, and Neil Gaiman. Sci-Fest lives on as one of the founders and ongoing sponsors of the Omega Sci-Fi Awards for science fiction-themed short stories.

Mike’s film producing credits include “Chi Girl,” (Slamdance Grand Jury Prize Winner), “The Dogwalker,” (Cinefest Best New Director), “runt” (Pan African Film Festival Best New Director Nominee), “Tropicalia” (Telluride Film Festival selection), “Applewood” and the short film “The Legend of Beaver Dam” (multiple international Best Short Awards and Honorable Mention, Sundance Film Festival).

Mike is the on the Board of Directors of New Musicals, Inc., Impro Theatre and Filmmakers’ Alliance.

Email: mike@fringemanagement.com

Cate Caplin

Producer/Director/Choreographer

Cate Caplin has produced, directed, and choreographed over 200 productions and her work has been seen on television, in films, music videos, commercials, and in theatrical venues world wide from the Paris Opera House to the Broadwater Stage.

She is a 34 times Regional and International Theatrical Ballroom Dance Champion, a published writer, and an acting and dance coach.

Cate wrote and directed her first feature film, Mating Dance, which won an Accolade Award, and she has been the recipient of a Garland Award, a Women in Theatre Red Carpet Award, multiple LA Stage Alliance, Ovation, Eddon, and Scenie Awards and an Award of Excellence from the LA Film Commission for her work as a writer, director, choreographer, and producer.

Cate is a Directing Member of Actors Studio West, an Associate Member of SDC, and was honored to receive Playwright Arena’s “Lee Melville Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Los Angeles Theatre Community.”

Patti Maurer

Producer, Blue Topaz Productions

PATTI MAURER is the proud Founder of Blue Topaz Productions LLC. Broadway Producing credits include: Tuck Everlasting, General Partner in the Alexis Funds with Come From Away, Hello Dolly!, The Front Page, Tina, Hadestown, The Book of Mormon (Aus) and heading to Broadway in 2024, Little Dancer. Shows in development are Ain’t Done Bad and My Pet Dragon. Regional credits include: Evita (Choreographer), Mary Poppins, 9 to 5 (Ass’t Choreographer), Singing in the Rain, 42nd Street, Anything Goes!, How to Succeed in Business, The Drowsy Chaperone (Ass’t Choreographer), Hello Dolly!, Hooray for Hollywood, My Fair Lady, The Producers, A Chorus Line and Sweet Charity. Maurer was awarded BWW South Carolina’s Arts Educator of the Decade in 2020! Maurer previously co-founded 35th Parallel Productions LLC. Maurer is the Artistic and Performing Arts Director at Hilton Head Preparatory School, Island School Council for the Arts (Executive Director), Crescendo Committee (Vice Chair) and Arts Council of Hilton Head (Vice Chair). Maurer was also named Zonta’s Woman of the Year in 2023.