The Team
Celeste Makoff (BOOK, MUSIC, LYRICS, ORCHESTRATIONs)
Celeste Makoff, writer, director, co-producer of Crashlight graduated in the class of 2015 from the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU where she concentrated in playwriting, television, and documentary. She founded PeachPie Productions in her hometown of San Francisco in 2013, then relocated the company to Manhattan while she finished her degree. Last summer she co-directed a narrative-meets-experiential show, Bottled Up which was produced at the DCTV Center in TriBeCa. Bottled Up was a show comprised of two one-acts, one Celeste wrote at Interlochen Arts Academy when she was fifteen, and the other she wrote during her final year at Tisch. This show featured dancer/actress Kaitlyn Moise who is now Co-Producer and Director of Choreography for Crashlight. Celeste is a classically trained guitarist and studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music during her early years.
HUNTER BIRD (DIRECTOR, DEVELOPER)
Hunter Bird (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based director, writer, and maker of new work. Directing credits include Ars Nova, Roundabout Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The McKittrick Hotel, Signature Theatre, Village Theatre, The Getty Villa, 59E59, NAMT Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Skylight Theater. Associate/assistant director credits include Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club, Center Theater Group, La Jolla Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Geffen Playhouse, and National Tours. Book writing credits: The Golden Record (Angela Sclafani), Lady Annabella (Peter and Pia Cincotti), She Reached for Heaven (Oliver Houser), and The Pansy Craze (Mason Alexander Park). Developed the new musicals Bronco Billy (Winner of 2 Ovation Awards), XY (Oliver Houser, Relentless Award Finalist, NAMT 2018, Village Theatre, Alhadeff Productions), Crashlight (Celeste Makoff, Relentless Award Honorary Mention), The Other Side of Paradise (Angela Sclafani), and Elsewhere (Nikko Benson).
MACY SCHMIDT (MUSIC SUPERVISOR)
A first-generation Egyptian-American who recently became the first woman of color orchestrator in Broadway history, Macy Schmidt is an honoree of the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 List in Music (alongside talents such as Olivia Rodrigo & Willow Smith) for her work as the Founder/CEO and Music Supervisor of The Broadway Sinfonietta, the acclaimed all-women and majority women-of-color orchestra. With an impressive resumé of high-profile international engagements spanning the globe — from Music Supervising entertainment pieces for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, to projects in the UK, the Middle East, and India — Macy has quickly risen to the top of her field as an artist, a businesswoman, and an advocate for women in entertainment. A Sony Music recording artist, her unique potpourri of creative entrepreneurship and esteemed musical reputation has also led her executive producing for TV/Media, creative music direction for pop & Broadway stars, speaking engagements, and more.
MACY SCHMIDT (MUSIC SUPERVISOR)
A first-generation Egyptian-American who recently became the first woman of color orchestrator in Broadway history, Macy Schmidt is an honoree of the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 List in Music (alongside talents such as Olivia Rodrigo & Willow Smith) for her work as the Founder/CEO and Music Supervisor of The Broadway Sinfonietta, the acclaimed all-women and majority women-of-color orchestra. With an impressive resumé of high-profile international engagements spanning the globe — from Music Supervising entertainment pieces for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, to projects in the UK, the Middle East, and India — Macy has quickly risen to the top of her field as an artist, a businesswoman, and an advocate for women in entertainment. A Sony Music recording artist, her unique potpourri of creative entrepreneurship and esteemed musical reputation has also led her executive producing for TV/Media, creative music direction for pop & Broadway stars, speaking engagements, and more.
MARGARET SKOGLUND LEIGH(GENERAL MANAGER)
Margaret Skoglund Leigh is founder and CEO of Turnkey Theatrical (www.turnkeytheatrical.com), a New York City company specializing in Broadway readings. Select management credits: Broadway's Once On This Island, What the Constitution Means to Me, Disney's The Lion King and Newsies First National Tours, and Off-Broadway's Rock of Ages and Gloria: A Life. Boards: Duke University Alumni Association Board of Directors (2014-2018), Maestra Music's Advisory Board. Margaret is a proud graduate of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and a member of The Broadway League and ATPAM, Local 18032 of the IATSE.
EVAN BERNARDIN PRODUCTIONS (GENERAL MANAGER)
Evan Bernardin is a General Manager and Producer and mentee of Tony Award winner Leonard Soloway. He has supported the development of projects headed for the Broadway and Off-Broadway markets working regularly in New York City and Los Angeles. Evan has worked with the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS (BCEFA), Fringe (NY & LA), The Workshop Theatre Company, The Broadway Youth Ensemble (BYE), and The Make A Wish Foundation; his collaborative projects include performances at Lincoln Center, The United Nations, The Harvard Club, Cornell University, Georgetown's Gaston Hall, The Culture Project, The Ohio Theatre, 54 Below, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has had the opportunity to speak about producing, nontraditional development models, and immersive theatre at New York University, Theatre Resources Unlimited (TRU), and his alma mater, Marymount Manhattan College.