Tina Fabrique (Ella Fitzgerald) Tina has been touring in Ella for the past year, having created the role in the world premiere at Hartford TheatreWorks. She has been honored with the 2007 Carbonell Award as Best Actress in a Musical for the Florida Stage engagement of Ella, and has been nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her role at Arena Stage. Her Broadway credits include Dessa Rose at Lincoln Center; Ragtime; Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk; Truly Blessed; How to Succeed…; The Gospel at Colonus and Harlem Song. Her national tours include The Wiz, Bubbling Brown Sugar, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Once on This Island, South Pacific with Robert Goulet and How to Succeed…. Other New York credits include 70 Girls, 70 for City Center Encores! and Angel Levine at Jewish Repertory. Regionally, her many credits include The Women of Brewster Place, Crowns (Helen Hayes nomination), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Constant Star (Helen Hayes nomination) at Arena Stage; The Old Settler at Westport Theater; and The Glass Menagerie at Cleveland Play House. Ms. Fabrique was a featured soloist with The Duke Ellington Orchestra for several years touring in Europe and the United States. In 2005, Ms. Fabrique sang the theme song to the documentary Mad Hot Ballroom. She is also the original voice of the Reading Rainbow theme song. Her television credits include Law & Order: Criminal Intent, When I Grow Up, The Today Show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mike Mulligan’s Steam Shovel, All My Children and One Life to Live.

Rob Ruggiero (conceiver) Rob is a freelance professional director who has directed at numerous regional theaters around the country as well as off-Broadway. He conceived and directed the world premiere musical portrait of Ella Fitzgerald entitled ELLA (starring Tina Fabrique). A popular and critical success, ELLA has been or will be seen on 18 regional theater stages from 2006-2010. ELLA has won three 2008 Joseph Jefferson Awards including “Best Director - Revue.” Mr. Ruggiero also conceived and directed the musical revue MAKE ME A SONG: THE MUSIC OF WILLIAM FINN, which opened Off-Broadway in 2007 to great reviews. The production received nominations for both the Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Review" and the Outer Critics Circle Award for "Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical.” In 2008 an original cast recording was released and the London premiere was also produced at the New Players Theater. He made his Off-Broadway debut directing ALL UNDER HEAVEN, his second collaboration with Valerie Harper, which toured regionally and in Florida, and had a critically acclaimed run in Los Angeles. Mr. Ruggiero continues his collaboration with Ms. Harper in Matthew Lombardo’s new play LOOPED which continues to be produced nationally, including a recent production in Florida and an upcoming production at Arena Stage with a planned Broadway production opening in the fall of 2009. Mr. Ruggiero has received two Kevin Kline Awards, for Best Direction of a Musical for his production of URINETOWN and for Best Direction of a Play for TAKE ME OUT. Upcoming projects include a revival of CAMELOT at Goodspeed Musicals, where he also directed a highly acclaimed production of BIG RIVER as well as a production of 1776, which garnered him his third Connecticut Critic’s Circle Award for best direction. An online portfolio of his work can be viewed at www.robruggiero.com.

Jeffrey Hatcher (book) BROADWAY:  “Never Gonna Dance” (book).  OFF-BROADWAY:  “Three Viewings” and “A Picasso” at Manhattan Theatre Club; “Scotland Road” and “The Turn of the Screw” at Primary Stages; “Tuesdays with Morrie (with Mitch Albom) at The Minetta Lane; “Murder by Poe” and “The Turn of the Screw” at The Acting Company; “Neddy” at American Place; and “Fellow Travelers” at Manhattan Punchline.  OTHER PLAYS/THEATERS:  “Compleat Female Stage Beauty,” “Mrs. Mannerly,” “Murderers,” “Mercy of a Storm,”  “Smash,” “Armadale,” “Korczak’s Children,” “To Fool the Eye,” “The Falls,” “A Piece of the Rope,” “All the Way with LBJ,” “The Government Inspector,” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and others at The Guthrie, Old Globe, Yale Rep, The Geffen, Seattle Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, South Coast Rep, Arizona Theater Company, San Jose Rep, The Empty Space, Indiana Rep, Children’s Theater Company, History Theater, Madison Rep, Intiman, Illusion,  Denver Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival,  Milwaukee Rep, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Actors Theater of Louisville, Philadelphia Theater Company, Asolo, City Theater, Studio Arena and dozens more in the U.S. and abroad.  FILM/ TV:  “Stage Beauty,” “Casanova,”  “The Duchess,” and episodes of “Columbo.”  GRANTS/AWARDS:  NEA, TCG, Lila Wallace Fund, Rosenthal New Play Prize, Frankel Award, Charles MacArthur Fellowship Award, McKnight Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and Barrymore Award Best New Play.  He is a member and/or alumnus of The Playwrights Center, the Dramatists Guild, the Writers Guild, and New Dramatists.