Simone Mets (Book)
Simone Mets is an active member of the McCarter Theater, Creative Collective in Princeton, New Jersey. During her three-year tenure, she has explored improv, the art of comedy, comedy writing, scenes and monologues, and performing original and scripted works. A departure from her formal career as an attorney, she has found profound gratification engaging with this diverse community of artists.
For the past decade, Simone has actively supported the Princess Grace Foundation, a nationally celebrated organization that provides scholarships and grants for emerging artists in theater, dance and film. She is currently reprising her role on the steering committee for the organizations’ annual awards gala which will recognize award recipients for 2023 and 2024.
Until 2019, Simone served as a member of the Advisory Board for the prestigious Writer’s Conference at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick University. The conference was noted for attracting coveted speakers such as celebrated composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, and authors, Amy Tam, Chris Bojehlian, and Neil Gaiman.
In 2012, while recovering from a severe back injury sustained during Hurricane Sandy, Simone wrote Very Christmas, her first book children’s book. The book was awarded an eLit Gold Medal for Best Holiday Book as well as a Reader’s Favorite Award. The book was lauded for its unique interior design that dispensed with formal chapters and illustrations to allow young readers to remember and imagine organically.
A life long volunteer, Simone has previously served as a Board Member for Make-A-Wish Foundation of NJ in addition to speaking on behalf of the organization, fundraising and working on numerous wishes. She has volunteered for American Red Cross focusing her attention on teaching emergency preparedness in schools throughout New Jersey.
Most recently, Simone has been working on adapting Very Christmas into a musical for young audiences. It is her mission to inspire selfless giving and transforming even the most enthusiastic “getter” into a champion “giver.”
Emily Conklin (Book)
Emily Conklin is a playwright who uses her writing to reveal truths in stories old and new. She is a two-time winner of the Bauer-Boucher Award for her plays Onyx Falling in 2016 and Fight Like a Girl in 2020. Both plays received a staged reading with the regional theatre, Premiere Stages. Her play Flash, Float, Fall premiered at the New Jersey Fringe Festival and had performances at Kean University. Her play Walking on Glass premiered at Reading Theatre Project’s Fairy Tale Fringe Festival and was also performed at the NY Summerfest Festival. Emily graduated from Kean University with a BFA in Theatre Performance and spent time studying at the Moscow Art Theatre.
Jack Mitchell (Music & Lyrics)
Jack Mitchell is an award-winning composer, songwriter, music director, producer, and arranger for children's media and musical theatre based in Brooklyn, NY.
Recent TV/Audio projects include original songs and scoring for the first ever Dr. Seuss Podcast, "The Cat in the Hat Cast" (Wondery, premiering September 2023), Warner Brothers' first Looney Tunes Podcast, “Bugs and Daffy’s Thanksgiving Road Trip” (HBO Max and all podcast platforms); original songs, scoring, and arrangements for The Story Pirates Podcast (winner of the 2022 and 2020 Webby and iHeartRadio Awards for Best Kids and Family Podcast, 5 award-winning albums); music composition and production for "Sesame Street", and scores for the interactive streaming show, "Sleep Squad" (starring Tony Nominee Lilli Cooper), SPTV (PBS), and Don’t Break The Rules, (Pinna).
Musicals include THE CLAW (Beat by Beat Press, over 100 productions), WHO’S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD BOOK? (with Maryanne Melloan Woods) and THE WRONG AMERICAN! (with Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri).
Jack's music can be heard daily on Sirius XM Kids Place Live, and has been seen/heard on NPR, PBS, ME-TV, and at The Utah Symphony, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center among others. Proud graduate of Northwestern University and a member of the advanced class of the BMI Workshop and the Dramatist Guild. www.jack-mitchell.com