TRANS AM

LISA STEPHEN FRIDAY (Playwright/Performer) (she/her) is a singer, musician and actor originally from Fayetteville, GA. From 2000-2006 Lisa fronted the NYC-based rock band Lisa Jackson & Girl Friday. The band was regularly featured at NYC’s most notorious clubs such as The Knitting Factory, Arlene's Grocery, Mercury Lounge, and most notably, the world-renown CBGB, where they frequently headlined the infamous monthly Homocorps party. Lisa Jackson & Girl Friday were also one of the few bands at the time with an out trans lead-singer, and they were staples at Pride events across the country - sharing the stage with acts like The Psychedelic Furs, The Motels, Pat Benatar, Indigo Girls and other favorites. Prior to her years with the band, Lisa worked as an actor and singer, performing in regional theaters across the country including The Goodspeed Opera House, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Ordway and more. In 1999, Lisa traveled the country in the national touring company of Buddy ! The Buddy Holly Story. Most recently, Lisa appeared in a workshop of the new musical Transparent directed by Tina Landau. Trans Am marks Lisa’s debut as a playwright, and she is proud to make this contribution to trans voices telling trans stories.

FRED BERMAN (Director) (he/him) Fred directed Trans Am at The Keegan Theatre in Washington, DC (World Premiere - Helen Hayes Recommended), as well as at The Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY and Joe’s Pub in NYC. Other directing credits include Hamlet (Talking Dog Theatre) as well as several short films and web-series. As an actor, Fred has performed the role of “Timon” in Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway for the last 12 years, along with roles in The Normal Heart (The Public Theatre), Bury the Dead (Transport Group), Room Service (Soho Playhouse), Shockheaded Peter (Little Shubert), The Vocal Lords (Theatre at St. Clements), among many others. Several Film/TV residual checks show up at his house from time to time, too. Fred is an Award-winning narrator of over 300 audio books, and is also the co-host of the movie podcast Opening Weekend. For six years, Fred played drums with the NYC rock band, Lisa Jackson & Girl Friday, and before that the power-trio Zipthunk!. He lives in New York with his ever-patient wife, Kate, and their two amazing kids, Ben and Izzy.

STEPHEN OREMUS (Music Supervisor) (he/him) received the 2013 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for KinkyBoots, for which he also served as Music Supervisor and Arranger. He received the 2011 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for co-orchestrating The Book of Mormon, as well as the 2012 Grammy Award for producing the cast recording. In addition to orchestrations for The Book of Mormon, he wrote the vocal arrangements and serves as music supervisor for the Broadway, National Tour, and London productions. Stephen has served as the music supervisor and arranger of numerous original Broadway and Off-Broadway productions and various special engagements worldwide. The Fox-Searchlight film Shame features Carey Mulligan singing Stephen’s arrangement of New York, New York. He recently conducted the songs and provided additional orchestrations for the Oscar-winning Disney film Frozen, with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson Lopez. Stephen is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, Boston.

ADA WESTFALL (Music Director/Arranger) (she/her) is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music director, performer, and proud transgender woman whose mission is to disrupt, interrogate, and diversify the field of musical theater. Broadway: Jagged Little Pill. Off-Broadway: Suffs (Public Theater), David Byrne’s Joan of Arc: Into the Fire (Public Theater), In the Green (Lincoln Center LCT3 — six Lortel nominations), Death of a Salesman (BAM), Rimbaud in New York (BAM), Songbird (59E59), Heather Christian’s I Am Sending You the Sacred Face (Theater in Quarantine), A Play On War (Connelly Theater - 2010 Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Music in a Play). Regional: The Last Goodbye (Old Globe), Pageant (Stoneham Theater). Variety: Big Apple Circus (Lincoln Center & 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade), Another Rose (Virgin Voyages). She has performed her original music as part of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater’s New Songs Now series and frequently plays music venues including Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, and Little Island. She is an Associate Artist with Brooklyn-based theater companies Theater Mitu and The Civilians and has been a guest teaching artist at NYU, Princeton, University of the Arts, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and Maestra.

TEQUILA TALKING THEATRICAL, LLC (Producing Partner) After decades of working as a professional actor everywhere from Broadway and Off-Broadway, to the regions, on national/international tours, and in film, television and the voiceover world, Jeff Gurner (he/him) made his move into producing, launching Tequila Talking Theatrical in 2019. In a 30+ year career, Jeff has been involved in literally hundreds of productions, and is thrilled to now be the lead producer on a number of plays and musicals, including Trans Am, The Yellow Stocking Play (DW Gregory, Steven M. Alper & Sarah Knapp), The American Soldier (Douglas Taurel), and An Un-Hero’s Journey (Brett Macias). He is joined by associate producer - accomplished actress and playwright, Laura Darrell (she/her) - in bringing their passion for making live theatre from off the stage to behind the scenes. Tequila Talking Theatrical’s mission is to produce bold new plays and musicals that push the envelope of live theatre, and to challenge audiences with unconventional, thought-provoking content that entertains, inspires and confounds expectations.