Mo Willems is all about letting imaginations run wild. He is the beloved artist and author behind #1 New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honors-awarded picture books like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and the Knuffle Bunny series. His celebrated Elephant & Piggie early reader series has earned him two Theodor Seuss Geisel Awards and five Geisel Honors. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! was the inaugural inductee into the Picture Book Hall of Fame. And, in 2023, Mo was the recipient of an Eisner Award for his book, The Pigeon Will Rise the Roller Coaster!

Mo has published more than 70 children's books — more than 50 of them New York Times bestselling titles — in 26 foreign language translations. In addition to his literary awards, Mo has won six Emmy Awards for his writing on Sesame Street, where he began his remarkable career. Mo also has created three television specials, six animated series, seven musical adaptions, five licensed theater productions, and three touring exhibits. Over the last decade, he has become the most produced playwright of Theatre for Young Audiences in the U.S., having written or co-written four musicals based on his books. Mo loves playing in new sandboxes. He regularly collaborates with other globally renowned artists and organizations to create bright and innovative new works in the worlds of classical music, opera, comedy concerts, dance, painting, and digital content. Mo's art has been exhibited around the world, including in major solo retrospectives at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and at The New York Historical. In 2023, Mo co-founded the Hidden Pigeon Company to extend the reach of his beloved characters and stories across multiple platforms. Mo Willems is a former child.

Adam Tobin is thrilled to work with Mo Willems on realizing his beloved characters and to partner again with Deborah Wicks La Puma. Previously with Wicks La Puma, Tobin wrote the script and lyrics of She Persisted: the Musical based on Chelsea Clinton's book (Bay Area Children's Theater, Atlantic for Kids), which was a New York Times Critics Pick, as well as She Persisted Jr (iTheatrics) and The Velveteen Rabbit (Palo Alto Children's Theatre). Tobin is a Senior Lecturer teaching screenwriting at Stanford University; he lives with his "business person" wife Amy and their two charmingly skeptical teens.

Deborah Wicks La Puma (she/her) is one of the most produced Theatre for Young Audiences artists working today, and a recipient of the Harold Oaks Award for Sustained Excellent in TYA. Some of her most popular musicals include Ella Enchanted (based on the book by Gail Carson Levine), Oliverio: A Brazilian Twist, and Einstein Is A Dummy with playwright Karen Zacarias, and the off-broadway hit She Persisted (based on the book by Chelsea Clinton) with playwright Adam Tobin.

Deborah has created three musicals with bestselling children's author Mo Willems: Elephant and Piggie's We Are In A Play, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience and Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus: The Musical. On the small screen, she has worked with Willems on the adaptation of Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience (released 2022 on HBOMax), and the upcoming animated series Unlimited Squirrels. A proud Mexican-American and "Navy brat" who grew up in Brazil, Portugal and California, La Puma is a member of the TYA/USA, ASCAP, and the Dramatists Guild. Mother to three daughters and Mimi the Cat, La Puma lives in Southern California with her PR agent and loving husband, Chris.

Megan Alrutz (she/her) is an artist, educator, and scholar with over 20 years of experience in theatre, media, and interdisciplinary performance for youth and families. She has directed and created several nationally recognized theatre pieces and interactive installations, with a special focus in theatre for the very young, experimental, and community-engaged performance projects, and visually dynamic staging. Megan is a long-time collaborator of author/illustrator Mo Willems, working as producer, dramaturg, and/or director on his musicals, interactive engagements, museum exhibits, television and film. She is professor and associate chair of Theatre & Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. Megan is a co-founder of the Performing Justice Project and the Center for Imagining and Performing Justice. She has authored/co-authored three books that dance at the intersections of theory and practice: Devising Critically Engaged Theatre with Youth: the Performing Justice Project; Digital Storytelling, Applied Theatre, & Youth; and Playing with Theory in Theatre Practice.

Alyza DelPan-Monley (they/them) believes in the expressive power that can be accessed in the body through movement. As a Filipinx-American third culture kid - they found performance as a means towards connection, part of a life-long attempt to communicate beyond the obstacles they encounter with the structural limitations of language, to be more understood or relatable, to better understand and articulate what makes us all so different and yet so similar. They strive to participate in and build processes where everyone feels like they can exist in their fullest selves by cultivating and celebrating every bodies’ unique form of expression.

Amiya Brown is a multidisciplinary artist based in Seattle, WA. Amiya creates scenic and lighting designs for Theatre, Dance, Music, and Film. She specializes in site-specific productions and large-scale installations. Her work has been presented at The Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York Live Arts, The Joyce Theatre, The Kasser Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, On the Boards, McCaw Hall, REDCAT, Yerba Buena Cultural Arts Center, The Guthrie Theatre, The Kohler Arts Center, Maui Center for the Arts, Miami Light Project, The Della Nuova Danza Roma, and Theatre Le Quai, among others. She is currently a Professor of Scenography at Seattle University.

Danielle Nieves (she/her) is thrilled to be back with the incredible artists at Seattle Children's Theatre. Her work has been seen previously at SCT (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: The Musical, Hula Hoopin' Queen), The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Rep, Village Theatre, Intiman, Taproot, The Old Globe, Dallas Theater Center, South Coast Repertory Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, Writer's Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Cleveland Playhouse. Off-Broadway credits: Pity in History, No End of Blame, Gertrude The Cry, and Lovesong of the Electric Bear for PTP/NYC at the Atlantic Stage 2. USA 829 member. www.daniellenieves.com

Evan Mosher (he/him) is a Seattle-based audio engineer, sound designer, musician, and performer who’s currently quite jolly to be collaborating on this Big Time Holiday Extravaganza. His sound designs have also frequently been heard at Seattle Public Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare, ArtsWest, Book-it Repertory, Washington Ensemble Theatre, On the Boards, Whitman and Cornish colleges, and at Cafe Nordo where he was a company member for 10 years. He is also a member of the art-pop band “Awesome” with whom he’s made melodic noise and peculiar performances for over two decades, including Here’s What Happened at Seattle Children’s Theatre in 2007.

Nikita Ares (b. 1996, Cagayan de Oro, Philippines) is a Seattle-based visual artist whose work explores movement, energy, and the emotional landscape of the self through abstract painting and drawing. She immigrated to the United States when she was 17 and received her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in 2018. Her work spans studio painting, public art, and community-centered workshops, including murals that enliven spaces with vibrant presence. Ares has created outdoor murals across Washington and beyond, and she continues to expand her practice through collaborations and socially engaged projects.

Kyle started off their career in theatre back in High School when auditioning for a play and getting press ganged into the stage crew. After leaving Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA they eventually found a place for their love of working on the stage as well as a lifelong passion for Puppetry working backstage at the Seattle Children’s Theatre. While at SCT they performed many puppets including Clarabel the cow in the 2023 production of Goodnight Moon. Shoutout to their Cat niece Xena!

Anna Vraney is thrilled to be back at SCT during the holidays. She was last on the 2023 production of Goodnight Moon. Other select credits include Julius Caesar (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Mary Poppins, Into the Woods (The 5th Avenue Theatre), The Skin of Our Teeth (Seattle Rep), Stew, Choir Boy (ACT Theatre), Once On This Island and Hello Dolly (Village Theatre).

Madelyn Salvucci (she/they) is excited to be working her first show at SCT! Her deepest passion is building spaces where people can believe in magic again (even if just for a short while). Assistant Stage Management: As You Like It (Wooden O), Macbeth (Seattle Shakespeare). SM Apprentice: Skin of Our Teeth (Seattle Rep), Blithe Spirit (Seattle Rep), Mother Russia (Seattle Rep). Stage Management: The Lion Tells His Tale (Intiman), The Tempest (Wooden O), Into The Woods (Youth Theatre Northwest), Cymbeline (Wooden O), The 39 Steps (Youth Theatre Northwest). She is ever grateful for her partner and dog, and their love and support.