Suzanne is the author of the New York Times bestselling Grumpy Monkey, as well as several other titles. When Suzanne is not working on books, she writes and produces children’s television.

Max is an animation director, storyboard artist, character designer, and illustrator. He co-directed the film adaptation of the picture book The Gruffalo, which was nominated for an Oscar Award and a BAFTA Award, as well as the Oscar-nominated adaptation of the picture book Room on the Broom, which has won numerous awards, including the Cristal for Best TV Production at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Nina is an award-winning TYA director, playwright, and producer and a dedicated arts educator, with expertise in creativity and communication. Nina was the founder of Bay Area Children’s Theatre, which was the largest TYA company in California prior to Covid. Nina boot-strapped the organization to a $5 million annual budget with a reach of 1 million audience members. Nina’s theatrical work for young people has toured nationally and internationally. She has commissioned new musicals for young people based on the New York Times Bestselling book, Press Here by Herve Tullet, Chelsea Clinton’s book She Persisted, Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and Sherry Duskey Rinker’s Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, just to name a few. Nina dreamed up and spearheaded the first ever 41-theater co-commission of A Kids Play About Racism during the pandemic to produce an online show that subsequently reached 400,000 kids at no cost to the children or the schools. 

Her work as a playwright includes the world-premiere adaptation of Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathman, Wheels on the Bus, Bloom Kaboom, all four award-winning K’ilu Adventures co-created with Jonathan Shmidt Chapman and, in collaboration with Daniel Mertzlufft, the Kids Fight Evil Villain Audio-Choose-Your-Own-Adventures musicals produced during the Pandemic to ensure that kids at home still had access to engaging and entertaining theatrical experiences. 

Nina served as the board president of TYA/USA for five years and has had the honor of being an invited speaker for the National Endowment for the Arts in Partnership with TCG. She has been a featured speaker for the Conscious Leadership Group (guest speaker with Diana Chapman), EO (Entrepreneur Organization), at Visioni, the largest festival in the world focused on Theatre for the Very Young in Bologna, Italy, and many other organizations and podcasts. Nina has been a workshop leader and adjudicator at Junior Theatre Festivals across the USA and in Australia. She has proudly been featured as a speaker at two TedX events with a focus on the importance of creativity in everyday life.

Nina holds a BS in Theatre from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco and is currently working on her PhD in Creativity Studies. She is also a certified yoga instructor. Her work has been spotlighted in the New York Times, LA Times, American Theatre Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Barron’s, Red Tricycle, ABC, NBC, and CBS.

Daniel is a NYC based composer/arranger most known for his viral sensations The Thanksgiving Musical on The Late Late Show with James Corden, launching the TikTok Ratatouille musical movement, and was the Executive Producer, Composer and Music Supervisor for For You, Paige, the first ever TikTok commissioned musical. Daniel also served as Music Supervisor, composer and arranger for Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, a live streamed concert that raised over $2 million for The Actor’s Fund, as well as the Music Supervisor for Dylan Mulvaney’s Day 365 Of Girlhood. He is also known for his viral song “In My Head,” written with Jacob Ryan Smith and performed by Andrew Barth Feldman and Joe Serafini, which has been praised for its portrayal of joyful, young, queer love.

Daniel’s work for young audiences includes the beloved adaptation of Construction Site on Christmas Night which premiered in San Francisco in 2019 and the upcoming release of Dot and The Kangaroo which is being released internationally through the Junior series of musicals through Music Theatre International. Daniel works as a music supervisor, music director and arranger with iTheatrics in New York City, having worked on over 40 adaptations of Junior shows and his work has been featured at the Junior Theatre Festivals in Atlanta, Sacramento, Australia, New Zealand and England. https://danielmertzlufft.com/

Jacob is a writer/performer living in New York, originally hailing from Atlanta, GA. Some of his writing credits include Like Father (Book, Music, Lyrics), Mr. Sipple (Book, Music, Lyrics), Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit Tale (2023 Alliance Theater Commission, Music & Lyrics), and Painless: The Opioid Musical (Book, Music, Lyrics). His original compositions have been featured on Disney+ (Hamster & Gretel, co-written with Dan Povenmire), The Today Show, NPR, Out Magazine, and many other publications. He loves to dive into other mediums with his music as well, including ballet (Marey was Dead, to Begin With commissioned by Terminus Modern Ballet and produced in 2020), and choral work (Shelter me: An Oratorio on Homelessness commissioned by The Dallas Street Choir and to be produced in 2024). His theatrical pop single “In My Head,” which he wrote with his writing partner Daniel Mertzlufft, has accumulated millions of streams on Spotify. Jacob is also a working performer, most recently being in the Off-Broadway cast of Lizard Boy and originating the role of Adam in Relapse: the Musical Off-Broadway. He also received a 2023 Suzi Bass Nomination for his performance as Gabe in Next to Normal at the Jennie T Anderson Theater. He holds a BFA in Musical Theater Performance and a Minor in Composition from The University of Michigan. https://jacobrsmith.com/

• The Box Office is located outside the theater entrance and will be open one hour before all scheduled performances.
• If you have questions, please contact Patron Services by calling 626 356 7529 or emailing boxoffice@pasadenaplayhouse.org.
  • ‘Contact Us’ Hours:
    Tues – Sat: 12 PM – 6 PM
    Sun: 12 PM – 4 PM
• If you are looking to purchase advance tickets in person, please visit the Pasadena Playhouse Box Office located at 39 S. El Molino Ave. Pasadena, CA 91101 during the hours listed above.

• We strive to offer barrier-free access to all performances. Accessible seating options, parking and restrooms are available. Please add a note in the ‘Order Notes’ at checkout if you or someone in your party requires accessible seating.
• Accessible parking is available in the Porticos Art Space parking lot.
• Service Animals are welcome.
• Please email us at boxoffice@pasadenaplayhouse.org if you have additional questions about accessibility.

• Concessions will be available prior to each performance and will be allowed in the theater. Outside drinks and snacks are also permitted in the theater excluding alcoholic beverages.

• If you already have your tickets, please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your performance time. Late arrivals will be seated at the discretion of the House Manager.

• Children of all ages are welcome!
• For Grumpy Monkey, The Musical, tickets are required for children ages 2+. Children under the age of 2 will be admitted without charge but will be required to sit on an adult’s lap.

• Grumpy Monkey, The Musical is recommended for children ages 4 – 8 years old and their families.

• The house will open 30 minutes prior to each performance.

• Grumpy Monkey, The Musical is approximately 55 minutes with no intermission.

• Seating is General Admission and the theater is small so all seating is comparable.
• Restrooms, including accessible, all-gender, and family restrooms are available.
• Stroller parking is available in the Porticos Art Space lobby.