Meet the Creative Team
Meet David Shukiar,
Composer, Lyrics and Bookwriter
(he, him)
The music of David Shukiar has been heard in synagogues, concert halls (including Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York) and theatres all over North America and in Israel and in HBO's The Rehearsal (season 1, episode 5). David has twice been awarded the Guild of Temple Musicians Young Composers Award, an honor shared by only four other composers in the history of this prestigious award. He has enjoyed commissions from cantors and synagogues from across the United States, Canada and Israel, including a commission from the American Conference of Cantors and the Guild of Temple Musicians to help dedicate a new building at Beit Daniel, a Reform community in Tel Aviv. David has enjoyed being the composer and conductor-in-residence for the Atlanta Choral Festival in addition to various synagogues around the country. As a composer of musical theatre, David’s most notable works include Make Believe, a two-time winner of the Burdette Fitzgerald Memorial Award for Theatre for Young Audiences, Benjamin and Judah, a musical about the story of Chanukah, which premiered in New York and has been performed on both the East and West coasts, including two successful productions at Temple Adat Elohim and at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and Louisa Mae Alcott’s Little Women, The Musical, winner of the Y.E.S. Festival of New Works at Northern Kentucky University. As an arranger, David has worked with many different ensembles, helping to create music that gives each group a unique voice. In addition to publishing many of his choral pieces, Transcontinental Music Publications, the largest publisher of Jewish Music in the world, has published, Klei Zemer, a book of David’s arrangements for synagogue ensembles for Shabbat. David is also an accomplished music director, having shared his talents with CBS Television, Anita Mann Productions, Holland America and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and various synagogues in the Los Angeles area. For the past 16 years David has served in the cantorial office at Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks, CA. Here he has built a unique and successful music program spanning many generations. His musical forces include the TAE Chorale, a 30 voice choir of all temple members, the Band of Milk and Honey, a 10 piece instrumental ensemble of all temple members, the TAE Symphony Orchestra, a 30+ instrumental ensemble of all temple members, the Junior Cantors and Shirei Elohim, a junior choir. He also currently serves as president of the Guild of Temple Musicians, having held many board positions in the past including facilitating the Ben Steinberg Young Composer's Award, the Shomeir Shirah Award and the Generation to Generation High School Songwriting Award.
Meet Lori Vander Maten,
Lyricist and Bookwriter
Lori Vander Maten holds a BA in Theatre and MFA in playwriting from UCLA and is the author of numerous plays, musicals, and screenplays. She was a member of the Lehman Engle Musical Theatre Workshop (now the Institute for New Musical Theatre) and has won numerous awards for writing, performing, directing, and designing, including the YES Festival of New Plays at Northern Kentucky University, the Siena College International Playwriting Competition, the Burdette Fitzgerald Memorial Award for Theatre for Young Audiences, The Samuel Goldwyn Screenwriting Award (finalist) and the Walt Disney Fellowship for Writers (semi-finalist). She taught at Scottsdale Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, and Southwestern College, and worked as a theatre artist at various theatres in Arizona. Most recently, she worked in communications, marketing, and grant writing in the non-profit sector. She enjoys all things creative and makes her home in Phoenix Arizona with her husband Michael.
Meet Becky Cherlin Baird,
Producer
Becky Cherlin Baird is the founding Artistic Director of The JCompany Youth Theater in La Jolla California and owner of Kids On Stage Productions. She is known as a pioneer of children’s theater in San Diego and continues to direct, choreograph and produce across the country. Most recent productions have included The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, High School Musical and the original Hanukkah Zoom adventure, The Temple & The Secret Code she co-wrote
during the pandemic. Beckys love for working with kids in the performing arts has allowed her the opportunity to work as the children’s casting director and choir director with the Broadway First National Tour of Joseph…Dreamcoat as well as Food Network on Chopped Junior and taken her to theatres on Broadway including; The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof and Matilda. Currently, Becky is on the Board of Directors for the Carlsbad Playwrights Association. She is a member of IATSE Local 764 as well as Actors Equity Union. Additionally, Becky is a private musical theatre coach to kids gracing stages & screens around the world. Becky is a native San Diegan and the proud mother of two kids who also love the arts!
Meet Marcy Delson Blumberg,
Associate Producer
Meet DeMond B. Nason,
Associate Producer
(he, him)
DeMond is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, where he majored in musical theater with an emphasis in directing. He has built an impressive career spanning both stage and screen, including performances in national tours, two Off-Broadway productions, and appearing in the acclaimed film *Across the Universe*.
After a 12-year hiatus, DeMond has returned to the entertainment industry as a producer, bringing a renewed passion for storytelling. As the associate producer of Benjamin and Judah, he is dedicated to creating diverse, inclusive works of art that amplify unheard voices.
With a love for narratives that challenge perspectives, DeMond’s approach to production is marked by meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to authenticity. He thrives on producing projects that celebrate the richness of human experience, ensuring that every project he touches remains true to its vision while pushing creative boundaries.