MONTEZE FREELAND (Director) is a multi-disciplinary artist from Baltimore, MD whose talents include acting, directing, writing, producing and teaching. Monteze is the current Co-Artistic Director of City Theatre Company and was named City Paper’s Person of the Year for Theatre in 2021, in addition to being named the Performer of the Year in 2017 by the Post-Gazette. Select directing credits include: The Santaland Diaries, The Young playwrights Festival ‘17 & ‘21, Claws Out: A Holiday Drag Musical, The Garbologists, and Clyde’s (City Theatre Company); King Hedley II & Fences (Co-Director with Mark Clayton Southers), Savior Samuel, Miss Julie, Clarissa and John, Christmas Star and Poe’s Last Night (Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company); I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (Prime Stage Theater); Hairspray, Shrek, The Addams Family, and Freaky Friday (CLO Summer Academy); readings of Trouble in Mind and The Coffin Maker (Pittsburgh Public Theater).  Many thanks to the incredible cast, design team, community partners, and City Theatre staff.

Douglas Levine (Composer, Co-lyricist, Orchestrator) is filled with gratitude for the opportunity to return to City Theatre this year. Previous City shows include POP!, Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir, Hearts are Wild, Long Story Short and Intimate Apparel. His original scores have been premiered by companies including: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Microscopic Opera Company, The Warhol, The Playhouse REP, Conservatory and Junior Companies, Attack Theatre, Pennsylvania Dance Theatre, Pittsburgh Classical Theatre, Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater Festival, Dreams of Hope, Gateway to the Arts, Renaissance City Women’s Choir, Junior Mendelssohn Choir, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh and WQED FM. Heartfelt thanks to his co-writers for their boundless talent and inspiration, and to City Theatre for their commitment to keeping theatre alive and sleighing! Levinemusic.com 

MARC MASTERSON returned to City Theatre in 2018 after serving in the same capacity at Actors Theatre of Louisville and at South Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Mesa, CA before retiring in 2024. He previously served as City Theatre’s artistic director from 1981 to 2000. In over three decades as an artistic leader, he has produced the world premieres of some of the most produced plays in the American Theatre, along with innovative productions of the classics. He has championed pioneering work in community engagement, arts education, and diverse voices for the American stage.

(performer and co-creator) is a joy enthusiast with a penchant for performing. After graduating with a BFA in musical theater from Point Park University, Shua has performed in dozens of productions across the United States, including the Broadway production of Mary Poppins. In 2012, Shua began working as a professional drag queen named Schwa de Vivre, creating campy cabaret shows to keep everyone laughing. Claws Out marks the first full-scale musical Shua has written, bringing together his love of theater, drag, and music in a way that's never been done before. Dedicated to LMJ. thatdragqueen.com