WENDY ANN GARDNER- BOOK, MUSIC, LYRICS
Originally from London, Ontario, Canada, Wendy Ann Gardner began her career as a painter. She studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, and in 1985 moved to New York City.
In 1997 she formed her company, SCARY STORIES INC, and began selling her plush toys, Dig Ivan Dig, Heedley Pecked Me in The Eye, and all the other Naughty Naughty Pets characters, which have been sold in boutiques, design stores, gifts shops, and art museums throughout the world. Her unique graphics have been commissioned by many companies, notably, Target, Nylabone, and Paul Frank Industries, for use as logos, branding and character art. Her illustrations of the Naughty Naughty Pets, have been licensed worldwide to create various products including, children’s clothing, books, stationery, lollipops, stickers, greeting cards, pet toys, watches, wallets, fashion bags, t-shirts and pajamas.
Her series of four Naughty Naughty Pets children’s books were published by Hyperion Books For Children in 2002, and in 2006 the animated TV series, The Naughty Naughty Pets, aired on Cartoon Network, CBC Canada, BBC UK, NHK Japan and was syndicated worldwide.
She has been featured in popular and industry publications such as In Style, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, National Post, Fortune Small Business, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Playthings Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Working Mother, and Elle Décor.
Most recently, she is the author and composer of the children’s musical, Windywoo and Her Naughty Naughty Pets, which debuted at the New York Musical Theater Festival in 2015, subsequently optioned by Seaview Entertainment and is currently in development.
Currently, Wendy is writing a new musical, Yes, A Cat Named Marty Cohen, based on her own children’s book of the same name.
Wendy Ann Gardner lives in New York City with her husband, two children, a big dog and her cats, Artie and Marty Cohen, who star in the musical.
Wendy Ann Gardner with one of her creations.
The real Marty Cohen
STEPHANIE BIANCHI - MUSIC DIRECTOR
Stephanie Bianchi is a music director, board-certified music therapist, voiceover actor, and composer/lyricist. She has written and performed music and lyrics for a variety of TV and radio shows and ads, independent films, children’s videos, and educational programs. She founded Synaptic Soul - a band of music therapists created to raise music therapy awareness and serve as a platform for MT causes, and wrote all the songs on their 2011 debut album “Awake”. She is also one half of the musical theatre writing duo Whiskey and Fall Weather (with Eric C. Webb). Their current projects in development include the irreverent anti-romantic musical comedy “Breakup”, a yet-to-be-titled rock musical about John Wilkes Booth, and a supernatural musical thriller based on a documented New York ghost story. Additionally, she is Music Director for The Guided Imagery Opera, an experimental immersive opera experience created by Joule L’Adara of Sounding Circles.
ISAAC ALTER - MUSIC ARRANGEMENTS
Isaac Alter is a New York-based music director, accompanist, arranger, and conductor. Since graduating from college and moving to New York at the end of 2016, he has worked on a variety of music and musical theater projects, including Waitress, The Great Comet of 1812, and the Broadway-bound stage adaptation of Frozen. He holds a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University, where he studied stem cell biology and music.
THE MUSICAL
Yes, A Cat Named Marty Cohen is a 60 minute, 15 song, new musical, for all ages, written by Wendy Ann Gardner, creator of the Naughty Naughty Pets children's books and animated TV series.
It follows the story of Marty Cohen, a Scottish Fold who immigrates to America in search of a better life.
With his undocumented status, Marty is forced to live in the shadows of New York City, making new friends along the way and learning important lessons about friendship, solidarity and standing up for oneself in the face of bureaucracy and prejudice.