Ann Duquesnay is an American musical theatre actress, composer and lyricist best known for Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, which earned her a Tony Award.

Duquesnay's parents were Southern sharecroppers who moved to Harlem when she was five years old. Although she did not have formal music training until well after her stage years, she developed a passion for theatre, encouraged by director George C. Wolfe.

Duquesnay's Broadway debut was in the revue Blues in the Night in 1982 as a standby. Two years later, she played Glinda in a revival of The Wiz. She was next seen in Jelly's Last Jam as Gran Mimi and Ancestor.

Along with Daryl Waters and Zane Mark, Duquesnay co-wrote the music for Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk in 1996, as well as playing the roles of 'Da Singer and Chanteuse. The musical debuted on April 25. For her contributions, she won a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and was nominated for Best Original Score.

In 2006, Duquesnay returned to Broadway in the revue Hot Feet, featuring music by Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire.

Lillias White (born July 21, 1951) is an American singer and actress.

The Brooklyn, New York native made her Broadway debut in Barnum in 1981. She understudied the role of Effie in the original 1981 production of Dreamgirls and played the part in the 1987 revival. White has appeared on Broadway in Cats as Grizabella, Rock'N'Roll! The First 5000 Years, the ill-fated Carrie as the standby for Miss Gardner, Once on This Island as Asaka, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as Miss Jones (a role rewritten for Ms. White), Chicago as Matron Mama Morton, and benefit concert versions of Funny Girl (in which she sang the role of Fanny Brice), Hair, and Dreamgirls , reprising her role as Effie, for which she won the Drama League Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Perhaps her most notable role was in Cy Coleman's The Life, for which she won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her portrayal of a world-weary, no-nonsense, streetwise hooker named Sonja. Her tour-de-force performance of "The Oldest Profession," a song in which Sonja bemoans the life of a prostitute, received a standing ovation nightly.^{[citation needed]}

Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American singer and actress known for her Tony Award winning performance in the Broadway production of Caroline, or Change and her starring roles in the films Dreamgirls and The Princess and the Frog.

Rose was born in Bloomfield, Connecticut. In her freshman year in high school, she appeared in a school production and caught the acting bug. She then attended Florida A&M University where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in theatre, and started studying drama at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, California.

Rose moved to New York without a job. After three months, she secured the role of Rusty in Broadway's Footloose. She followed Footloose with numerous workshops and two musicals using pre-existing song catalogs, Eli's Comin' Off-Broadway and Me and Mrs. Jones with Lou Rawls in Philadelphia. Both of the full-scale tuners were rumored for transfers, but neither made it anywhere after their limited engagements ended. Rose's big Broadway break was getting cast as Emmie Thibodeaux in Caroline, or Change. In 2004, she was awarded the Theatre World Award, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress, and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Caroline, or Change.

Margaret Ruth "Maggie" Gyllenhaal ( /ˈdʒɪlənhɔːl/; born November 16, 1977) is an American actress. She is the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal (née Achs) and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She made her screen debut when she began to appear in her father's films. Gyllenhaal achieved recognition in a supporting role in the indie cult hit Donnie Darko (2001). Her breakthrough role was in the 2002 sadomasochistic romance Secretary, for which she received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination.

Gyllenhaal has appeared in an eclectic range of films, including the indie film Sherrybaby (2006), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe, the romantic comedy Trust the Man (2006), and big-budget films such as World Trade Center (2006) and The Dark Knight (2008). She next starred in the 2009 musical-drama Crazy Heart, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Gyllenhaal has also appeared in theatrical plays, including Closer (2000), and television productions, including Strip Search (2004).

Spencer Day (born 1981) is a modern jazz singer and songwriter who has released three albums: Introducing Spencer Day (2004), Movie of Your Life (2005), and Vagabond (2009).

Spencer Day was born on December 30, 1981, in a small town in Utah. Following his parents' separation, he lived with his grandparents in Arizona. After working in a gas station, he moved to California.

Day appeared on the CBS television network show Star Search in 2002-2003.

Mostly self-taught, Day sang and played piano at bars and retirement homes, typically playing jazz standards. This side of Day is most exhibited in his debut album Introducing Spencer Day (2004). His second album Movie of Your Life (2005) featured his own songs and the title track won San Francisco Academy of Art University's 2005 competition for best original song. Dolby Laboratories chose the video version of the song for use in its global launch of the Dolby 7.1 system.

In the same year, he collaborated with improvisation actor Rafe Chase on a 20-song musical revue, Someday, Love, which premiered at San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theatre Center. In addition to writing the score, Day also starred in the show.