DR. MEGAN “AWESOME” ALRUTZ (Dramaturg) heads the Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities at the University of Texas at Austin.  She works nationally as a scholar, dramaturg, director and teaching artist in the areas of applied theatre and theatre with and for youth. Before coming to The University of Texas at Austin in 2009, she led the M.F.A. in Theatre for Young Audiences at the University of Central Florida. Her creative and scholarly work focuses on ethical representation and youth agency in applied theatre, theatre with and for youth and digital storytelling. Dr. Alrutz has a Ph.D. in Theatre from Arizona State University and a B.A. in Theatre from Rutgers University.

She was recently awarded the Harold Oaks Award in Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA/USA 2016), the Branson Ward Endowed Excellence Award (UT Austin 2016), the Foxworth Fellowship (UT Austin 2012), Grace Hill Milam Centennial Fellowship in Fine Arts (UT Austin 2011), Excellence in Graduate Teaching (UCF 2008) and the Service Learning Faculty Excellence Award (UCF 2007). She was also awarded the prestigious Winifred Ward Fellowship in 2003. Dr. Alrutz is a two-term board member of TYA/USA, and an active member of AATE, PSi and ATHE.

Dr. Alrutz currently co-directs the Performing Justice Project (PJP), an applied performance program that invited young people to devise new work about identity-based inequities and stories from their lives. She also co-directs Patchwork Stories, an on-going community-engaged performance project in partnership with the University of Exeter.

TOM WARBURTON, aka MR WARBURTON (Co-Bookwriter) is an animator, producer, writer, designer and longtime friend and collaborator of Mr. Willems.  Currently Disney Jr’s Muppet Babies executive producer, he is also known for creating the animated television series Codename: Kids Next Door, and the animated short Kenny and the Chimp.  His first picture book 1000 Times No was released in 2009.