Steve Loter is a multi-Emmy and Peabody Award-winning executive producer and director, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His directing career spans a range of celebrated adult and family animated series, including The Ren & Stimpy Show, Duckman, Stressed Eric, Kevin Smith's Clerks: The Animated Series, The Legend of Tarzan, American Dragon: Jake Long, Kim Possible, and Penguins of Madagascar. He also directed the animated feature Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast.

Most recently, Steve served as executive producer on Disney+'s The Ghost and Molly McGee and the widely acclaimed Marvel Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur — winner of multiple Children's and Family Emmy Awards, an Annie Award, a Humanitas Prize, and a Peabody Award. His latest project is the newly announced Journey, a Disney+ animated series co-produced by Disney and Higher Ground, the production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama.

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DIRECTOR'S NOTE

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Green Day’s American Idiot resonates with me because the original album feels remarkably personal. While it isn’t autobiographical, Billie Joe Armstrong’s experiences of growing up, leaving home, feeling disconnected, and searching for identity mirror much of my own life.

I grew up in a semi-suburban part of Brooklyn, craving the artistic energy of Manhattan. Right after high school, I moved there, full of rebellion and the certainty that I knew better than everyone around me. Manhattan introduced me to a world of bohemia, avant-garde art, and possibilities I had never imagined. I even had my own version of Whatsername, a brief, intense relationship that was never meant to last. What stayed with me wasn’t the relationship itself, but what that time represented, a period when everything still seemed possible and the future felt limitless.

That’s what I find so moving about American Idiot. The album looks back on youth with nostalgia, while the musical confronts the more difficult reality of growing up. Johnny leaves home believing the world is an open road, only to discover that becoming an adult means leaving some possibilities behind. That tension between who we thought we would become and who we actually become and what it costs is at the heart of my interpretation of this show.

As a first-time musical theater director, I was incredibly fortunate to have a talented and generous team around me. What began as my vision quickly became a truly collaborative process, shaped by everyone involved including the cast and crew. I’m deeply grateful to Madison Selby, Charlotte Nevins, Jesse Fulton, Sonny Newman, Jan Roper, Quincy De Vere, Daniel Tapia, Sam Bradley, Kevin Herrera and Paige Loter for helping bring this production to life.

Charlotte Nevins is a dancer, performer, and teacher from The Bahamas, currently based in Los Angeles, with a strong foundation in jazz and commercial dance. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Point Park University, where she concentrated in Jazz and minored in Business. Her performance experience extends across stage, musical theatre, and commercial work, with credits including Sweet Charity, Heathers, American Idiot, and Tick, Tick...Boom!. Charlotte’s technical training includes ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop, tap, contemporary partnering, and commercial heels, along with acting, vocal performance, and acrobatics. 

This marks her debut as a choreographer, and is thrilled to have collaborated with this incredible team to bring this production to life. She is so proud of this cast and all of their hard work, and could not have asked for a better group of people to share this experience with. Huge thanks to Backyard Treetop Productions for this opportunity and all the people who supported Charlotte through this process and beyond (you know who you are <3)

Jan Roper is an award-winning composer and music director from Southern California. Her original musical works: Jerusalem A.D. is on Spotify and is available for licensing with CMIShows.com. América Tropical, has had 4 staged readings, 2 produced in Los Angeles, 2 in NY, and has a planned production in 2027 at East Los Angeles College. The Path to Catherine, had a 6-week run was at LA's Brick House Theater in 2022 and garnered multiple regional Broadway World nominations. The Path to Catherine album of selected tracks was released on Center Stage Records and can be heard on all streaming platforms.

Jesse Fulton (he/him) is thrilled to be back with Backyard Playhouse assistant directing under the incredible Steve Loter. Previous directing credits include: Heathers (Backyard Playhouse), Below Zero (CloudBreak Theatre), To the End of The World (CloudBreak Theatre), 13 the Musical (LCMS), Between the Lines (LCMS), and many more. Jesse is an award winning playwright and director based in Los Angeles, CA. After receiving his BFA in theatre from Emerson College, he co-founded CloudBreak Theatre Company where he now serves as Artistic Director, dedicating his time bringing new works to life on stage. Additionally he helps run an after school musical theatre program for local middle school students in the a Las Virginia area. His most recent directing projects include Heathers the Musical (Backyard Playhouse Treetop), Below Zero by Anna Watts (Hollywood Fringe) and To the End of the World (Hollywood Fringe). Fulton is so honored to be invited back to Backyard Playhouse and for the opportunity to work with the incredible Steve Loter! Thank you to Steve, Madison, Charlotte, Sonny, Paige, and Jan for being such an amazing team! Enjoy the show!

KEVIN HERRERA

Paige Loter (Producer & Costume Designer) is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Backyard Playhouse, which she proudly co-founded with her daughter, Calista Loter. She’s passionate about creating meaningful, high-quality theatre experiences that help young artists grow. She believes theatre builds confidence, fosters connection, and opens doors for performers to discover who they are.

Paige has had the joy of designing costumes for Santa Susana High School productions, including Our Town, Romeo and Juliet, Inherit the Wind, The Neverland Project, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Alice in Wonderland, The Prom, Urinetown, Freaky Friday, Matilda, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Spamalot, Bright Star, and Pippin. She loves using costume design to tell a story, bringing characters to life through color, texture, and detail.

Producing and costuming Matilda the Musical is especially meaningful, as its themes of courage and resilience resonate deeply. Paige is endlessly grateful to the entire team and cast who make Backyard Playhouse possible. And most of all, she absolutely loves working alongside Calista, whose talent and creative force inspire her every day.

Madison Selby (She/Her) has turned her passion for actors’ protection and advocacy into a career. She began her journey in the performing arts as a stage manager, earning her BFA in Stage and Production Management from Emerson College in 2023. She has since moved to Los Angeles, where she has spent the past two years working in Commercial and Voice Over Representation, as well as serving as the resident stage manager and technical director at CloudBreak Theatre Co.

Sonny Newman is a multi-disciplinary filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Their work is distinguished by its formal playfulness, off-kilter humor, and dedication to uniquely filmic experiences. American Idiot is their first venture into multi-media storytelling.

Mary Zastrow (she/her) is an Intimacy Director and Coordinator that has trained with IDC and has intimacy directed in theaters all over Los Angeles, Ventura County, and is the resident intimacy director at Los Angeles Mission College. You may have seen some of her work in

recent productions of Passion, Venus in Fur, POTUS, Zoot Suit, This Is Our Youth, Newsies, Little Shop of Horrors, You Got Older, and has 3 films coming out later this year. When Mary is not intimacy directing, you may find her performing around Los Angeles, producing for

DAPPER DAY, or teaching voice from her home studio.

Kurt Schwarz (Master Carpenter) - For the last 13 years, Kurt has been working with local theater groups including Youth Musical Theater, DeToledo High School, The Kingsman Shakespeare Company, Lindero Canyon Middle School, and Agoura High School. Working with visions of the production teams executes the design and construction of sets and the technical components of the productions. Kurt has been retired from his career as a corporate accountant since 2025. Kurt is excited to be working with Backyard Playhouse’s production of Americal Idiot.