About the Creative Team

Streetlight has been a labor of love for Josie and John DeStefano since 1996. The journey began when their eldest daughter, Gina, was cast in the national premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down the Wind, which rehearsed in New York City and opened in Washington, D.C. As Josie—a suburban mother, pianist, composer, and lyricist—traveled back and forth to rehearsals, she found herself deeply inspired by the streets of New York and the stark reality of homelessness.

 

From the halls of the Lawrence Wein building, where Whistle Down the Wind was rehearsing as well as the production of Rent rehearsing just one floor below, musical echoes sparked a new vision. During that time, Josie began composing the music, and she and John wrote the story to bring it to life.

 

But like many young mothers, Josie set aside her dreams to raise their growing family—Gina, John, and Jackie. Now, more than two decades later, with the support of their since expanded family, they feel the time is right to give Streetlight its debut!