Festival of New Musicals
January 16 - 18, 2026
Join us for our 20th Anniversary Festival of New Musicals! The Festival has launched more than 50 new musicals into the universe, sending them across the country, to Broadway, and around the world! Join us for a weekend filled with insider events, seminars, cabarets, and three staged readings of brand-new works as the brightest writers and performers collaborate to create the future of America's greatest art form.
Note that we are back at The Goodspeed and Gelson House for this year's Festival!
* Exclusive Festival Package Event
Friday, January 16
Ticket Distribution | 5pm - 7:15pm | The Goodspeed Bar
All package holders will be able to pick up their tickets before Friday's staged reading. Seminar tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis so arrive early to get your top choices!
Miss Hysteria
7:30pm | The Goodspeed
Book & Lyrics by Laura Schein & Ben Zeadman
Music by Ben Zeadman
Inspired by true events, Miss Hysteria follows Louise Gleizes, a young actress in 19th-century Paris who is unjustly confined to a notorious mental institution. To secure her freedom, she strikes a bargain with the ambitious neurologist Dr. Charcot: to perform the symptoms of “hysteria” in his sensational public spectacles. As show and reality collide, Louise discovers the power—and peril—of owning her own story.
Festival Cabaret: Rona Siddiqui
10:00pm | Gelston House
Grammy-nominated artist Rona Siddiqui is a composer/lyricist whose work has earned her the prestigious Kleban Prize for lyric writing, Jonathan Larson Grant and Billie Burke Ziegfeld award. Rona’s cabaret will feature music from her show THE BROWN MUSICAL: A New Brown Musical, an autobiographical comedy about growing up bi-ethnic in America. Learn more about Rona here: ronasiddiqui.com
Saturday, January 17
Seminar Sessions
1:00pm - 4:30pm | Gelston House
Exclusive Friend and Gold Package Events
1:00 | 2 Seminar Options TBA
2:15 | 2 Seminar Options TBA
3:30 | 2 Seminar Options TBA
Festival Dinner
5:30pm | Gelston House
Enjoy a three-course meal with fellow Festival-goers at the Gelston House, located next to The Goodspeed. Dinner is $36 per person. View Menu
F Word
7:30pm | The Goodspeed
Music & Lyrics by Alyssa Payne
Book by Sara Matin
On the brink of her eighteenth birthday, Tessa faces the reality of aging out of the foster care system and starting a life of her own. Her one birthday wish is to find her younger brother, who was separated from her as they entered the foster care system 12 years ago. With a contemporary musical theatre score, F Word is a heartwarming coming-of-age story about facing the future and finding family where you least expect.
20th Anniversary Festival Concert
9:30pm | The Goodspeed
We're celebrating 20 years of Goodspeed's Festival of New Musicals with a very special concert featuring songs from the presentations you've loved sung by the amazing performers you've seen on our stage.
Sunday, January 18
Foolproof
1:00pm | The Goodspeed
Book by Megan Loughran & Sonya Hayden
Lyrics by Megan Loughran
Music by Sonya Hayden
Foolproof is a brassy, toe-tapping musical comedy that reimagines the Three Stooges as three sisters. Mo, Mary, and Curly own a boutique in zany 1930s Brooklyn, which they must save from foreclosure by capturing a notorious robber and claiming the reward. Full of mix-ups, mayhem, and mistaken identities, the trio’s bonds are tested as they land punches and punchlines.
Meet The Writers Q&A
3:30pm | The Terris Theatre
Exclusive Friend & Gold Package Event
The Festival weekend culminates in a question-and-answer session with some of the writers and creative teams behind Miss Hysteria, F Word and Foolproof.
The best way to experience the Festival is with a package! The Gold Package gives you access to a weekend full of all our amazing events. The Silver Package is for those who simply want to see all 3 Staged Readings. Both packages allow you to add on extras at a discounted price.
Festival Packages
Call the Box Office to order packages: 860.873.8668
Gold Package | $156
- 1 Ticket for all 3 Staged Readings
- 3 Seminars*
- 20th Anniversary Festival Concert
- Meet the Writers Q&A *
- Festival Tote Badge & Button
Silver Package | $81
- 1 Ticket for all 3 Staged Readings
Add-Ons
- Friday Cabaret - $18
- 20th Anniversary Festival Concert - $30
- Saturday Dinner at Gelston House - $36
* Exclusive Package Event
Single Tickets
Single Tickets will be available starting December 4.
Staged Readings
- Regular Tickets: $30
- Student Tickets: $15
Other Events
- Friday Cabaret: $20
- 20th Anniversary Festival Concert: $35
- Saturday Gelston House Dinner: $36
Would you like to be a Friend of the Festival? Friends enjoy VIP seating for all Festival events, and other perks including:
- The long-standing tradition of Sunday Brunch with Students
- Exclusive Saturday Dinner at Gelston House
- Recognition in all 2026 Festival programs and promotional displays
- Opportunity to sit in on select Festival rehearsals
Most importantly, Friends of the Festival provide crucial support that helps to make the Festival a premier showcase for new musicals in the country. With a gift of $500 per person you can be a part of this exclusive group.
Contact Mattie Hinckley at mhinckley@goodspeed.org or 860-873-8664 x333 for more information.
2025 Friends Of The Festival
- As of 1/14/25
- Ronald Benedict & Sandy Eichelberg
- Denise Bernardo & Edwin Muentes
- Kianna Bromley
- Jennifer Brown & Ian Ayres
- Anne Sullivan Calanquin
- Lorey A. Cavanaugh
- Steven & Cindy Chao
- Donald & Terri Coustan
- Ruth Ann Davis
- Sue Frost
- Susan Gonsalves
- William Gratz & James Bruno
- Carol Lane
- Jon Lukomnik & Lynn Davidson
- David & Judith Macri
- Sonya Mangan
- Mark Planner
- Will Rhys & Nancy Kluck
- Hila & Saul Rosen
- Anne Rothstein & Jane Hellman
- Blair Russell
- Kathleen Sauer
- Allyn & Karen Seymour
- Bert Silverberg
- David Shimchick
- Carl Thompson
- John Voege
See a list of local dining options in Chester to check out during the Festival Weekend:
R&J: Fire on the Bayou
Friday, January 17, 7:30pm
Conceived by Kevin Ramsey
Adaptation by Kevin Ramsey & Nygel D. Robinson
Music & Lyrics by Nygel D. Robinson & Kevin Ramsey
Romeo. Juliet. Capulets. Montagues. The world’s most famous romance takes on new meaning set against the revelries of modern day Mardi Gras. Adapted from one of the greatest plays of all-time, and featuring a jazz-and-blues score that evokes the spirit of New Orleans – R&J: Fire on the Bayou breathes new life into the timeless tragedy of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.
Oy Band
Saturday, January 18, 7:30pm
Book, Music & Lyrics by Bonnie Gleicher
When a vocal group of four Orthodox Jewish girls from Brooklyn come of age and can no longer sing in front of men, they disguise themselves as a boy band to perform for the whole forbidden world. Oy Band is the new empowering musical about the visceral need to do what you love and to discover who you really are…by pretending to be someone else.
The Carol of the Bells
Sunday, January 19, 1:00pm
Book, Music & Lyrics by Nevada Lozano
Christmas is the favorite holiday of the Bell family, most particularly the youngest daughter, Silver. After learning it may be the last Christmas with her grandmother, Silver sets about to reunite the entire family for one final Christmas – despite her parent’s recent divorce, the estrangement of her delinquent brother, boy-obsessed sister…and her dad’s new girlfriend crashing the festivities. Direct from it’s hit cabaret performance at last year’s Festival, The Carol of the Bells is an irreverent, heartwarming, yuletide musical comedy that will have your heart growing three sizes.
Photosynthesis
Friday, Jan 12, 7:00 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako
Music Direction by Christie Chiles Twillie
Nika is an extremely talented floral artist and the sole owner and operator of Miss Nika’s Awesome Blossoms. As Nika feels pressure to maintain the facade of “thriving” as a Black female business owner and community role model, she increasingly resents that she makes a living delivering joy to other people while she can’t seem to hang onto any for herself. When her rickety old Volkswagen Beetle breaks down it sends her into a breakdown of her own. Nika discovers that her own broken parts may need repairing as well.
Letters to the President
Saturday, Jan 13, 7:30 PM
Conceived by Michael Bello & Jessica Kahkoska
Research and Letter Curation by Jessica Kahkoska
Music Direction by Matt Deitchman
Music Supervision by Patrick Sulken
Directed by Michael Bello
Featuring Songs by Ari Afsar & Candace Quarrels, Preston Max Allen, Simone Allen, Dr. Dawn Avery, Nick Blaemire, Emily Gardner Xu Hall, Elliah Heifetz, Anna K. Jacobs, Naomi Matlow & Teresa Lotz, Madeline Myers, Ronvé O’Daniel & Jevares Myrick, Rona Siddiqui, Mark Sonnenblick, Will Van Dyke & Jeff Talbott, Ben Wexler, and Zack Zadek
Since George Washington took office in 1783, writing letters to the President has provided citizens of all ages, races, political parties, and backgrounds an outlet to express their most personal concerns, hopes, and dreams for America. Letters to the President reimagines this historic canon of letters as a multi-composer musical event, with each song inspired by an individual letter from the archive. This presentation features brand-new material that has been written, created, and developed after the powerful cabaret at last year’s Festival.
The Snow Goose
Sunday, Jan 14, 1:00pm
Written by Scott Gilmour & Claire McKenzie
Based on the novel by Paul Gallico
Music Direction by Adam Souza
Directed by Emily Reutlinger
Based on the novella of the same name, The Snow Goose tells the story of the unlikely friendship that forms between Rhayader, an outsider who has retreated from the world, and a young girl, Fritha, when they rehabilitate an injured snow goose. As they nurse the bird back to flight, their friendship grows as the threat and horror of an impending world war looms. Though the pair come from very different experiences, their paths seem destined to join in the face of a changing.
Double Helix
Friday, Mar 17, 7:00 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Madeline Myers
Music Direction by Patrick Sulken
Directed by Scott Schwartz
In the mid-20th century, the race to find the structure of DNA grips the scientific community. One brilliant young researcher, Rosalind Franklin, will stop at nothing to uncover one of life’s great mysteries. But will she sacrifice what makes her human to discover what makes us human?
Double Helix had its world premiere production at Bay Street Theater in Summer 2023.
The Great Emu War
Saturday, Mar 18, 7:30 PM
Book by Cal Silberstein
Music & Lyrics by Paul Hodge
Music Direction by James Dobinson
Directed by Michael Fling
Remember that one time that the Australian government sent their army with machine guns to wage war on emus in Western Australia? Neither do most people…but when Edith, the headstrong warbler, and her flock begin to feed on the wheat of local farmers—the humans take up arms against Australia’s favorite feathered friends. Think of it as Cats, but with emus…and less dancing…and a plot.
Little Miss Perfect
Sunday, Mar 19, 1:00 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Joriah Kwamé
Dramaturgy by Teresa Attridge
Music Direction by Patrick B. Phillips
Directed by Zhailon Levingston
Inspired by the viral single of the same name, Little Miss Perfect tells the story of Noelle, a bi-racial teen navigating her senior year of high school after her mom and stepdad invite a study abroad student to be her roommate. But when a classmate becomes the victim of systemic racism at her school, Noelle must decide whether she will be true to herself and an ally to her peers, or if she will settle for simply being “Little Miss Perfect.” Little Miss Perfect is a commission of Goodspeed Musicals’ GoodWorks program.
A House Without Windows
Friday, Mar 18, 7:30 PM
Book by Anna Ziegler
Music & Lyrics by Anna K. Jacobs
Music Direction by Vadim Feichtner
Directed by Jenny Koona
A House Without Windows was developed in part at Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.
Barbara Newhall Follett was the child prodigy author of a celebrated novel about a young girl who runs away from her family and vanishes into nature. Twelve years after its publication, on December 7, 1939, Barbara walked out of her apartment with $30 and a light overcoat, and was never seen or heard from again. She was twenty-five years old. A House Without Windows is a meditation on the mystery of Barbara’s disappearance, the ways in which art imitates life and vice-versa, and what can happen when the life that seemed promised never materializes, especially to those for whom the line between reality and fantasy is already gossamer-thin.
HoT
Saturday, Mar 19, 7:30 PM
Music by Lynne Shankel
Words by Sara Cooper
Music Direction by Britt Bonney
Directed by Ann Yee
HoT is a darkly comic, through-composed feminist adaptation of Helen of Troy featuring an all-women+ cast. It exposes and examines the commodification women face throughout our lifetimes as Helen is first sexualized, then held to unrealistic beauty and gender-based standards, and finally vilified and discarded—until she decides to stand up and take back her power.
The Gunfighter Meets His Match
Sunday, Mar 20, 1:00 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Abby Payne
Music Direction by Anessa Marie
Directed by Estefanía Fadul
A Wild West boom town, famous for the legend of a brilliant Gunfighter, is stirred up by the arrival of a young ranch hand on a mission to understand the truth behind the Gunfighter stories. As mysterious past and present meld and the Gunfighter returns to protect his long lost love, he and the townsfolk must face their ghosts in this new musical filled with humor and heart.
The Tattooed Lady
Friday, Jan 17, 7:30 PM
Book by Erin Courtney & Max Vernon
Music & Lyrics by Max Vernon
Following the death of her husband, Ida, a seventy-eight year old Tattooed Lady and former star of a 1920s freak show, is faced with two choices: move into her daughter's home, or find the courage to confront her past and return to the stage one last time. And if the ghosts of eight Tattooed Ladies have anything to say about it…it will be the latter. A musical that shatters taboos, The Tattooed Lady explores a woman’s right to control her body and choose her own destiny.
Private Gomer
Saturday, Jan 18, 7:30 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Marshall Pailet
Private Gomer tells the story of a young WWI soldier who has suffered profound hearing loss. Hiding his deafness, Gomer displays remarkable skill as a sniper —skill which carries him from his home in Wales to the Western front. As he bonds with the colorful characters in his unit, he must face the brutality of war and wrestle with the nature of violence. Private Gomer is based on actual events and was conceived at the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony.
Grow
Sunday, Jan 19, 1:00 PM
Book by Matt Murray
Music by Colleen Dauncey
Lyrics by Akiva Romer-Segal
Before they are baptized into their faith forever, twin sisters Hannah and Ruth go on Rumspringa – the ancient rite of passage for Amish teenagers to explore the modern world. But when the girls find themselves stranded in a scary Toronto neighborhood, their beliefs are tested as they team up with a down-on-his-luck marijuana dealer to run his grow-op. Grow is an outrageously fun, big-hearted musical that examines sisterhood, community and the new horizons that await us all.
The Peculiar Tale of The Prince of Bohemia and The Society of Desperate Victorians
Friday, Jan 18, 7:30 PM
Book & Lyrics by Becca Anderson & Dan Marshall
Music by Julian Blackmore
Music Direction by Kevin D. Thomas
Directed by Scott Ebersold
When Prince Florizel learns that his father the King of Bohemia is dead, he seeks to escape the throne. He and his chaperone Colonel Geraldine are invited to join a secret society—The Suicide Club. Club members play a deadly card game nightly with higher stakes than the Prince has ever known. Realizing the deck is stacked against them, the Prince and Geraldine become inextricably linked to the club’s members in a darkly hilarious new musical.
The Proxy Marriage
Saturday, Jan 19, 7:30 PM
Music & Lyrics by Adam Gwon
Book & Lyrics by Michele Lowe
Adapted from The Proxy Marriage by Maile Meloy
Music Direction by Geraldine Anello
Directed by Igor Goldin
In Montana, a lawyer performs proxy marriages—primarily of military couples, in which both parties are not physically present. The lawyer’s popular teenage daughter Bridey and her awkward friend William stand in for the bride and groom. When senior year is done, they leave Montana to pursue their separate dreams. Over the next 13 years, life pulls them apart and then together again, and as the world changes, so do William and Bridey. In time they realize that perhaps what they were longing for all along was each other.
Devotion
Sunday, Jan 20, 1:00 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Mark Sonnenblick
Music Direction by Matthew P. Meckes
Directed by Maggie Burrows
Wanda Lee, a young woman in the fictional town of Braxton, Ohio, feels totally lost. Paul, a football star who became addicted to painkillers after a career-ending injury, feels much the same. When Wanda Lee’s ten-year-old brother tells both of them he’s been recruited for a divine mission, Paul and Wanda Lee must decide whether to bring him to his senses or join him on the journey. A story about addiction (not just to drugs) and belief (not just in religion), Devotion is a heartfelt, uplifting musical set against an American crisis of community.
Five Points
Friday, Jan 12, 7:30 PM
Music by Ethan Pakchar and Douglas Lyons
Lyrics by Douglas Lyons
Book by Harrison David Rivers
New York City. 1863. Set amidst the tumult of the Civil War, Five Points chronicles the journeys of two men - Willie Lane, a young black performer at the famed Almack’s Dance Hall, and John Diamond, an Irish immigrant and former jig champion - as they risk everything in pursuit of the American Dream.
Sweetwater
Saturday, Jan 13, 7:30 PM
Music by Sean Mahoney
Book & Lyrics by Patricia Noonan
As World War II shakes the nation, sisters Beth and Frankie join women from across America to fly for the US Army. Leaving home to train in Sweetwater, TX, these Women Airforce Service Pilots risk their lives without military status. From history’s margins, Sweetwater brings the WASP center stage in an epic story about the joys and costs of being female pioneers
Passing Through
Sunday, Jan 14, 1:00 PM
Music & Lyrics by Brett Ryback
Book by Eric Ulloa
Based on the work “Walking to Listen” by Andrew Forsthoefel
Passing Through tells the incredible true story of a young man who journeys on foot from Pennsylvania to California, collecting stories as he goes. When his trek brings to light a repressed family trauma, he must use the lessons he’s gathered to confront his past. Set against the backdrop of America, it’s a musical about community and the healing power of forgiveness.
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Friday, Jan 13, 7:30 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Daniel Zaitchik
Adapted from the novel by Joan Lindsay
Valentine’s Day, 1900. Victoria, Australia. The girls from the prestigious Appleyard College are released from their studies to take a day trip to Hanging Rock, an ancient geological rock formation. The wilderness is seductive. The girls are enraptured. The mystery begins... Daniel Zaitchik’s Picnic at Hanging Rock is a haunting musical adaptation of one of Australia’s most treasured and evocative novels.
ZM
Saturday, Jan 14, 7:30 PM
Music by Mark Hollmann
Book by Greg Kotis
Lyrics by Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis
Can a sandwich turn people into zombies? ZM follows two teenaged fast-food workers as they struggle to live, and love, during a food-borne catastrophe that might well destroy Humanity. The creators of the Tony Award-winning Urinetown serve up a humorous new musical satire that will make you think twice before rolling up to the drive-thru of your favorite fast food restaurant.
Row
Sunday, Jan 15, 1:00 PM
Book by Daniel Goldstein
Music & Lyrics by Dawn Landes
Based on “A Pearl in the Storm” by Tori Murden McClure
In June, 1998, Tori Murden left her job as a project manager in Louisville, Kentucky, and embarked on what no woman had ever done: row across the Atlantic. She set out with her homemade vessel, covered over 1,000 miles and rowed over 200,000 strokes. She made videos to track her journey, even when she lost all radio connection with the outside world. But she unknowingly rowed into the heart of Hurricane Danielle. Row tells a heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting story of finding your heart in the middle of the ocean.
We Foxes
Friday, Jan 15, 7:30 PM
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Set in 1945 Missouri, this Southern Gothic musical tells the story of Willa—a tough, unmannered orphan adopted by the sheriff’s wife—and the bloody domestic war that ensues between them when Willa uncovers the secrets lurking beneath the floorboards. It is the story of intense human struggle, deliverance, and salvation that can only be found from within.
Milo at the Movies
Saturday, Jan 16, 7:30 PM
Book by Tom Diggs
Music & Lyrics by Mark Gaylord
Directed by DB Bonds
Milo and Dexter thought they’d make a killing in vaudeville, but thanks to silent movies, they’d have better luck getting arrested than getting on stage. So when Milo’s gumption lands the duo an unexpected gig, the brothers figure they’ve struck gold: a regular gig, good dough, and a pretty dame to boot! As long as they can avoid the censor, the cops, the fiancé, and each other, everything’ll be just fine.
Only Anne
Sunday, Jan 17, 1:00 PM
Book & Lyrics by John Dietrich
Music by Will Buck
Directed by Amy Corcoran
It’s Jane Austen meets Downton Abbey in this musical update of her popular novel Persuasion, set in 1920s Britain at the dawn of the Jazz Age. Anne Elliot is forced to confront the sacrifices she made for her family when she finds herself face-to-face with the highly-regarded Admiral Frederick Wentworth, the once-penniless true love she was persuaded to abandon. Only Anne maneuvers through a landscape of miscommunications, misperceptions, and, ultimately, the search for love in a rapidly changing world.
Outlaws
Friday, Jan 16, 7:30 PM
Music & Lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen
Book by James Presson
Directed by Noah Himmelstein
Frustrated with Washington and hard-up for cash, Jesse James and his brother Frank take matters into their own hands robbing banks, courting the press, and killing anyone who gets in their way. Alternating between sprawling epic and intimate family drama, Outlaws examines the blurred lines between hero and villain, bravery and recklessness, and man and god.
The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes
Saturday, Jan 17, 7:30 PM
Book and Lyrics by Christopher Dimond
Music by Michael Kooman
Howard Barnes is a perfectly average man, until he discovers that his life has become a musical. Equal parts satire, romantic comedy, and love letter to the American musical, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes is a musical for people who love musical theater, and their spouses who hate it.
For Tonight
Sunday, Jan 18, 1:00 PM
Book by Whitney Rhodes, Spencer Williams, and Shenelle Williams
Music and Lyrics by Shenelle Williams and Spencer Williams
When their parents die of a mysterious illness in their small Welsh village, surviving siblings Thomas, Haydon, and Nettie are forced to fend for themselves. Inspired by the gypsies who once shared their home, Haydon heads off to Liverpool, guitar in hand, to find what he's been missing. There he meets Mirela who speaks to his wandering soul. Through a riveting indie-rock/folk score, For Tonight explores the indelible power of home.
• TheatreFest15 on the Isle of Man: October 9-10, 2015
• Wharton Center for Performing Arts, University of Michigan: Oct 23-24, 2015
Adam Lives
Friday, Jan 17, 7:30 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Rob Baumgartner, Jr.
Adam is an unsuccessful songwriter who doesn’t know how to settle into his long-term relationship with Claudia. When he has an opportunity to write for an emerging pop superstar, Adam is forced to decide which he values more: an enduring partnership or a love that is worthy of song. Adam Lives is about finding and keeping the important things in life, but at what cost?
A Proper Place
Saturday, Jan 18, 7:30 PM
Book by Leslie Becker and Curtis Rhodes
Music by Curtis Rhodes
Lyrics by Leslie Becker
Additional Lyrics by Curtis Rhodes
It is 1902. Mayfair, England. When an upper class British family is shipwrecked on an island with only their butler to help them survive, traditional class systems are questioned and unexpected love blossoms. Based on J. M. Barrie’s play The Admirable Crichton, this musical fantasy with a sumptuous score, dubbed a “cross between Downton Abbey and Gilligan’s Island,” is a classic tale of equality, survival and forbidden love.
• 2014 Village Theatre Festival of New Musicals, August 2014
• Village Theatre, Issaquah, WA, March 16-April 23, 2017
The Theory Of Relativity
Sunday, Jan 19, 1:00 PM
Music & Lyrics by Neil Bartram
Book by Brian Hill
This unconventional new musical from the writers of The Story of My Life is a joyous and moving look at our surprisingly interconnected lives. Through a collection of songs, scenes and monologues, The Theory of Relativity introduces a compelling array of characters experiencing the joys and heartbreaks, the liaisons and losses, the inevitability and the wonder of human connection.
• Goodspeed's Terris Theatre, May 7-30, 2015
• Drayton Arms Theatre, London, May 26 - June 13, 2015
• Studio Cast Recording available
Nine Wives
Friday, Jan 18, 2013
Music & Lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen
Book & Lyrics by Dan Elish
Based on the novel, “Nine Wives” by Dan Elish
Nine Wives tells the story of Henry Mann, a 32-year-old bachelor who discovers that the love of his life has met someone new and is about to get married. What’s worse, he’s been invited to her wedding! What follows are Henry’s frantic attempts to find a woman he can take as his date – a potential future wife – to prove to his ex-fiancée (and the world) that he too is ready to move on.
TriARts Sharon Playhouse, July 24-27, 2014
Come From Away
Saturday, Jan 19, 2013
Book, Music and Lyrics by David Hein and Irene Sankoff
Come From Away is a rocking musical about when 38 planes from around the world were diverted to a small, Canadian community on September 11th, 2001 - doubling its population in an instant. While the world witnessed the worst acts of humankind, the stranded passengers had their faith in humanity restored by the spirited people who comforted those who had come from away.
• La Jolla Playhouse, May 29-July 12, 2015
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals: Fall 2013
• Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway, premieres February 18, 2017
Princesses: A New Rock Musical
Sunday, Jan 20, 2013
Book by Janece Shaffer, Emma Lively and Tyler Beattie
Music, and Lyrics by Emma Lively and Tyler Beattie
Four outrageous princesses escape the confines of their castle walls and shock the fairy tale world with their unconventional ways. Princesses is inspired by the Brothers Grimm's "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" and features a contemporary rock score.
Harmony, Kansas
Friday, Jan 13, 2012
Music by Anna K. Jacobs
Book & Lyrics by Bill Nelson
A new musical with a lively, soulful score that follows Heath, a farmer in rural Harmony, Kansas and his city-born partner who talks him into joining the newly formed gay men's chorus. Heath discovers a love for making music and unexpected kinship. But when the group decides to perform in public, his world is turned upside down and all that matters to him is threatened.
• New York Theatre Barn at the D-Lounge: July 29, 2013
• Diversionary Theatre, San Diego, CA: June 14 - July 22, 2012
• Track the show's progress
Not Wanted On The Voyage
Saturday, Jan 14, 2012
Music & Lyrics by Neil Bartram
Book by Brian Hill
Based on the novel by Timothy Findley
A housewife, her husband, their three sons, and a talking cat - just an ordinary family living ordinary lives in the turbulent days before the Great Flood. Their ordinary lives are turned upside-down when they learn that they alone will survive the comnig deluge. Filled with magic, mythology and, above all else, hope, Not Wanted on the Voyage is a provocative new musical about the first time the world ended.
The Dogs Of Pripyat
Sunday, Jan 15, 2012
Music by Aron Accurso
Lyrics by Jill Abramovitz
Book by Leah Napolin & Jill Abramovitz
Based on the play by Leah Napolin
USSR, 1986. As all humans are evacuated from Chernobyl, their pets are left behind to fend for themselves. This is the story of those animals. Boychik is a gentle mutt who pines for his masters' return. But when a pair of alphas take control, Boychik learns how to hunt, kill and ultimately form a new kind of family. Based on true events, The Dogs of Pripyat is a story about hope and survival when they seem least possible.
The Green Room 42, March 2, 2020
Hello! My Baby
Friday, January 14 2011 - 07:30PM
Book & New Lyrics by Cheri Steinkellner
New Music & Arrangements by Georgia Stitt
From debutante balls to Delancey Street, Hello! My Baby puts a new-fashioned spin on the great American songbook musical, weaving the updated hits of Berlin, Gershwin, Kern, and a score of others into a timely and hilarious tale of first love, class-struggles, street-gangs, gender-swapping, and a whole lot of ukuleles.
• Available for licensing through MTI
• Rubicon Theatre Company, Ventura, CA: Mar 21 - April 15, 2012
• Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre: Nov 3 - 27, 2011
• Track the show's progress
Nobody Loves You
Saturday, January 15 2011 - 07:30PM
Music & Lyrics by Gaby Alter
Book & Lyrics by Itamar Moses
Nobody Loves You is a romantic comedy about the search for meaningful relationships in a culture dominated by the quest for popularity. When Jeff, a philosophy grad student, goes on a reality TV dating show to win back his ex, he instead finds a girl who might be the love of his life. But will she fall for him once he is seduced by the adulation of his fans?
• Second Stage Theatre, New York NY: June 20-August 11, 2013
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals: Fall 2012
• The Old Globe, San Diego, CA: May 9 - June 17, 2012
Room 16
Sunday, January 16 2011 - 01:00PM
Book by Andrea Lepcio
Music by Stephen Sislen
Lyrics by Stephen Sislen & Ben H. Winters
Originally Developed by Stephen Sislen & Ben H. Winters
Room 16 tells the story of the unlikely friendship between G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, and the events leading to the Watergate break-in of June, 1972. With a score spanning America popular musical styles from swing and big band to folk and early '70s rock, Room 16 is a fast-paced and darkly comedic look inside American political history.
Hello Out There
Friday, Jan 15, 2010
Book & Lyrics by Eric Price
Music by Frank Terry
It’s the summer of 1995, a dozen years before the current financial crisis and the scandal of Bernie Madoff. Three Internet-savvy teens are able to earn tens of thousands of dollars in the stock market using an ingenious method that may or may not be illegal. When an immigrant taxi driver loses his life savings because of the teenagers’ game, he alerts the SEC. What was initially a high-flying summer of getting rich turns upside down as the S.E.C. chases the teens across the Internet, through the New Jersey suburbs, and all the way to Wall Street.
• Adirondack Theatre Festival, Glens Falls, NY: July 2011
• Staged Reading at Playwright's Horizons, NYC: March 2011
Rewrite
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Book, Music & Lyrics by Joe Iconis
This triple feature of wild musicals connects in surprising and dangerous ways. “Nelson Rocks!” is a pop/rock show about a young dude who needs to fix his life before the class bell rings. “Miss Marzipan” is a dizzy musical about a high-stakes dinner party. A little bit of blood is spilt, but it’s nothing that some kitchen towels can't clean up. “The Process” deals with a writer on deadline to finish his musical at the Dunkin’ Donuts. As his characters begin to populate the coffee shop, our friendly counter lady serves as a guide through this passionate look into one man's writing process.
Selections performed at Joe's Pub, NYC: Nov 6, 2010
Lincoln in Love
Sunday, Jan 17, 2010
Book & Lyrics by Peter Kellogg
Music by David Friedman
It’s a crucial moment in young Abe Lincoln’s life - the fledgling lawyer has served his first term in the Illinois state legislature and he’s mourning the death of his fiancée, Ann Rutledge. Enter socialite Mary Todd, arrived in Springfield to visit her sister and find a husband suitable to her cultivated taste and ambition. While at first she finds Lincoln coarse and uncivilized, Mary sees his great potential after his first major trial. Their on-again, off-again relationship is just one of the challenges and events that shaped the young Lincoln into the leader he would become.
• New Works Festival, The Village Theatre, Seattle: Aug 15, 2010
• Reading at Ford's Theatre, Washington D.C.: 2010
• Track the show's progress
Life on the Mississippi
Friday, Jan 16, 2009
Book & Lyrics by Douglas M. Parker
Music by Denver Casado
Young Samuel Clemens leaves home to learn steamboat piloting on a Mississippi riverboat in 1858 and unexpectedly finds himself learning about life. And death. And love. And writing. All while navigating his way from boy to man and from Samuel Clemens to Mark Twain. Based on Twain’s autobiographical coming-of-age tale.
• Freed-Hardman University: April 22-26, 2015
• WorkShop Theater Company: November 2013
• American Folklore Theatre, Door County, WI: June 2010
• Coterie Theatre, Kansas City: Jan 26-Feb 28, 2010
Band Geeks!
Saturday, Jan 17, 2009
Book by Tommy Newman
Music & Lyrics by Mark Allen, Gaby Alter, and Tommy Newman
Band Geeks! is a high-stepping tribute to high school marching bands and misfits everywhere. With just nine members and dwindling funds, the Cuyahoga High Marching Beavers are close to extinction. When a troubled athlete is relegated to their ranks, Elliott, the tuba-playing band captain and Laura, his best friend, must find a way to unite the band, overcome their pride and embrace their inner geek.
• Available for licensing through MTI
• Arts Garage, Delray Beach, FL: April 18 - May 11, 2014
• Broadway Rose Theatre Company, Tigard, OR: Jan 30 - March 2, 2014
• The Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton, OH: May 31 - June 17, 2012
• Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre: May 16 - June, 6 2010
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals, NYC: Fall 2009
Factory Girls
Sunday, Jan 18, 2009
Music, Lyrics & Book by Sean Mahoney & Creighton Irons
At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution the Lowell Mill Girls’ must fight to maintain their country values and their humanity as they become America’s first independent working women. Armed with her pen and her voice, and fueled by a revolutionary spirit, one girl secretly rallies her co-workers against the burgeoning “soul-less corporation.” Her choice affects not only the girls and their community but also the fate of the American worker.
• 54 Below: February 25, 2015
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals, NYC: Fall 2009
• Track the show's progress
The Trouble With Doug: A Modern-Day Metamorphosis
Friday, January 18, 2008
Book and Lyrics by Daniel Maté
Book and Music by Will Aronson
Inspired by Kafka’s “Metamorphosis,” 28 year old Doug finds himself turning into a slug. His family and fiancée face this utterly absurd reality and change along with him in this serio/comic slice of life.
• Arts Garage, Delray Beach, FL: April 18-May11, 2014
• TheatreWorks, New Works Festival, Silicon Valley, CA: Aug 4 - 19, 2012
• Royal & Derngate Theatre Co., UK: 2011
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals, NYC: Fall 2010
• CAP21 Theare Co., NYC: June 2009
• Fredericia Teater, Denmark: May 2017
Tales From the Bad Years
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Written by Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk
A musical revue that accurately and lovingly puts the relationships of young adults center stage as they attempt to cope with the follies, fantasies and frustrations they encounter in 21st century America.
• The Viewpoints Collective: Jan 28-Feb 1, 2015
• School of Fine Arts Theatre, University of Minnesota: Feb 14 - 23, 2013
• Paramount Theatre, Rutland, VT: Aug 2008
• Laurie Beechman Theatre, NYC: 2008
• Penn State New Musical Theatre Festival: March 2008
• Track the show's progress
Genesius, The Musical
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Book by L. J. Fecho
Music and Lyrics by Michael O’Flaherty
Based on a true story, this musical celebrates the founding, struggles, successes and heart of a theatre company specifically established to feature the joyous talents of a group of young theatre artists.
• TADA! Theatre, NYC: Aug-Sept 2009
• Track the show's progress
Pearl
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Book, Music and Lyrics by Katie Kring
A haunting re-imagination of The Scarlet Letter, in which Hester Prynne's 12-year-old daughter, Pearl, seeks the truth about her family's mysterious past and ultimately, her own true self.
Tinyard Hill
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Music by Mark Allen
Book and Lyrics by Tommy Newman
South Georgia, 1964. A rural blacksmith and his son work to find mutual understanding and acceptance in a world that is simultaneously shrinking and getting too large to ignore.
• Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville, TN: April 16 - July 11, 2010
• Theatreworks, Palo Alto, CA: July 15 - July 16, 2009
• Red Mountain Theatre Company, Birmingham, AL: Aug 8-9, 2008
• The Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton, OH: July 11 - 12, 2008
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals, NYC: October 2007
The Great American Race
Friday, January 19, 2007
Book, Music and Lyrics by Patrick Barry
The life of legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt told against the backdrop of the Daytona 500 - a stirring story of fall and redemption.
Once Upon A Time In Narcissia
Friday, January 20, 2006
Music by Youn-Young Park
Book & Lyrics by Susannah Pearse
A modern take on a Cinderella who doesn't get the Prince.
Romancing The Throne
Saturday, January 21, 2006
By Randy Rogel and Kirby Ward
A musical of secret identities, palace intrigue and a struggling actor who is cast in the role of a lifetime.
I See London, I See France
Saturday, January 21, 2006
By Jeremy Desmon and David Guerrerio
Love and romance in the pressure-filled, ultra-hyped world of advertising.
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