2025 Writers and Musicals
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24 writers of 9 new musicals are joining us for 9 sequential week-long residencies to focus solely on writing their musical.
Jun 22 - Jun 29
Pete White & Fermin Suero, Jr
with Lead Support from Steve and Paula Reynolds ​​​
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Jun 29 - Jul 6
Douglas J. Cohen & Cheryl L. Davis,
with Lead Support from The Howard Ashman Trust for Theater Arts ​​​
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Jul 6 - Jul 13
Zina Goldrich, Marcy Heisler,
Denis Jones & Brad Hennig
with Lead Support from Molly McEneny and Underwriting Support from The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund​​
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Jul 13 - Jul 20
Rona Siddiqui, Pia Wilson & Lynn Rosen,
with Lead Support from Liz Armstrong ​
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Jul 20 - Jul 27
Dylan MarcAurele & Mike Ross,
with Lead Support from The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund
​​PRINCESS KAY OF THE MILKY WAY
Jul 27 - Aug 3
Jared Corak, Christopher Anselmo &
Addie Gorlin-Han,
with Lead Support from Liz and Bill Mills
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Aug 3 - Aug 10
Tommy Newman & Jaime Lozano,
with Underwriting Support from Paul Feuerman and Bruce Grivetti
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Aug 10 - Aug 17
Rudy Percival & Sam Woof,
with Lead Support from The Noël Coward Foundation, in honor of Geoffrey Johnson
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Aug 17 - Aug 24
Samora la Perdida, Mobéy Lola Irizarry,
Matthew Zwiebel & Josiah Handelman,
with Underwriting Support from Damon Suden
Pete White
Pete White & Fermin Suero, Jr.
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BLUDLINE: A HIP-HOP ODYSSEY
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June 22 - Jun 29
Fermin Suero, Jr.
Show Synopsis​
Odysseus, King of Ithaca and hero of the 10-year Trojan War, sets sails for home, but the very smarts and swagger that led him victory in Troy lead him to make fatal missteps on his journey home, leading to the trip taking years, and at the cost of the lives of his entire crew.
Meanwhile, in Ithaca, his son Telemachus has to grow up in the shadow of his famous, but absent, father. And as Odysseus’ absence extends, swarms of greedy suitors gather, determined to marry his mother, Queen Penelope, and seize power.
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​FERMIN SUERO JR
Originally from Perth Amboy NJ, and of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, Fermin earned his B.A. in Theatre from Rutgers University in 2018 and his Master of Music from NYU Steinhardt in 2021. While at NYU, Fermin worked as an audio engineer at the prestigious Quad Studios, and after graduating moved to LA to be mentored by and work for Kuk Harrell (vocal producer for Rihanna). He is now a Grammy-nominated audio engineer with credits spanning major artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Saweetie, Dua Lipa, Muna Long, and LISA from BLACKPINK. As a lyricist in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing Program, Fermin draws on his extensive career in audio engineering and sound design to bring a unique perspective to the world of musical theatre.
PETE WHITE
Originally from the UK, Pete earned a B.A. in Music and English at the University of Birmingham, and studied musical direction at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Pete has had an extensive career as a music director for musicals, with credits including AVENUE Q (West End), KINKY BOOTS (West End premiere and the Grammy-nominated UK Cast Album) and LES MISÉRABLES (UK and US 25th Anniversary Tour). His orchestration and music production work includes upcoming musical SALEM, and songs with ‘Six’ original cast member Aimie Atkinson. As a composer and lyricist, he has written for plays, documentaries, and his musical theater work includes The Frequent Floaters, the Bachelor Tik Tok Musical, and Aurora, which was shortlisted for the 2022 O’Neill Musical Theater Conference.
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Douglas J. Cohen
Photo Credit: Ben Strothmann
Douglas J. Cohen & Cheryl L. Davis
BARNSTORMER
Jun 29 - July 6
Cheryl L. Davis
Show Synopsis
BARNSTORMER is the story of Bessie Coleman, the first Black aviatrix who took her race from the cotton fields to the clouds. Bessie’s dreams took her from rural Texas to Chicago and finally to Paris—the only place that would teach a Black woman to fly in the 1920's. After returning to America, she struggled to survive as a "barnstormer," performing daring stunts from town to town, hoping to start a flying school and share her love of flight. While an aerial accident led to her untimely death, her nephew went on to become a World War II flyer with the Tuskegee Airmen – fulfilling the course of her dream.​
DOUG COHEN is the recipient of two Richard Rodgers Awards for writing book, music, and lyrics to NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY (produced twice Off-Broadway including The York) and THE GIG (MTC, Stage 2); a Jonathan Larson Grant and Lortel Theatre Project 121 Grant for BARNSTORMER, and a Drama League nomination for DON’T STAY SAFE (both with collaborator Cheryl L. Davis); a Drama Desk nomination for CHIDLREN’S LETTERS TO GOD; the recipient of the Fred Ebb Award for his body of work. Other productions: THE OPPOSITE OF SEX (Williamstown Theater Festival), THE EVOLUTION OF MANN (The Cell Theatre), and THE BIG TIME (McCarter Theater concert; Concord Studio Recording). Doug’s new play, KING OF THE HOLLYWOOD FIXERS, recently received a public reading at the American Theater Group. His first book, “How to Survive a Killer Musical: Agony and Ecstasy on the Road to Broadway”, was recently published by Applause Books.
CHERYL L. DAVIS has received WGA Awards for her soap writing, the Kleban Award for her work as a musical theater librettist (for musical BARNSTORMER about Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman flyer), and seven Audelco Awards for her play MAID’S DOOR, which was presented at two National Black Theatre Festivals and is now published in Holy Ground: The National Black Theatre Festival Anthology. She is on the writing team for BEYOND THE GATES, the first new network soap in decades, and the first one focused on a Black family. Cheryl received her A.B. in English from Princeton University, her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and her M.S.J. from Columbia School of Journalism. She is the General Counsel of the Authors Guild.
Zina Goldrich
Photo Credit: Justin Schuman
Marcy Heisler
Denis Jones
Brad Hennig
Zina Goldrich, Marcy Heisler,
Denis Jones & Brad Hennig
STAGE MOTHER
July 6 - July 13
Show Synopsis
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STAGE MOTHER is the stage musical adaptation of the 2020 film "Stage Mother". It’s a dramatic comedy about a conservative church choir director from rural Texas named Maybelline, who inherits a drag club in San Francisco owned by her drag queen son Ricky Licious. Surprising everyone, Maybelline moves to San Francisco to save the nightclub from bankruptcy. There, she moves in with her son’s best friend Sienna, her baby (also named Ricky), and her son’s grieving partner Nathan. She becomes den mother to the club’s flamboyant performers and teaches them to sing live, instead of lip-synching. As the nightclub gains traction, Maybelline must decide between her old life and her new family.​
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BRAD HENNIG is a screenwriter, librettist, and producer. Hennig wrote and produced the 2013 feature film comedy “The Hot Flashes”, starring Brooke Shields and Wanda Sykes. He also wrote and produced the 2020 feature film dramedy STAGE MOTHER, starring Jacki Weaver and Lucy Liu. The film is about a church choir director from rural Texas who inherits her deceased drag queen son’s drag nightclub in San Francisco. He has adapted the film into a stage musical. Hennig has won several national screenwriting awards, including being named a top three finalist in the Final Draft Big Break competition and the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
ZINA GOLDRICH is an award-winning composer, conductor, musical director, and performing artist. Her musical, EVER AFTER, written with longtime collaborator Marcy Heisler, is slated for Spring 2026 at the Phoenix Theatre Company. Goldrich and Heisler’s songs have been sung by Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara and Brian Stokes Mitchell, among many others. She is currently working on a new revue, #IRL, with multi-Emmy award winner David Javerbaum. Other musicals with Heisler include Stage Mother, Junie B. Jones, Hollywood Romance and Dear Edwina. Zina has composed for Walt Disney Feature Animation, The Kennedy Center Honors, Nickelodeon, ABC, NBC and PBS. As a musician, Broadway credits include AVENUE Q, TITANIC, OKLAHOMA and GRAND HOTEL. She studied with legendary Oscar winner Jerry Goldsmith and is a graduate of the USC Scoring for Motion Picture and Television program. zinagoldrich.com
MARCY HEISLER is a Drama Desk Nominated Lyricist based in New York. She received the Kleban Prize for Outstanding Lyrics in 2012 and shares the 2009 Fred Ebb Award with longtime composing partner Zina Goldrich. Recent productions include: EVER AFTER (Paper Mill Playhouse, Alliance Theatre), Williamsburg (NYSF), STAGE MOTHER (Forestburgh In the Works), Auntie Claus (Nashville Children’s Theatre), JUNIE B JONES (TWUSA), and Off Broadway’s DEAR EDWINA (Daryl Roth Productions). She designed a curriculum for Lyric Writing on the Graduate Level and has served on the faculty at both The Dramatist Guild Institute and BerkleeNYC. An accomplished performer, she performs her work worldwide in The Marcy and Zina Show. She is a proud member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild.
DENIS JONES (Director/Co-creator) is a two-time Tony Award, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominee and his work has been seen on Broadway in Tootsie, Holiday Inn and Honeymoon in Vegas. Recent credits: BYE BYE BIRDIE, GUYS AND DOLLS (Kennedy Center) MARY POPPINS (Seattle 5th Ave), CRAZY FOR YOU (Asolo Rep), CHICAGO (MUNY, winner St Louis Theater Circle Awards for best director, choreographer), HELLO, DOLLY! (Marriott Theater), OLIVER! (Maltz-Jupiter), EURYDICE (Metropolitan Opera), A CHORUS LINE (Signature Theatre), CHASING RAINBOWS: THE ROAD TO OZ (Paper Mill Playhouse), THE FLAMINGO KID (Hartford Stage, winner Connecticut Critics Circle Award for best choreography), THE MUSIC MAN (Goodman Theatre), THE TEMPEST (NY Shakespeare in the Park), PAINT YOUR WAGON! (NY City Center Encores!)
Rona Siddiqui
Pia Wilson
Rona Siddiqui, Pia Wilson & Lynn Rosen,
RATTLE THE CAGE
July 13 - July 20
Show Synopsis
Rattle the Cage centers on African-American lawyer and activist FLO KENNEDY as she represents VALERIE SOLANAS for the attempted murder of Andy Warhol, all while struggling against the confines of the feminist establishment, including the National Organization of Women led by feminist BETTY FRIEDAN. Meanwhile, HELEN GURLEY BROWN, kitten-heeled editor of Cosmo Magazine, is in her lipstick and lingerie world with her own brand of feminism and her own ideas about how women can get ahead, namely by using their feminine wiles. Although they disagree on tactics, each of these women rattles the cage society tries to lock them in.
Lynn Rosen
LYNN ROSEN is an internationally produced playwright/screenwriter who was named "Visionary Playwright" by Theater Masters. She received three Ensemble Studio Theatre / Alfred P. Sloan New Play Commissions, the inaugural new play commission from Red Bull Theatre, and was a participant, along with Pia Wilson and Rona Siddiqui, in a 2024 Goodspeed Writers Grove Residency. Lynn co-created the award-winning comedic webseries DARWIN, directed by Carrie Preston, and created/writes the comedic webseries GASBAG, selected for DANCES WITH FILMS: NY 2024. She’s sold two TV pilots to major networks, one with Carrie Preston (“Elsbeth”) and Michael Emerson (“Lost”), with more in the pipeline. Lynn is a New Dramatists alum and co-founder of The Pool, a playwright-run pop-up producing model now in its fourth incarnation.
PIA WILSON wrote the audio component in the Harriet Tubman Monument in Newark, New Jersey, performed by Queen Latifah. She is also a 2024 Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove participant, Traveling Master for Dramatist Guild Foundation, resident with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Sundance fellow, and member of the 2008 Emerging Writers Group at The Public Theater. Her plays have been produced across the country. Her Webby Award-winning fiction podcast, IF I GO MISSING THE WITCHES DID IT, starring Gabourey Sidibe, was listed as one of the Best New Podcasts of 2021 by Variety and Mashable. She has also written for Audible’s TILL TODAY podcast and Wondery's BLACK HISTORY FOR REAL. In television, Pia was a staff writer for NatGeo’s GENIUS ARETHA and BET’s SACRIFICE.
Grammy-nominated artist RONA SIDDIQUI is a composer/lyricist based in NYC. Awards: Kleban Prize, Jonathan Larson Grant, Billie Burke Ziegfeld, ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award. Shows: SALAAM MEDINA: TALES OF A HALFGHAN, DIGNITIY ALWAYS DIGNITY, HIP HOP CINDERELLA. Commissions: A MORE PERFECT UNION (Arena Stage), KIRDLE & MIFFINS: CURIOSITY SAVED THE CATS (Keen Teens), UNTITLED PLAY (Noor Theatre Company). Music Direction: Broadway: A STRANGE LOOP (Obie Winner and Grammy nominee), Off-Broadway: BELLA: AN AMERICAN TALL TALE, WHO’S YOUR BAGHDADDY, OR HOW I STARTED THE IRAQ WAR. Orchestration: MONSOON WEDDING, An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake, BROADWAY RECORDS, BROADWAY BACKWARDS. Performances: NPR's Tiny Desk, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers. Faculty member: BerkleeNYC, New York University.
Dylan MarcAurele
Dylan MarcAurele & Mike Ross
LEWIS LOVES CLARK
July 20 - July 27
Mike Ross
Show Synopsis
LEWIS LOVES CLARK is a funny, fast-paced epic about the famous Corps of Discovery expedition. Combining bluegrass, folk, and pop, this tragicomedy follows Meriwether Lewis (a depressed closeted alcoholic), William Clark (just breathtakingly oblivious), Sacagawea (permanently exasperated), and York (would rather be birdwatching) as they grapple with the not-so-great unknown. There is also a cute stuffed dog.
DYLAN MARCAURELE is a NYC-based writer and winner of the Jonathan Larson Grant in 2025. Book/music/lyrics credits include POP OFF, MICHAELANGELO! (2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival; The Other Palace; Underbelly Boulevard) and MEG4N (2024 tour starring RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 finalist Rosé). Composing credits include LEWS LOVES CLARK (2025 Barn on Fire; 2024 NAMT Festival; 2023 Richard Rodgers Award) and TEA WITH G (A.R.T. NY). Songwriting credits include MILEY CHASE: THE SCIENCE ACE (Broadway Licensing) and “Say Bravo!” (sung by Andy Cohen with the cast of Vanderpump Rules at the Paris Theater, Las Vegas). He created the 27k-follower reality television musical Instagram page @rhonymusical. Harvard University, ’16.
MIKE ROSS is a New York-based lyricist/librettist, dramaturg, and author for young readers. His musical work includes LEWIS LOVES CLARK (Book & Lyrics; 2023 Richard Rodgers Award; 2024 NAMT Festival), Kerrigan-Lowdermilk's THE BAD YEARS (Additional Lyrics; dir. Stephen Brackett); and family musicals THE LAND OF FORGOTTEN TOYS and THE MYSTERY OF CUSTODIA (Book & Additional Lyrics). He is a 2021 Dramatists' Guild Fellow and a member of the BMI Lehman-Engel Advanced Workshop. He has six books out for young readers through Scholastic; they have sold over a million copies to date. www.mikerosswrites.com
Jared Corak
Christopher Anselmo
Photo Credit: Michael Kushner
Jared Corak, Christopher Anselmo & Addie Gorlin-Han
PRINCESS KAY OF THE MILKY WAY
July 27 - August 3
Show Synopsis
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It’s 1980 on the lonesome prairies of Minnesota, and the Berglund Family Dairy Farm prepares for the most wonderful time of the year: The State Fair! But when siblings Sadie, Emmett and Eugenia discover an extraterrestrial in their barn, blue ribbons and butter sculptures take a back seat to helping this unexpected visitor. Can they juggle farm life, fair duties, and a stowaway from the stars—all without blowing their cover? A sci-fi romp with a big Midwestern heart, Princess Kay of the Milky Way explores family secrets, the weight of expectations, and how we can reach beyond the stars when our lives are tied to the land.
Addie Gorlin-Han
CHRISTOPHER ANSELMO (he/him) is an award-winning songwriter and playwright. His musicals include ATLANTIC (Edinburgh), FABLE (NYMF) and the NYT Critic’s Pick adaptation of THE POUT-POUT FISH, which premiered at the New Victory Theater in 2019 and continues to tour the nation with TWUSA. His latest musical FOUNTAIN has been developed at the O’Neill NMTC and NAMT, and was named a winner of the inaugural Pipeline Arts Foundation Award and Honorable Mention for the Relentless Award. With collaborator, Jared Corak, he was named a finalist for the Larson Grant and Kleban Prize. In addition to his work as a writer, he has served as associate to composer Jeanine Tesori on projects such as KIMBERLY AKIMBO and SOFT POWER. Member: ASCAP, Dramatists Guild, BMI Advanced Workshop.
JARED CORAK (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based writer and lyricist. His musicals include the New York Times Critic’s Pick adaptation of THE POUT-POUT FISH, which premiered at the New Victory Theater in 2019 and continues to tour the nation with TheaterWorksUSA, and FOUNTAIN, which was selected for the O’Neill’s 2023 National Music Theater Conference and NAMT’s 2023 Festival of New Musicals, was named a winner of the inaugural Pipeline Arts Foundation Award and Honorable Mention for the 2022 Relentless Award. He is the recipient of the Ellen Schwartz Award for Outstanding Literary Merit in Lyric Writing and the Jean Banks Award. With collaborator Christopher Anselmo, he was named a finalist for the Larson Grant and Kleban Prize. When he is not writing musicals, he works on the CBS TV show FBI.
ADDIE GORLIN-HAN (she/her) is a director, producer, and educator invested in the regional theater movement, new play development, and theater for all-ages; she is based at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis where works as Associate Producer. Upcoming directing: WOLF PLAY (Jungle Theater). Recent directing: FUN HOME (Latte Da), A CHRISTMAS CAROL 2023 & 2024 (Guthrie Theater), THE ROOT BEER LADY 2023 & 2025 (History Theatre, Theater L'Homme Dieu), INTO THE WOODS feat. Hillary Clinton (Arkansas Rep), KIN (UMN/Guthrie), AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME... (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), THE SONG OF SUMMER , CHARM, and ACCORDING TO COYOTE (Mixed Blood Theatre), STRANGE HEART BEATING (Cloudgate), LARAMIE PROJECT (Children’s Theater Company), I AND YOU (Phoenix Theater & Children’s Hospital), and FIVE TRIES (Cutting Ball Theatre). National Directors Fellowship, NNPN Producer-in-Residence, Cutting Ball Theater. K-12 teaching credential, B.A. Dartmouth College, National Theater Institute, M.F.A. Brown University/ Trinity Rep (Directing). American Theater’s Roll Call: People to Watch 2024, www.addiegorlin.com.
Tommy Newman & Jaime Lozano
ROJA
August 3 - August 10
Show Synopsis
ROJA is a new musical that reimagines the classic Little Red Riding Hood tale through the lens of traditional Mexican folk music and Mestizo folklore. Set at the edge of the desert in Northern Mexico, the story follows Roja, a young girl grappling with the loss of her father, alongside her steadfast mother. When she encounters a mischievous, magical coyote who offers her the chance to reunite with her father, Roja embarks on a journey of self-discovery to confront her grief and uncover the true meaning of miracles.
Tommy Newman
Jaime Lozano
TOMMY NEWMAN is a published playwright, composer and lyricist and a 2013 ASCAP Foundation Cole Porter Award Winner. Anna Sosenko Assist Trust Grant recipient, 2014 Kennedy Center ACTF National Musical Theatre Award Winner. His shows include: BAND GEEKS!, THE SINGLE GIRL’S GUIDE, "29", TINYARD HILL, SAVAGE, WITH BELLS ON: THE MUSICAL, JENNY’S DAMNED EX, OUR LADY OF 7-ELEVEN, ROJA: A NUEVO MUSICAL. Off-Broadway: WE THE PEOPLE: AMERICA ROCKS (Theaterworks USA, Lortel Nomination 2010), EL OTRO OZ also with Jaime Lozano (Theaterworks USA and The Atlantic Theatre Company, Winner of The Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Musical 2023-24), THE TEACHER FROM THE BLACK LAGOON AND OTHER STORIES (Theaterworks USA). Tommy is a full-time professor with Troy University's Department of Theatre and Dance. http://www.tommynewman.com
JAIME LOZANO is a Mexican multi-hyphenate musical theatre storyteller considered by Lin-Manuel Miranda as the “next big thing” on Broadway. American Theatre Wing’s Jonathan Larson Grant 2022. Goodspeed Opera House’s Johnny Mercer Grove Writers 2025. Dramatists Guild Fellow 2024-2025. Lincoln Center Resident Artist 2023. Joe’s Pub Working Group 2020-2022. The Civilians R&D Group 2020-2021. JACK Resident Artist 2021. Lincoln Center Resident Artist 2023. Selected works: EL OTRO OZ-formerly The Yellow Brick Road- (Off-Broadway & National Tour), CARMEN LA CUBANA (European Tour), CHILDREN OF SALT (NYMF 2016 “Best of Fest” Production), A NEVER-ENDING LINE (Comédie Nation in Paris, France & Broadway), Desaparecidas (JACK). Albums: “A Never-Ending Line,” “Jaime Lozano and the Familia: Songs by an Immigrant” released by Broadway Records. “Songs by an Immigrant Vol. 2,” released by Concord Theatricals Recordings. Film: “In The Heights” (orchestrations), “Tick, Tick… Boom!” (cameo in Broadway composers scene). His project “Jaime Lozano & The Familia” has performed sold out concerts at venues such as Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, The Green Room 42, Two River Theater, and as part of the prestigious Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Series. Currently working on Frida, The Musical. BFA: Music & Composition, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León; MFA: NYU/Tisch, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program (Full Tuition Scholarship); part of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. Proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, AFM Local 802, BMI and GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY member.
Rudy Percival
Sam Woof
Rudy Percival & Sam Woof
MAISON MAC
August 10 - August 17
Show Synopsis
Macbeth with Michelin stars; Maison Mac is a deliciously dark new musical set in the cut-throat world of fine dining. With a sharply contemporary script and a score that blends pop and musical theatre, Shakespeare’s classic becomes a kitchen thriller about two twenty-somethings who sacrifice everything to get to the top. Will anyone make it out unscathed? Can anyone stand the heat of the kitchen?
SAM WOOF is a writer, director and composer based in London. They were named one of The Stage’s Fringe Five for their work as artistic director of GOYA Theatre Company in 2023 and won the JMK’s inaugural August O’Neill Award in 2024. They are currently writing commissions for The Barn Theatre, Bob Benton and Elpis Productions. As writer/director, credits include: “Four Felons and a Funeral” (Birmingham Hippodrome); “Actually, Love” (Orange Tree - Playbill Pick of the Fringe); “Sex with Friends” (North Wall - Musical Theatre Review Award Winner). Assistant/associate director credits include “The Swell” (Orange Tree Theatre - Olivier Nominated); “Blizzard” (Soho Theatre, 59E59 NYC); “The Circle” (Theatre Royal Bath).
RUDY PERVICAL is a composer-songwriter, arranger, and sound designer. Credits include THE MOZART QUESTION (Barn Theatre) featured by The Guardian’s Observer in their ‘10 best shows of 2022’ and nominated for a UK Theatre Award; LESSONS ON REVOLUTION (Soho Theatre & Jermyn Street Theatre) selected for The Scotsman’s ‘Best Shows of the Fringe’; The Criterion Theatre’s 150th Anniversary Gala; DRUM (New Diorama & Soho Theatre); SO THAT YOU MAY GO BEYOND THE SEA (Camden People's Theatre); SUPERREAL (Northwall Arts Centre); TURNING THE SCREW (New Wimbledon Theatre & King's Head Theatre); and DEEPER AND DEEPER (Above the Stag Theatre).
Samora la Perdida, Mobéy Lola Irizarry,
Matthew Zwiebel & Josiah Handelman
SPANGLISH SH!T
August 17 - 24
Show Synopsis
Brujita, a trans Puerto Rican witch, stands trial at the Supreme Court, accused of brewing up a vengeful hurricane to blow away the Capitol. Pleading innocence, Brujita’s testimony takes us from the warm hills of Puerto Rico to the frigid suburbs of New Jersey. But there’s no escaping the guilt of her whitewashed past.
SAMORA LA PERDIDA (she/they) is a Princess Grace Award winner, YoungArts Fellow and the inaugural recipient of Baryshnikov Arts Center’s Artist Labs Residency. Her musical SPANGLISH SH!T, can be heard on PLAYBILL’s Songwriter Series as well as her TEDxTALK: Do Latines Need to Speak Spanish? SPANGLISH SH!T is produced by En Garde Arts and has been developed with support from Berkeley Rep, NYSCA, Antenna Cloud Farm, and will receive residencies at Pocantico Arts Center and the Watermill Center in 2025. la Perdida starred in the Off-Broadway productions of Soho Rep’s NOTES ON KILLING..., Quiara Alegría Hudes' MY BROKEN LANGUAGE , and Tina Landau’s A TRANSPARENT MUSICAL at the Mark Taper Forum. Film credits: “Queens of the Dead” and “La Cocina”. Graduate of LaGuardia HS and Carnegie Mellon.
MOBÉY LOLA IRIZARRY (they) is a genderqueer cultural worker in the realms of Salsa, Bomba, and transdisciplinary performance. Based in Brooklyn, they hail from the Puerto Rican diaspora in Hartford, CT, and are a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. She makes within the lineages of decolonial uprisings, collections of tiny mirrors at queer clubs, and the precolonial languages of the drum and the braid. Lola is the creative director and conguere for Las Mariquitas, NYC’s Queer and Trans Salsa band. They play in the experimental performance trio Dendarry Bakery and the Latin Rock group AVATAREDEN. They compose for Samora La Perdida’s SPANGLISH SH!T musical and are an alumnus of EMERGENYC. Lola is quoted in Rolling Stone saying “I want to abolish patriarchy in Salsa… this is a duty to our lineage.”
MATTHEW ZWIEBEL is a queer and neurodivergent music director, composer, copyist, and pianist; recently working on both of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS's RED BUCKET FOLLIES and BROADWAY BACKWARDS productions, for which he was also an orchestrator/arranger. They are currently a composer with the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Writing Workshop and an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University's music composition program. Select NYC credits include: ALREADY PERFECT (workshop, music and lyrics by Levi Kreis), MADDIE: THE MUSICAL (upcoming off-Broadway, music and lyrics by Stephen Keeling), SUNKEN CATHEDRAL (workshop, music by Chase Uram, lyrics by Taylor Fagins), and TALE OF TWO CITIES, (off-Broadway, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello). Matthew is constantly freelancing and often playing at Green Room 42 and 54 Below! Wilkes-Barre/Scranton native.
Samora La Perdida
Photo Credit: Jeff Harris
Mobéy Lola Irizarry
Photo Credit: Ama Wick
Matthew Zwiebel
Photo Credit: Jeremy Varner
Josiah Handelman
Photo Credit: Charlie Claffey
JOSIAH HANDELMAN is a composer, music producer, pianist, and recording artist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in music composition, Josiah frequently showcases his diverse musical background, incorporating various percussive elements as well as his roots in jazz, r&b, neo-soul, and gospel music. He was most recently one of the co-composers and arrangers for the Urban Impact Foundation production of "Samson: The Wrestling Musical". Josiah frequently collaborates as a music producer and songwriter with many Hip-Hop and R&B artists, including executive producing Kid Wolf's latest full-length orchestral hip-hop album "Magic Trick Rap Show". He has also independently released three full-length music projects under his artist name “J Baby Smooth”, including his third album “Juice” in November of 2023.
2025 Finalists
BANDIT QUEEN, Amanda D'Archangelis, Sami Horneff
HOLY CRAP: THE WORST PARTS OF THE BIBLE, Dan Israel, Phoebe Kreutz
HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, Andrew Beall, Evan McCormack, Lisa Sniderman
LONG LIVE THE POST HORN!, Andy Boyd, é boylan
MY HUSBAND, MY ROBOT, MY LOVER @ MY HUSBAND’S ROBOT LOVER, Andrew Moorhead, Steven James Schmidt
THE ORDER OF CHAOS, Charlie Romano, Will Wegner
SCARLET, Richard Lindenfelzer, Jess Newman
TAKING UP SPACE, Annabelle Dinda
TRACKING, Deepak Kumar, Jord Liu
THE TURING TEST, RJ Christian, Polly Hilton, Adam Rothenberg
WILDER HEART, Julie Foldesi, Marissa Koh
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