ALUMNI MUSICALS
a sanctuary for development of new musicals
Kirsten Childs
Bella:
An American Tall Tale
Co-world premieres at
Dallas Theatre Center 2016 & Playwrights Horizons 2017
Kennedy Prize finalist 2018.
Licensed by Concord Theatricals
“I was able to get some crucial rewriting done. Away from apartment noise and city life concerns, I was able to actually and completely focus. To my delight, I experienced a revitalization of my creativity. ~ Kirsten Childs
Joe Iconis, Lance Rubin, &
Jason Williams
Broadway Bounty Hunter
RWR’s 2015 Triple R musical and
World premiere at Barrington Stage, MA, in 2016
Off-Broadway Premiere in 2019
“My collaborators and I felt supported, appreciated, and encouraged, all of which allowed us to be amazingly productive during our stay in Rhinebeck. We found ourselves continually inspired and invigorated by our surroundings. We really felt like we were part of a family there, and that fueled us to not take the opportunity for granted and create some truly great material. We didn’t want to let our family down. It’s so rare to find a place that truly fosters new works in the way the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat does.” – Joe Iconis
Erin Courtney, Max Vernon,
and Ellie Heyman
The Tattooed Lady
Awarded a Project grant from
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
with the Philadelphia Theatre Company
“The last time I was at Rhinebeck, I was by myself for the majority of the week. While that experience provided the solitude necessary to write, I found that attending this time with a team of collaborators enhanced the residency even more. Being in the same living space created a hot-box creative environment, in which we were able to both generate a ton of material for our show and actually deepen on our bond as collaborators and friends. Also, the new house is a gorgeous and ideal location in which to write."
- Max Vernon
Maggie-Kate Coleman &
Erato A. Kremmyda
Marie in
Tomorrowland
2017 Jonathan Larson grant winners
Northwestern's American Music Theatre Project in 2018
“Specifically designed to assist musical theater writing teams, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat is completely unique and fills a massive gap in the current theatrical landscape. I cannot express how invaluable it has been for us to take part in a residency designed to address our specific collaborative process.” -Maggie Kate Coleman
Adam Gwon &
Michele Lowe
The Proxy Marriage
RWR’s 2018 Triple R selection
Reading at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center in Montana, July 2019
“I can’t overstate how useful my time at Rhinebeck Writers Retreat proved to be. We talked over breakfast, we talked in the car; new ideas came to us over iced tea in Rhinebeck and in conversations on the deck. Each time we thought we were finished, we’d take another pass through our outline, and each time made discoveries and changes that felt vital. It was a true testament to the gift of time. ” – Adam Gwon
The Lobbyists, Seth Moore,
& Liz Carlson
SeaWife
World premiere at Naked Angels in 2015,
Drama Desk nomination for outstanding music, production at White Heron Theatre on Nantucket in 2017.
“Our team is comprised of seven writers and a director, so mobilizing all of us in New York can be tricky. Being in a tranquil environment like Rhinebeck – where the focus is placed on the work and its development – and being compensated and provided for while there comprise an invaluable experience. We were able to birth our ideas and subsequently feed them.”
– Tommy Crawford
Heidi Rodewald & Stew
Family Album
Oregon Shakespeare Theatre Festival in 2014
“Being secluded together gave us time to watch the deer and gave us time to do laundry and gave us time to make each other laugh and gave us time to watch the deer again, which eventually when we got tired of watching the deer, gave us time to write.” – Heidi Rodewald
Itamar Moses & Gaby Alter
Nobody Loves You
Itamar Moses won 2018 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for The Band's Visit.
Nobody Loves You had productions at The Old Globe in San Diego in 2012 and Second Stage Theater off-Broadway in 2013
“Our musical is at a very advanced stage of development—about five years now. It can be easy to assume that rewrites will be faster at this stage. What we learned at Rhinebeck is that, if anything, rewrites at this stage require even more intense focus. The retreat provided us with the perfect environment to do just that, by eliminating distractions, providing us with a comfortable house to work and collaborate, groceries and a beautiful natural setting away from the city and our other projects.”
~ Itamar Moses and Gaby Alter
Amma Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin, Josh Williams, Khalil Sullivan
At Buffalo
Dr. Amma delivered a TED Talk in 2019, which has had over
2 million online views!
“Our team is spread out across the country so having the opportunity to be in the same time zone and location for a week, share meals, encourage each other, offer immediate feedback, and work together into the wee hours of the night, was incredibly fruitful and inspiring.”
– Khalil Sullivan
Alex Timbers and
Michael Friedman
(1975-2017)
Love’s Labour’s Lost
World premiere at
The Public’s Shakespeare in the Park, 2013
“Rhinebeck Writers Retreat was invaluable to the development of our new musical. The time spent upstate afforded us the opportunity to write, edit, collaborate, and delve deeper into the work – in a gorgeous, relaxing environment.”
~ Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman
Irene Sankoff & David Hein
Mitzvah
2017 Tony-nominees for Come from Away
“We’re somewhat unique because we’re a married team who travels with a toddler. The retreat went above and beyond to find activities for our daughter and the honorarium allowed us to bring a friend for childcare. As parents who work in an unpredictable industry, it makes us better as artists when we can relax and focus, knowing that while we’ve been absorbed by our work, we have also been generous as parents.”
~ Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Kyle Jarrow &
Duncan Sheik
Noir
Selected for NAMT’s Festival of New Musicals
“I find that one of the toughest challenges of the writing life is shutting out the noise of the world, the distractions of the business side of things, and the mental clutter that comes from simultaneous work on multiple projects. Duncan and I were able to cloister ourselves and focus with a thoroughness that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. The result was an awesome level of productivity!.” – Kyle Jarrow
Michael Kooman &
Chris Dimond
The Noteworthy Life
of Howard Barnes
Eugene O’Neill Theater Festival,
NAMT Festival of New Musicals and
Village Theatre Festival in Issaquah, WA
Original Cast Recording available for purchase!
“Rhinebeck Writers Retreat gave us the time, space, support, and freedom to focus on completing a draft of our script and score. Freed from the constraints of life in New York City, and removed from the pressures of product-oriented development opportunities, we were able to take a step back, see the project in a different light, and take the risks necessary to help it achieve its full potential.” ~ Chris Dimond
