Meet the Writers
Want to learn how new musicals are created? Come meet a few of our musical theatre writers-in-residence this summer at "Meet the Writers" presented on 4 Saturdays in July and August. They are FREE and open to the public. You'll enjoy food & drinks, and the writers will share a few songs from the new musical they are writing at Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.
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They include Broadway and television actor Adam Chanler-Berat, Broadway director Arpita Mukherjee, Drama Desk nominees Adam Gwon and Michael Mitnick, and writer/performer of the current Off-Broadway production of LIZARD BOY, Justin Huertas.
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Musicals first seen at our "Meet the Writers" went on to have productions at La Jolla Playhouse (CA), Barrington Stage (MA), Philadelphia Theatre Company (PA), The Public Theater (NY), Alley Theater (TX), and Olney Theater Center (MD).
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Fun Fact - we hosted the team writing OPERATION MINCEMEAT in 2019 and presented a few selections at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck. This team is currently performing on the West End in London to rave reviews, including this one in the New Yorker.
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Email RSVP@rhinebeckwriters.org and let us know when you can join us.
Justin Huertas & Rheanna Atendido
Saturday, August 19 from 5 to 7pm
Stissing Center
2950 Church Street, Pine Plains, NY 12567
WE'VE BATTLED MONSTERS BEFORE
When you’re the youngest sibling in a family of secret warriors who for generations have protected Seattle from monsters and demons, living up to your Lola’s expectations is, in a word, daunting. Adarna’s mistakes were cute at first, but when they begin to cost her family more than she ever imagined, she must decide what she would sacrifice to save them. Loosely adapted from the 16th century Filipino epic poem Ibong Adarna, playwright Justin Huertas returns to his "Lizard Boy" roots with a sweet and intimate actor-musician musical adventure.
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PAST EVENTS:
Adam Chanler-Berat & Julian Hornik
Saturday, July 15 from 5pm-7pm
Great Song Farm
475 Milan Hill Road, Red Hook, NY 12571
ASSISTED
Richard has a play to make! Embarking on a docu-theater project set in the memory care unit of an assisted living facility, playwright Richard grows closer and closer to his interview subjects; as his work progresses, he faces destabilizing truths about himself and the facility he has become enmeshed in. This meta-theatrical musical fantasia is a mediation on aging, dignity, and performance as a means of palliative care.
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Arpita Mukherjee, Jeffrey James & Justin Halpin
Saturday, July 29 from 5pm-7pm
Clinton Library
1215 Centre Road Rhinebeck, NY 12572
HOW TO WRITE A LOVE SONG
When one retired and one emerging songwriter are paired to write a song together for a charity album, they can’t see eye to eye on anything. But during their first short meeting, they inspire in each other a spark of something they never expected. As they embark reluctantly on this collaboration, they find themselves pulled into directions they had never imagined. The most surprising pull is the one they feel towards each other. They don’t know where they are headed or if the choices they make will continue to inspire them. They question the role of the artist, and what is art really for - these questions are at the heart of HOW TO WRITE A LOVE SONG.
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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WRITERS
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Adam Gwon & Michael Mitnick
Saturday, August 5, from 5pm-7pm
At the home of Darin Johnson and Greg Keffer
in Austerlitz, NY, Columbia County
Address provided after you RSVP
THE BOZOS
The Bozos is about Katie, a 12th grader with Down syndrome who asks her best friend, one of the most popular boys in school, to the Last Chance Dance. Katie and her group of friends have been tight since fifth grade. Katie was almost never made to feel different. But as her friends grew older and now set their sights on what’s next, forging dreams – Katie wonders what’s next for her. No matter – the Last Chance Dance is going to be the best night of her life. Unfortunately, everything spirals out of control as the pressure of graduation reveals uncomfortable truths and the friends maneuver to a new understanding of the world ahead of them.
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