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 our "Meet the Writers" events, presented on 4 Saturdays between June 28 and August 9. 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.
Writers include Fred Ebb award winners Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler, two-time Tony Award nominated director and choreographer Denis Jones, and Jonathan Larson winners Jaime Lozano and Dylan MarcAurele.​​​​
​​​
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), and The Public Theater (NY). The writers of OPERATION MINCEMEAT presented a few selections at Oblong Books in 2019 in Rhinebeck. Now, they are making their broadway debuts and are nominated for 4 Tony Awards, including Best Musical!
​​
Email RSVP@rhinebeckwriters.org and let us know when you can join us.
Pete White & Fermin Suero, Jr
Saturday, June 28 from 5pm-7pm
Great Song Farm
475 Milan Hill Road, Red Hook, NY 12571
BLUDLINE: A HIP-HOP ODYSSEY
​
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.
​
Fermin is a Grammy-nominated audio engineer having worked with major artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Saweetie, Dua Lipa, Muna Long, and LISA from BLACKPINK. Pete is an accomplished music director, working on shows like AVENUE Q, LES MISERABLES, and KINKY BOOTS.
​​
Zina Goldrich, Marcy Heisler,
Denis Jones & Brad Hennig
Saturday, July 12 from 5 to 7pm
Oblong Books
6422 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
STAGE MOTHER​
SYNOPSIS
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.​​
​
Brad is the writer and producer of the 2020 film Stage Mother starring Jacki Weaver and Lucy Liu. Denis is a two-time Tony Award, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominee as a director and choreographer. Marcy and Zina accomplishments as a writing team 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).​
​
Dylan MarcAurele & Mike Ross
Saturday, July 26, from 5pm-7pm
Stissing Center
2950 Church Street, Pine Plains, NY 12567
LEWIS LOVES CLARK ​
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.
​​
LEWIS LOVES CLARK has received a number of awards in recent years, including 2023 Richard Rodgers Award and featured in the 2024 NAMT Festival. Dylan and Mike are both accomplished artists whose work has been viewed worldwide.
​​
Tommy Newman & Jaime Lozano
Saturday, Aug 9 from 5pm-7pm
Clinton Community Library
1215 Centre Road, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
ROJA​​
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 is a published playwright and composer recognized by the ASCAP Foundation and the Kennedy Center. Jaime is a Larson Grant recipient and considered a rising star by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
​
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WRITERS
​