Developed by artistic director Julianne Boyd in conjunction with Finn, the Lab is designed to "nurture and assist musical theatre writers, composers, and lyricists as they create new works. These musicals, when fully developed, will result in workshops and/or full presentations," according to press notes.
In a statement composer Finn said, "We've hit the ground running, introducing our largest Musical Theatre Lab season yet. Not only are we presenting three new musicals, a staged reading and a workshop but we're also introducing two evenings in concert, featuring the songs of young songwriters who have original voices. We're presenting the best songwriters we know to Pittsfield, and then the world."
The upcoming season follows:
June 18-July 5
Book by Joe Calarco, music by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen
Inspired by the book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg
Directed by Joe Calarco
"Years ago Harris Burdick, a writer, left a series of astonishing sketches at a publisher's office promising to return the next day with their accompanying stories. He never returned. Inspired by Chris Van Allsburg's famous illustrated book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick offers one explanation for the man's disappearance, taking the audience on a wild ride through wonder, fear, and the imagination."
July 9-26
Book by Kyoung-ae Kang and Mark St. Germain, lyrics by Kyoung-ae Kang and music by Will Aronson
Based on the Korean film "My Scary Girl"
"Think 'Little Shop of Horrors' meets 'So I Married an Axe Murderer' meets (a Korean) Gertrude Stein. A romance/comedy/horror story set in Seoul, Korea, with a sensational contemporary musical theatre score—laugh-out-loud funny!"
Aug. 7-23
Book and lyrics by Adam Mathias, music by Brad Alexander
Directed by Kevin Del Aguila
"See Rock City & Other Destinations ventures to tourist destinations across America, mapping out stories of sightseers who need to get a little lost in order to find themselves." All three workshops will be presented at VFW Hall, 36 Linden Street, in Pittsfield, MA.
Special Events:
Staged reading on May 24 at 4 PM and May 25 at 7 PM
Book and lyrics by David Javerbaum, music by Brendan Milburn
Directed by Jonathan Bernstein
"This high-energy rock and roll musical tells the story of one of the least rockin' people of the 20th century: James Watt, the man best known for his tumultuous 38-month reign as Ronald Reagan's first Secretary of the Interior. Watt was one of the most controversial Cabinet secretaries in United States history, detested both politically and personally. Profoundly ironic, Watt!?! lets James Watt, and his loyal wife, Leilani, tell their own story with a combination of sympathy and unintentional hilarity, in a musical idiom that is profoundly, profoundly inappropriate."
Performances at VFW Hall, 36 Linden Street.
July 18 and 19 at 8 PM
Performances at Dottie's Coffee House, 444 North Street, Pittsfield.
July 24-26 at 8 PM
Performances at Dottie's Coffee House, 444 North Street, Pittsfield.
With Mary Testa and Michael Starobin
July 31-Aug. 3 at 8 PM. "The tale of a woman's sleepless night of fears, fantasies and dreams, expressed through a cycle of songs by composers as varied as Jimi Hendrix, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Bjork."
Performances at VFW Hall, 36 Linden Street. For information on a Musical Theater Lab pass, call (413) 236-8888 or visit www.barringtonstageco.org.
