The Lab, according to Variety, will work in tandem with NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program. Three musical workshops will comprise the summer season; the program will offer several readings of musicals as well.

The Lab series kicks off June 21-July 2 with The Burnt Part Boys, which features a book by Mariana Elder, music by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen. Directed by Joe Calarco, this comic musical adventure is set in Virginia's coal country where "six teenagers struggle to come to terms with the loss of their fathers in a devastating mining accident. As they set off for the long-shuttered mine, they embark on a journey that transforms their relationships with one another and the world around them."

The Grey Gardens creators — Michael Korie (book and lyrics) and Scott Frankel (music) — will be represented by Meet Mister Future. Christopher Ashley will direct the July 20-30 run of the musical, which is set at the 1939 World's Fair. The musical, according to press notes, concerns "ex-boxer Fred Smith . . . a drifter with a past [who] meets Miss Casey Kittridge, the feisty young publicist who transforms him into 'Mr. Future.'"

The final offering of the summer will be a song cycle titled Dogs That Wear Hats. Featuring music by Michael Shaieb and lyrics by Stephen Tomac, Dogs, which runs Aug. 17-27, will seek to answer such questions as "What's the meaning of life? Where do you stand in the universe? And, most important, what do you do when someone offers you a really nice rug?"

The Lab events will be held at the Berkshire Athenaeum, located at 1 Wendell Avenue in Pittsfield, MA. For more information visit www.barringtonstageco.org.