The series, which is mentored by Tony winner William Finn, will feature the presentation of three new musicals: Calvin Berger (June 26-July 14), Funked Up Fairy Tales (July 31-Aug. 11) and The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (Aug. 21-Sept. 1).
Developed by artistic director Julianne Boyd in conjunction with Finn, the Lab, according to press notes, "is designed to nurture and assist musical theatre book writers, composers, and lyricists as they create new works."
In a statement Finn said, "We want to create a community of theatre artists where new works are being written, rehearsed, workshopped and previewed all the time, for the entire world to see. There are enormously talented people writing now who dropped projects along the way because they felt their works would never be produced. What Julie Boyd and I have come up with is a nurturing, highly supportive way of working with these artists. Rather than choosing works the artists have written, we are choosing artists for what we hope they will write—and providing a theatre for that work. This is a real theatre for the future."
The season at a glance:
Calvin Berger
Book, music and lyrics by Barry Wyner
Directed and choreographed by Stephen Terrell
Cast: David Perlman, Elizabeth Lundberg, Aaron Tveit and Gillian Goldberg
Designers: Brian Prather (scenery), Scott Pinkney (lighting), Amela Baksic (costumes)
This retelling of Cyrano De Bergerac takes place "in your average American high school, where Calvin Berger is too insecure about the size of his nose to ask out the girls of his dreams. Calvin communicates with her through the handsome new kid in school. The result is a hip, heartfelt new musical comedy to delight audiences of all ages." Funked Up Fairy Tales
Book, music and lyrics by Kirsten Childs
Directed by Kevin Del Aguila
"These twisted takes on classic tales will cast a spell on you! Obie Award winner and Drama Desk nominee Kirsten Childs has created 'K-Pig' (based on the Italian fairy tale 'The Pig Prince'), 'Tammi-Lynn in Her Trailer Park' (based on the Scottish fable 'Tam Lin') and 'Mistah Skin' (straight out of 'Rumpelstiltskin')."
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
Direction and book by Joe Calarco, music by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen
"Six people get lost in a phantasmagorical world inspired by Chris Van Allsburg's famous children's book. Equal parts Pirandello, Beckett & musical comedy, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is a wild ride through wonder, fear, and the imagination."
The series plays the Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue in Pittsfield, MA. Tickets, priced $25-$30, and are on sale now by calling 413-236-8888 or online at www.barringtonstageco.org.
