Approaching its 13th season, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat has selected the nine musicals that will receive week-long developmental residencies this summer. The series of retreats launches June 25 in the Hudson Valley.
The nine musicals were selected from a record 210 applications. The retreat will provide 21 writers with housing, travel, food, and a stipend, as well as dramaturgical support from the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat’s Sounding Board of artistic advisors.
The full lineup of participating teams are:
- Robi Hager and Georgina Escobar with Little Duende, about a young elf who leaves home in search of her kidnapped mother
- Thalia Ranjbar and Kat Cartusciello with Nima & the Jen, a Persian musical about family, redemption, and the longing for culture.
- Adam Chanler-Berat and Julian Hornik with Assisted, a docu-theatre project set in the memory care unit of an assisted living facility.
- Coyle Girelli, Ben Thornewill, and Laura Zlatos with Reincarnation Blues, based on the Michael Poore novel about a reincarnated soul searching for his one true love.
- Arpita Mukherjee, Justin Halpin, and Jeffrey James with A Song for What Could Be, about a discordant collaboration between a retiree and an emerging songwriter.
- Adam Gwon and Michael Mitnick with The Bozos, about a high school senior with Down syndrome whose life and friendships begin to change as graduation approaches.
- Jae Broderick and André McRae with Jenny & June, based on the true story of famously silent twins June and Jennifer Gibbons.
- Justin Huertas and Rheanna Atendido with We've Battled Monsters Before, about a family of secret demon-slaying warriors in Seattle.
- Cheeyang Ng, Eric Sorrels, and Desdemona Chiang with The Phoenix, about the connection between an injured Traditional Chinese Dancer and a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Underwriters for the series include Liz Armstrong, Paul Feuerman and Bruce Grivetti, The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund, Liz and Bill Mills, Molly McEneny, The National Foundation for Musical Theatre, Steve and Paula Reynolds, and The Noël Coward Foundation in honor of Geoffrey Johnson.
