New Works
Maybe you’ve heard of a little musical called Annie? Well, that started off as a new work, never before seen by an audience until its debut at Goodspeed in 1976.
New works have been an integral part of Goodspeed’s mission throughout our past and into our present, allowing musicals to flourish, thrive, and have a life in the future.
Goodspeed takes new work seriously. Take a look at some of the ways we develop new musicals:
Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals is an annual event that allows three teams of writers and composers the opportunity to develop their musicals with a director, music, director, and student actors from The Hartt School and other local universities over the course of two weeks, culminating in staged readings performed for the public. The Tony-winning, worldwide sensation Come From Away was developed at the Festival in 2013!
The Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals is a long-term residency program that offers established and emerging writers the unique opportunity to research, develop and create new musicals.
The NYU Writers Residency is offered each year in collaboration with the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at the Tisch School of the Arts. During their week-long stay on the Goodspeed campus, second-year NYU students are provided the time, serenity, guidance, and resources to develop original full-length musicals as part of their graduation requirements.
At Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre in Chester, new works are developed even further with full-scale productions. Throughout the rehearsal process and the run, the writers and creative team are making changes to the show on an almost-daily basis. The Terris Theatre has launched dozens of shows to Off-Broadway, Broadway, film and beyond.
And finally, audiences can find new musicals in their final stages of development on The Goodspeed stage. Shows like Shenandoah, Annie, Holiday Inn, Anne of Green Gable, Summer Stock, The 12 and so many more got their start here!
About The Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals
In 2013, Goodspeed Musicals began its 50th Anniversary Season with the announcement of a major new four-week residency program for musical theatre writers. The Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals is the first of its kind in the country dedicated solely to the creation of new musicals. In partnership with The Johnny Mercer Foundation, Goodspeed proudly offers established and emerging writers the unique opportunity to research, develop, and create new musicals. The Writers Grove is a unique, long term residency program devoted exclusively to musical theatre writing. It provides a sanctuary for composers, lyricists, and librettists to embark on new musical theatre work or to devote a substantial amount of time to a work-in-progress in an environment rich with creative energy. For four weeks each year, 30+ writers are immersed in this stimulating environment with the singular purpose of allowing the writers to write.
At Goodspeed Musicals, writers find the freedom to work without the distractions of daily life, while receiving the support and encouragement needed to develop their works in progress. Each project is assigned a creative mentor drawn from the highest levels of musical theatre professionals. The Writers Grove affords the artists unlimited access to research materials in the Scherer Library of Musical Theatre, one of the most extensive musical theatre libraries in the U.S.; composition time in Goodspeed’s music studios; and collaborative exchange with their peers through a series of informal salons for presenting and sharing their work. Throughout the residency, members of Goodspeed’s artistic staff and professionals from the Johnny Mercer Foundation are on site to offer guidance and support for the writers. Each year, writers are invited by Goodspeed’s panel of industry leaders to participate in this prestigious program.
With the establishment of the Writers Grove in 2013, Goodspeed Musicals has cemented its position as the center for the American Musical, which it supports through producing new and valued musicals from our nation’s history; the comprehensive collection and services of the Scherer Library of Musical Theatre; and the educational and outreach activities of its Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre.
Please note: participation in the Writers Grove program is by invitation only; unsolicited submissions will not be considered.
Writers Grove
Click the names below to read full bios.
Assisted
Black Girl in Paris
Call Me from the Grave
Double Entendre
Esperanza Rising: The Musical
The Female Pope
Fouad of Nazareth
Heartbeats
The Hometown Tour
The Johnny Mercer Story
Merlin's Daughter
A Million Aisles Away
Miss Hysteria
Princess Kay of the Milky Way
Skyward: An Endling Elegy
The Sugar Plum Fairy
Tú Y Yo [working title]
Winner
Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria
Click the names below to read full bios.
Broken Ground
The Cereal Café
A Complicated Woman
The Dark Lady
Delta Blue
D'Este And The Fab Four: A Queer Club Musical
Grace and the Butterfly Effect
How to Build a Revolution
Iobairt
The Loophole
Lovedeep Singh and the Deep Love Singers
Maison Mac
Mountain For Elodie
Once Again
Proud Marys: A New Musical Comedy
Queens Of Solomon
The Reality Shaper: A Musical Podcast
Shen Hua
A Whisper Called Freedom
Evermore
Henry & Me
Here & Their
How to Build a Revolution
Little Miss Perfect
Offline
Photosynthesis
Possession
The Restless Girls
The Snow Goose
Starstruck
Sueños: Our American Musical
Switched
Untitled Project
Alien of Extraordinary Ability
At Buffalo: A New Musical
A Burning Church
The Carol Of The Bells
The Death Of Desert Rose
Hundred Feet Tall
The Lesson
Missing Peace
Oknui
The Oscar Micheaux Project
Rise of the Phoenix
Salaam Medina: Tales of a Halfghan
Untitled New Musical
Untitled New Musical
Agent 355
Alien of Extraordinary Ability (AOEA)
At Buffalo: A New Musical
The Lesson
Missing Peace
Salaam Medina: Tales of a Halfghan
Soviet Rebel Girl
Sunwatcher
Untitled New Musical
Untitled New Musical
At The River I Stand
Balloonfest
Corner of Bitter and Sweet
The Elementary Spacetime Show
Kelly V. Kelly
The Last Medicine Show
The Little Big Things
The Moon And The Sea
Paris By Night
Poppy
The Prancing Elites
Resident Alien
Sean'S Story Part Two | The Reckoning
Untitled Project
Victory Train
Village Of Vale
West Side Cowboys
A Complicated Woman: The John Kenley Story
Anne of Green Gables, A New Folk Rock Musical
Apollo Wives
Beauty Queens
Common Ground
Diva
Gun & Powder
The Gunfighter Meets His Match
The Homefront
Interstate
Like A Billion Likes
Maya Songs
Private Gomer
Revelations
The Show Ends in Tucson
The Three Fates
Untitled Project
The Wave
Whole Sex
Wild Sound
Wild Thing
August Rush
Bhangin’ It
Blue Ridge Sky
The Dinner Table
The Ditch Digger’s Apprentice
Girl Shakes Loose
Hart Island Requiem
Illa! A Hip Hop Musical
The In-Between
The Jungle
The Last Medicine Show
Love/Sick
One Way
Roget
Three Sisters
Travels In Vermeer
Untitled Project
Wild Sound
A Silent Man
Benny & Joon
Bone Hill
Devotion
Highway of Tears
Into the Wild
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Johnny and the Devil’s Box
Nicola Tesla Drops a Beat
Rockin' the Bible
Skin & Bones
Sweetwater
The Clearing
The Journey That Saved Curious George
The Ninth Hour
Wilde/Whitman
Benjamin Button
By the Numbers
Co-Op
Cyrano
Darling Grenadine
Deathless
Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera
Devotion
Hollywood Romance
In the Green
King of Kong
My Name Is Annie King
Nikola Tesla Drops the Beat
Passing Through
Preach
Reb + Vodka + Me
Sunrise Prayer
The Ninth Hour
The Soldiers (Now Titled Secret Soldiers)
Tyrannis
Wintersong
A Strange Loop
Atlantis
Barefoot Persephone
The Dawn of Eden
Factory Girls
Famous Victories / Moby Dick
Frog and Gary
Heist (Currently Titled Masterpiece)
Jasper in Deadland / Rope
Learning How to Drown
Nearly Tennessee
The Odysseus Agreement
Other World
Passing Through
Puccini
Row
Sadako & Floyd
Stealing Time / The Big Time
Taking Step Three13
The Total Bent
Unexpected Bliss
Unnamed Project
A Vision
Alice Bliss
Anne Frankenstein
Annie Golden: Bounty Hunter, Yo!
Boy
Chasing Rainbows
Chix Six
Joe (Currently Titled Indian Joe)
- Elizabeth A. Davis
- Tim Acito
Legendale
The Lion
My Heart Is the Drum
Paint Your Wagon / Fabulous Invalid
Radioactive
Stillwater
The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker
Sunset City
Tempted
Unbound / Republic
The Underclassman
Untitled
We Foxes
Adam Lives
Alice Bliss
Bleeding Love
The Circus In Winter
Gretl/Trinity
His and Hers
Madam Fury's Traveling Show
The Mapmaker's Opera
Summerland
Story Of Jo-Beth
Swan Lake
The Theory Of Relativity/Something Wicked This Way Comes
Triangle
Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
January 17 - 19, 2025
The Terris Theatre, Chester
Don't miss your chance to see the next big hit at Goodspeed’s 19th Festival of New Musicals! The Festival has launched more than 50 new musicals into the universe, sending them across the country, to Broadway, and around the world! Join us for a weekend filled with insider events, seminars, cabarets, and three staged readings of brand-new works as the brightest writers and performers collaborate to create the future of America's greatest art form.
For the first time, the Festival will be held at The Terris Theatre in Chester, a charming town filled with unique shops and restaurants!
See a list of local dining options in Chester to check out during the Festival Weekend:
* Exclusive Festival Package Event
Friday, January 17
All package holders will be able to pick up their tickets in the Terris Theatre lobby before Friday's staged reading.
R&J: Fire on the Bayou
7:30pm | The Terris Theatre
Conceived by Kevin Ramsey
Adaptation by Kevin Ramsey & Nygel D. Robinson
Music & Lyrics by Nygel D. Robinson & Kevin Ramsey
Romeo. Juliet. Capulets. Montagues. The world’s most famous romance takes on new meaning set against the revelries of modern day Mardi Gras. Adapted from one of the greatest plays of all-time, and featuring a jazz-and-blues score that evokes the spirit of New Orleans – R&J: Fire on the Bayou breathes new life into the timeless tragedy of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.
Oliver Houser: Wunderkind
10:30pm | The Terris Theatre
Set in a Jewish American family in the early 20th century, Wunderkind is an original piece that follows Hans, a young piano prodigy endeavoring to break free of his father’s crippling expectations and claim his creative voice. A timeless story of forgiveness and redemption with a rhapsodic score, Wunderkind expresses the universal theme of becoming who we are.
Winner of the inaugural Stephen Schwartz Award, the ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award and a Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellowship, Oliver Houser (he/him) is an intersex musical theater artist who is passionate about creating original life-affirming work that facilitates healing and connection. Oliver has headlined at the Kennedy Center and presented his musicals at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Village Theater, Nashville Repertory Theater, Red Mountain Theatre Co, London's Other Palace Theatre, the NAMT Festival and beyond. Oliver’s original musical XY was one of three finalists for the Relentless Award, the largest prize presented to an unproduced musical. The piece will premier at London’s Park Theatre in 2025. www.oliverhouser.com.
Saturday, January 18
Seminar Sessions
1:00pm - 4:30pm | Chester Meeting House (4 Liberty St - Just two blocks from the Terris Theatre)
Exclusive Gold Package Event
1:00 | A Weekend (at least) in the Country
Writer Residency Programs are often the best kept secret in new musical development. Hear from Kathy Evans (Founding Executive Director, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat) about how these vital initiatives contribute to the musical theatre ecosystem.
2:15 | It Doesn’t Grow on Trees
Kander & Ebb like to say that “money makes the world go ‘round”, but how do non-profit theatres go about fundraising in our current day? From foundations to corporate giving, Frank Stilwagner divulges Goodspeed’s strategies to get dough and the tremendous ‘knead’ for it.
3:30 | Another Op’nin’, Another Show
Everyone knows that the Opera House isn’t very big, so how do we get all of the scenery, costumes, props, and people inside the building? Join Goodspeed’s Director of Production Endla Burrows and Production Manager / Technical Director Dominick Pinto as they pull back the curtain on the logistics of fitting massive musicals like A Christmas Story into intimate spaces.
Oy Band
7:30pm | The Terris Theatre
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Bonnie Gleicher
When a vocal group of four Orthodox Jewish girls from Brooklyn come of age and can no longer sing in front of men, they disguise themselves as a boy band to perform for the whole forbidden world. Oy Band is the new empowering musical about the visceral need to do what you love and to discover who YOU really are... by pretending to be someone else.
Cheeyang Ng: Legendary
10:00pm | The Terris Theatre
Legendary is Cheeyang’s journey in unpacking and processing the trauma of moving to a new country alone, leaving everything they knew behind while navigating a completely different culture, at the same time, trying to prove to everyone that the decision was worthwhile. Legendary weaves the mythological stories that they grew up with alongside their experiences immigrating to America, in a discovery to understand loss, ambition and self.
Born and raised in Singapore, Cheeyang Ng (they/them) is an award-winning singer-songwriter who writes at the intersection of queer, Asian and immigrant stories. They have performed around the world, including Lincoln Center with Carole King and Carnegie Hall with a cappella group Vocalosity. They are the first Singaporean to headline a concert at Joe's Pub, Feinstein’s/54 Below and Millennium Stage at Kennedy Center showcasing their original music. Their songs have been performed in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and London.
Sunday, January 19
The Carol of the Bells
1:00pm | The Terris Theatre
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Nevada Lozano
Christmas is the favorite holiday of the Bell family, most particularly the youngest daughter, Silver. After learning it may be the last Christmas with her grandmother, Silver sets about to reunite the entire family for one final Christmas – despite her parent’s recent divorce, the estrangement of her delinquent brother, boy-obsessed sister…and her dad’s new girlfriend crashing the festivities. Direct from its hit cabaret performance at last year’s Festival, The Carol of the Bells is an irreverent, heartwarming, yuletide musical comedy that will have your heart growing three sizes.
Meet The Writers Q&A
3:30pm | The Terris Theatre
Exclusive Gold Package Event
The Festival weekend culminates in a question-and-answer session with some of the writers and creative teams behind R&J: Fire on the Bayou, Oy Band, and The Carol of the Bells.
a Festival Package! The Gold Package gives you full access to all of our amazing events, and the Silver Package is for those who simply want to see all 3 Staged Readings. You can also add-on one or both Cabarets with the Silver Package, or with Single Tickets.
Festival Packages
Gold Package | $125
- 1 Ticket for all 3 Staged Readings
- 3 Seminars*
- Friday & Saturday Cabarets
- Meet the Writers Q&A *
Silver Package | $75
- 1 Ticket for all 3 Staged Readings
Add-Ons
- Friday Cabaret - $20
- Saturday Cabaret - $20
* Exclusive Package Event
Call the Box Office to order packages: 860.873.8668
Single Tickets
Staged Readings
- Adult Tickets: $30
- Student Tickets: $15
Cabarets
- All Tickets: $20
or call 860.873.8668
Would you like to be a Friend of the Festival? Friends enjoy VIP seating for all Festival events, and other perks including:
- An exclusive Kick-Off Cocktail Party where you can meet the writers and performers
- The long-standing tradition of Sunday Brunch with Students
- Recognition in all 2025 Festival programs and promotional displays
- Opportunity to sit in on select Festival rehearsals
Most importantly, Friends of the Festival provide crucial support that helps to make the Festival a premier showcase for new musicals in the country. With a gift of $500 per person you can be a part of this exclusive group.
Contact David Mai at dmai@goodspeed.org or 860-873-8664 x333 for more information.
2025 Friends Of The Festival
- As of 1/14/25
- Ronald Benedict & Sandy Eichelberg
- Denise Bernardo & Edwin Muentes
- Kianna Bromley
- Jennifer Brown & Ian Ayres
- Anne Sullivan Calanquin
- Lorey A. Cavanaugh
- Steven & Cindy Chao
- Donald & Terri Coustan
- Ruth Ann Davis
- Sue Frost
- Susan Gonsalves
- William Gratz & James Bruno
- Carol Lane
- Jon Lukomnik & Lynn Davidson
- David & Judith Macri
- Sonya Mangan
- Mark Planner
- Will Rhys & Nancy Kluck
- Hila & Saul Rosen
- Anne Rothstein & Jane Hellman
- Blair Russell
- Kathleen Sauer
- Allyn & Karen Seymour
- Bert Silverberg
- David Shimchick
- Carl Thompson
- John Voege
See a list of local dining options in Chester to check out during the Festival Weekend:
Parking at The Terris Theatre is limited, so please be prepared to find alternate parking once the lot fills up. Please see the map below for additional parking in Chester.
The Peculiar Tale of the Prince of Bohemia and the Society of Desperate Victorians
Friday, Jan 18, 7:30 PM
Book and Lyrics by Becca Anderson & Dan Marshall
Music by Julian Blackmore
When Prince Florizel learns that his father the King of Bohemia is dead, he seeks to escape the throne. He and his chaperone Colonel Geraldine are invited to join a secret society - The Suicide Club. Club members play a deadly card game nightly with higher stakes than the Prince has ever known. Realizing the deck is stacked against them, the Prince and Geraldine become inextricably linked to the club's members in a darkly hilarious new musical.
The Proxy Marriage
Saturday, Jan 19, 7:30 PM
Book & Lyrics by Michele Lowe
Music & Lyrics by Adam Gwon
Adapted from THE PROXY MARRIAGE by Maile Meloy
In Montana, a lawyer performs proxy marriages – primarily of military couples, in which both parties are not physically present. The lawyer’s popular teenage daughter Bridey and her awkward friend William stand in for the bride and groom. When senior year is done, they leave Montana to pursue their separate dreams. Over the next 13 years, life pulls them apart and then together again, and as the world changes, so do William and Bridey. In time they realize that perhaps what they were longing for all along was each other.
Devotion
Sunday, Jan 20, 1:00 PM
Music, Book and Lyrics by Mark Sonnenblick
Wanda Lee, a young woman in the fictional town of Braxton, Ohio, feels totally lost. Paul, a football star who became addicted to painkillers after a career-ending injury, feels much the same. When Wanda Lee's ten-year-old brother tells both of them he's been recruited for a divine mission, Paul and Wanda Lee must decide whether to bring him to his senses or join him on the journey. A story about addiction (not just to drugs) and belief (not just in religion), Devotion is a heartfelt, uplifting musical set against an American crisis of community.
Five Points
Friday, Jan 12, 7:30 PM
Music by Ethan Pakchar and Douglas Lyons
Lyrics by Douglas Lyons
Book by Harrison David Rivers
New York City. 1863. Set amidst the tumult of the Civil War, Five Points chronicles the journeys of two men - Willie Lane, a young black performer at the famed Almack’s Dance Hall, and John Diamond, an Irish immigrant and former jig champion - as they risk everything in pursuit of the American Dream.
Sweetwater
Saturday, Jan 13, 7:30 PM
Music by Sean Mahoney
Book & Lyrics by Patricia Noonan
As World War II shakes the nation, sisters Beth and Frankie join women from across America to fly for the US Army. Leaving home to train in Sweetwater, TX, these Women Airforce Service Pilots risk their lives without military status. From history’s margins, Sweetwater brings the WASP center stage in an epic story about the joys and costs of being female pioneers
Passing Through
Sunday, Jan 14, 1:00 PM
Music & Lyrics by Brett Ryback
Book by Eric Ulloa
Based on the work “Walking to Listen” by Andrew Forsthoefel
Passing Through tells the incredible true story of a young man who journeys on foot from Pennsylvania to California, collecting stories as he goes. When his trek brings to light a repressed family trauma, he must use the lessons he’s gathered to confront his past. Set against the backdrop of America, it’s a musical about community and the healing power of forgiveness.
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Friday, Jan 13, 7:30 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Daniel Zaitchik
Adapted from the novel by Joan Lindsay
Valentine’s Day, 1900. Victoria, Australia. The girls from the prestigious Appleyard College are released from their studies to take a day trip to Hanging Rock, an ancient geological rock formation. The wilderness is seductive. The girls are enraptured. The mystery begins... Daniel Zaitchik’s Picnic at Hanging Rock is a haunting musical adaptation of one of Australia’s most treasured and evocative novels.
ZM
Saturday, Jan 14, 7:30 PM
Music by Mark Hollmann
Book by Greg Kotis
Lyrics by Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis
Can a sandwich turn people into zombies? ZM follows two teenaged fast-food workers as they struggle to live, and love, during a food-borne catastrophe that might well destroy Humanity. The creators of the Tony Award-winning Urinetown serve up a humorous new musical satire that will make you think twice before rolling up to the drive-thru of your favorite fast food restaurant.
Row
Sunday, Jan 15, 1:00 PM
Book by Daniel Goldstein
Music & Lyrics by Dawn Landes
Based on “A Pearl in the Storm” by Tori Murden McClure
In June, 1998, Tori Murden left her job as a project manager in Louisville, Kentucky, and embarked on what no woman had ever done: row across the Atlantic. She set out with her homemade vessel, covered over 1,000 miles and rowed over 200,000 strokes. She made videos to track her journey, even when she lost all radio connection with the outside world. But she unknowingly rowed into the heart of Hurricane Danielle. Row tells a heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting story of finding your heart in the middle of the ocean.
We Foxes
Friday, Jan 15, 7:30 PM
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Set in 1945 Missouri, this Southern Gothic musical tells the story of Willa—a tough, unmannered orphan adopted by the sheriff’s wife—and the bloody domestic war that ensues between them when Willa uncovers the secrets lurking beneath the floorboards. It is the story of intense human struggle, deliverance, and salvation that can only be found from within.
Milo at the Movies
Saturday, Jan 16, 7:30 PM
Book by Tom Diggs
Music & Lyrics by Mark Gaylord
Directed by DB Bonds
Milo and Dexter thought they’d make a killing in vaudeville, but thanks to silent movies, they’d have better luck getting arrested than getting on stage. So when Milo’s gumption lands the duo an unexpected gig, the brothers figure they’ve struck gold: a regular gig, good dough, and a pretty dame to boot! As long as they can avoid the censor, the cops, the fiancé, and each other, everything’ll be just fine.
Only Anne
Sunday, Jan 17, 1:00 PM
Book & Lyrics by John Dietrich
Music by Will Buck
Directed by Amy Corcoran
It’s Jane Austen meets Downton Abbey in this musical update of her popular novel Persuasion, set in 1920s Britain at the dawn of the Jazz Age. Anne Elliot is forced to confront the sacrifices she made for her family when she finds herself face-to-face with the highly-regarded Admiral Frederick Wentworth, the once-penniless true love she was persuaded to abandon. Only Anne maneuvers through a landscape of miscommunications, misperceptions, and, ultimately, the search for love in a rapidly changing world.
Outlaws
Friday, Jan 16, 7:30 PM
Music & Lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen
Book by James Presson
Directed by Noah Himmelstein
Frustrated with Washington and hard-up for cash, Jesse James and his brother Frank take matters into their own hands robbing banks, courting the press, and killing anyone who gets in their way. Alternating between sprawling epic and intimate family drama, Outlaws examines the blurred lines between hero and villain, bravery and recklessness, and man and god.
The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes
Saturday, Jan 17, 7:30 PM
Book and Lyrics by Christopher Dimond
Music by Michael Kooman
Howard Barnes is a perfectly average man, until he discovers that his life has become a musical. Equal parts satire, romantic comedy, and love letter to the American musical, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes is a musical for people who love musical theater, and their spouses who hate it.
For Tonight
Sunday, Jan 18, 1:00 PM
Book by Whitney Rhodes, Spencer Williams, and Shenelle Williams
Music and Lyrics by Shenelle Williams and Spencer Williams
When their parents die of a mysterious illness in their small Welsh village, surviving siblings Thomas, Haydon, and Nettie are forced to fend for themselves. Inspired by the gypsies who once shared their home, Haydon heads off to Liverpool, guitar in hand, to find what he's been missing. There he meets Mirela who speaks to his wandering soul. Through a riveting indie-rock/folk score, For Tonight explores the indelible power of home.
• TheatreFest15 on the Isle of Man: October 9-10, 2015
• Wharton Center for Performing Arts, University of Michigan: Oct 23-24, 2015
Adam Lives
Friday, Jan 17, 7:30 PM
Book, Music & Lyrics by Rob Baumgartner, Jr.
Adam is an unsuccessful songwriter who doesn’t know how to settle into his long-term relationship with Claudia. When he has an opportunity to write for an emerging pop superstar, Adam is forced to decide which he values more: an enduring partnership or a love that is worthy of song. Adam Lives is about finding and keeping the important things in life, but at what cost?
A Proper Place
Saturday, Jan 18, 7:30 PM
Book by Leslie Becker and Curtis Rhodes
Music by Curtis Rhodes
Lyrics by Leslie Becker
Additional Lyrics by Curtis Rhodes
It is 1902. Mayfair, England. When an upper class British family is shipwrecked on an island with only their butler to help them survive, traditional class systems are questioned and unexpected love blossoms. Based on J. M. Barrie’s play The Admirable Crichton, this musical fantasy with a sumptuous score, dubbed a “cross between Downton Abbey and Gilligan’s Island,” is a classic tale of equality, survival and forbidden love.
• 2014 Village Theatre Festival of New Musicals, August 2014
• Village Theatre, Issaquah, WA, March 16-April 23, 2017
The Theory Of Relativity
Sunday, Jan 19, 1:00 PM
Music & Lyrics by Neil Bartram
Book by Brian Hill
This unconventional new musical from the writers of The Story of My Life is a joyous and moving look at our surprisingly interconnected lives. Through a collection of songs, scenes and monologues, The Theory of Relativity introduces a compelling array of characters experiencing the joys and heartbreaks, the liaisons and losses, the inevitability and the wonder of human connection.
• Goodspeed's Terris Theatre, May 7-30, 2015
• Drayton Arms Theatre, London, May 26 - June 13, 2015
• Studio Cast Recording available
Nine Wives
Friday, Jan 18, 2013
Music & Lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen
Book & Lyrics by Dan Elish
Based on the novel, “Nine Wives” by Dan Elish
Nine Wives tells the story of Henry Mann, a 32-year-old bachelor who discovers that the love of his life has met someone new and is about to get married. What’s worse, he’s been invited to her wedding! What follows are Henry’s frantic attempts to find a woman he can take as his date – a potential future wife – to prove to his ex-fiancée (and the world) that he too is ready to move on.
TriARts Sharon Playhouse, July 24-27, 2014
Come From Away
Saturday, Jan 19, 2013
Book, Music and Lyrics by David Hein and Irene Sankoff
Come From Away is a rocking musical about when 38 planes from around the world were diverted to a small, Canadian community on September 11th, 2001 - doubling its population in an instant. While the world witnessed the worst acts of humankind, the stranded passengers had their faith in humanity restored by the spirited people who comforted those who had come from away.
• La Jolla Playhouse, May 29-July 12, 2015
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals: Fall 2013
• Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway, premieres February 18, 2017
Princesses: A New Rock Musical
Sunday, Jan 20, 2013
Book by Janece Shaffer, Emma Lively and Tyler Beattie
Music, and Lyrics by Emma Lively and Tyler Beattie
Four outrageous princesses escape the confines of their castle walls and shock the fairy tale world with their unconventional ways. Princesses is inspired by the Brothers Grimm's "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" and features a contemporary rock score.
Harmony, Kansas
Friday, Jan 13, 2012
Music by Anna K. Jacobs
Book & Lyrics by Bill Nelson
A new musical with a lively, soulful score that follows Heath, a farmer in rural Harmony, Kansas and his city-born partner who talks him into joining the newly formed gay men's chorus. Heath discovers a love for making music and unexpected kinship. But when the group decides to perform in public, his world is turned upside down and all that matters to him is threatened.
• New York Theatre Barn at the D-Lounge: July 29, 2013
• Diversionary Theatre, San Diego, CA: June 14 - July 22, 2012
• Track the show's progress
Not Wanted On The Voyage
Saturday, Jan 14, 2012
Music & Lyrics by Neil Bartram
Book by Brian Hill
Based on the novel by Timothy Findley
A housewife, her husband, their three sons, and a talking cat - just an ordinary family living ordinary lives in the turbulent days before the Great Flood. Their ordinary lives are turned upside-down when they learn that they alone will survive the comnig deluge. Filled with magic, mythology and, above all else, hope, Not Wanted on the Voyage is a provocative new musical about the first time the world ended.
The Dogs Of Pripyat
Sunday, Jan 15, 2012
Music by Aron Accurso
Lyrics by Jill Abramovitz
Book by Leah Napolin & Jill Abramovitz
Based on the play by Leah Napolin
USSR, 1986. As all humans are evacuated from Chernobyl, their pets are left behind to fend for themselves. This is the story of those animals. Boychik is a gentle mutt who pines for his masters' return. But when a pair of alphas take control, Boychik learns how to hunt, kill and ultimately form a new kind of family. Based on true events, The Dogs of Pripyat is a story about hope and survival when they seem least possible.
The Green Room 42, March 2, 2020
Hello! My Baby
Friday, January 14 2011 - 07:30PM
Book & New Lyrics by Cheri Steinkellner
New Music & Arrangements by Georgia Stitt
From debutante balls to Delancey Street, Hello! My Baby puts a new-fashioned spin on the great American songbook musical, weaving the updated hits of Berlin, Gershwin, Kern, and a score of others into a timely and hilarious tale of first love, class-struggles, street-gangs, gender-swapping, and a whole lot of ukuleles.
• Available for licensing through MTI
• Rubicon Theatre Company, Ventura, CA: Mar 21 - April 15, 2012
• Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre: Nov 3 - 27, 2011
• Track the show's progress
Nobody Loves You
Saturday, January 15 2011 - 07:30PM
Music & Lyrics by Gaby Alter
Book & Lyrics by Itamar Moses
Nobody Loves You is a romantic comedy about the search for meaningful relationships in a culture dominated by the quest for popularity. When Jeff, a philosophy grad student, goes on a reality TV dating show to win back his ex, he instead finds a girl who might be the love of his life. But will she fall for him once he is seduced by the adulation of his fans?
• Second Stage Theatre, New York NY: June 20-August 11, 2013
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals: Fall 2012
• The Old Globe, San Diego, CA: May 9 - June 17, 2012
Room 16
Sunday, January 16 2011 - 01:00PM
Book by Andrea Lepcio
Music by Stephen Sislen
Lyrics by Stephen Sislen & Ben H. Winters
Originally Developed by Stephen Sislen & Ben H. Winters
Room 16 tells the story of the unlikely friendship between G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, and the events leading to the Watergate break-in of June, 1972. With a score spanning America popular musical styles from swing and big band to folk and early '70s rock, Room 16 is a fast-paced and darkly comedic look inside American political history.
Hello Out There
Friday, Jan 15, 2010
Book & Lyrics by Eric Price
Music by Frank Terry
It’s the summer of 1995, a dozen years before the current financial crisis and the scandal of Bernie Madoff. Three Internet-savvy teens are able to earn tens of thousands of dollars in the stock market using an ingenious method that may or may not be illegal. When an immigrant taxi driver loses his life savings because of the teenagers’ game, he alerts the SEC. What was initially a high-flying summer of getting rich turns upside down as the S.E.C. chases the teens across the Internet, through the New Jersey suburbs, and all the way to Wall Street.
• Adirondack Theatre Festival, Glens Falls, NY: July 2011
• Staged Reading at Playwright's Horizons, NYC: March 2011
Rewrite
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Book, Music & Lyrics by Joe Iconis
This triple feature of wild musicals connects in surprising and dangerous ways. “Nelson Rocks!” is a pop/rock show about a young dude who needs to fix his life before the class bell rings. “Miss Marzipan” is a dizzy musical about a high-stakes dinner party. A little bit of blood is spilt, but it’s nothing that some kitchen towels can't clean up. “The Process” deals with a writer on deadline to finish his musical at the Dunkin’ Donuts. As his characters begin to populate the coffee shop, our friendly counter lady serves as a guide through this passionate look into one man's writing process.
Selections performed at Joe's Pub, NYC: Nov 6, 2010
Lincoln in Love
Sunday, Jan 17, 2010
Book & Lyrics by Peter Kellogg
Music by David Friedman
It’s a crucial moment in young Abe Lincoln’s life - the fledgling lawyer has served his first term in the Illinois state legislature and he’s mourning the death of his fiancée, Ann Rutledge. Enter socialite Mary Todd, arrived in Springfield to visit her sister and find a husband suitable to her cultivated taste and ambition. While at first she finds Lincoln coarse and uncivilized, Mary sees his great potential after his first major trial. Their on-again, off-again relationship is just one of the challenges and events that shaped the young Lincoln into the leader he would become.
• New Works Festival, The Village Theatre, Seattle: Aug 15, 2010
• Reading at Ford's Theatre, Washington D.C.: 2010
• Track the show's progress
Life on the Mississippi
Friday, Jan 16, 2009
Book & Lyrics by Douglas M. Parker
Music by Denver Casado
Young Samuel Clemens leaves home to learn steamboat piloting on a Mississippi riverboat in 1858 and unexpectedly finds himself learning about life. And death. And love. And writing. All while navigating his way from boy to man and from Samuel Clemens to Mark Twain. Based on Twain’s autobiographical coming-of-age tale.
• Freed-Hardman University: April 22-26, 2015
• WorkShop Theater Company: November 2013
• American Folklore Theatre, Door County, WI: June 2010
• Coterie Theatre, Kansas City: Jan 26-Feb 28, 2010
Band Geeks!
Saturday, Jan 17, 2009
Book by Tommy Newman
Music & Lyrics by Mark Allen, Gaby Alter, and Tommy Newman
Band Geeks! is a high-stepping tribute to high school marching bands and misfits everywhere. With just nine members and dwindling funds, the Cuyahoga High Marching Beavers are close to extinction. When a troubled athlete is relegated to their ranks, Elliott, the tuba-playing band captain and Laura, his best friend, must find a way to unite the band, overcome their pride and embrace their inner geek.
• Available for licensing through MTI
• Arts Garage, Delray Beach, FL: April 18 - May 11, 2014
• Broadway Rose Theatre Company, Tigard, OR: Jan 30 - March 2, 2014
• The Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton, OH: May 31 - June 17, 2012
• Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre: May 16 - June, 6 2010
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals, NYC: Fall 2009
Factory Girls
Sunday, Jan 18, 2009
Music, Lyrics & Book by Sean Mahoney & Creighton Irons
At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution the Lowell Mill Girls’ must fight to maintain their country values and their humanity as they become America’s first independent working women. Armed with her pen and her voice, and fueled by a revolutionary spirit, one girl secretly rallies her co-workers against the burgeoning “soul-less corporation.” Her choice affects not only the girls and their community but also the fate of the American worker.
• 54 Below: February 25, 2015
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals, NYC: Fall 2009
• Track the show's progress
The Trouble With Doug: A Modern-Day Metamorphosis
Friday, January 18, 2008
Book and Lyrics by Daniel Maté
Book and Music by Will Aronson
Inspired by Kafka’s “Metamorphosis,” 28 year old Doug finds himself turning into a slug. His family and fiancée face this utterly absurd reality and change along with him in this serio/comic slice of life.
• Arts Garage, Delray Beach, FL: April 18-May11, 2014
• TheatreWorks, New Works Festival, Silicon Valley, CA: Aug 4 - 19, 2012
• Royal & Derngate Theatre Co., UK: 2011
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals, NYC: Fall 2010
• CAP21 Theare Co., NYC: June 2009
• Fredericia Teater, Denmark: May 2017
Tales From the Bad Years
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Written by Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk
A musical revue that accurately and lovingly puts the relationships of young adults center stage as they attempt to cope with the follies, fantasies and frustrations they encounter in 21st century America.
• The Viewpoints Collective: Jan 28-Feb 1, 2015
• School of Fine Arts Theatre, University of Minnesota: Feb 14 - 23, 2013
• Paramount Theatre, Rutland, VT: Aug 2008
• Laurie Beechman Theatre, NYC: 2008
• Penn State New Musical Theatre Festival: March 2008
• Track the show's progress
Genesius, The Musical
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Book by L. J. Fecho
Music and Lyrics by Michael O’Flaherty
Based on a true story, this musical celebrates the founding, struggles, successes and heart of a theatre company specifically established to feature the joyous talents of a group of young theatre artists.
• TADA! Theatre, NYC: Aug-Sept 2009
• Track the show's progress
Pearl
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Book, Music and Lyrics by Katie Kring
A haunting re-imagination of The Scarlet Letter, in which Hester Prynne's 12-year-old daughter, Pearl, seeks the truth about her family's mysterious past and ultimately, her own true self.
Tinyard Hill
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Music by Mark Allen
Book and Lyrics by Tommy Newman
South Georgia, 1964. A rural blacksmith and his son work to find mutual understanding and acceptance in a world that is simultaneously shrinking and getting too large to ignore.
• Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville, TN: April 16 - July 11, 2010
• Theatreworks, Palo Alto, CA: July 15 - July 16, 2009
• Red Mountain Theatre Company, Birmingham, AL: Aug 8-9, 2008
• The Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton, OH: July 11 - 12, 2008
• NAMT Festival of New Musicals, NYC: October 2007
The Great American Race
Friday, January 19, 2007
Book, Music and Lyrics by Patrick Barry
The life of legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt told against the backdrop of the Daytona 500 - a stirring story of fall and redemption.
Once Upon A Time In Narcissia
Friday, January 20, 2006
Music by Youn-Young Park
Book & Lyrics by Susannah Pearse
A modern take on a Cinderella who doesn't get the Prince.
Romancing The Throne
Saturday, January 21, 2006
By Randy Rogel and Kirby Ward
A musical of secret identities, palace intrigue and a struggling actor who is cast in the role of a lifetime.
I See London, I See France
Saturday, January 21, 2006
By Jeremy Desmon and David Guerrerio
Love and romance in the pressure-filled, ultra-hyped world of advertising.
Thank You to our Sponsors
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In 2022, Goodspeed established its first formal commissioning program, GoodWorks, which aims to support the creation and development of musicals that reveal the best of humankind, celebrate that which is good in our world, and will resonate with and inspire audiences. The first commissions in this program are The Snow Goose by Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie; and Little Miss Perfect by Joriah Kwamé.
