BROADWAY REFOCUSED PODCAST

Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Gabriel Jason Dean, Jessie Dean and David Dabbon, the writers of “Our New Town”, a new musical. Through music, immersion and meta theatrics, “Our New Town” calls us all to wake up and take ownership of our personal relationship to guns and gun violence. A hyper theatrical blend of truth with fiction, of scene with song, “Our New Town” is an immersive play that puts the audience at the center of an American crisis: gun violence. In this podcast we learn why this show was created, why the writers want their show to eventually be obsolete and we get to hear the rousing song “Line in the Sand” from their recent production at Wagner College. You can follow along on their journey at: www.gabrieljasondean.com.

Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Nicolette Blount, the creator of Savage, the musical. As a registered Chickasaw Native American, Nicolette shines light on her great grandmother, Wanda Savage in this new musical. Savage is a powerful story of redemption about a indigenous mother who fought racism, sexism, and abuse to make a name for herself, but at the heart of the story is a mother and her son. Nicolette is a singer, actress, songwriter, writer, and vocal coach that lives in Massachusetts, but from Southern California. In this podcast we talk about indigenious representation, the Chickasaw disappearing language and what’s next for Savage, the musical. We listen to the opening number, “Wanda Savage”. You can follow Savage, the musical on Instagram at: @savagethemusical and www.savagethemusical.com

Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Jesse Sanchez, the writer of the new Latinx musical Sueños, Our American Musical. Based in Watsonville, California, the strawberry capital of the world, Sueños tells a contemporary journey about interrelationships, and the dynamics of three generations of a Mexican-American family as they confront challenges, make sacrifices, break cycles, and celebrate community in their pursuit of the American Dream. Sanchez is a San Jose native who is a playwright, composer, and music director who works at Oregon Shakespeare Festival as the Producing Music Supervisor. In this podcast we talk about why different Latinx experiences are important to tell in musical theatre. We listen to the 11 o'clock number, “Set Me Free” in this podcast. You can follow Jesse on Instagram @jessejsanchezmusic and www.jessejsanchez.com

Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with writers Tidtaya Sinutoke (music) and Isabella Dawis (book/lyrics) and director Desdemona Chiang about the new musical, Half the Sky. Half the Sky tells the story of an Asian American woman climbing Mount Everest. It is a contemporary American musical on a global scale, infused with the sounds of traditional Thai and Himalayan folk music. The writers are winners of the 2020 Weston-Ghostlight New Musical Award and 5th Avenue Theatre’s inaugural First Draft: Raise Your Voice Commission. In this podcast, we deep dive into why this story was written, why representation matters on stage, and the bigger dreams of telling this story to a wider world audience. We listen to the hauntingly beautiful song, “Bistarai'' that follows the Sherpa through the Khumbu Icefall on Mt. Everest. You can learn more about Half the Sky on halftheskymusical.com and on IG: @halftheskymusical

Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Kira Stone, composer and writer of the new musical, Salem. Salem is a tale about a sisterhood of accused witches & their accusers from the 1692 Salem Witch Trials as they are held hostage in a modern courtroom. Stone asks the important questions: How did this happen? Why did it happen? And could this happen again? With the songs all set to dark pop melodies & 808 beats, Salem is telling the real story of Kira’s 6th great-grandmother. We learn all about this connection to family history, where Salem is at in its development process and Stone’s dreams for the piece in the future. We also listen to her pop anthem “I Believe”. You can learn more about Kira Stone and Salem on her website: www.kirabethstone.com and on IG: @kirabethstone.

Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with G. Victoria Campell, writer and composer of the new musical: Treeson: An Eco-Musical. A new musical theatre writer, Victoria has created this entire musical during the COVID pandemic in Switzerland. Her dual background in psychology and music have informed the themes of her art, which focus on doing mission-driven work, inspiring people to act on behalf of the collective as opposed to the individual, and activism. Treeson: An Eco-Musical is set in present-day North America, in the beautiful landscape of the Pacific Northwest, where many respect nature, but others seek to destroy it. Treeson is educating, inspiring and entertaining listeners about climate change on its debut concept album released January 15th, 2021 on all music platforms. Learn more about Victoria on her website: https://www.treesonmusical.com/, and on IG @treesonmusical.

Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Jaime Jarrett - a New York based composer/playwright - whose mission is to tell honest and imaginative queer stories that simultaneously break the rules of cis-heteronormativity and break the supposed rules of our physical universe. Most recently, his musical Wonder Boy was developed through a staged reading at Musical Theatre Factory. Jaime is the recipient of New York Musical Festival’s “Outstanding Emerging Artist Award” as well as the Ira Brind School of Theatre Arts’ “Excellence in Playwriting Award.” In this podcast we learn about how he came up with this incredible new musical and also listen to a beautiful new song, “The Body”. Jaime gives us the amazing backstory of how this song came to be which is authentic and vulnerable. Learn more about Jamie on his website: https://www.jarrettwritesmusicals.com/, and on IG @sauci_boy.

Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with 17-year old composer and writer, Elise Marra. In May of 2020, Elise’s sixth musical, Frankie! The Musical was released on Broadway Records making her the youngest female in history to release a cast concept album. The show has been developed with New York Theatre Barn and featured on Playbill.com and Broadwayworld.com. In this podcast, we learn what the show is about, where it’s at in its development process, and we get to listen to one of the first tracks off the new cast album. Learn more about Elise at www.elisemarra.com. And follow Frankies’ journey on Instagram: @frankiemusical.