The 92Y’s Musical Theatre Development Lab, the year-long residency program launched in 2017 by Megan Doyle, will dedicate its second season to the development of musicals for young audiences. Thirteen writers have been selected to participate in the program, which will feature Tony Award-winning Nine and Titanic composer-lyricist Maury Yeston as a guest mentor.
Yeston, who served as director of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop for two decades, will offer guidance and song critique throughout the residency. The writers will also present their work for theatrical licensing agencies, which have seen a boom in the YA musical theatre market in the past decade.
The 2018–2019 class includes Adam Ben-David, Christyn Budzyna, Brian Dratch, A.J. Freeman, Lizzie Hagstedt, Polly Hilton, Dimitri Landrain, Daphny Maman, Jessica Penzias, Aden Kent Ramsey, Sujin Kim-Ramsey, Robby Sandler, and Mehmet S. Yildirim.“Young audiences have long had a home at 92Y, with programs bringing world-class artists to perform for public school students, free children’s tickets to concerts, and our new Theater for Young Audiences season of shows aimed at engaging and inspiring a new generation of musical theater enthusiasts,” Doyle said in a statement. “This unique Lab, with a mission to create new works for children, is a logical step for 92Y.”
