The week-long intensive theatre retreat Barn on Fire returns for its second annual residency, with Jerry Mitchell, Lenny Wolpe, and more joining as mentors. New York Theatre Barn and Fire Island Pines Arts Project in association with The P. Austin Foundation have joined forces again to present the residency, which invites writers and their creative teams to collaborate and further develop their original culture-shifting musicals in a supportive, creative, and tranquil atmosphere.
Joining the writers and creatives teams for the residency will be Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, actors Danny Kornfeld (Harmony), Sam Primack (Dear Evan Hansen), Lenny Wolpe (Wicked), Jennifer Apple (The Band’s Visit), Drew Elhamalawy, Deanalís Resto, Steven Alan Black, and Carley Lovito. Patrick B. Phillips (The Wiz, A Strange Loop) serves as music director.
At the end of the residency, artists will have the opportunity to present their works to a live audience in a showcase hosted by Jerry Mitchell and Nicole LaFountaine. The final presentation will be held on Saturday, June 24th, 2023 at 6 PM in Whyte Hall’s Brandon Fradd Theater in Fire Island Pines. For tickets to the final presentation, visit here.
Three new musicals will be in development under the residency: The Bubble, Coming Soon: A New Rock Musical, and King of Pangaea.
Janine McGuire and Arri Lawton Simon’s The Bubble, based upon Eytan Fox and Gal Uchovsky's film of the same name, follows Noam, a disillusioned Israeli soldier, and Ashraf, a closeted Palestinian man, who fall in love in Tel Aviv, with the tragic conflict of the 2000's surrounding them.
Rachel Lark’s Coming Soon: A New Rock Musical explores kink, queerness, non-monogamy, and healing from trauma. Rachel Dart (Summer, 1976) is at the helm. The new musical had a two week long sold-out run in San Francisco.
Martin Storrow’s King of Pangaea tackles the complex, and sometimes beautiful, experience of loss, and explores what it means to be king or queen of your own heart. Richard Israel directs the musical, which was featured in the 2022 NAMT Festival of New Musicals.
Note: a previous version of this article stated that Jenn Colella was joining the residency as a mentor. Colella has since backed out due to scheduling conflicts. The article has been updated to reflect this.
