19 Writers of 9 New Musicals for Rhinebeck Writers Retreat Announced

Founding Executive Director Kathy Evans announced the 19 writers and 9 new musicals selected for development at this summer's Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. For nine consecutive weeks beginning July 2, each writing team will have a weeklong residency in the Hudson Valley, two hours north of New York City, to write their new musical. This year's writers include Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen (Outer Critics Circle nominated for Broadway's Tuck Everlasting), 2017 Jonathan Larson winner Ben Bonnema, Richard Rodgers winner Patricia Cotter, Kleban winner Jenny Giering, Fred Ebb winners Stacey Luftig and Phillip Palmer, and Laurents/Hatcher winner Jeff Talbott. The 9 musicals were selected from 113 applications by a panel of new musical experts: Kent Nicholson of Playwrights Horizons, Donna Lynn Hilton of Goodspeed Musicals, Kurt Deutsch of Sh-K-Boom Records, Jason Eagan of Ars Nova, Mara Isaacs of Octopus Theatricals, Playwright Darrah Cloud, and Robert Zukerman, formerly Director of Theatre at NYSCA.

Writers pay nothing to participate in Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, which takes no percentage of future royalties, and donors cover all the writers' costs. Each writing team lives in a private home and is provided transportation, food, and a $500 stipend. Major support for Rhinebeck Writers Retreat comes from The New York State Council on the Arts, The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund, The Frederick Loewe Foundation, The Dramatists Guild Fund, and The Noël Coward Foundation.

The line-up for the summer and the donors providing underwriting support each week are:

· July 2 - July 9: Mark Sonnenblick, Devotion, with lead support from The Noël Coward Foundation

· July 9 - July 16: Patricia Cotter, John Copeland, Ingrid Elizabeth, and Tylan Greenstein, Mrs. Nash, with lead support from Liz Armstrong and underwriting support from The Dramatists Guild Fund

· July 16 - July 23: Jenny Giering and Sean Barry, What We Leave Behind, with underwriting support from Hal Aronow-Thiel and Pat Henry

· July 23 - July 30: Brett Ryback and Eric Ulloa, Passing Through, with lead support from The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund and underwriting support from Amy Faxon

· July 30 - August 6: Jeff Talbott and Will Van Dyke, Seven Broken Hearts, with lead support from Alec Stais and Elissa Burke

· August 6 - August 13: Ben Bonnema and Christopher Staskel, One Way, with underwriting support from Jacqui and Lew Rose

· August 13 - August 20: Stacey Luftig and Phillip Palmer, Saving Amelia, with lead support from The Frederick Loewe Foundation

· August 20 - August 27: Kate Douglas and Shayfer James, The Seven Who Were Hanged, with lead support from Rick Farrar and Jeff Zadroga, in honor of Maestro Jack Lee

· August 27 - September 3: Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen, Eric Hermannson's Soul, with lead support from Peter Risafi and Steven Wheeler

Created in 2011, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat provides a sanctuary for musical theatre writers to develop their musicals in the heart of the Hudson Valley. Past writers include Kirsten Childs, Michael Friedman, Adam Gwon, David Hein and Irene Sankoff, Mike Lew, Joe Iconis, Itamar Moses, Duncan Sheik, Kyle Jarrow, Sam Willmott, and Stew and Heidi Rodewald. Rhinebeck musicals have had productions at The Public Theater's Shakespeare in The Park, Barrington Stage, Second Stage Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, The Old Globe, and The Eugene O'Neill National Music Theater Conference. All costs are covered by contributions and we thank our major individual supporters: Liz Armstrong, Hal Aronow-Thiel and Pat Henry, Rick Farrar and Jeff Zadroga, Amy Faxon, Peter Risafi and Steven Wheeler, and Alec Stais and Elissa Burke.

For more information, visit www.rhinebeckwriters.org.