Lance Rubin News

Kathy Evans, Founder and Executive Director, announced the nine musicals and eighteen writers selected for the third summer of the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. For nine consecutive weeks beginning June 23rd, each writing team will have an individual weeklong residency in Rhinebeck, New York to write their musical. All costs are fully funded by donors including The ASCAP Foundation, The Dramatists Guild Fund, and The Noel Coward Foundation. Writers include Tony-winners and nominees Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), and Heidi Rodewald and Stew (Passing Strange), and multi-award winners Adam Gwon, Laura Harrington, Joe Iconis, Kait Kerrigan, and Brian Lowdermilk.

Kathy Evans, Founder and Executive Director, announced the nine musicals and eighteen writers selected for the third summer of the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. For nine consecutive weeks beginning today, June 23rd, each writing team will have an individual weeklong residency in Rhinebeck, New York to write their musical. All costs are fully funded by donors including The ASCAP Foundation, The Dramatists Guild Fund, and The Noel Coward Foundation. Writers include Tony-winners and nominees Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), and Heidi Rodewald and Stew (Passing Strange), and multi-award winners Adam Gwon, Laura Harrington, Joe Iconis, Kait Kerrigan, and Brian Lowdermilk.

Welcome to our first edition of "Cutting-Edge Composers In the Studio" exclusively on Broadwayworld.com! Today, we are in the studio with Joe Iconis, and his collaborators Jason Sweettooth Williams and Lance Rubin. You can hear Joe discuss his inspiration for writing, his experience with SMASH, what it's like to work with the Joe Iconis Family, and his upcoming projects. These talented gentlemen also shared a live performance of the song "Outlaw" from their show Bloodsong of Love and a song from their new musical in progress entitled Annie Golden: Bounty Hunter, Yo! Joe sent us this synopsis for his latest creative endeavor: What if musical theater legend Annie Golden starred in a show as a bad-ass action hero?' That was the idea that led to this musical, Annie Golden: Bounty Hunter, Yo, which uses the conventions---both theatrical and musical---of 70's blaxploitation films to tell the story of a widowed down-on-her-luck theatre actress who becomes a bounty hunter and goes on a journey of self-discovery and serious ass-kicking.

Kathy Evans, Founder and Executive Director, announced the nine musicals and eighteen writers selected for the third summer of the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. For nine consecutive weeks beginning June 23rd, each writing team will have an individual weeklong residency in Rhinebeck, New York to write their musical. All costs are fully funded by donors including The ASCAP Foundation, The Dramatists Guild Fund, and The Noel Coward Foundation. Writers include Tony-winners and nominees Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), and Heidi Rodewald and Stew (Passing Strange), and multi-award winners Adam Gwon, Laura Harrington, Joe Iconis, Kait Kerrigan, and Brian Lowdermilk.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launched its series of late night events. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosher is "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - 'The Callback," and more:

Jeremy Jordan will be part of Joe Iconis & Family at 54 Below, on April 26. He will join the previously announced cast, including Nick Blaemire, Krysta Rodriguez and more.

Jeremy Jordan, Krysta Rodriguez, and more recently took part in Joe Iconis & Family at 54 Below. After a sold-out holiday run, musical theater writer Joe Iconis brings his 'unique mash-up of showtune cabaret and rock and roll jamboree' back to 54 Below. Check out photos from the concert below!

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launched its series of late night events. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosher will be the "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - 'The Callback," Joe Iconis & Family, actress/producer/singer Rita Wilson, legendary powerhouse voice Lachanze, Broadway's Ken Page and Carmel Dean, and more.

Ghostlight Records has announced the digital release of THE JOE ICONIS ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE today, April 16, 2013. The new album is a collection of songs performed by Joe and his merry band of musical theater misfits. Epic theater ballads, simple folk songs, heavy rock rave-ups and bar room sing-alongs coexist in this eclectic, borderline-insane line up of tunes. The album will be available through all digital music outlets.

Today we are talking to a uniquely gifted talent who has found a featured spotlight of late with some of his most celebrated tunes being included on NBC's musical drama series SMASH just as his new album project and series of 54 Below shows kick off this month - songwriter Joe Iconis. Illuminating the composition of, inspiration behind and depiction on SMASH of both the memorable “Broadway, Here I Come” as well as the forthcoming emotional coda “The Goodbye Song”, Iconis reveals facets of the moving melodies only the creator himself could possibly hope to provide. Additionally, Iconis explores many of the standout songs on the brand new Ghostlight album THE JOE ICONIS ROCK N ROLL JAMBOREE and the sterling host of talents involved with it. Also, Iconis shares details about what we can expect from his string of upcoming shows at cabaret venue 54 Below beginning April 15 through May 5 and the story behind his storied Family, including NEW NORMAL star Andrew Rannells (who appears at the April 15 54 Below show) and SMASH standout Krysta Rodriguez (who appears on the album. Plus, Iconis opens up about his many theatre projects, new and old, including an upcoming solo musical written expressly for Annie Golden and a Hunter S. Thompson biomusical, as well as reveals first news about a new production of THE BLACK SUITS. All of that and much, much more awaits!

Ghostlight Records has announced the digital release of THE JOE ICONIS ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE on April 16, 2013. The new album is a collection of songs performed by Joe and his merry band of musical theater misfits. Epic theater ballads, simple folk songs, heavy rock rave-ups and bar room sing-alongs coexist in this eclectic, borderline-insane line up of tunes. The album will be available through all digital music outlets.

Andrew Rannells, Krysta Rodriguez, Nick Blaemire and more will be part of Joe Iconis & Family. After a sold-out holiday run, musical theater writer Joe Iconis will bring his 'unique mash-up of showtune cabaret and rock and roll jamboree' back to 54 Below.

After sold out shows at the Canal Room, the Laurie Beechman, and NYMF, Cutting-Edge Composers will be presented at Joe's Pub on Monday, February 4th at 7:00pm. $25 tickets can be purchased at www.joespub.com.

Each week Joe's Pub at The Public presents some of New York City's most eclectic programming ranging from world to classical, pop, singer-songwriter, jazz and more. At the center of Joe's Pub's genre-blind booking is The Public Theater's mission to bring world-class performance to New York City's diverse cultural community.

After sold out shows at the Canal Room, the Laurie Beechman, and NYMF, Cutting-Edge Composers will be at Joe's Pub on Monday, February 4th at 7:00pm at Joe's Pub in New York City. $25 tickets can be purchased at www.joespub.com. Up-and-coming musical theater writers are teamed with Broadway's hottest performers in this concert series directed and produced by Laura Pietropinto (Next to Normal) and co-produced by Jillian Robbins with Musical Direction by Julie McBride.

Amanda Flynn (Los Angeles company of WICKED and Las Vegas company of MAMMA MIA, joins the cast of THE PASSION OF ED WOOD in the role of Dolores Fuller, Ed Wood's long-suffering girlfriend. In WICKED she frequently went on in the part of Glinda and in MAMMA MIA as Sophie.

Told from the viewpoint of the iconic cinema director actor Orson Welles, THE PASSION OF ED WOOD focuses on Hollywood shlock director Ed Wood, posthumously awarded 'The Worst Movie Director of All Time' for 'Glenn or Glenda,' 'Plan Nine from Outer Space,' 'Jail Bait' and 'Orgy of the Dead' to name a few. The new musical focuses on the director's decision to hire Bela Lugosi, famous for his film portrayal of Dracula at the end of Lugosi's career.