Caroline Bowman and Major Attaway to Star in THE PARTS I KEEP INSIDE Industry Reading

Caroline Bowman (Wicked, Sunset Boulevard), Major Attaway (Aladdin), Megan Masako Haley (Mean Girls First National Tour), Will Connolly (Be More Chill, Teeth), and Xavier McKinnon (Wicked Second National Tour, Heathers) will star in the upcoming industry reading of The Parts I Keep Inside, a bold new musical with music and concept by Jeffrey Schmelkin and book, lyrics, and additional music by Andrea J. Love. The reading is directed by Alex Sanchez, whose credits include Paradise Square on Broadway and On Your Feet at Paper Mill Playhouse. Additional casting is soon to be announced. The invitation-only reading will be held in New York City on October 22. 

“How do you find connection when your own mind is the loudest voice in the room?” asks this intimate new musical, which brings a young artist’s inner battles to life as his personified ambitions and doubts fight for control of his story. Inspired by a therapist’s assignment during Schmelkin’s own mental health journey, The Parts I Keep Inside explores the difficulty and necessity of vulnerability in the face of anxiety and depression.

In rain-soaked Seattle, 25-year-old Sam appears “fine” but is unraveling inside. With his sister’s sudden return, a fragile romance on the horizon, and the embodied voices of Ambition, Romance, Anxiety, and the menacing Shadow haunting his every move, Sam’s world teeters on collapse. Animated projections paint his thoughts in real time, while a contemporary score spanning driving pulses to lush harmonies dives into grief, identity, and the bravery required to confront one’s own mind.

The Parts I Keep Inside brings together an accomplished team led by composer, concept creator, and producer Jeffrey Schmelkin (works presented at 54 Below, The Green Room 42, and The Triad) and writer-composer Andrea J. Love (BMI Advanced Workshop; NAMT semi-finalist), with direction by Alex Sanchez, who choreographed Broadway’s Paradise Square and directed On Your Feet at Paper Mill Playhouse. General management is by Tony Award winner Martin Platt (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; Dames at Sea on Broadway). Music supervision, direction, and arrangements are by Patrick B. Phillips, whose Broadway credits include & Juliet, The Wiz (2024 revival), Suffs, Back to the Future, Sweeney Todd, and Jagged Little Pill, as well as television work on Only Murders in the Building (Season 3). Megan Smythe (Mamma Mia, The Great Gatsby, Titanique, SIX [NCL], Anastasia 2nd National Tour) joins as associate music director, conductor, and pianist. Casting by Murnane Casting / Chad Eric Murnane, CSA & Amber Snead, CSA (Dear Evan Hansen, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical), with legal counsel from Peter Breger, Esq., Tony-nominated producer of Damn Yankees, Oleanna, and Jeffrey, and longtime attorney for The Fantasticks, Forbidden Broadway, and Spamilton.

More information can be found on the new musical THE PARTS I KEEP INSIDE at www.thepartsikeepinside.com.