Derek Klena and Colton Ryan Will Headline Keen Company's GLORY DAYS Benefit Concert

Keen Company has announced details for its upcoming benefit concert of GLORY DAYS by Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner. Directed by Keen Company's Artistic Director Jonathan Silverstein, this one-night-only event includes new arrangements by Van Hughes and features performances by Tony nominees Derek Klena (Jagged Little Pill, Anastasia) as Andy and Colton Ryan (New York, New York; Dear Evan Hansen) as Will. The concert takes place on Monday, February 12, 2024 at 7pm at Peter Norton Symphony Space (2537 Broadway, Manhattan). Additional casting will be announced at a later date. Tickets, which start at $25, are currently on sale at www.keencompany.org.

A cult-favorite, coming of age rock musical, GLORY DAYS premiered at Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway in 2008 and has since been performed all over the world. This benefit concert, with music direction by Lily Ling, reflects Keen Company's efforts to champion small scale intimate musicals with a large emotional impact. Composer and lyricist Nick Blaemire is familiar to Keen Company audiences from his star turn as Jonathan Larson in their acclaimed 2016 production of Tick, Tick… BOOM!

GLORY DAYS tells the story of four high school friends who meet up at their alma mater one year after graduation to reconnect, crush a few beers, and enact revenge on their former bullies in the form of an elaborate prank. But the guys quickly discover that a lot can change in a year — even the people they thought they knew best. This vibrant, energetic musical about friendship and fulfillment invites us to reminisce on our own heydays gone by and encourages us to live like the best is yet to come.

Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner remarked, “We're so excited to be taking another look at GLORY DAYS. When we started writing it, back in high school, 20 years ago...!, we envisioned a simple show like The Fantasticks, Suburbia, or Our Town –- one we could produce with just a band and a bench. Keen Company excels at that kind of intimate storytelling. Derek Klena and Colton Ryan are two of the most exciting actors and singers in New York. Symphony Space is a legendary venue. So it's an honor to introduce this show to the next generation with these wonderful collaborators.”

Proceeds from this special event underwrite Keen Company's 24th Season including the Off-Broadway premiere of Kia Corthron's Fish, a new intimate musical commission by Adam Gwon, resources for mid-career writers, and free theater mentorship for students in all five boroughs of NYC.

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