Live & In Color To Develop WE START IN MANHATTAN This Fall At The Bingham Camp

After a record-breaking cross country search for a new musical, Live & In Color announces WE START IN MANHATTAN by Ariella Serur and Sav Souza as the musical to be developed during the company's 2023 fall retreat.

WE START IN MANHATTAN: A NEW QUEER MUSICAL is a two-person slutty, romantic comedy written by Ariella Serur (they/she) and Sav Souza (they/them). Filled with humor and heart, this one act rom-com tells the story of a one night stand turned month-long road trip, exploring the nuances and delights of intimacy with an expiration date.

Gabriela C. Rivera, Live & In Color's Associate Director of New Works, speaks about the relevance of this piece:

"We Start In Manhattan is unlike any show Live & In Color has developed! It has the wit and humor of Broad City mixed with BookTok's most recommended queer rom-com! The book is fresh, sexy, and unabashedly gay; the score is catchy and contemporary, and fueled with lyrics that hit the queer zeitgeist on the proverbial head. We Start In Manhattan, amongst its heart-felt hilarity, reminds us of the very human truth that just because an experience ends doesn't mean its impact does."

The musical's creators, Ariella Serur and Sav Souza are a real-life couple and writing duo based in Bushwick, NYC. Fresh off their simultaneous Broadway debuts in the revival of 1776, the two are currently on tour with the show around the US. Serur and Souza are dedicated to creating stories that celebrate queer love and intimacy in a nuanced and joyful way, free of queer trauma. We Start In Manhattan debuted to a sold-out crowd at GreenRoom 42 in February of 2022. Earlier this year, the couple sold out 54 Below with their musical featuring fellow cast members of 1776 on Broadway, and in July they will be doing their reading debut at Powerhouse at Vassar. TikTok: @SavandAriella, IG: @saaaavv, @ariellaserur

Serur and Souza on developing their musical this year at Live & In Color:

"We are beyond excited to be chosen for Live & In Color's musical workshop this year! We're so thrilled to be collaborating with this incredible organization to amplify new and underrepresented voices in the canon by bringing our very queer and non-binary story to life.

We Start In Manhattan is a nuanced and joyful exploration of queer and trans intimacy. In setting out to write this piece, we wanted to take up queer space in the rom-com genre, while also challenging the trope of "happy ever after". Filled with humor and heart, our two-person musical tells the story of a one night stand turned month-long road trip, investigating relationships with an expiration date, and the ways that brief intimacy can profoundly impact our lives.

Developing our show with Live & In Color is a dream start to what we hope will be a long (and very gay) trajectory for this piece. Grab your Tinder date and keys to the U-Haul and ride up to Connecticut to catch our slutty, queer roadtrip romance!"

We Start In Manhattan will be developed over the course of the next few months and will then complete a workshop of the piece at Live & In Color's annual fall retreat in September. This opportunity will culminate in a staged presentation to an audience.

Founded by Director/Choreographer Devanand Janki, Live & In Color is a creative incubator for new plays and musicals bound for commercial success, with a core mission of diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the theater industry-on and off stage, and at every level of creative and business touchpoint. In its first eight seasons, Live & In Color has developed the musicals "Howdyland!" by JB Tang Jackson and Dominique Gélin, "Little Girl Blue" by Laiona Michelle, "With Bells On!" by Tommy Newman & Devanand Janki (Based on the play by Darrin Hagen), "Within Elsewhere" by Trent Jeffords and Joshua Betancourt, "Māyā"" by Cheeyang Ng and Eric Sorrels, "Present Perfect" by Nancy Nachama Cheser and Jaime Lozano, "Pangaea" by Janet Noh and Lee Summers, "The Family Resemblance" by Masi Asare and "Call It Courage" by Adam Overett. Plays developed during the retreat include "The Wetlands" by AriDy Nox, "La Egoista" by Erlina Ortiz, "Narrow Daylight" by SEVAN, "The Home We Left Behind" by Valerie David, "Invictus Mingus" by Frank Harts, "The Galilee House" by BV Marshall and "Esspy" by Nandita Shenoy. In 2020, Live & In Color developed the virtual pieces "Days of Re-Creation" written entirely by writers of color, "2020 Roasting on an Open Fire" a virtual holiday extravaganza, a weekly virtual happy hour show, "Be Our Guest!" with Broadway professionals, and two virtual 24 Hr Play & Song Festivals.

Named one of the SDC's "Top standout moments for diversity and inclusion," Live & In Color develops new work for the stage that promotes and celebrates diversity. Emphasizing non-traditional casting, multi-ethnic participants, and bold theatricality, Live & In Color offers unique development opportunities for new plays and musicals that encourage dialogue among artists from a variety of cultures. Live & In Color envisions an American Theatre where established and aspiring artists of color and queer artists have generous opportunities to practice their craft by providing a safe, beautiful space in Salem, CT where they can gather to develop new works that give voice to under-represented communities. For more info visit liveandincolor.org.

Support has been provided from The Bingham Family, CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.

To keep up to date on this year's recipient and their work, visit liveandincolor.org.

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