Tony & Grammy Winners Among Participants for Goodspeed's Johnny Mercer Writers Colony

In what has become an annual ritual, a total of 46 established and emerging writers, composers and lyricists will converge on the Goodspeed campus later this month to participate in the Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. The writing teams, representing 25 new musicals, will populate the campus, creating a truly exciting environment for discovery and inspiration.

The Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed is an unparalleled, long-term residency program devoted exclusively to musical theatre writing. It provides a sanctuary for composers, lyricists, and librettists to embark on new musical theatre work or to devote a substantial amount of time to a work-in-progress in an environment rich with creative energy. For four weeks, starting January 19, the writing teams work in residence in Goodspeed's Artists Village, each team in their own house, with whatever support is needed from dramaturgical to the Goodspeed's fine music department. In the evenings writers get together in an informal, salon style environment, and share the day's work. This gathering allows the artists an invaluable opportunity to gain insight from their colleagues. The Colony is the ultimate think tank of veteran Broadway and young working professional in theater today. Over the course of the four week program, composer/lyricist Jonathan Brielle will again serve as Producer/Writer in Residence, and Michael Bush will serve as Resident Dramaturge. Goodspeed's Donna Lynn Hilton is the Producing Artistic Director of the JMF Writers Colony.

The Writers Colony created a confluence of a long-held mission of fostering new works by Goodspeed and the JMF mission to nurture the discipline of songwriting. With this wonderful collaboration, Goodspeed continues to be an incubator for the next generation of musical theatre artists, and performers as well as the center for the American Musical.

The outstanding writers who have been invited to participate in the colony have earned tremendous recognition in the industry with honors such as the Lucille Lortel Award, ASCAP's Howard Adamson Award, Jonathan Larson Fellowship, ASCAP Richard Rodgers Award, and the Calloway Award. In addition, participants have earned such honors as the MacDowell Fellowship, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards, NYMF Awards and an OBIE Award, as well as nominations for Tony and Olivier Awards.

We are pleased to announce that the 2014 writing teams are (in alphabetical order) Rob Ackerman, Michael Aman, Gabriel Barre, Hunter Bell, Rachel Chavkin, Matthew Doers, Diana Fithian, Sam Foreman, Hunter Foster, Meredith Friedman, Emily Goldman, Keith Gordon, Sarah Hammond, Tor Hyams, Creighton Irons, Michael R. Jackson,Amanda Jacobs, Sammy James Jr., Jonathan Keebler, Cheeyoung Kim, Ryan Korell, Dawn Landes,

Frank Licari, Patrick Lundquist, Douglas Lyons,Sean Mahoney, Dave Malloy,Emily Maltby, Ann McNamee, Madeline Myers, Sara Nicholson, Patricia Noonan,Ryan Scott Oliver,Ethan Pakchar,Matthew Lee Robinson, Heidi Rodewald,Jean Rohe,Dana Rowe,Lisa Rothauser, Brett Ryback, Pete Seibert, Stew, Eric Ulloa, Eric Webb, Michael Weiner and Alan Zachary.