Theatre 167 Brings New Musical About Environmental Activist Rachel Carson To Montclair

A new musical about environmental activist Rachel Carson will be presented Jan 19 and 20 at Union Congregational Church in Montclair. The award-winning project with music by Jared Field and book/lyrics by Jessie Field will be directed by Montclair's Ari Laura Kreith and produced by Theatre 167 as part of their 167 West: Art Into Action series.

This triumphant new musical explores how we take a stand for what matters, even in the face of professional adversity and personal tragedy.

It chronicles the life of marine biologist and writer Rachel Carson, who struggled to find her place in the world as a scientist and a queer woman. Her book Silent Spring alerted many to the dangers of DDT and other pesticides, and has been credited with launching the modern environmental movement.

Rachel was chosen for the New York Musical Theatre Festival's Developmental Reading series, performed at Manhattan's Fresh Fruit Festival where it was awarded Best Musical, was selected for NY Summerfest, and presented at Guild Hall in East Hampton.

The performance is co-produced by Union Congregational Church as part of their commitment to environmental sustainability. Tickets are a suggested donation of $20 ($10 for students/seniors) and proceeds will support 167 West's Art Into Action series and UCC's environmental awareness programming.

FOR TICKETS: https://www.artful.ly/store/events/14189

About Theatre 167:

Founded in 2010 by Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith, Theatre 167's work ranges from The Jackson Heights Trilogy--three full-length plays collaboratively written by 18 playwrights, in 14 languages, featuring 37 actors in 93 roles--to the four-actor Pirira by J.Stephen Brantley, set in Malawi and New York, which received the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation Award for Outstanding Premiere of a Play.

Other highlights include the world premiere of Pulitzer- and Tony-nominated Tina Howe's climate change drama Singing Beach; Antu Yacob's Mourning Sun, which premiered in Manhattan and toured to Uganda; site-specific work at Queens Museum and the NY Transit Museum; commissions from Queens Theatre and the New Ohio/Theatre: Village Festival; and their current touring adaptation of Marina Budhos' novel Watched, which looks at the impact of surveillance on Muslim-American communities.

The company began in Jackson Heights, Queens--the most diverse neighborhood in the world--and is named for the number languages spoken there. Now a resident company at the West End Theatre in Manhattan, Theatre 167 develops and produces work exploring cultural intersections and giving voice to those whose stories often go untold.

About 167 West

167 West: Art into Action is a series of play readings exploring social justice/activist themes. The first three events in the series will take place in Montclair, New Jersey.

167 West launched Montclair on November 30 with a free reading of Pirira at the United Way Theatre. This award-winning play explores the challenges of international aid across geographic and cultural divides. It was developed and premiered at Theatre 167 in 2013, and transferred Off-Broadway.

Upcoming 167 West events will include Watched, an adaptation of Marina Budhos' novel about the impact of surveillance on Muslim-American communities, and a collaboration with MSU on Karen Zacarias' Just Like Us, which follows the lives of four Mexican-American girls as they approach college and discover that their immigration status dictates their opportunities.