Collard & Rosenblatt to Workshop New Musical ROSE at New Musicals Lab

Queer musical theatre writing team, Elspeth Collard and Sam Rosenblatt, return to the New Musicals Lab at the Ferguson Center for the Arts for their third consecutive year. Prior to this summer, the pair workshopped Like the Wind (which has since had readings both at the Brick Theater and SoHo Playhouse) and recorded their concept album, Collisions (available for streaming on all services). This year, Collard & Rosenblatt mount a staged reading of their new musical, ROSE. Set in 1960s San Francisco at the height of the Second Wave Feminist protests, ROSE offers a look into the fractured relationship of two doll-makers, Ellie and Jo. After Rose, a porcelain doll, is brought to life, Ellie and Jo's lives begin to crack wide open. With story-telling by three magical dolls, ROSE tells a queer, feminist story about sisterly tension, love, and change.

The cast includes Renee Kauffman as Rose, Kimberlie Pagán as Jo, and Emily Phelps as Ellie, joined by the singing doll trio of Sara DeLaney Moore (Andromeda), Lizzy Maisel (Pallas), and Hannah Cecil (Thalia). Collard & Rosenblatt said in a joint statement, “We could not be prouder to be workshopping this new musical with such an incredible ensemble of performers! Each actor brings such empathy, intelligence, and articulation to each character, allowing us to view our piece in a new light.” This production will feature music direction by Melody Raef and Collard, with choreography by Maisel, Phelps, Cecil, and Rosenblatt.

The New Musicals Lab team includes Artistic Director Colin Ruffer and Founder & Producer, Bruce Bronstein. This year, the team also includes Makenna Mitchell as the Labs Stage Manager and Regan Craze as Company Manager. Collard & Rosenblatt added, “We’ve been so lucky that the New Musicals Lab has provided us with these opportunities — the Labs attract such talented people who care so deeply about their art and have allowed us to make connections and grow as writers! NML is truly our happy place.”

Elspeth Collard (she/her) is an award-winning British-born composer. Theatrical works: Like The Wind; ROSE; A Princess Story; Twenty-Six Percent; Miroir; Easier To Die; Don’t Ever Change. Short films: An Intimate Moment; That Little Moment When; Roomies; New Year’s Eve; Nice To Meet You Again. Her work has been featured at cabaret venues including Feinstein’s/54 Below, The Green Room 42, Dixon Place, The Duplex, and Don’t Tell Mama. She is a graduate of NYU (MFA Musical Theatre Writing) and University of Cambridge (BA Music), and a member of Maestra, ASCAP, and the Dramatists Guild. www.elspethcollard.com

Sam Rosenblatt (she/they) is a queer, Jewish-Asian-American theatre artist based in New York, who holds a BS from NYU Steinhardt in Educational Theatre and an MFA from NYU Tisch in Musical Theatre Writing. Rosenblatt has written book and lyrics for many musicals including: Like the Wind (SoHo Playhouse), A Princess Story (Marymount Manhattan College), ROSE (New York University), and Twenty-Six Percent (EAT Festival). Albums include: Little Love Notes from Collard & Rosenblatt (2022), Collisions: A Concept Album (2023). She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild, ASCAP, and Maestra. www.theatricallysam.com

The New Musicals Lab at Ferguson Center is making space for artists to craft new musicals by providing access to world-class facilities, creative funding, and student talent. More info about NML at www.newmusicalslab.com.