New Musical BROKE to Premiere at Theatre Row

Animal Stone Productions has announced the exclusive workshop presentation of BROKE, a visceral, sweeping new musical running for five performances only, September 17 through September 20, 2026, at Theatre 4 on Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, New York City).

Inspired by paramedic and poet Maggie Dubris's acclaimed memoir BrokeDown Palace-celebrated by Luc Sante as 'a stunning poetic monument to a New York that no longer exists'-BROKE features a libretto and lyrics by Maggie Dubris, a dynamic score by award-winning composer Andy Teirstein, and direction and choreography by Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Seán Curran.

The Story: Two Women. One Hundred Years. One Uncompromising City. BROKE is an evocative love song to St. Clare's-the legendary, perpetually underfunded, yet unfailingly compassionate Hell's Kitchen hospital that served New York City's most vulnerable populations when no other institution would. The narrative bridges an entire century through the parallel journeys of two fierce women claiming their agency in a male-dominated world:

Katie Henry (1896): An Irish immigrant who arrives in Manhattan to carve out a new life, ultimately founding St. Clare's Hospital during the darkest depths of the Great Depression.

Nikki Owen (1983): A dedicated paramedic who spends twenty-five years driving the St. Clare's ambulance across the frontline devastation of the AIDS crisis, the height of the crack and homelessness epidemics, and the tragedy of September 11th.

Tracking the sanctuary's 20th-century rise to its eventual 2000s demise into rubble and luxury high-rises, BROKE stands as an unflinching portrait of survival and a haunting meditation on urban memory, exploring how selfless acts lost to a bygone era continue to echo through the present.

Animal Stone Productions has assembled a company of stage veterans to lead this developmental workshop:

• Rebecca Pitcher* (Nikki) - Celebrated as one of Broadway's most prolific leading ladies, Pitcher is the longest-running Christine Daaé in the historic run of Broadway's The Phantom of the Opera (spanning over 2,500 performances across Broadway and the National Tour). Additional credits include the Broadway revival cast of Carousel.
• Maggie Hollinbeck* (Alice) - Acclaimed actor-musician seen on the 1st National Tour of the Tony Award-winning musical Once and the 1st National Tour of Annie, as well as Off-Broadway in Red Roses, Green Gold at the Minetta Lane Theatre.
• Damien DeShaun Smith* (Dr. Robinson / The Octopus) - Seasoned stage and screen artist whose credits include Angel and Paul in National and International tours of RENT, Sony Pictures' feature film Across the Universe, and recurring television appearances on And Just Like That..., Younger, and Power.
• Allison Jones* (Felice) - Accomplished repertory performer whose work spans major productions with Trinity Repertory Company and Kansas City Repertory Theatre.
• Ben Schrager* (Homeless Man / Hospital Aide) - High-impact stage actor seen in Atlantic Theater Company's NYC production of Robert Lopez's 1001 Nights and a Henry Award-nominated performance in Dancing Lessons (Lake Dillon Theatre Company).
• Rebecca Madeira (Nikki / Alice Understudy) - Rapidly rising talent seen at Signature Theatre (Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) and a 2025 Lotte Lenya Competition Prize Winner.

• Kathleen Tagg (Music Director / Pianist) - Virtuoso multi-genre artist and composer with appearances spanning Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and major international concert halls.
• Taija Warbelow (Irish Fiddle / Viola) - Featured Broadway and 1st National Tour fiddler for Come From Away and two-time Carnegie Hall performer with Friction Quartet.
• Leah Rankin (Cello) - Onstage Broadway cellist in Jez Butterworth's Tony-winning play The Ferryman and recipient of the 2023 Irish Echo Arts & Culture Award.
• Anna Colliton (Irish Drum - Bodhrán / Percussion) - Renowned master traditional percussionist, Broadway musician for Come From Away, and touring guest artist with Cherish the Ladies and Eileen Ivers.

Creative Team

• Andy Teirstein (Music) - A student of Leonard Bernstein who has shared concert stages with Paul Simon and Pete Seeger, Teirstein's compositions have been hailed by The New York Times and The Village Voice as "magical" and "ingenious."
• Seán Curran (Direction & Choreography) - Acclaimed director and choreographer whose landmark work spans Broadway (James Joyce's The Dead), the Metropolitan Opera, and Shakespeare in the Park.
• Maggie Dubris (Libretto & Lyrics) - 25-year 911 paramedic, poet, and author whose seminal work BrokeDown Palace provides the authentic heartbeat for this production.

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