New Musical CATCHING FIREFLIES Set To Premiere At The Players Theatre This January

Catching Fireflies: A New Queer Musical, a brand new show by new writers Finnigan Faye (a former private student of The Karate Kid's Drew Gasparini) and Adam Gloc, is set to premiere in the Players Loft Theatre this winter from January 9th-26th.

The piece is described as "a musical time capsule" of the life of 6 Philly queers stuck together over the 2020 pandemic through the lens of a trans writer coming to terms with his identity. Through intertwining love triangles and questioning of common queer stereotypes, each artist achieves a new perspective on the lifelong pursuit of connecting to authenticity.

The show is directed by Faye himself, with assistant director Gabbi McCarren. The Producing Team is led by Zoe Belle Gronner & Haley Dorrance with additional music and lyrics by James Rubino & Jenavive Banes. The cast includes Abi Painter, Jenny Johnston, Bex Schuster, Gabbi McCarren, Regina Brown, Eli Wassertzug, Alyx Cassese, Pearle Shannon, Laney Yoo, Finn Delehanty, & Kaden Potak.

The show started as a quarantine project between Faye & Gloc in 2020 when the duo met online in a musicians' Facebook group. They worked on the score virtually from Philadelphia to Rockland County. After two workshops in 2021 and 2022, an industry reading this past August, and a full concept album produced by James Rubino's Lorien Sound, the team is thrilled to have their score come to life for the first team fully staged. One of the show's most popular songs, "Drunk Monroe," was most recently awarded as a Top 10 Finalist for Taylor Louderman's Write Out Loud Songwriting Contest 2023, and featured in Valerie Maze's (Six the Musical) & Noelle Cornelius's "A Night of New Works" showcase at the Greenroom 42.

"Having this kind of representation is so important, now more than ever," Faye states. "Growing up, I was never able to resonate or relate with a queer character that felt authentic to my experiences as a young trans individual. So writing a piece inspired by the lives of real queer people is so important to me, and I want to be able to give audiences the representation I never had." He continues, "I'm so grateful for our team, the cast, and the opportunity to share a story we feel so passionate about."