MAKING IT HAPPEN Festival Finalists to Compete at The Theater Center
OVER THE HILL and HARU URARA are among the finalists vying for the festival's top prize.
The Theater Center has announced the finalists for the Making It Happen: Festival of 15 Minute Musicals. For the past three weeks, the festival has showcased 12 new works. With the help of audience votes, four musicals were chosen as finalists, which will compete in a final showcase held on September 9th at 7:30pm in the Jerry Orbach Theater at The Theater Center where the winner will receive a prize of $5,000.
Tickets for Making It Happen Festival start at $20 and can be purchased online via eventbrite https://makingithappenfestival.eventbrite.com.
Making It Happen Festival Finalists
SEPTEMBER 9, 2026
Over The Hill | Tickets
by Meira Marom (Book & Lyrics) & Joe Brauch (Music)
Over the Hill is an upbeat comedy set in Ancient Greece. After 3,000 years of pushing a boulder as punishment, Sisyphus is accidentally freed when Underworld clerk Calyxa makes a mistake. Struggling to find purpose, Sisyphus takes over Calyxa's job administering punishments after Zeus condemns her to replace him. In the end, both return to repetitive work—but with a renewed appreciation for their journeys. Along the way, a wisecracking vulture named Albird provides comic relief.
Haru Urara | Tickets
by Jeff Kasanoff (Book & Lyrics) & Ethan Riordan (Music)
Haru Urara tells the true story of a racehorse who never won a single race but somehow became one of the most beloved horses in Japan. The show asks why we're so obsessed with winning and what happens when someone (or something) keeps showing up despite every reason to quit. Through the people whose lives intersect with hers, Haru becomes an unlikely symbol of hope for anyone who's ever felt left behind.
Just Four Men In Hats! | Tickets
by Sarah Rossman (Book & Lyrics) & Alexander Ronneburg (Music)
What is a man without his barbershop quartet? Kevin, the baritone of Just Four Men in Hats (2012 Semi-Divisional Mid-Atlantic Regional Barbershop Quartet Champions), aims to find out. When he brings his date, Kimmy, back to his apartment, his former quartet-mates throw the evening into chaos—and the truth is laid bare.
Salt & Pepper | Tickets
by Jesse Ayala (Book) & Justino Tesoro (Music & Lyrics)
Salt & Pepper follows lifelong bandmates Luis and Ollie, whose friendship is tested after impulsive double wedding plans in Las Vegas. When Luis begins questioning his role as Ollie's perpetual follower, the band falls apart. In a final twist, the women reveal they orchestrated the breakup to steal Salt & Pepper's tour. Though left alone, Luis discovers his own identity and learns to forge his own path.
Festival Produced by Catherine Russell, Jeffrey Schmelkin, Christian Clinton, Luke Fernandez de los Muros, Lauren Sheris, Colson Struss, & Clark Worden
The Theater Center is home to long-running hits like Perfect Crime: New York's longest running play, Friends! The Musical Parody, and Singfeld! A Musical About Nothing. The only Off-Broadway venue with a Broadway address, The Theater Center has offered Off-Broadway entertainment in a 20,000-square-foot complex featuring two theaters and rehearsal spaces since April 2005. For more information, visit www.thetheatercenter.com as well as our Instagram and TikTok pages: @thetheatercenter
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Murder on the Orient Express Manes Studio Theatre of Long Island (8/28-9/13) |
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Broadway Magic Hour Broadway Magic Hour: Magic Show (7/25-1/02) |
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Dominant Animals Teatro LATEA (10/02-10/04) |
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Eileen Barnett: Back Again...For The Very First Time! The Laurie Beechman Theatre (10/06-10/06) |
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Falling Into Now Greenroom42 (10/24-10/24) |
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LOVE INSURANCE Theater for the New City (9/02-9/12) |
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PANGEA: UNLEASHED KnJ Theater (10/10-10/11) |
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Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña Teatro Círculo (9/18-10/04) |
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Rock Never Dies Hard Rock Cafe (5/29-8/30) |
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Shangri-La-La, a comedy musical about Siegfried & Roy Theater for the New City (8/29-8/29) |