Verse Intro Cabaret at SOHO Playhouse

VERSE INTRO CABARET is a series that peels back the curtain on the work of up-and-coming musical theatre writers to give you an inside look! Each month, we’ll treat you to a sneak peek of new songs by two of New York’s hottest composer-lyricists. Join us on June 18th for our next cabaret, featuring these amazing artists!

Durra Leung is a multilingual musical theatre writer, writing music, lyrics, and book. His semi-autobiographical musical Durra Leung’s Lullabies for Motherf*ckers Vol. 1 is in development, having received support from BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, Catwalk Institute Residency, UNTITLED Musical Project, New York City Artist Corps Grant, and Queens Arts Fund New Work Grant. Durra has presented his original musical works at NYC venues including Feinstein’s/54 Below, Joe’s Pub, The Green Room 42, The Tank, Symphony Space, The Duplex, The Laurie Beechman Theatre, Wild Project, The PIT, The West End Lounge, Dixon Place, and many others. Durra has been a part of the creative team of Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002 Tony Award for Best Musical) as the Cantonese lyricist. He also writes scores for films, including Your Smile (Cannes Film Festival, 2020). Durra is an alum of NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program as a composer, and an active member of BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop as a librettist. Born and raised in Guangzhou, China, he now calls NYC home. durraleung.com

Mika Kauffman (they/ze, “he” as a treat) is a multi-hyphenate queer, trans and neurodivergent artist, primarily a director and choreographer, musical writer, dramaturg and producer. Hailing from Baltimore, they received their BFA from Towson University and MFA in musical theatre writing from Tisch. Mika creates collaborative trauma-informed spaces with a focus on community building to cultivate new work Off-Broadway and beyond. Ze is a member of the Dramatist Guild and Parity Productions, and the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Trans Entertainment Guild, an organization dedicated to bettering the working conditions and lives of trans and gender expansive people in entertainment (transentertainmentguild.org). Written works include Maxa, The Maddest Woman in the World, Tomato Republic, Paranormative, Naught, Back to the Shore (A Jersey Short Opera), Things I [should have] Said, Are the Cis Okay? (An Educational Shitpost). mikakauffman.com

VERSE INTRO CABARET appears at SoHo Playhouse’s Huron Club on Sunday, June 18th at 7 PM. Space is limited, so get your tickets now!