Derek Gregor News

New York Theatre Barn will host a free live stream of its New Works Series on Wednesday, May 20th.

Honeck-Moss Productions will present 'In The Works.' This exciting series is an opportunity for composers to try out new work in front of an audience and see how it plays in a supportive environment. It is also an opportunity to create community among the composers and their performers.

Audiences are invited to attend a special talkback with award-winning musical theater writer Sam Carner on Friday, March 13 at the Sunrise Civic Center. The talkback will take place following an 8 p.m. performance of his musical Island Song, staged by Measure for Measure Theatre. This talkback is an ideal opportunity for playwrights, songwriters and performers to learn about working in New York theater. He and fellow songwriter Derek Gregor form the songwriting team of Carner and Gregor. As collaborators, Carner and Gregor are best known for the musicals Island Song and Unlock'd, Measure for Measure Theatre's production of Island Song is the musical's Southeastern Regional Premiere. Island Song will run from Thursday, March 12 through Sunday, March 29.

The Nazareth College Theatre and Dance Department will present a staged reading of the musical Modern. Written by Selda Sahin and Derek Gregor, directed by Ian Patterson, with music direction by Sarah Pool Wilhelm. The presentation will take place Saturday, February 29 at 2:00 pm in Studio Theatre A48 on the Nazareth College campus. Admission is free and open to the public.

This poignant, off-beat dramedy follows five 20- and 30-somethings as they take on New York City over the course of a year. These young hopefuls must work through their own complex relationships with ambition, distraction and the desire to connect.

LiveRead@SDA will launch its 2020 season with CARRY ME, a new musical written by Kira Stone (The Light Rail, Salem) and Matthew Greene (Thousand Pines, Gregorian). LiveRead@SDA, a developmental series at The USC School of Dramatic Arts, was created to cultivate and provide critical support for the creation of innovative and contemporary new works for the American theatre.

The San Diego State University MFA Musical Theatre Program, under the supervision of Robert Meffe and Stephen Brotebeck, will present a staged reading of the musical Modern. Written by Selda Sahin and Derek Gregor, directed by Shayne Mims, with music direction by Richard Morrison. The presentation will take place Friday, January 31 at 3:30 pm in the Experimental Theatre on the SDSU campus. Admission is free and open to the public.  

New York City's Institute for American Musical Theatre has announced plans for a unique 2-year 'Creators' program. Built and run by award winning lyricist-librettist Sam Carner (Island Song, Unlock'd), the new intensive and highly collaborative training will be guided by a faculty including composer-lyricist Adam Gwon (Ordinary Days, Scotland PA, String), composer-lyricist Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop, Teeth, White Girl in Danger), composer Anna K. Jacobs (Pop, Teeth), director Lonny Price (A Class Act, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, Company, Sweeney Todd), composer Derek Gregor (Island Song, Unlock'd), music supervisor Brad Haak (Mary Poppins, Daddy Long Legs), director Marlo Hunter (American Reject, Saved By the Bell: the Musical), musical director Andy Collopy (Lightning Thief), and other Broadway professionals still being confirmed.

A Little New Music will once again introduce a sparkling array of artists singing brand new musical theatre songs in a classic cabaret setting at Hollywood's historic Catalina Jazz Club on Wednesday, November 20th at 8:30pm. Audiences of A Little New Music's concert series will discover firsthand the new songs that could become future classics of the American musical theatre landscape.

The USC School of Dramatic Arts announces the call for submission for the fourth season of LiveRead@SDA, a developmental series created to cultivate and provide critical support for the creation of innovative and contemporary new works for the American theatre.

The Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska has announced their fourth biennial GROW A SHOW, a development program for new musical theatre. The workshop, although it is ticketed, is free to the public. Tickets are available online at www.liedcenter.org. This is an incredible free event for theatre doers and goers.

It's that time of year again. One of my favorite times of year. That time when I get to spend the weekend at Village Theatre checking out the shows brought together by the folks at Village, spotlighting new works around the country. Some amazing, some needing work, but all showing promise. Now, of course, I can't review any of these. They're all still works in progress and not fully staged. But I can share what went on over the weekend as a potential coming attraction of musicals to come to a theater near you.

Tickets for Measure for Measure Theatre's 2019-2020 season are available for purchase. Measure for Measure recently announced its move to the Sunrise Civic Center, where it will present three contemporary musicals-In the Heights (Oct. 24-Nov. 10), the regional premiere of Island Song (Mar. 12-29) and Pippin (Apr. 23-May 10).

With The 19th Annual Festival of New Musicals taking place this upcoming weekend, Village Theatre is excited to announce the casting for XY, an uplifting musical about identity and coming to terms with your past; Cold Turkey, a wild and funny satire; Modern, an inspiring tale about a group of Amish teenagers; Eastbound, an poignant story about Chinese brothers in search of a home they've never known; and Cowboy Bob, an adventurous rock musical about a bank-robbing woman. The Festival will take place in Issaquah August 9-11, 2019 and provides an essential platform for writers to develop new works. Past Festival shows include Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning shows such as Next to Normal and Million Dollar Quartet, as well as Broadway and Off-Broadway hits: It Shoulda Been You, Desperate Measures, Lizzie, and many more.

Village Theatre has announced the lineup for The 19th Annual Festival of New Musicals, a series of five staged readings of musicals currently in development. The Festival will take place in Issaquah August 9-11, 2019. Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals is the birthplace of Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning shows such as Next to Normal and Million Dollar Quartet, as well as Broadway and Off-Broadway hits: It Shoulda Been You, Desperate Measures, Lizzie, and many more.

Broadway's next generation comes to LA in A Little New Music's 20th concert of new musical theatre songs in The Sorting Room's 2019 Summer Series at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on June 26th at 7:00 pm. Kathy Deitch (B'way WICKED, FOOTLOOSE) will host. Multiple LA Ovation Award-winning composer Gregory Nabours (THE TROUBLE WITH WORDS, MARILYN! THE NEW MUSICAL) returns as music director, leading the ALNM band. Ticket availability is extremely limited, but there will be a waitlist. Scroll down for photos of the cast in rehearsal.

Broadway's next generation comes to LA with featured performances by Jonah Platt (B'way: WICKED, "JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Live"), Olivier Award nominee April Nixon (B'way SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE, TOMMY), and Carrie Manolakos (B'way: MAMMA MIA) in A Little New Music's 20th concert of new musical theatre songs in The Sorting Room's 2019 Summer Series at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on June 26th at 7:00 p.m.  Kathy Deitch (B'way WICKED, FOOTLOOSE) will host. Multiple LA Ovation Award-winning composer Gregory Nabours (THE TROUBLE WITH WORDS, MARILYN! THE NEW MUSICAL) returns as music director, leading the ALNM band.

The award-winning Measure for Measure Theatre has found its new permanent home at the Sunrise Civic Center beginning in its 2019-2020 season.

An industry reading of WINGS will be held on Thursday, May 9th at 3 PM and Friday, May 10th at 11 AM in New York City. WINGS is a new musical with Book, Music, and Lyrics by Danny K Bernstein.

Founding Executive Director Kathy Evans announced the 27 writers of nine new musicals for Rhinebeck Writers Retreat's summer weeklong residencies. This year's artists include Obie-winner Heather Christian, Kleban-winner Brian Crawley, TV and film writers Bekah Brunstetter (THIS IS US) and Cinco Paul (DESPICABLE ME), inaugural Stephen Schwartz Award winner Oliver Houser, and ASCAP Foundation scholarship winner Khiyon Hursey. The musicals cover a wide range of subjects. Four have LGBTQ themes: a historical look at Florida in the 1950s (IN A SUNSHINE STATE), a Palestinian/Israeli love story (BORDERS), a modern coming of age of a young black man (SEAN'S STORY PART I | THE AWAKENING), and a fantasy queer rock musical celebrating lady love (TL;DR: THELMA LOUISE; DYKE REMIX). Two are darkly comedic historical musicals: one featuring Mary Magdelene (A.D. 16) and the second a WWII plot to foil Hitler (OPERATION MINCEMEAT). Other subjects include the opioid crisis (ALMOST HEAVEN), the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (THE GOLDEN SPIKE), and a mystery involving a woman with a sleep disorder (NARCOLEPSY).