Bridgetown Conservatory Unveils 2024 Season Of Musicals Featuring a World Premiere & More

Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre is producing its first full season of musicals for 2024 and launching the series with a world premiere of a revised/reworked 1977 Off-Broadway musical, Ludlow Ladd: The Poor Little Orphan Boy. With libretto by Michael Colby and music by Gerald Jay Markoe, Bridgetown Conservatory's production will be what Michael Colby describes as the 'fully realized new version' of the all-sung musical. Part Dickens, part Gilbert and Sullivan, part Fractured Fairy Tale, this family operetta evolves through mock-Christmas carols.

The six-show season of musicals include:

• Ludlow Ladd: The Poor Little Orphan Boy by Michael Colby and Gerald Jay Markoe

• A Grand Night for Singing - the Rodgers and Hammerstein II musical celebration;

• Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn;

• Love, Linda (The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter) - a musical biographical of one of America's greatest musical theatre composers;

• Dogfight by Pasek and Paul, the hit Off-Broadway show based on the 1991 film;

• Tomfoolery: the Music and Lyrics of Tom Lehrer.

Rick Lewis, Artistic Director and Founder of Bridgetown Conservatory said: "We are so excited to add a season of performance to our triple-threat training! For the past seven years we've focused on collaborating with middle and high school students in their dreams of pursuing a college musical theatre program or a professional career. For the past two years, we've begun to add performance opportunities to guide the triple-threat training in process. Now, we're ready to create more opportunities for our students (teens and now adults) to perform in musical theatre pieces in our new black box theatre in The Tiffany Center."

Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre prides itself in being the premier training ground for young performers with an eye on a professional musical theatre career. Bridgetown offers "triple-threat" training (Acting, Dance and Vocal Performance) for young professional ages 12-19, preparing for college entrance into top-tier musical theatre programs and professional careers in musical Theatre. Bridgetown Conservatory's musical theatre triple-threat program is taught by former Broadway and NYC professionals, providing experienced and thoughtful insight into the training of young performers.

Over the past few years, Bridgetown Conservatory's graduating high school seniors have garnered spots in such prestigious musical theatre programs as: The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (London), The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Manhattan School of Music, Marymount Manhattan, NYU/Steinhard, NYU/Tisch, Boston Conservatory, Chapman University, Pace University, SCU Dramatic Arts, AMDA, Molloy College/CAP21 among others.

Rick Lewis' professional musical theatre background began in New York City where he worked as a pianist/music direct in Off-Broadway theatre and was audition pianist for Stephen Sondheim's original workshop of Sunday in the Park with George, assistant conductor and vocal director for the pre-Broadway workshop of Cy Coleman's The Life. He has written the hit Off-Broadway musical The Taffetas, with productions around the world. Rick has also written and arranged for Disney Live Theatricals, American Hawaii Cruises, American Classic Voyages and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as original music for the 1986 Democratic Convention.

Rick launched Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre eight years ago after surviving a stroke, which temporarily took the use of the right side of his body; a shock to the former resident music director/conductor of Portland Center Stage and professional pianist. After his stroke and through his recovery process, Rick knew that it was time to launch a conservatory focusing on professional training for the eager and hungry young musical theatre performer. "I discovered a lot about self-awareness and self-perception and mental imprinting through the recovery process. A lot of what holds us back as performers is the junk that we store in our minds - things like "I'm not good enough," or who "does it better," etc.. If we can rewrite those files, our potential is limitless - or at least that's the goal with Bridgetown and its training program," said Rick regarding his stroke.

Performance dates: Ludlow Ladd, December 7 to 17, 2023; A Grand Night for Singing, February 14 to 17, 2024; Make Me a Song, April 11 to 14, 2024; Love, Linda, June 20 to 23, 2024; Dogfight, July 11 to 21, 2024 and Tomfoolery, October 17 to 20, 2024. Tickets will go on sale October 1, 2023.

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