Dedicated to incubating new musicals since 2007, Off-Broadway’s non-profit New York Theatre Barn, in association with the Broadway Podcast Network – a leader in theater and theater-related podcasts, audio dramas, serials, parodies, live video events, and more – launched its new series The Musicals of Tomorrow on Thursday, August 19, with three premiere episodes. They will be followed by new bi-monthly installments on the first and third Thursdays of succeeding months.
Hosted by award-winning director and choreographer Joe Barros (Theatre Barn’s Co-Founder and Artistic Director) and creative producer and theater administrator Jen Sandler (Theatre Barn’s Associate Artistic Director and an Original Programming Producer at Feinstein’s/54 Below), the podcast, based on their award-winning YouTube series, shines a spotlight on new groundbreaking musicals-in-development in real time, while exploring the works’ original content, intention, and journey in conversations with their writers and creative teams.
In Episode 1, Barros and Sandler discuss Experience Marianas – a wild rock musical adventure about one woman’s journey to escape an oceanic cult – with writers Rob Rokicki (The Lightning Thief) and Sarah Beth Pfeifer, and talk to Tony-nominated composer and writer Joe Iconis (Be More Chill; Broadway Bounty Hunter, which was co-produced by Sandler) about Love In Hate Nation – a female-centric love story of diverse characters set in a 1960s Juvie Hall, caught between eras in a changing America and creating a “revolution in the institution.” The hour-long podcast features rousing musical performances by Rokicki, Pfeifer, Sydney Farley, Amina Faye, Jasmine Forsberg, Lauren Marcus, Kelly McIntyre, Lena Skeele, Emerson Mae Smith, and Tatiana Wechsler that are sure to stimulate your excitement and interest in the shows.
Also released this week, Episodes 2 and 3 highlight Little Miss Perfect by Joriah Kwamé and Lauren M. Gunderson (America’s most produced living playwright in 2017 and 2019-20), House Rules by Kate Leonard and Daniel Merzlufft (Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical), On This Side Of The World by Paulo K Tiról and Noam Shapiro, and The Village Of Vale by Jonathan Karpinos, John McGrew, and Joseph Varca.
Future episodes will focus on more of the most talented musical-theater writers of today, including Kirsten Childs (The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin), Hunter Bell ([title of show]), Jeff Bowen ([title of show]), Masi Asare (Paradise Square), Jaime Cepero (NBC’s SMASH), Daniel and Patrick Lazour (We Live In Cairo), and others. All provide proof of Theatre Barn’s belief “that there is no formula for musical theater, except unique authenticity.”
The Musicals of Tomorrow series from New York Theatre Barn streams on the Broadway Podcast Network, and is available on the BPN APP, Apple/iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeart, TuneIn, Deezer, Player.FM, Pocket Cast, Podcast Addict, and all podcast platforms.
