9th Annual Festival of New Musicals

Darrah Cloud’s first play, The House Across the Street, was produced by Ensemble Studio Theatre. Since then, productions include The Stick Wife, Our Suburb, The Mud Angel, Dream House, Braille Garden, The Sirens, Heartland, The Boxcar Children, Honor Song for Crazy Horse, Understudy Jesus, and the stage adaptation of Willa Cather’s O Pioneers!, filmed by American Playhouse. Cincinnati Playhouse toured Joan the Girl of Arc, and What’s Bugging Greg? Two new plays, Turning and Sabrina, will premiere in 2021 and 2022 at Centenary Stage and Portland Stage. She is currently working on The Imaginary Life of Alexander McQueen for Ark Productions. She has written for CBS, Fox and NBC. Alum of New Dramatists, co-directs Howl Playwrights in Rhinebeck.

A Terrance McNally Award finalist, his upcoming work includes PETE √în√ï KEELY at Carnegie Hall starring Jennifer Simard and Christopher Sieber. Other work, THE EXHIBITIONIST starring Jeff Hiller (Theatre Aspen√ïs Solo Flight Grant Award winner), THE PIN UP GIRLS, Casa Manana. Other Off Broadway; Solo show WHAT DOESN√ïT KILL YOU at 59E59 Theatre, POPCORN FALLS (director: Christian Borle), PETE ‘N’ KEELY (Outer Critics Award nomination, two Drama Desk nominations), THE AUDIENCE (Drama Desk nomination), I LOVE NEW YORK (Bistro Award), BEING AUDREY (Transport Group, NEA Grant recipient). As a performer: 6 Broadway shows, 5 tours and over twenty television shows and films.

KIM SHERMAN is a composer whose music covers the spectrum of genres from musical theater to opera. Her musicals include O PIONEERS!, HONOR SONG FOR CRAZY HORSE, THE BOXCAR CHILDREN, HEARTLAND, MAKEOVER, and THE TWO ORPHANS. Her incidental music has been heard on Broadway (I HATE HAMLET) and in regional theaters throughout the United States. Recent compositions include an opera about Ada Lovelace, and a song cycle about Clara Schumann. Awards include the Bay Area Theatre Critics Award, the Frederick Loewe Award, a NYFA Fellowship, and annual ASCAP awards. She has been a fellow at The MacDowell Colony, and was awarded a Rhinebeck Writers Residency in 2011. In 2013 she spent a month in residence at The Banff Centre. Ms. Sherman received a Bachelor of Music from Lawrence University, and studied composition with Thea Musgrave. She is a volunteer composer and mentor for The 52nd Street Project.