26th Annual Festival of New Musicals

Breedlove is one of the most distinctive singer-songwriters in New York’s downtown performance scene; he has toured several times with Semi Precious Weapons and his collaborators include Bootsy Collins, Lady Starlight, Darian Darling and Lady Gaga (for whom he is currently the opening act on the European leg of her ArtRave: The ArtPop Ball Tour). Having completed production on his first album with mega-producer Chew Fu (Gaga, Rihanna) an EP of their collaboration will be available soon on iTunes. Born and raised in San Francisco, he is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College.

A multi-instrumentalist and composer in both theatrical and dance worlds, organizations that Charles has worked with include the Lincoln Center Institute, Urban Bush Women, the Katherine Dunham Institute, Trenton Educational Dance Institute, National Dance Institute, Festival del Caribe Santiago de Cuba, Ile Aiye Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, the Bates Dance Festival and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival; Cairo Egypt Opera House Ballet, and a longtime member of the faculty at Alvin Ailey. His music was featured in the HBO documentary Jacques D’Amboise in China. Vince was also a member of the 2018 Musikmarathon in Austria, the 2016 Art Saves Lives Musical Theater Lecturer on St. Maarten Island, and received a Pew Center for Arts and Heritage Fellowship for “Pushers,” and a Brooklyn Arts Council grant recipient for his work with Renegade Performance Group’s Afrofuturism Series. He is currently on faculty at Berklee College of Music at Boston Conservatory.

Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond are an Emmy-nominated writing team for the stage and screen. Their musical ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS (with Emma Rice) debuted to rave reviews at Shakespeare’s Globe. They wrote more than 150 songs for Disney’s VAMPIRINA, reaching over 100 million viewers in 115 countries. Other television work includes RIDLEY JONES, DEAD END: PARANORMAL PARK, and SPIRIT RANGERS. Stage projects include THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES (Village Theater, NAMT 2013), ORPHIE & THE BOOK OF HEROES (The Kennedy Center), THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF PERCIVAL VON SCHMOOTZ (Adirondack Theatre Festival), JUDGE JACKIE: DISORDER IN THE COURT (Pittsburgh CLO; Concord), DANI GIRL (Concord, NAMT 2011), GOLDEN GATE (Williamstown Theatre Festival), HOMEMADE FUSION (London’s Ambassadors Theater) and JUNIOR CLAUS (Orlando Repertory Theatre). Their debut album, OUT OF OUR HEADS, and the world premiere recording of THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES are now available on iTunes and Spotify. Learn more at www.koomandimond.com

Peter Duchan wrote the book of the musical†Dogfight, which premiered at Second Stage (director, Joe Mantello).†Dogfight†won the 2013 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and was nominated for five Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Off Broadway Musical and Book of a Musical, and two Drama League Awards, including Broadway or Off Broadway Musical. Dogfight†received the 2011 Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. Peter co-wrote the screenplays for†Breaking Upwards (IFC Films) and the short†Unlocked†(official selection, Tribeca Film Festival). His play†Lavender Scare†was presented in Geva Theatre’s 2011 Plays-in-Progress series. Dramatists Guild Fellowship, 2011-2012. Graduate, Northwestern University.

ADAM GWON Off-Broadway: Scotland, PA (Roundabout Theatre Äì Drama Desk nomination, NYT;Critic’s Pick), Ordinary Days (Roundabout Theatre, Keen Company revival – Drama League;nomination), Old Jews Telling Jokes (Westside Theatre, NYT Critic’s Pick); Regional: Witnesses;(California Center for the Arts Äì Craig Noel Award, Outstanding New Musical), String (Village;Theatre), Cake Off (Signature Theatre – Helen Hayes nomination, Bucks County Playhouse),;Cloudlands (South Coast Rep), The Boy Detective Fails (Signature Theatre), Bernice Bobs Her;Hair (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma); West End: Ordinary Days (Trafalgar Studios). Awards: Kleban, Ebb, Loewe, and Rodgers Awards, Second Stage Theatre’s Donna Perret;Rosen Award, Weston Playhouse New Musical Award, ASCAP Harold Adamson Award, MAC;John Wallowitch Award. Recordings: Ordinary Days (Ghostlight Records), Audra;McDonald’s Go Back Home (Nonesuch), Artists in Residence (Broadway Records), The;Essential Liz Callaway (Working Girl Records), Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Album.

Sarah just completed a seven-year playwriting residency at New Dramatists. Her play Green Girl was produced in SPF at the Public. Other works have been developed at BAPF, Williamstown, Geva, Trustus, South Coast Rep, the O’Neill, Broadway Across America, the Royal National Theatre, and beyond. Recipient of the Heidemann Award, the Loewe Prize and the Weston New Musicals Award. At NYU GMTWP, she wrote book and lyrics for Barefoot Persephone, a full-length musical; ÄúCloud & Goat,” a puppet musical; and the ten-minute musicals, “People Are Dancing” and “Jack + Jill,” which were both produced at Barrington Stage Company.

Rebecca Hart is a performer, composer and writer based in NYC. On stage: ‘SWEAT’ (Public Tour), The Revolutionists (CT Critics Circle Award), Midsummer (TheatreWorks Hartford – CT Critics Circle Nom), Rimbaud in NY (The Civilians @BAM), Microcosmos (The Civilians), and frequent gigs with her six-piece altfolk band. Writing/composing credits include: Microcosmos and Rimbaud in NY (Civilians), GLORIA (Woolly Mammoth—Helen Hayes Nomination), The Cabaret at the End of the World (NY Innovative Theatre Award), Aaron Jafferis’ How to Break (NAMT 2014), Iron John (2019 O’Neill Semifinalist, NYU staged workshop), and her album The Magician’s Daughter. Civilians Associate Artist, MFA NYU GMTWP. www.rebeccahart.net

Stuck Elevator at ACT (SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, NEA, Creative Capital, NEFA National Theatre Project, Edgerton New American Play Award);Kingdom at The Old Globe (NAMT Fest ’07, Richard Rodgers Award, NYMF Most Promising New Musical); Shakespeare: The Remix (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Capital Rep, Zach Scott). Musicals developed by the Public Theater, Sundance Theatre Lab, Atlantic Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and many others. A former Open Rap Slam champion at the National Poetry Slam Championships, Aaron teaches poetry at a children’s hospital in his hometown of New Haven. BA: UC Berkeley. MFA: NYU GMTWP.

Multi-Emmy Award-winning composer Carl Johnson lives and works in Southern California. A graduate of the University of Kansas and USC, he has worked in the film and television industry as a composer, orchestrator and conductor for over 20 years.†His feature film credits include Piglet’s Big Movie, Hunchback of Notre Dame II and The Return of Jafar. Among his TV credits are Gargoyles, Animaniacsand Toonsylvania. As an orchestrator/arranger he has worked on Skyfall, The Amazing Spider-Man and Wall*E. His other musical theater works include At Home in Mitford, A Tinseltown Christmas and Bagels!

Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond are an Emmy-nominated writing team for the stage and screen. Their musical ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS (with Emma Rice) debuted to rave reviews at Shakespeare’s Globe. They wrote more than 150 songs for Disney’s VAMPIRINA, reaching over 100 million viewers in 115 countries. Other television work includes RIDLEY JONES, DEAD END: PARANORMAL PARK, and SPIRIT RANGERS. Stage projects include THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES (Village Theater, NAMT 2013), ORPHIE & THE BOOK OF HEROES (The Kennedy Center), THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF PERCIVAL VON SCHMOOTZ (Adirondack Theatre Festival), JUDGE JACKIE: DISORDER IN THE COURT (Pittsburgh CLO; Concord), DANI GIRL (Concord, NAMT 2011), GOLDEN GATE (Williamstown Theatre Festival), HOMEMADE FUSION (London’s Ambassadors Theater) and JUNIOR CLAUS (Orlando Repertory Theatre). Their debut album, OUT OF OUR HEADS, and the world premiere recording of THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES are now available on iTunes and Spotify. Learn more at www.koomandimond.com

Kevin Merritt’s background is nothing if not eclectic. His creative wanderlust has led him through all kinds of professional and artistic endeavorsÄîfrom producing large scale shows, events and festival to writing musicals, directing cartoons, performing and creating participatory art projects for Burning Man. Kevin strong believes in the power of transformative immediacy created through the that the alchemy of live performance, narrative, music and sensory experience.

Brendan Milburn is a music teacher (voice, keyboards and occasionally mandolin, guitar, bass, or drums as the need arises). In his former life he toured in a rock band called GrooveLily for about 15 years, and wrote a lot of musicals which were produced in NYC and at regional theatres around the country. He also has songs in live shows running at Disneyland, Disney World, and Disneyland Paris. in four movies about Tinker Bell (Disney). Awards: Jonathan Larson, ASCAP/Richard Rodgers, LA Ovation (best musical, best music direction), LA Drama Critics Circle (best score of a musical), LA Stage Raw (best musical). Proudest productions: sixteen-year-old Mose, five-year-old Arlen, and 3-year old Rory.

A Christmas Memory (Larry Grossman, Carol Hall); Dorian (James Mellon, Scott DeTurk); Love Makes the World Go ‘Round (Bob Merrill); Scrooge in Love! (Larry Grossman, Kellen Blair); Pasadena Playhouse tributes to Sondheim, Schwartz, Jones & Schmidt; a dozen plays; over fifty television movies, series, and features, including the final two screen appearances of Kate Hepburn. His film, Shattered Image, was an official selection at the Venice, Montreal and Toronto Film Festivals. He has written for performers as varied as George Clooney, Cheyenne Jackson, Glenn Close, Anthony Quinn, Gwen Verdon, Jack Lemmon, Michael Feinstein, Fred Flintstone and Johnny Depp.

YAKO 440 is a musician, beat maker, graffiti writer and graphic designer- a true school multi-media Hip Hop artist. His skill set includes human beatbox, turntables, bass, guitar, keys and drums. On 6 continents, this sonic arsenal has been put to use performing both as a duo with MC/beatboxer Baba Israel and with their 7-piece new rare groove band Soul Inscribed, sharing the stage with Afrika Bambaataa, Doug E. Fresh and KRS-1. In theater, Yako has toured and created original music for Baba’s shows Boombap Meditations and The Spinning Wheel Keeps Turning and is well traveled with the improvisational Hip Hop theater troupe Playback NYC. He is also a scholar and teaching artist with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College (USA) and experienced leading music and visual art workshops with all age groups since 2000 throughout the NYC area and cities all over the world.

With a performance career spanning Broadway, off-Broadway, and stages around the world, James has been involved in the development of dozens of new musicals as an award winning writer, actor, and producer with organizations ranging from Riverdance to Sundance, Jesus Christ Superstar to Forbidden Broadway, at the O’Neill, Playwrights Horizons, New Dramatists, Goodspeed, The Vineyard, and many more. He is the bookwriter for Looking For Christmas with country music legend Clint Black (The Old Globe, San Diego 2018), and working with Irish folk supergroup The High Kings on a new musical. James is also a Puffin grant recipient, and a few others. As part of Burwell & Sasser (2019 Jonathan Larson Grant Finalists?, and Uncharted Artists at Ars Nova), their musicals include Bottle Shock ?(based on the hit cult movie) with director Kent Nicholson, and CUBAMOR? (Village Theatre’s Beta Series (2016); NAMT (2014); TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (2013); conceived at NYU-GMWTP).

Kevin So has earned the respect of Keb’ Mo’, Billy Bragg and playwright David Henry Hwang, and has built a loyal fan base around the world for the past 20 years. He has performed more recently at Carnegie Hall and The Ryman in Nashville. Kevin was also recipient of the 2007 NYC Fringe Festival Award (Best Music & Lyrics) for Great Wall. His songs have been recorded by India Arie (“Crush On You”), Keb’ Mo’ (“Talk”) and Shemekia Copeland (“Sounds Like The Devil”). He currently lives in Nashville with his dog Monk.

Valerie Vigoda uplifts and connects with people through her unique combination of gorgeous vocals and electric violin, heartfelt musical storytelling, and fierce buoyancy. Her epic life journey has taken her: around the world on rock tours with Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and her own indie band GrooveLily; to New York as an award-winning writer and performer in multiple hit musicals; and into the hearts of millions as a prolific Disney songwriter.
With the acclaimed show STRIKING 12, Val and her indie bandmates became pioneer Äúactor-musiciansÄù; she has continued to carve her own creative path, partly thanks to the discipline she learned both at Princeton and as a lieutenant in the US Army. Awards include: Jonathan Larson, LA Ovation (Best Musical: SLEEPING BEAUTY WAKES), ASCAP Richard Rodgers, and Off-Broadway Alliance (Best Musical: ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME). Val lives in LA with her son Mose.

Chana Wise (lyrics) has written book and lyrics for Mary Marie (NAMT Festival, 2014, Richard Rodgers Award finalist, 2014, TRU Voices finalist 2019), Bagels! the musical (JETfest, 2016, Neil Simon Playwriting Contest finalist 2015, TRU Voices finalist, 2019), Tinseltown Christmas, and The Coffee Quintet, all with music by Carl Johnson. She wrote lyrics for The Max Factor Factor, (music-Joe Blodgett, book-Adrian Bewley) produced by NMI, in August, 2014, Earthbound, (book-Adam Hahn, music-Jonathan Price) and The Island, (book/music by Jonathan Price), produced by SkyPilot Theatre in June 2012, and July 2013, and for Cardinal Sins, produced by Centerstage Theatre in Washington, May, 2017. www.chanawise.com