37th Annual Festival of New Musicals

Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond are an Emmy-nominated writing team for the stage and screen. Their musical Romantics Anonymous (written with Emma Rice) debuted to rave reviews at Shakespeare’s Globe. They wrote more than 150 songs for “Vampirina,” an animated Disney TV series reaching over 100 million viewers in 115 countries. Other television work includes Netflix’s “Ridley Jones,” “Dead End: Paranormal Park,” and “Spirit Rangers.” Their stage projects include The Break, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes (NAMT Festival ’14, Village Theatre), 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), and Dani Girl (NAMT Festival ’11). Awards and honors include the Fred Ebb Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, the Mary Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Award, the Samuel French Next Step Award, the Burton Lane Award, and the Harold Adamson Award. Their debut album, “Out of Our Heads,” and the world premiere recordings of Romantics Anonymous and The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes are now available on iTunes and Spotify. Learn more at www.koomandimond.com.

Jenny Giering’s current projects include Alice Bliss (Adam Gwon, lyrics; Karen Hartman, book) commissioned by Playwrights Horizons (Weston Playhouse New Musical Award, Goodspeed’s Mercer Colony, Orchard Project Residency, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Theatreworks/Silicon Valley New Works Festival); and What We Leave Behind(co-written with Sean Barry; TheatreWorks Writer’s Retreat, Weston Theater Company Writers Retreat, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Sundance Theatre Lab, Theatre Aspen’s Solo Flights Festival) which received its first production at Theatre Raleigh starring Jessica Phillips this September. Her awards include the Jonathan Larson Award, the Constance Klinsky Prize from Second Stage and the Tilles Music Chair from Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

David Gomez is a songwriter, librettist, and playwright. With John-Michael Lyles he co-created The King Of Harlem, which has received support from the Lucille Lortel’s 121 Project, The Dramatist Guild Fellows Program, The Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, The American Playwriting Foundation, and Musical Theatre Factory’s MAKERS Cohort. With composer Jude Obermüller he created the lyrics for Miss Havisham’s Wedding, The Blue Shoes, and Feet Keep Me Flying. Recent commissioned musicals include Adelita (Paramount Theatre, IL) and Sugarplum (Music Theatre Kansas City). David is a Chicano theatre artist invested in continuing the tradition of corridos which use popular song forms to celebrate Latine stories. @gomez_zdavid

Derek Gregor’s musical Unlock’d (with Sam Carner) is the recipient of a Richard Rodgers Award and Kleban prize. His musicals Modern, Off Season (with Selda Sahin) and PARTICLE (with Sahin and Autumn Reeser) development has included, among others, the ASCAP Stephen Schwartz and Grow-A-Show Workshops, The Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, and The Village Theatre Festival Of New Musicals. His musicals ISLAND SONG and Techies! (with Carner) are licensed through Broadway Licensing. His musical In A Sunshine State received a production via San Diego State’s New Musicals Initiative. With Sahin, he wrote the original songs for the feature film American Reject and short film GRIND (starring Anthony Rapp).

Jenn Grinels is an award-winning singer/songwriter, but began her career in musical theater after studying at UC Irvine. Grinels played “Yitzhak” in the West Coast Premiere of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and spent years portraying “Janis Joplin” in Beehive. After completing her first album, Grinels built a fanbase through nonstop touring, releasing numerous singles, five additional albums, and via Patreon. With Wakeman, Grinels combines her experiences with theater and songwriting. In 2024 she was a Kleban Prize Finalist, Artist in Residence at Circle in the Square Theater School, and Wakeman was a Village Theatre Festival of New Works selection.

Adam Gwon’s musicals have been produced on six continents in ten languages. Off-Broadway: All the World’s a Stage (Keen Company – Drama Desk nomination, Off-Broadway Alliance Award winner, Best Musical), Scotland, PA (Roundabout – Drama Desk nomination, NYT Critic’s Pick), Ordinary Days (Roundabout, Keen Company revival – Drama League nomination); Regional: Witnesses (California Center for the Arts – 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).

Karen Hartman was the first playwright honored by Amplify (formerly VOLT), a festival of three simultaneous off-Broadway premieres: New Golden Age (Primary Stages, Blackburn Finalist); The Lucky Star (Directors Company); and Goldie, Max & Milk (MBL). Awards: Guggenheim, Henry (Best Musical), Hodder, McKnight, Jerome, New Dramatists, Loewe, Fulbright. Prose: New York Times, Washington Post. Publication: Concord, DPS, Playscripts, TCG. Current projects include In The Mood, a new musical based on the “Swing Youth” of Hamburg, and a film adaptation of her award-winning play Roz and Ray. Hartman founded and leads The Hundred Day Reckoning, a Creative Response to Hard Change.

Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond are an Emmy-nominated writing team for the stage and screen. Their musical Romantics Anonymous (written with Emma Rice) debuted to rave reviews at Shakespeare’s Globe. They wrote more than 150 songs for “Vampirina,” an animated Disney TV series reaching over 100 million viewers in 115 countries. Other television work includes Netflix’s “Ridley Jones,” “Dead End: Paranormal Park,” and “Spirit Rangers.” Their stage projects include The Break, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes (NAMT Festival ’14, Village Theatre), 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), and Dani Girl (NAMT Festival ’11). Awards and honors include the Fred Ebb Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, the Mary Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Award, the Samuel French Next Step Award, the Burton Lane Award, and the Harold Adamson Award. Their debut album, “Out of Our Heads,” and the world premiere recordings of Romantics Anonymous and The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes are now available on iTunes and Spotify. Learn more at www.koomandimond.com.

Jaime Lozano is a Mexican multi-hyphenate musical theatre storyteller considered by Lin-Manuel Miranda as the “next big thing” on Broadway. American Theatre Wing’s Jonathan Larson Grant 2022. Rhinebeck Writers Retreat 2025. Goodspeed Opera House’s Johnny Mercer Grove Writers 2025. Pipeline Arts Foundation winner 2025. Dramatists Guild Fellow 2024-2025. Lincoln Center Resident Artist 2023. Joe’s Pub Working Group 2020-2022. The Civilians R&D Group 2020-2021. JACK Resident Artist 2021. Lincoln Center Resident Artist 2023. Selected works: El Otro Oz -formerly The Yellow Brick Road– (TheaterWorksUSA and The Atlantic Theatre Company, Winner of The Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Musical 2023-24), Carmen La Cubana (European Tour), Children of Salt (NYMF 2016 “Best of Fest” Production),A Never-Ending Line (Comédie Nation in Paris, France & Off-Broadway), Desaparecidas (JACK). Broadway: Real Women Have Curves (dance arrangements). Albums: “A Never-Ending Line,” “Jaime Lozano and the Familia: Songs by an Immigrant” released by Broadway Records. “Songs by an Immigrant Vol. 2,” released by Concord Theatricals Recordings. Film: “In The Heights” (orchestrations), “Tick, Tick… Boom!” (cameo in Broadway composers scene). His project “Jaime Lozano & The Familia” has performed sold out concerts at venues such as Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, The Green Room 42, Two River Theater, and as part of the prestigious Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Series. Currently working on Frida, The Musical, ROJA and his anticipated new album: “Songs by an Immigrant Vol. 3”. BFA: Music & Composition, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León; MFA: NYU/Tisch, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program (Full Tuition Scholarship); part of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. Proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, AFM Local 802, BMI and GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY member. www.jaimelozano.net @jaimelozano

Jeff Luppino-Esposito is the lyricist and co-librettist of the ghost rom-com musical Love Is Dead. He is best known for his work as a writer, lyricist, and director on the musical podcast “In Strange Woods,” an iHeartRadio Award nominee for “Best Fiction Podcast.” His other notable writing and directing credits include the stage show Nantucket! The MusACKal, the short film Mem>How She Was, and the mockumentary pilot “Hall Stars” for Nickelodeon. You can preview his work at: www.JeffLE.me

John-Michael Lyles is a Vivace winning, multi-hyphenate creative! “HOW TO STAY BRIGHT” is his debut EP. He wrote additional music for the Second Stage production of We’re Gonna Die, participated in the Dramatist Guild Foundation Fellows ’21, Musical Theater Factory’s 2nd MAKERS Cohort, the 2021 Rhinebeck Retreat and 5th Avenue’s First Draft: Raise Your Voice. Co-writing book, music and lyrics with David Gomez for The King of Harlem (2022 finalist for Relentless Musical Theater Award). As an actor, he’s originated two roles on Broadway: “Thought 3” in A Strange Loop (Obie) and “Eli” in The Heart of Rock & Roll!

Chris Nee is the creator and executive producer of Disney Junior’s “Doc McStuffins“ & “Vampirina” before founding her own production company, Laughing Wild, where she created and EP’d “Ridley Jones”, “Ada Twist” and “We the People” for Netflix. She’s won
multiple Emmy Awards, NAACP Awards, an Annie Award and a Peabody Award. She’s had an amazing ride in film and television working on series that range from “Sesame Street” to “The Deadliest Catch”. But right now, she’s thrilled to be back in a room
making theatre. Website: laughingwildprod.com

Tommy Newman is a composer-lyricist-bookwriter whose shows include: Band Geeks! (NAMT Fest ’09), The Single Girl’s Guide (NAMT Fest ’13), Tinyard Hill (NAMT Fest ‘07). Off Broadway: We the People: America Rocks (Theatreworks USA), “29” (NYU Steinhardt), El Otro Oz (Theatreworks USA and The Alliance Theatre), The Teacher from the Black Lagoon and Other Stories (Theatreworks USA). Recent selected works include: With Bells On, Our Lady of 7-Eleven, Jenny’s Damned Ex, Savage, and Roja: A Nuevo Musical, created with Jaime Lozano. Tommy is currently a full-time professor with Troy University’s Department of Theatre and Dance. www.tommynewman.com

Autumn Reeser has enjoyed a long career playing strong female leads in shows like “The OC” and “Entourage,” and starring in romantic dramas on the Hallmark Channel. She continues to perform live with theater group The Workjuice Players, currently on a 20-year anniversary world tour with their stage show, The Thrilling Adventure Hour. In recent years she’s executive-produced multiple films for Crown Media, as well as co-writing and directing additional projects for stage and screen. She’s also expanded her reach online, where she has built a conscious community and mentorship program known as Earth School.

Brett Ryback is an actor, composer/lyricist, and writer. He is the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation’s Cole Porter Award. His musical podcast “In Strange Woods” hit #1 on Apple’s fiction chart and was an iHeartRadio Award nominee. Works include: Passing Through (Goodspeed), Joe Schmoe Saves the World (NAMT ‘16, ASCAP/Dreamworks Workshop), Nate the Great (TRW), Free Speech Zone (Austin Film Festival Semifinalist). His award-winning plays Weïrd and A Roz By Any Other Name are both published in “The Best American Short Plays 2007-2008.” He lives in LA with his husband and their miniature schnauzer, Hilde. www.brettryback.com

Selda Sahin’s musicals Modern, Off Season (with Derek Gregor) and PARTICLE (with Gregor and Autumn Reeser) are being developed throughout the country. Developments have included, among others, the ASCAP Stephen Schwartz and Grow-A-Show Workshops, The Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, and The Village Theatre Festival Of New Musicals. She was commissioned to write the libretto to the opera Steele Roots at The Atlanta Opera and wrote the original songs for the feature film American Reject and short film GRIND (starring Anthony Rapp). She wrote the music and lyrics to the musical All Fall Down which was directed by Lonny Price.

Kevin Wong is a composer-lyricist, singer/musician, and dramaturg. His musicals include: Recurring John; Polly Peel (with Julie Tepperman); Out of Stock; Drama 101 (with Steven Gallagher); In Real Life (with Nick Green); Believers (with Ali Joy Richardson), Take Me Back (with Amir Haidar); and Soft Magical Tofu Boy(s). Kevin streams weekly on Twitch (twitch.tv/kevinywong). He is the only three-time winner of the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Award for New Musical. Recordings include: “Small Ways to Move” and “Covers” (on streaming services everywhere).