Amanda Jane Cooper, Jelani Remy & More to Lead IN THE TRENCHES: A PARENTING MUSICAL Industry Readings

In The Trenches: A Parenting Musical, with book, music, and lyrics by Graham & Kristina Fuller, will receive industry readings on Friday, March 24th at 11am & 3pm at Ripley Grier Studios. The readings will be directed by Jen Wineman (Dog Man: The Musical) and will feature music direction by Rebekah Bruce (Mean Girls) and arrangements by Dan Graeber, Graham & Kristina Fuller.

The cast of In The Trenches features Amanda Jane Cooper (Wicked), Jelani Remy (The Lion King, Ain't Too Proud), Christine Dwyer (Wicked), Caesar Samayoa (Come From Away), Max Crumm (Grease, Disaster!), and Vidushi Goyal.

Join two bleary-eyed young parents as they trudge through the trenches and discover their new post-baby identities. In an evening of new-parent greatest hits, a foul-mouthed toddler zeroes in on "the most dangerous thing in the room", tap dancing towards bleach, knives, and tide pods; a chronically-overlooked younger sibling sings the "second child blues"; a mom trio celebrates yoga pants in an R&B love song to the "official mom uniform"; dad discovers he's not the "ice-cream and movie-night cool parent" but rather the "do your homework real parent" amid a kiddo sugar-crash; and mom retrieves a sticky, hair-covered pacifier from the floor of a LaGuardia bathroom while her baby screams bloody murder and her flight boards without her.

"We are excited and grateful that In the Trenches is getting the opportunity to be seen by a broader New York audience with a cast packed full of incredible Broadway talent and an amazing team around us," said In The Trenches writers Graham & Kristina Fuller. "We hope this will lead to a broader market of parents being able to see our show and get a much-needed night off! Parenting can be isolating and it can often feel like you are the only ones going through what you are going through. Our hope is that our show can be a shared experience where parents can come together, let off some steam, and commiserate over the crazy, ridiculous, messy, hard, and wonderful thing that is being a parent."

In The Trenches is Produced by Ember Productions, Executive Produced by Jen Sandler, and General Managed by Visceral Entertainment. Alison Simone is the Stage Manager, and Casting is by Eisenberg / Beans Casting.


BIOGRAPHIES

Amanda Jane Cooper

(Ellie) is delighted to be here! Broadway: Wicked (15th Anniversary & Commercial Glinda), Kristin Chenoweth: For The Girls. Nat'l Tour: Wicked. Off-Broadway: The Streets of New York at The Irish Repertory Theatre & more. Screen: "Glee", Disney's "Jessie", "CSI", "Bones", ABC's "Selfie", "SVU", HBO's "Hello Ladies" & more.

Max Crumm

(Sam) is known for their work on the New York stage. They have originated starring roles on Broadway in both the revival of Grease as Danny Zuko, after winning NBC's talent search competition, "Grease: You're the One That I Want!," and in Seth Rudetsky's Disaster! as Scott, after playing the role Off-Broadway. Crumm also played starring roles in The Fantasticks as Matt, The Evolution Of Mann as Henry Mann, Hot Mess as Max, Brooklyn Crush as Christian Mohammed Schwartzelberg, and in Jersey Shoresical as The Situation.

Christine Dwyer

(Becca) appeared on Broadway in Wicked (Elphaba) which she also performed on the 2015 Tony Awards. National Tours: Waitress (Jenna), Finding Neverland (Sylvia), RENT (Maureen). Other NY/Regional credits include Ragtime (Mother), Murder Ballad (Sara), Rock Of Ages (Regina), and "JCS Live" on NBC with John Legend, Sara Bareilles and Alice Cooper.

VIDUSHI GOYAL

(Dot) has been part of the In The Trenches family for 5 years. She is deeply grateful to have performed in countless reads, concert versions, and the regional premiere this past winter. Vidushi also produces and performs under the name Mr. Knobs. Vidushi thanks her friends and family for their support.

Jelani Remy

(James). Broadway: Ain't Too Proud The Life and Times of The Temptations (Eddie Kendricks), Disney's The Lion King (Simba). Past shows: High School Musical and High School Musical 2!, Smokey Joes Café, The Apple Boys, Anjou: The Musical Horror Tale, The Oscar Michaeux Suite, Love Around The Block at Hermes, Cabaret (Goodspeed Opera House), Mozart: Her Story (Carnegie Hall).

Caesar Samayoa

(Todd/Narrator) most recently starred as Carlos in the NYC premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's Los Otros after concluding a 5 year run in Come From Away on Broadway and Apple TV+. Select Broadway/Off-Broadway: Sister Act, The Pee Wee Herman Show, Love's Labour's Lost (Delacorte Theater), Shakespeare's R&J, Bernstein's Mass (Carnegie Hall). Credits include leading roles in Film, TV, and Regional Theatre Companies including The Public Theatre, Yale Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Goodspeed Musicals, and Tectonic Theater Project.

GRAHAM & KRISTINA FULLER

(Book, Music & Lyrics) are an award-winning Colorado-based composing team. They've been creating and producing professional new musical theater in the Denver metro area and New York City since 2017. To date, they have four musicals in varying stages of development, ranging from comedies about parenting and HOA annual picnics to an epic drama about America's first supermodel. When they aren't making theater, Graham is a busy civil litigation attorney and Kristina teaches a full vocal studio. They are consistently inspired by their two amazing children, ages 10 and 7.

Jen Wineman

(Director) is a director and choreographer based in Brooklyn. Selected NYC credits include: Dog Man: The Musical (currently running off-Broadway at New World Stages); Retraction (TheatreRow); Less Than 50% (59E59); Surfer Girl (Animus); My Heart is in the East (La Mama); Fable (NYMF); F#%king Up Everything (Elektra Theater). Selected regional credits include: As You Like It (currently running at the American Shakespeare Center); Tiny Beautiful Things (Merrimack Rep); Game On (Pittsburgh CLO); Shakespeare in Love (Virginia Rep); Into the West (Tantrum Theater); Baskerville (Dorset Theatre Festival); The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Asolo Rep & Miami New Drama); Sweeney Todd (Playmakers Rep); The 39 Steps, Shipwrecked (Triad Stage). Touring productions include Dog Man: The Musical (TheatreworksUSA); Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Asolo Repertory Theatre). Education: B.A. Vassar College, M.F.A. Yale School of Drama.

REBEKAH BRUCE

(Musical Director) is a conductor, pianist, and vocal coach. Ms. Bruce has most recently been seen in White Girl in Danger, A Strange Loop, Company, and The Lehman Trilogy. She was Music Director of the First National Tour of Mean Girls, and has worked on a number of Broadway & off-Broadway productions and concerts. She can be seen performing and teaching across the country, and maintains a private voice studio in NYC.

Jen Sandler

(Executive Producer) is a creative and commercial producer based in New York City. Recent select credits include Joe Iconis' Broadway Bounty Hunter, Tyler Tafolla's coming-of-age song-cycle Seasons, and Rona Sidiqui's autobiographical Salaam Medina: Tales of a Halfghan. She also serves as an Original Programming Producer at 54 Below. From 2019-2022, Jen served as Associate Artistic Director of New York Theatre Barn, spearheading its various artistic programs including serving as the co-executive producer of the New Works Series, the company's signature program. Previously, Sandler has worked with prominent off-Broadway theatre companies such as Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages and MCC Theater.

EMBER PRODUCTIONS

(Producer) is a collaboration between Maxwell Haddad and Amber Coates with the mission of supporting meaningful new work. Maxwell is a Tony, Drama Desk, and GLAAD award winning producer. Selected credits include: The Inheritance, Broadway Bounty Hunter, and Preston Max Allen's A Very Netflix Christmas Musical. Amber produced Amy Adams Wins an Oscar at 54 Below, spent over a decade working for the Walt Disney Company, and brings years of experience in hospitality, event production, and representing bands/producing concerts in the Orlando, FL area.