New Works Provincetown Commissions Works By Carmel Dean, Mindi Dickstein and More!

New Works Provincetown, a developmental theatre lab founded by Producer Mark Cortale to create and develop new theatrical works, has commissioned its second and third full length projects: a new play by Kevin Powell (The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood), developed with and directed by Oliver Butler (What the Constitution Means to Me), and a new musical titled Maiden Voyage by composer Carmel Dean (Renascence) and lyricist/playwright Mindi Dickstein (Little Women, Toy Story - The Musical). Both creative teams are scheduled for week-long writing retreats in Provincetown between late November and early December of 2020. The two new commissions are a manifestation of New Works Provincetown's focus on theatrical works created by voices of diversified race, ethnicity and gender.

Additionally, New Works' creative team for its first commission, The Last Diva, is returning to Provincetown in late December 2020 to continue work on the new musical, including book by Jonathan Tolins (Buyer & Cellar), music by Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens, War Paint) and lyrics by Michael Korie (Grey Gardens, War Paint). The Last Diva's creative team's first writing retreat took place this past July in Provincetown.

Mr. Cortale, who serves as Producing Artistic Director of The Art House, announced in June of 2020 the launch of an auspicious new partnership behind New Works Provincetown's first three major commissions: Jonathan Murray and Harvey Reese's Wild Oak Media. Mr. Murray, as half of television's legendary Bunim/Murray Productions, is widely credited for inventing the modern reality television genre, including creating and/or executive producing the groundbreaking shows The Real World, Road Rules, The Challenge, The Simple Life, Making the Band, Project Runway, Keeping Up With The Kardashians,and the Emmy award winning Born This Way, among others. Together with his partner, Harvey Reese, they have been longtime supporters and investors in theater, including Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays and Motherhood Out Loud.

Maiden Voyage is a musical inspired by the true story of the 1989-1990 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, in which the first ever all-female sailing team found the grit and determination needed to conquer the seas - and made history.

Kevin Powell's not-yet-titled play on manhood takes the audience on a deep dive into the age-old question, What is a Man?

The Last Diva tells the story of Victoria Merritt, a gorgeous, superstar soprano facing conflict at a major opera house in the wild world of classical music in the 1990s. As professional and personal pressures mount, and "artistic temperament" becomes a less acceptable excuse for bad behavior, Vicky struggles through both triumph and humiliation as she finds her true, even more beautiful voice.

Commenting earlier on the new venture, Mr. Cortale stated: "During these unprecedented circumstances that have caused all live performances to be postponed or cancelled, I believe it is the right time to broaden my focus to the creation and development of new works for the American theatre. I'm excited to collaborate with producers Jon Murray and Harvey Reese to move forward with New Works Provincetown this season, and highlight the works of an incredible, diverse scope of artists. We're greatly inspired by Provincetown's rich history where incredible playwrights like Eugene O'Neill, Susan Glaspell, and Tennessee Williams came to work and we want to do everything possible to foster that tradition."

New Works Provincetown is sponsored by the Anchor Inn Beach House, The White Wind Inn, The Commons and the Provincetown Arts Society.