Abingdon Theatre Company's Broadway on the Bowery Series Continues with the Music of DIVIDED

Abingdon Theatre Company will present their next Broadway on the Bowery event, a concert performance of Divided, a new musical composed by Kristen Rosenfeld with book and lyrics by Luanne Rosenfeld. The performance will be directed by Jim Cooney with musical direction by Robbie Cowan.

A continuation of Abingdon’s Broadway on the Bowery Series, the evening will bring together two of New York City’s most crowded thoroughfares, Broadway and Bowery, which lie a very short distance apart but epitomize the divide between “uptown glamour” and “downtown edge.” This season, Abingdon is delighted to announce the expansion of their Broadway on the Bowery Series to include additional venues such as Chelsea Table and Stage where Divided will be presented.

This event will take place on January 31, 2024 at 7:00PM at Chelsea Table and Stage (152 West 26th Street New York, NY 10001). Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

Divided is about a nation divided – a family divided – and the unforgettable friendship between two women, who refuse to be defined by someone else’s rules. In a country torn apart by race, religion, and politics, they overcome hatred, loss, and war in their search for personal freedom. Divided is the story of Eleanor and Hanna; the child they both love, the lies that are told to keep them apart, and the journey they must take to free themselves from the past.

Creatives Luanne and Kristen Rosenfeld said, "We are excited to share the music of Divided and to join the amazing family of artists who have been supported and encouraged by Abingdon Theatre for 31 years."

Director Jim Cooney also shared, “Divided is a story about the power of coming together, so I'm grateful to Abingdon Theatre Company for inviting us all to unite this evening and share in the music of hope, understanding, and love.”

Jim Cooney (Director) (he/him) is a NYC-based director/choreographer whose international body of work encompasses stage, screen, concerts, and events. He’s currently the Associate and Tour Choreographer of the national tour of Lincoln Center Theater's production of My Fair Lady. Highlighted past credits include Between the Sea and Sky (Best Musical award at NYMF), Shooting Star (StageSceneLA award for Best Choreography), A Chorus Line (Best Musical and BroadwayWorld Best Choreography awards), The Accused (Atlantic City Casino Show of the Year award), Sweet Charity (directed by Michael Rupert), and Broadway Bares (directed by Jerry Mitchell). He's been involved with Divided since 2018, directing its past readings and workshops. Jim is the Founder of Amplified Artists, a membership community helping theater professionals create careers and lives they love. He’s also the host of the Theater Life Uncensored podcast, which is in the top 25% of most followed podcasts on Spotify.

LUANNE ARONEN ROSENFELD (Book & Lyrics) is a South Carolina based playwright and lyricist whose work has been performed on stage and in cabarets across the country. She has written the book and lyrics for EQUAL TIME; HOLLY AND IVY; THE QUEEN OF VALLELUNA; CARDBOARD CASTLES; DIVIDED; and CHASING GOLD DUST in addition to contributing lyrics to several other shows. A member of The Dramatists Guild, Luanne studied theatre at The New School and Tufts University and has also worked as a producer, director, and theater educator.

Kristen Lee Rosenfeld (Composer) is a New York based composer and music director. Her songs have been performed by some of Broadway's finest talent at venues such as 54 Below, Joe's Pub, the Triad and the Metropolitan Room, and her music has been commissioned by Sprouts Children's Theatre, Red Fern Theatre, the Atlantic Acting School, American University and Wooden O Theatre. Kristen's music direction credits include the 1st National Tour of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening and Band of Angels with collaborator Colman Domingo. Kristen has also music directed and arranged for children's pop sensation Laurie Berkner and Backstreet Boy Howie D. Other music direction credits include the Off Broadway hit Friends! The Musical Parody, and shows at NYMF, NAAP, Prospect Theatre Company, the John W. Engeman Theatre, the Olney Theatre Center and Village Theatre, as well as being a guest artist at Pomona College, American University and SUNY Cortland.

ROBBIE COWAN (Music Director) Last seen by Abingdon audiences as the music director and pianist for the star-studded 2023 gala, he has been the music director for several national tours including Bullets Over Broadway, Anything Goes, Shrek, and Elf. He supervised the long-running off-broadway hit The Imbible, is the resident music supervisor and contractor at the historic New London Barn Playhouse, and has worked at some of the country’s best loved regional theaters, like the Ogunquit Playhouse and Northern Stage. He produced, wrote, and directed the original comedy revue 4 Guys Who Sing, which has been seen worldwide aboard luxury cruise lines, and his original 10-minute comedy murder mystery play Who Did It? was selected from hundreds to be performed in Playbill’s inaugural Virtual Theater Festival. Educated at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Gonzaga University, and New College, Oxford.

Established over 30 years ago, Abingdon Theatre Company (ATC) develops and produces critically acclaimed brave, new American work by emerging and established artists. Mainstage Productions include the Off-Broadway premiere of Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness written and performed by Dave Droxler, the New York premiere of Queens Girl in the World, which was nominated for Outstanding Solo Performance for the Vivian Robinson Audelco Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre, and the NYT Critics’ Pick Get on Your Knees written and performed by Jaqueline Novak, nominated for a Drama Desk Award. The DMW Greer One Night Only Series has showcased work such as Alex Edelman’sJust for Us which went on to receive Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations and has just completed its run on Broadway; Back by Matt Webster starring Emmy Award nominee Madeline Brewer and Tony Award nominee James Cusati-Moyer; The Prompter starring Oscar-winning actress Estelle Parsons; Date of a Lifetime, a new musical with book and lyrics by Carl Kissin and music by Robert Baumgartner Jr. ATC’s Around the Table Series has produced staged readings of new plays such as The Inferno by Chris Sherman and Arancini by Joey Merlo. In 2020, ATC established Abingdon Virtual led by Executive Producer Chad Austin, and has since produced three award-winning films, including As Apple Pie written and directed by Artist-in-Residence Pierre Marais, which was an official selection of the

Cannes World Film Festival for Best Young Filmmaker and won multiple awards at festivals including Best Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Drama USA; Abingdon Virtual’s premiere film, It Cries Too Loudly, was an official selection of the Prague International Short Film Awards and won Best Cinematography and Best Short Film at the Eastern European Film Festival.

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