Forestburgh Playhouse's In The Works~In The Woods Reveals Production Lineup

The third annual In the Works~In the Woods at Forestburgh Playhouse, (under the leadership of Franklin Trapp, Producing Artistic Director for the Forestburgh Playhouse and Broadway veteran Matt Lenz, Festival Artistic Director and Director of Creative Development), will be held September 8 through 10.

The festival will present staged readings of Stage Mother, a new musical with book by Brad Hennig and original music by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich (Ever After); directed by Denis Jones (Tootsie; Holiday Inn); Invisible, a new play by Douglas Lyons (Chicken & Biscuits); directed by Christopher Betts (Hartford Stage Trouble in Mind); and In BeTween, a new musical for young audiences by Julia Gannon and Fernanda Douglas, directed by Roque Berlanga. The Catskills Cab and Off-The-Cuff Conversations will also return.

“It is beyond thrilling that as the Forestburgh Playhouse enters into its 77th Anniversary Season, the In the Works-In the Woods Festival continues to flourish and grow,” said Franklin Trapp. “The Festival is a vital component of the Playhouse's mission, which is to nurture artists and new works and provide a cultural hub in the Sullivan Catskills. This 3rd Festival Year will be no different and will create a rippling and profound impact on our patrons and participating artists.”

"I can clearly envision, with two wonderfully magical years under our belts, that the vibrant and varied 2023 festival line-up is poised to take us to new heights creatively," said Matt Lenz.  “I'm over the moon at the quality and range of new work we're supporting this year - and I can't wait to host this fantastic group of artists in Forestburgh this September." 

Previous In the Works-In the Woods Festival offerings such as El Otro Oz, is now part of TheaterWorks USA's repertoire, Bottle Shock receiving a world premiere production this spring at The California Center for the Arts, Escondido, CA; Jessica Hendy's Walking with Bubbles was presented in NYC and nominated for a Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance, and last year's Gordon Gets Down! is part of Forestbugh's 2023 Season for Young Audiences.

Participants in this year's In the Works~In the Woods Festival: 

September 8-9

Invisible - a new play by Douglas Lyons, Directed by Christopher Betts

Invisible tells the story of lifelong best friends Eemani and Jade, who decompress one afternoon over a good blunt. Unbeknownst to them, the blunt is laced with much more than weed, spiraling the duo into a wild hallucination where they are granted superpowers at a time when Black women were voiceless. 

September 9-10 

Stage Mother - A musical adaptation of the 2020 film of the same name.

Brad Hennig adapted his screenplay, with original music by Zina Goldrich and lyrics by Marcy Heisler, under the direction of Denis Jones and produced by J. Todd Harris.

Stage Mother tells the story of Maybelline Metcalf, a church choir director from rural Texas, who inherits a San Francisco drag club from her estranged, recently deceased son. Through her efforts to save the nightclub from bankruptcy, Maybelline joins forces with her son's grieving partner, their wacky single-mom best friend, and the San Francisco drag community against a climate of anti-drag backlash. Stage Mother explores coming to terms with loss, the power of music, finding common ground, and the true meaning of family.

September 9-10

In BeTween, a new musical for young audiences

with Book and Lyrics by Julia Gannon and Music by Fernanda Douglas. Directed by Roque Berlanga.  

In BeTween is a love letter to those kids stuck in the middle. A group of “theater kids” gather together awaiting the annual musical's cast list. Drama ensues, and their stories are told when the kids find out the director is running an hour late! 

CATSKILLS CAB LAB

under the direction of Alan Muroaka, with music direction by Steven Cuevas.  Dedicated to developing unique, dynamic cabaret experiences featuring emerging solo performers.  The 2023 Festival features Cody Garcia and Lu Zielinski. 

OFF-THE-CUFF CONVERSATIONS

One of the Festival's popular events is Off the Cuff-Conversations featuring prominent theatre professionals in impromptu discussions about their careers and the creative process.  

Past participants and special guest speakers include: Adam Guettel, Brianna Barnes, Gina Femia, Jaime Lozano, Jessica Hendy, Carl Andress, Charles Busch, Alan Muroaka, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Marc Shaiman, Didi Conn, Daniel Green, Noah Himmelstein, Douglas Carter Beane, J. Scott Lapp, Joan Surgay, Sheryll Kaller, Caitlin Collins, Rachel Hoffman and David Shire.

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