Fourth Annual IN THE WORKS~IN THE WOODS Festival to Take Place at Forestburgh Playhouse in September

The fourth annual In the Works~In the Woods at Forestburgh Playhouse will be held September 6 through 8.

The festival will present staged readings of Rebel Genius, a new musical with book,  music and lyrics by  Peabody Award-winner Matthew Punkett, directed by Noah Himmelstein (Los Otros); Palimpsest, a new play by Alix Sobler (Sheltered), directed by Kimberly Senior (Disgraced); Roja, a nueva musical for young audiences by Jaime Lozano (El Otro Oz) and Tommy Newman (Band Geeks), directed by Florencia Cuenca; Broadway veteran Michael Mastro presents a solo show I Want To Be Good, directed by Jack Cummings III (Follies at Carnegie Hall); and the popular Catskills Cab Lab returns with Tony Award nominee Sidney Dupont (Paradise Square) and TikTok sensation Alyssa Payne.

Full casting and complete creative team to be announced in August.

“Our 2024 In The Works ~ In The Woods festival is shaping up to be the boldest yet,” said Festival Artistic Director Matt Lenz. “Having received a record number of submissions of particularly strong plays and musicals, we had a wonderfully diverse buffet to select from.  I’m proud that in 4 years we've become a creative haven and a resource that so many artists seek out to be a nourishing part of their development process. The word is out in the theatre community at large that In The Works ~ In The Woods is here, it's positive and productive, and that we've got staying power."

“It's thrilling to see the In the Works-In the Woods Festival at the Forestburgh Playhouse reach its fourth year,” said Playhouse Artistic Director Franklin Trapp. “The Festival was born from the desire to support and nurture new and innovative theatre artists and their work and it is incredibly gratifying to see these shows find success beyond the Festival.  Simply put, ‘In the Works....works!’”

Previous In the Works-In the Woods Festival offerings such as El Otro Oz, winner of the Off-Broadway Alliance Award, will open at Center Theatre Group next season; Bottle Shock received a world premiere production at The California Center for the Arts, Escondido, CA; Jessica Hendy’s Walking with Bubbles received an extended Off-Broadway run and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance; Gordon Gets Down! was part of Forestburgh’s 2023 Season for Young Audiences.

In the Works~In the Woods Festival 2024: 

September 6-7

Palimpsest - a new play by Alix Sobler, Directed by Kimberly Senior
Palimpsest is a self-referential, meta-comedy about who gets to tell what story, what it means to create art based on real events, and what we owe each other when it comes to telling the truth.

September 7-8

Rebel Genius - Book, Music and Lyrics by Matthew Punkett
Directed by Noah Himmelstein 
Rebel Genius crashes physics and love into one another as Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric fall madly in love, risking everything to find a perfect theory of the universe. The show is a contemporary exploration into the heart of a genius torn between ambition and love.

September 7-8

Roja, a nueva musical for young audiences written by Jaime Lozano and Tommy Newman. Directed by Florencia Cuenca.  
Fusing traditional Mexican folk music and Mestizo folklore, Roja offers a new twist on the Little Red Riding Hood story.  At the edge of the desert in Northern Mexico, Roja rescues a mischievous, magical coyote who offers her the chance to see her father again. What follows is an enchanting journey of love, loss and resilience.

September 8

I Want To Be Good - a new solo play written and performed by Michael Mastro
Directed by Jack Cummings III
In the summer of ’75, a quirky but enthusiastic small town altar boy with Broadway dreams struggles to balance two relationships: one with God, and the other with the superstar priest who’s just arrived at Sacred Heart Church.  I Want To Be Good is a spiritual journey both humorous and poignant.

September 7-8

Dedicated to developing unique, dynamic cabaret experiences featuring emerging solo performers, the Catskills Cab Lab features Tony Award nominee Sidney Dupont (Paradise Square) and TikTok sensation Alyssa Payne.  Sidney Dupont serves as a guiding voice through the life and legacy of icon Sammy Davis Jr. in “I Gotta Be Me,” directed by Greg Kamp. Alyssa Payne will present “Extra Crispy” - humor and heart collide in this cabaret showcasing original musical theater songs by Alyssa Payne - a deliciously entertaining feast for the soul, directed by Robin Levine.

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.  
This year’s special guests will be announced in August.

Past participants and special guest speakers have included: Jesse Green, Jack O’Brien, Emily Skinner, Lesli Margherita, Douglas Lyons, Adam Guettel, Denis Jones, Alan H. Green, Brianna Barnes, Gina Femia, Jaime Lozano, Jessica Hendy, Carl Andress, Charles Busch, Didi Conn, Alan Muraoka, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Marc Shaiman, Daniel Green, Noah Himmelstein, Douglas Carter Beane, J. Scott Lapp, Joan Surgay, Sheryll Kaller, Caitlin Collins, Rachel Hoffman and David Shire.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Just 90 minutes from New York City in the Sullivan Catskills, Forestburgh Playhouse is located at 39 Forestburgh Road. For Festival tickets and more information: www.fbplayhouse.org or by calling 845-794-1194.
 

To post a comment, you must register and login.