Goodspeed Musicals Hosts 36 Writers for the 13th Annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove

Goodspeed Musicals has announced the participants for the 13th annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, which will be held January 27 - February 23 on the Goodspeed campus in East Haddam, Conn.

A distinguished group of 36 established and emerging composers, lyricists and librettists representing 19 new musicals will gather in East Haddam creating a truly exceptional environment for discovery and inspiration at one of the premier writers' residencies in the nation.

Established in 2013, the JMF Writers Grove is an unparalleled, long-term residency program devoted exclusively to musical theatre writing. Providing a sanctuary for composers, lyricists and librettists to embark on new musical theatre work or to devote a substantial amount of time to a work-in-progress, the Grove is a colleague to colleague program. For four weeks, starting January 27, the writing teams work in residence in Goodspeed's Artists Village, each team in their own house, with whatever support is needed, from dramaturgical to Goodspeed's fine music department. In the evenings writers get together in an informal, salon-style environment to share the day's work. This gathering allows the artists an invaluable opportunity to gain insight from one another. The Grove is the ultimate think tank of veteran Broadway and young working professionals in theatre today.

“The Mercer Grove at Goodspeed is a haven of creativity. We are tremendously grateful to the Johnny Mercer Foundation and our many new works supporters who make this month of inspiring work possible,” said Donna Lynn Hilton, Goodspeed Musicals' Artistic Director.

Jonathan Brielle, Executive Vice President of JMF and Writer/Producer in Residence stated, “After 13 years, I am more and more grateful to Donna Lynn Hilton, the Goodspeed staff, and over 450 writers for making the JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed the premier think tank for new musicals. I know these four weeks are very special for all of us.”

Over the course of the program, Jonathan Brielle will again serve as a writer and Producer in Residence. His first Broadway credit was writing music and lyrics for Foxfire starring theater legends Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy (who won the Tony) and Keith Carradine. Subsequently, he became Composer in Residence of the prestigious Circle Repertory Company in New York, providing scores for some of New York's top playwrights. His recent credits include A Complicated Woman (music and lyrics) last season at Goodspeed Musicals' Terris Theatre; his slightly autobiographical show, A Monkey and Me, Stories I Never Told My Mother (book, music, lyrics), Axelrod Performing Arts Center, in which he starred with Tovah Feldshuh and Veanne Cox; Himself and Nora (book, music, lyrics), Minetta Lane Theater, James Joyce Center Dublin, March 2024; Nightmare Alley (book, music, lyrics), Geffen Playhouse; and A Monkey and Me (book, music, lyrics), Eugene O'Neill Cabaret Conference. His long-running Las Vegas shows include book, music and lyrics for Enter The Night (Stardust) and MADhattan (New York, New York). For television, he is the music director and composer for the reboot of the kids' classic Wonderama and is the founder of Vala Musicals, a streaming platform for new shows and forever-free musical theater education. At this year's JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed, Jonathan will be working with book writer, Nora Brigid Monahan on Double Entendre and then with publisher/writer Neil Gillis on a new show about Johnny Mercer. 

Blair Russell will serve as Producer in Residence. Mr. Russell is a producer, developer, supporter, and lover of theatre and live performances whose experience ranges from fringe festivals to Broadway shows. He specializes in the development of new plays and musicals. His most recent projects include the Tony-nominated Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris, Lizard Boy by Justin Huertas, and the concept recording of the new musical For Tonight.

Joining the Grove for a second year is Rose Oser as the Resident Dramaturge. A theater producer, playwright, performer, and dramaturg, they are the Producing Director of National Queer Theater, best known for the annual Criminal Queerness Festival.

Goodspeed's Artistic Director Donna Lynn Hilton continues to guide efforts on the JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed alongside Goodspeed's Associate Artistic Director Michael Fling.

The partnership with the Johnny Mercer Foundation serves as a confluence of Goodspeed's long-held mission of fostering new works and JMF's dedication to nurturing the discipline of songwriting. With this unique collaboration, Goodspeed continues to be an incubator for the next generation of musical theatre artists and performers, as well as the home of the American Musical. This is best illustrated by several projects that Goodspeed has moved from The JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed to further development, including Photosynthesis by Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako, Legendary by Cheeyang Ng, Wunderkind by Oliver Houser, and The Carol of the Bells by Nevada Lozano, which were recently featured at its annual Festival of New Musicals; full productions at The Terris Theatre of A Complicated Woman by Ianne Fields Stuart and Jonathan Brielle and Private Jones by Marshall Pailet, which was subsequently produced at Signature Theatre; the acclaimed 2019 productions of Passing Through by Brett Ryback and Eric Ulloa, and Hi, My Name Is Ben by Scott Gilmour and Claire MacKenzie; as well as the 2017 productions of Deathless and Darling Grenadine. Other notable productions from the Grove include the Pulitzer Prize and 2022 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson; The Little Big Things, which premiered at @sohoplace in London's West End garnering three Oliver nominations in 2024 including Best New Musical; as well as Why Am I So Single? by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, which recently ran in London's West End.

The Grove has announced that the 2025 participants are (in alphabetical order): Luna Abréu-Santana, Adrian Alexander Alea, Finn Anderson, Christopher Anselmo, Emma Ashford, Truth Future Bachman, Joe Barros, Utsav Bhargava, Clare Fuyuko Bierman, Jonathan Brielle, Shannon Burkett, Jimena Caballero, Heather Christian, Brandy Hoang Collier, Jared Corak, Emma Cordray, Florencia Cuenca, Fouad Dakwar, Kelly Lynne D'Angelo, Neil Gillis, Addie Gorlin-Han, Jacinth Greywoode, Harold Hodge Jr., Julian Hornik, Erika Ji, Nico Juber, Jordan Kamalu, Jaime Lozano, Nora Brigid Monahan, Julia Newman, AriDy Nox, Alex Petti, Charlie Romano, Laura Schein, Morna Young, and Ben Zeadman.

The outstanding writers who have been invited to participate in the 2025 JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed have earned tremendous recognition in the industry with honors including the ASCAP Foundation Harold Arlen Musical Theater Award, ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award, ASCAP Lucille & Jack Yellen Award, Jean Banks Award, Drama Desk Award, Drama League Award, Emerging Writer's Group at The Public Theatre Fellowship, Student Emmy Award, Jonathan Larson Grant, Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Award, Lucille Lortel Award, NAMT Challenge Award, Obie Award, Pipeline Arts Award, Richard Rodgers Award, Ellen Schwartz Award, Scots Language Award, and Eric H. Weinberger Award, among other awards and nominations.

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