Wren Rivera to Lead Industry Presentation of WHITE ROSE: THE MUSICAL

Based on the harrowing true story of young people bravely standing up to injustice, the new musical White Rose will receive an industry presentation on Thursday, August 10, at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM at Open Jar Studios. 

In White Rose: The Musical, a small group of university students led by Sophie Scholl and her brother, Hans, secretly met to write, print, and distribute leaflets exposing Hitler’s lies and Nazi deception. This hopeful and energetic show captures the passion of youth activists resisting oppression. 

“The White Rose students were the privileged few who benefited from unjust laws and discrimination. Yet they were the ones who ultimately stood up for those who no longer had a voice. They chose to use their privilege for good, risking everything. My hope is that this musical inspires those struggling to find their own way to take action where they see injustice.” 

-Brian Belding, Book & Lyrics

“This true story of young resisters who fought with fortitude against injustice needs to be told now more than ever. The beautiful patchwork of lyric, libretto, and music is universal and relatable. I cannot wait for this story to be out into the world - a story to remind audiences across the country and around the world of the power of not remaining silent to evil.” 

-WILL NUNZIATA, Director

This presentation of White Rose: The Musical is led by Broadway’s Wren Rivera (Jagged Little Pill), accompanied by Antonio Cipriano (Jagged Little Pill), Rodd Cyrus (The Light in the Piazza), Matt DeAngelis (Waitress), Jordan Dobson (Bad Cinderella), Tyler Joseph Ellis (“The Sex Lives of College Girls”), Laura Sky Herman (Gypsy), Mauricio Martinez (On Your Feet!), and Julio Rey (Bad Cinderella).

The creative team includes book & lyrics by Brian Belding, music by Natalie Brice, with direction by WILL NUNZIATA. Additional material by Vaibu Mohan, music direction and arrangements by Sheela Ramesh, the music assistant is Terence Odonkor, and choreography by Jordan Ryder. The production stage manager is Ellie Handel, the assistant stage manager is Amanda M. Stuart, casting by Eisenberg/Beans Casting, General Management by LDK Productions LLC, Ken Davenport is the Executive Consultant, and the Executive Producer is Lisa Dozier Shacket.   

BIOS

BRIAN BELDING 

(Book and Lyrics) San Francisco and NYC-based playwright and lyricist Brian Belding combined his love of musical theatre and resistance movements to create White Rose: The Musical. After successful industry presentations in May 2022 and October 2022, the musical is being developed in NYC with a Broadway creative and production team. A proud member of the Dramatists Guild, Belding taught high school history in the San Francisco Bay Area for twenty years before becoming a full-time writer for the theatre.

NATALIE BRICE 

(Composer) is a musician with the tenacity to bring original works to life. She recently music directed the new musical Happily Even After, with performances in California and a run at Don’t Tell Mama NYC. In 2020, Natalie music directed Hell on Earth, a new musical performed at 54 Below featuring Laurie Metcalf and Anthony Rosenthal. She was the music director and pianist on Asher Child, an original musical in California. She wrote, composed, and co-directed the musical film Go With Me in 2019. For White Rose: The Musical, she is committed to musically encapsulate the camaraderie, youth, adrenaline, celebration, and heart of the resistance group.

VAIBU MOHAN 

(Additional material) is a multi-faceted, Indian-American artist from Phoenix, AZ (via Montreal, Canada). She was born into a family of artists who surrounded her with music, dance, and theatre from before she was born. Vaibu made her stage debut as “The Cat” at age 3 in her father’s play. She began learning Bharatnatyam from her mother at age five and they have been working together ever since. Vaibu received her BM from Arizona State University in musical theater performance and her MFA in musical theater writing from New York University with an emphasis on bookwriting and lyric writing. As a producer, Vaibu specializes in the development of production of new work and began a series called Work in Progress at 54 Below with Molly Heller to showcase new writers and give them a space to workshop material in front of a live audience. Vaibu is developing her own musical, Sati: Goddess Incarnate, with Zachary Catron and released her first EP, Pure Brown Noise, in March 2023. 

Sheela Ramesh 

(Music Director and arranger) is a music director, arranger, and composer with a passion for stories and sounds that have traditionally been marginalized, and a mission to use art as a force for social justice. Professional highlights include Broadway (Six, Moulin Rouge, Almost Famous); Off-Broadway (Merrily We Roll Along at New York Theatre Workshop, Vanities at The York Theatre Company, Millennials Are Killing Musicals); TV (NBC’s Annie Live!); concert (Jessica Vosk, My Golden Age, Carnegie Hall); regional theater (Group!, a Passage Theatre world premiere); and works in development (The Karate Kid, Bliss, Center Theatre Group’s A Transparent Musical, Lincoln Center Theater’s The Lunchbox, Fiasco Theater’s Diamond Alice, Jeanette: The Musical, and more). Sheela received undergraduate and graduate degrees in vocal performance at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music and the Royal College of Music. She also holds degrees in psychology/cognitive science (BS, Carnegie Mellon; MSc, University College London) and law (JD, Yale Law School), and has spent her nonmusical professional life working to ensure that youth who’ve experienced trauma have opportunities to thrive. sheelarameshmusic.com.

JORDAN RYDER 

(Choreographer) is a choreographer, movement director, and dancer. She is a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts where she holds a BFA in Dance and a double minor in Sociology and Entertainment Business. Jordan is the Artistic Director of RyderDance, a contemporary dance company, where her work has been presented at notable venues across the tri-state area, Atlanta, and Chicago, and has reached a global audience virtually. Most recently, Jordan choreographed and directed her first sold-out RyderDance season and is the choreographer for Singfeld! A Musical About Nothing!, an Off-Broadway production that is currently running at the Jerry Orbach Theater. Choreographic commissions include Eryc Taylor Dance Company, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Rogue Wave Dance | Fall for Fall Dance Festival, Bromance Web Series, Melange Dance Company, and One Day Dance, among others. @ryderdance | ryderdance.com

WILL NUNZIATA 

(Director) is a NYC-based award-winning director, writer, and creator of theatre, concerts, and film. Film: The Old Guitarist (Writer, Director). Awards: London Movie Award (Best Short Film, Best Director), New York Movie Awards (Best First Time Director of a Short), Paris Film Awards (Best First Time Director of a Short). Screenplay: Lillith (Winner of Best Original Screenplay, 2023 Hollywood Blood Horror Festival). Theatre: White Rose: The Musical (Director), Poupelle of Chimney Town: The Musical (Director), Figaro: A New Musical (Director, Co-Book Writer), Faygele: A New Play (Director), The Betty Kiss: A New Dark Comedy (Director), Little Black Book: A New Musical (Co-Creator). Miss Peggy Lee (Director, Writer, Co-Conceiver) starring Tony Award winner Cady Huffman. Award: Broadway World Best Director. Other Theatre: Our Guy Cy: The Songs of Cy Coleman starring Tony Award winners Randy Graff, Cady Huffman, Judy Kaye, and Lillias White (Director, Conceiver). Over Here! starring Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte (Director, Adapter). For twenty years Will performed professionally, singing across the country and around the world with his twin brother, singer-songwriter Anthony Nunziata, culminating in co-headlining Carnegie Hall with the NY Pops Symphony Orchestra as well as a dozen other top orchestras. For more, please visit @willnunzofficial on Instagram or www.WillNunziata.com.

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