New York Theatre Barn Will Live Stream Excerpts From New Musicals HERE AND THEIR And HALF THE SKY

New York Theatre Barn will host a free live stream of its New Works Series on Wednesday, May 13th, 2020 at 7PM EDT, featuring excerpts from the new musicals Here and Their and Half the Sky. The 40-minute presentation will also feature the creators of the two new musicals, and an opening performance from Devin Ilaw (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables).

Here and Their chronicles gender self-discovery and intergenerational queerness, with a side of punk rock. The new musical is written by Alexei Cifrese (book/lyrics), Jasmine Joshua (book/music/lyrics), and Heather Ragusa (music/lyrics). In a small town in Big Sky Country, Sam O'Malley uncovers an old family photo depicting an aunt that Sam has never heard of before. In an attempt to find this estranged relative through traditional means (Google), Sam discovers Aunt Meredith is '80s lesbian punk rock icon, Vikki Vektor. After tumbling down the internet rabbit hole, Sam also realizes they are nonbinary (what even is that?) and ends up with more questions than answers. But maybe Aunt Meredith can help, if only they can find her. The writers will present two songs from the show performed remotely by Kat Griffin and Mason Alexander Park (Hedwig and the Angry Inch).

The new musical Half the Sky, with book and lyrics by Isabella Dawis and music by Tidtaya Sinutoke, tells the story of an Asian American woman climbing Mount Everest. Aurelie sets out to fulfill her childhood dream of summiting Everest, in an expedition of hopeful climbers from around the world, led by a teenage Sherpa. As she grapples with the grueling demands of the mountain, Aurelie finds she must also confront her Thai American family's past, and the rift which separates her from her younger sister. Borders between countries and cultures, past and present, and waking and dreaming begin to blur. Half the Sky is a contemporary American musical on a global scale, infused with the sounds of traditional Thai and Himalayan folk music. The writers will present two songs from the show performed remotely by Diana Huey (The Little Mermaid) and Vishal Vaidya (Groundhog Day).

Both Here and Their and Half the Sky are inaugural commissions from the 5th Avenue Theatre's First Draft: Raise Your Voice program. Half the Sky has also been developed in part with Musical Theatre Factory, Theater Mu's New Eyes Festival, Theater Latté Da's NEXT Festival, Town Stages, the Weston Playhouse Theatre (Weston-Ghostlight New Musical Award), and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.

The 40-minute presentation will be available on New York Theatre Barn's YouTube channel.

The New Works Series is produced by Jen Sandler and Joe Barros. For more information, visit New York Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org.