Excerpts from the musicals will be streamed on August 5th, 2020 at 7PM EDT.
New York Theatre Barn will host a free live stream of its New Works Series on Wednesday, August 5th, 2020 at 7PM EDT, featuring excerpts from the new musicals Between the Lines and My Little Barbizon. The 45-minute presentation will also feature a conversation with the creators of the new musicals.
Based on the book by New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha van Leer, Between the Lines has music and lyrics by Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel (Disney's Olaf's Frozen Adventure), book by Timothy Allen McDonald (Jim Henson's Emmet Otter, James and the Giant Peach), and is directed by Jeff Calhoun (Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde). The show follows Deliah, an outsider in a new school who seeks comfort in the pages of her favorite book, where she feels heard and understood. But as the lines between the two worlds of reality and fantasy begin to blur in extraordinary and astonishing ways, Delilah has to confront whether she alone has the power to rewrite her own story. Featuring performances by Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin, Wicked) and Jake David Smith (Frozen). Between The Lines had its world premiere production at Kansas City Repertory Theatre in the fall of 2017, and will receive its Off-Broadway premiere in the spring of 2021.
My Little Barbizon, with book, music and lyrics by Angela Sclafani, is a musical meditation on female writers, mental illness, and the journey inward. When Annie checks into her room at the Barbizon Hotel, an infamous boarding house for ambitious career girls, she finds company in Joan Didion, Sylvia Plath, Eudora Welty, and Gael Green -- writers and former Barbizon girls. What unfolds are a series of conversations that unravel Annie's fears, desires, and relationship to her place in the world. Featuring live performances performed remotely by Kim Blanck (Octet, Alice By Heart) and Angela Sclafani, and orchestrations by Macy Schmidt. This presentation will mark the first performance of any material from My Little Barbizon in its development.
In anticipation of this year's presidential election, the night will end with an extra special treat from Debra Barsha (Radiant Baby, A Taste of Things to Come) and Sheilah Rae (The Belle of Tombstone), featuring their song "Turn It All Around", an anthem inspired by the centennial anniversary of women being able to vote nationally. Anderson, Barsha, Rae, Samsel, Schmidt and Sclafani are all members of Maestra Music, which provides support, visibility, and community for the women who make the music in the musical theatre industry.
The 45-minute presentation will be available on New York Theatre Barn's YouTube channel and Broadway on Demand, and is hosted and produced by Jen Sandler and Joe Barros. The company will be giving 50% of its donations this week to A Long Walk Home, an organization that empowers young artists and activists to end violence against all girls and women.
For more information, visit New York Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org.
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