Peter Friedman, Mary Beth Peil & More to Star in ASSISTED Reading

Rhinebeck Writers Retreat has revealed the cast for their reading of the new musical ASSISTED, by Adam Chanler-Berat and Julian Hornik. The cast includes Peter Friedman (TONY-nominee for RAGTIME, HBO's SUCCESSION), Mary Beth Peil (TONY-nominee for ANASTASIA, THE GOOD WIFE), Barbara Walsh (TONY-nominee for FALSETTOS), Tina Fabrique (BRING IN ‘DA NOISE, BRING IN ‘DA FUNK), Keilly McQuail (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), and Samantha Williams (DEAR EVAN HANSEN). The writers were selected for Rhinebeck Writers Retreat's TRIPLE R program and were awarded two readings and a residency for the development of their musical. The reading is in New York City on May 23 for an invited industry audience and will be directed by Annie Tippe (OCTET) and music directed by Simone Allen. Joey Monda is General Manager.

Rhinebeck Writers Retreat's programs receive major funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund, The Noël Coward Foundation in honor of Geoffrey Johnson, and The National Foundation for Musical Theatre.  Major individual support comes from Liz Armstrong, Paul Feuerman and Bruce Grivetti, Molly McEneny, Liz and Bill Mills, and Steve and Paula Reynolds. 

Created in 2011, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat provides weeklong residencies for musical theatre writers to focus solely on writing their musicals in the Hudson Valley. Triple R gives one team two readings and a residency to accelerate the development of their musical. Many musicals developed at Rhinebeck Writers Retreat have received world premieres including in the last two years:  A.D. 16, by Bekah Brunstetter and Cinco Paul at Olney Theatre Center (MD); BHANGRA NATION, by Mike Lew, Rehana Lew Mirza, and Sam Willmott at La Jolla Playhouse (CA); NOIR by Kyle Jarrow and Duncan Sheik at The Alley Theatre (TX); ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD, by Paulo K Tiról and Noam Shapiro at East West Players (CA); AND OPERATION MINCEMEAT, by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts, this year's Olivier Award winner for Best New Musical. Two Rhinebeck musicals have their world premieres in 2024: MEXODUS, by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson at Baltimore Center Stage (MD) and TL; DR: THELMA LOUISE; DYKE REMIX, by EllaRose Chary and Brandon James Gwinn, at Diversionary Theatre (CA). www.rhinebeckwriters.org

ASSISTED Synopsis:

Richard has a play to make! Embarking on a docu-theater project set in the memory care unit of an assisted living facility, playwright Richard grows closer and closer to his interview subjects; as his work progresses, he faces destabilizing truths about himself and the facility he has become enmeshed in. This meta-theatrical musical is a meditation on aging, dignity, and performance as a means of palliative care.

Writer Bios: 

Adam Chanler-Berat (he/him) is known for his performances in the original companies of Broadway's NEXT TO NORMAL, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, SAINT JOAN, and AMELIE, as well as Off-Broadway in I CAN GET IT FOR YOUR WHOLESALE, ASSASSINS, RENT, FLY BY NIGHT, and FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE (Lortel nomination) among others. As a writer, he was a member of The Civilian's 2022-23 R&D group. Adam's play with music, CONTRA, has been workshopped at Ars Nova, was a finalist for Space on Ryder Farm 2018, and a semi-finalist for the 2020 O'Neill National Music Theater Conference. His piece AFTER PETER, to be featured this summer at New York Stage and Film, was workshopped with Barrington Stage in 2021 and was developed in residence at NYSAF in 2022. His project ASSISTED was developed with Rhinebeck Writers Retreat and Barrington Stage in 2023 and was a finalist for the 2023 Ground Floor cohort at Berkeley Rep.

Julian Hornik is a composer, lyricist, and librettist based in Brooklyn. Shows include ASSISTED with Adam Chanler-Berat (developed with The Civilians and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat), THREE DAYS with Mark Sonnenblick and Khiyon Hursey (Stanford, Vineyard Arts), DEATHBED EDITION (Ars Nova, Bedlam), TENN (Yale), and @QueerZ commissioned by the SF Gay Men's Chorus. Film/TV credits include "Share" (A24) and animated musical series "Helluva Boss." Recipient of the 2023 Jonathan Larson Grant; he is a Bryan Gallace Fellow at SPACE on Ryder Farm. He has performed his work at, amongst others, Joe's Pub, The Kennedy Center, New York City Center, and Carnegie Hall.