Prospect Theater Company Announces Commissions for VISION Series

Prospect Theater Company has announced the full lineup for their fall season with the VISION Series of original music-theater on film. The Fall 2020 series will feature six original short works from a variety of artists, including four pieces filmed on location during a September residency at the Goodwill Theatre, an unrenovated proscenium theater in Johnson City, NY that originally opened 1920, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Launched in August 2020 with the music video The Answer - Black America's unrequited love letter from InnissENT - Prospect's VISION Series is a new initiative continuing the company's mission of creating and presenting original musical theater works by emerging artists while public gatherings are on pause.

Recipients of Fall 2020 VISION Series writing commissions are Bandits on the Run, a Brooklyn musical trio that quarantined together in order to continue creating; Britt Bonney; Naveen Bahar Choudhury and Kamala Sankaram; Cheryl L. Davis and Douglas J. Cohen; and deaf composer Jay Alan Zimmerman. Additionally, one commission is a movement narrative created in partnership with Thistle Dance, Inc. / Kristen Brooks Sandler, with score by composer Or Matias. This line-up of short music-theater works has been generated during August and September, for release in late October through year-end.

The resident production and design team at the Goodwill Theatre included Production and Projection Designer Lianne Arnold, Lighting Designer Adam Honoré, Sound Designer and Audio Engineer Marián Gómez Villota, and Production Manager Josh Cape.

Stage Directors participating in the residency included Zi Alikhan, Cara Reichel, Kristen Brooks Sandler, and SR?A. Filmmakers included Bart Cortright, Sean Dolan, Gabrielle Mariella, and Sean MacLaughlin.

"Working with a myriad of talented and passionate voices during these challenging times for the theater community has been an inspiration," said Prospect's Producing Artistic Director Cara Reichel. "Prospect artists are rising to meet the challenge of pivoting theater-making into an online sphere, and we are delighted to share these new, short musicals with audiences."

During Prospect's September residency at the Goodwill Theatre (Chief Executive Officer: Naima Kradjian) located outside of Binghamton, NY, health and safety needs were generously sponsored by United Health Services, which included regular COVID testing under the guidance of Health Safety Supervisor, RN Megan Farmer.

Leadership project sponsors of the Fall 2020 Vision Series include Leonard Majzlin and Somerled Arts.

The Fall 2020 projects filmed during the Goodwill Theatre residency were:

The Band at the End of the World, created by Bandits on the Run (Roy Dodger, Bonanza Jellyfish, and Clarissa) a.k.a. Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn. Directed by SR?A, with cinematographer and editor Bart Cortright. In a post-apocalyptic world, three musicians discover an abandoned theater and strive to re-connect with humanity. Anticipated Release Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21st

Lady Lawyer Lockwood Rides Her Tricycle, written by Britt Bonney, directed by Cara Reichel. Director of Photography Gabrielle Mariella. Featuring Ali Ewoldt, Tina Stafford, Jacob Keith Watson, and Fiona Santos (who also serves as Music Director). Groundbreaking 19th-century American lawyer Belva Ann Lockwood, the first woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court, grapples with her decision to run for President of the US in the 1884 election. Anticipated Release Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28th

UNRAVELL'D, a thrilling movement narrative conceived and directed by Kristen Brooks Sandler, scored by Or Matias, with Director of Photography Sean Dolan. Choreography created by Thistle Dance / Kristen Brooks Sandler in collaboration with performers Morgana Mauney and Lucas P. Melfi. Lost in the labyrinth, with hope suspended by a single thread, Ariadne and Theseus desperately seek to find each other. Anticipated Special Halloween Release Date: Friday, Oct. 30th

Lady Apsara, book and lyrics by Naveen Bahar Choudhury, music by Kamala Sankaram. Directed by Zi Alikhan, with Directors of Photography Sean MacLaughlin and Brian Bon. Starring Angel Desai, and featuring Chris Cornwell, Shinya Miyamoto, and Debbie Christine Tjong. Apsara, a hard-working NYC actress whose identity is both Filipina and Indian, sings her way through a two-audition day... to an extraordinary conclusion. Anticipated Release Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11th

Additional commissions to be filmed in New York City this fall include:

Don't Stay Safe, with book and lyrics by Cheryl L. Davis, and music by Douglas J. Cohen. This short companion piece to Davis & Cohen's BRIDGES - an original full-length musical about the ongoing struggle for racial equality and civil rights - brings the characters forward to Spring 2020 in NYC, exploring the risks of protest, and the risks of "staying safe." Additional creative team members and release date to be announced.

Brain. Storm., with book, music and lyrics by Jay Alan Zimmerman. This playfully musicalized TED Talk explores how Beethoven's - and Jay's - deafness affects creating music and connection with the world, using emerging technologies such as music visualizers and brain-mapping. Additional creative team members and release date to be announced.

For more information on Prospect Theater Company, visit ProspectTheater.org.

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