Village Theatre Sets 'Village Originals' Series for New Musicals in Development

Village Theatre is excited to announce an unprecedented expansion to its Village Originals program of readings and workshops. The new Beta Series, headed by Associate Artistic Director Brandon Ivie, is a testing ground for musicals in the middle stages of development, consisting of a three-show series of performances throughout the year.

The series will build on Village Theatre's long-standing commitment to new musicals, launching promising new works into the next phase of development, often putting them in off-book, staged performances for the first time. Through the Beta Series, which will be held at Village Theatre's First Stage Theatre in Issaquah, audiences will gain access to musicals in their most pivotal stages, acting as beta testers to the new work by offering real-time reactions, feedback, and insights that will be paramount for creative teams as they continue to shape stories into impactful theatrical experiences. Beta Series will feature the Pacific Northwest's brightest talents both on stage and behind-the-scenes, with authors and artists also coming from across the country to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

Village Theatre is dedicated to the development of new musicals that achieve national exposure, existing and thriving as an ongoing testament to the vitality of musical theatre. The Village Originals program represents one of the strongest commitments to new musicals in the nation, offering opportunities at every stage of musical development. Starting with staged, on-book readings during the Village Originals Festival of New Musicals, an annual event that took place at Village Theatre's Issaquah locations this past weekend, this commitment culminates each year with the full-scale production of a new musical as part of Village Theatre's Mainstage Season. With the creation of the Beta Series, Audience members can be present throughout the process, witnessing and becoming an integral part of the implementation of ideas, evolving storylines, and creative synergy that happens during the middle phases of musical development.

In its inaugural season, the Subscription-based series will consist of three new works by award-winning authors: Cubamor, with Book and Lyrics by James D. Sasser and Music and Lyrics by Charles Vincent Burwell; Writing Kevin Taylor, with Music and Lyrics by Will Van Dyke and Book and Lyrics by Josh Halloway; and String, with Book by Sarah Hammond and Music and Lyrics by Adam Gwon.

Single tickets will also be available to the public. To learn more about subscribing to the Beta Series or becoming a Village Originals member, contact the Village Theatre Box Office at (425) 392-2202.

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CUBAMOR

Book and Lyrics by James D. Sasser

Music and Lyrics by Charles Vincent Burwell

Based on the film Cubamor by Joshua Bee Alafia

There is nowhere in the world quite like Havana, Cuba, a city that pulses with intoxicating music and mystical forces. Here, two Americans and two Cubans find their paths unexpectedly crossed as they attempt to escape their pasts. Can their love bridge cultures divided by vast political, historical, and social differences - and what will they risk along the way? With a Latin-inspired score that blends traditional rhythms and contemporary hip-hop, Cubamor is a moving new musical exploring the crossroads of life and the transcendent power of love.

WRITING Kevin Taylor

Music and Lyrics by Will Van Dyke

Book and Lyrics by Josh Halloway

A novelist in New York City is stuck in a rut. With two successful books to his name and a much-anticipated third book overdue, he has lost his inspiration - and now, focused entirely on his work, he has lost his wife as well. After his façade cracks on public television, he resigns himself to life as a bachelor - that is, until an enthusiastic teenage fan arrives on his doorstep offering to be his intern. Before he knows it, his imaginative new employee hatches a scheme to reunite the writer with his wife in this high-energy, hilarious story about finding friendship and inspiration in unexpected places.

STRING

Book by Sarah Hammond

Music and Lyrics by Adam Gwon

On a mountaintop high over ancient Greece, three sisters - goddesses known as the Greek Fates - are responsible for spinning, measuring, and snipping the String of Life. After falling out of favor with Zeus, they find themselves stuck in a drab modern skyscraper, left to live and work among world-weary office workers and the security guards who watch over the building. But when the eldest sister falls in love with a mortal, her destiny gets all tangled up in this musical fable about love, fate, and the fragile fabric of the universe.

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Village Theatre's mission stipulates a dedication to the development of new musicals that achieve national exposure. The Village Originals program of readings, workshops, and developmental productions represents one of the strongest commitments to new musicals in the nation, developing such musicals as Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal, Tony Award-winning Million Dollar Quartet, Drama Desk Award-winner Cupid & Psyche, Stephen Schwartz's Snapshots, and the Drama Desk Award-nominated It Shoulda Been You, After the Fair, and Making Tracks. Village Theatre is one of the few resident theatres to provide regular opportunities at every step of musical development, from first table reading to full-scale premiere production. Each season, new works are included as part of Village Theatre's Mainstage five-show lineup alongside the classics. Anchored by the Annual Festival of New Musicals, the Village Originals program is dedicated to the continued growth and evolution of musical theatre, and a determination that the form will remain vibrant and relevant for generations to come.

Based in Issaquah, WA, with operations in Everett, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. Producing entertaining, quality productions for the entire family since 1979, Village Theatre has grown into one of the region's best-attended Equity theatres, with over 19,000 Subscribers, 200,000 projected total attendance each season, and an annual operating budget of over $12,000,000. Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre is nationally recognized for its contribution to the development of new musicals, having launched over 150 new works to date. Village Theatre also takes pride in nurturing tomorrow's audiences through its youth education programs, Pied Piper and KIDSTAGE, serving over 55,000 young people, families, and schools annually.

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