The Village Theatre in Issaquah will host its 21st Annual Festival of New Musicals from Aug. 2 through Aug. 4. Four new musicals, currently in development, will make their stage debuts.
The Oscar Micheaux Project will start the festival off with a staged reading on Friday, Aug. 2, at 8 p.m. A “cinematic pioneer, Oscar Micheaux’s legacy as Hollywood’s first Black filmmaker comes to syncopated and soulful life in this tuneful and historic new jazz musical.” The script is written by Jesse L. Kearney, Jr. and Cara Reichel. The music was composed by Alphonso Horne, and the lyrics were written by Jesse L. Kearney, Jr. and Peter Mills.
Saturday, Aug. 3, will showcase two staged readings. The first one at 2 p.m. will be the debut of Wakeman. An “incredible true story of American Civil War soldier Rosetta Wakeman, who dressed as a man to fight for the Union army. [The musical] chronicles her heroic journey with a thrilling modern-folk-rock-meets-Americana score.” Jenn Grinels wrote the music, lyrics and script.
The second reading on Aug. 3 will be We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Story at 8 p.m. “A zany, laugh-out-loud jukebox musical about – and featuring the songs of – a band that never existed featuring a hilarious score spoofing your favorite 60s-70s folk artists.” Music, lyrics and script were written by Gregg Hammer and Louis Pardo. The musical was developed with and will be directed by Scott Weinstein.
Closing out the festival on Sunday, Aug. 4, at 2 p.m. will be And Sometimes… Love. “While working in France, a Latina empty-nester experiences romance for the first time with a man she’s just met — her passionate Italian lover, many years her junior — in this intimate true story.” The music and lyrics are by Michael Mott, and the script is written by Gretchen Suárez-Peńa.
The festival will be held at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah.
