Actor Therapy New Works Brings OUT, A QUEER SONGBOOK to 54 Below

On September 13 at 9:30pm, Actor Therapy New Works (ATNW) will present a one-night only concert of OUT, A QUEER SONGBOOK at 54 below. The event is part of ATNW’s inaugural season developing powerful, new theatrical works.

ATNW, in partnership with Actor Therapy (Lindsay Mendez and Ryan Scott Oliver, co-founders) and Very Intense Productions, will develop musicals, plays and more by Actor Therapy faculty, students, and underrepresented writers, putting on full 29-hour readings, subsidized concerts, and work sessions (table readings, music/score development, etc.). Cast members will come from both inside the Actor Therapy student community and out, including established New York professionals.

OUT, A QUEER SONGBOOK is a musical song cycle that explores the topic of contemporary queerness. Through a pop-infused theatre score by Jaron Barney, OUT walks us through the intimate, the courageous, and the joyful moments of queer life. The cast includes Julia Knitel (Beautiful/Come From Away), John Pinto Jr. (Book of Mormon), Jayke Workman (Chicago) , drag superstar Sequoia, Kristen Jeter (Book of Mormon), Ethan Carlson (Waitress), Terrance Johnson (Papermill Playhouse’s Rent), with Marin Asnes, Emily Foley, Patrick Ryan Castle, Mat Whitman, Wes Peddycord and more to be announced.  Orchestrations are by Alex Marshall, and the concert event will be directed by Andrew Mullins.

Other offerings in 2023 from ATNW’s inaugural will include an intimate presentation of Ryan Scott Oliver’s TOMORROW, THE ISLAND DIES (a commission by Samford University) in late August and an AEA 29-hour reading of GOLIATH, a new musical with book by Cassidy Layton and music and lyrics by Ethan Carlson, later this fall. The winter and spring new works will be announced in early 2024.

Casting opportunities and calls for submissions for writers looking to have their work developed in the program will arrive on Actor Therapy’s social media and website, www.actortherapynyc.com. 

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