New Frank Wildhorn Musical Leads Village Theatre's 20th Annual Festival of New Musicals

Village Theatre will welcome back in-person the nationally renowned Festival of New Musicals, August 12-13, in Issaquah, Wash. Now in its 20th year, this theatrically packed weekend brings together the nation’s brightest musical theatre writers and provides Seattle area theatre-lovers with the rare opportunity to see first-hand how a new musical comes to life.

This year’s selected shows are:

Perpetual Sunshine & the Ghost Girls, based on a true story of the workers poisoned by the U.S. Radium Corporation—and the women who fought back.
(Book and Lyrics by Sara Cooper, Music by Lynne Shankel)

Baked! The Musical, a hilarious and touching all-Asian show about family, friendship, failure, and the greatest drug empire ever run by high schoolers.
(Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jord Liu and Deepak Kumar)

Reunion, the epic story of fictional 1970s L.A. rock band Archer featuring music and lyrics by Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-nominated composer/producer Frank Wildhorn.
(Book and Lyrics by Rinne B. Groff, Music and Lyrics by Frank Wildhorn, Music Supervision, Arrangements, and Orchestrations by Jason Howland, Music Consulting by Peter Asher, CBE, Associate Music Directed/Executive Produced for Frank Wildhorn by Nick Cheng)

The Break, in which one couple attempts a 30-day, no-questions-asked hiatus to save their committed, monogamous, and still unmarried relationship (things do not go as planned).
(Music by Michael Kooman, Book and Lyrics by Christopher Dimond)

Village Originals has launched more than 180 new musicals into the universe, sending them across the country, to Broadway, and worldwide, and jumpstarting beloved hits like Million Dollar Quartet and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal. 

The Festival also features Quick Musicals, a collaborative event with The 14/48 Projects in which three short musicals are written, rehearsed, and presented in just over 24 hours.

“The Festival of New Musicals is an incredible opportunity for creative teams to go to what we call ‘musical theatre summer camp’ for a week of writing, experimenting, and dreaming, working shoulder-to-shoulder with other writing teams in what might otherwise be a lonely process,” says Associate Artistic Director Brandon Ivie. 

“Bringing artists together is part of the joy of the Festival. We have a fantastic mix of both up-and-coming talent alongside well-established titans of the field all working side-by-side on the same goal: to create the next, great American musical. Add a company of local theatre artists and musicians bringing these stage readings to life, and you’ve got the new musical madness that is the Festival of New Musicals.”

Theatre-goers may attend as a Village Originals Member to enjoy the full weekend of events, including a kickoff party and closing gathering, or become a One Day Festival Member to attend Saturday or Sunday. Memberships are on sale now at VillageTheatre.org/Festival or by phone at (425) 392-2202.

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