Shortly I'll be headed to London for the UK premiere of Ordinary Days, and doing a concert with some starry West End actors as well! If you're in London, please come check out these exciting events:
ORDINARY DAYS at the Finborough Theatre
directed by Adam Lenson
starring Julie Atherton, Kenneth Avery-Clark, Hayley Gallivan and Lee William-Davis
Monday 3, Sunday 9, Monday 10, Sunday 16 and Monday 17 November 2008 All performances at 7.30pm
Tickets £18, £14 concessions
Tickets and more information at the Finborough website. (Get your tickets fast, the entire run is almost sold out!)
I'll be performing extracts (that's British for excerpts) from Ordinary Days and a whole bunch of other songs in concert, featuring Sarah Lark, Christpher Ragland, Stanley Bahorek, the cast of Ordinary Days, and more!
Tickets £12 in advance, £15 at the door. Get 'em here!
October 23, 2008
Thanks to everyone who was a part of this week's NAMT presentation of Ordinary Days!
This Monday, October 27 at 6PM , catch me in a free concert at Lincoln Center! The fabulous Cait Doyle will be performing "Gotta Get Out" (with yours truly at the piano) as part of the Songbook concert in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts. There are some other great writers and performers taking part as well! Click here for more information.
October 4, 2008
Casts are set for both the London premiere and the upcoming NAMT festival presentation of Ordinary Days!
The Finborough Theatre production (beginning Nov 3) will feature West End stars Julie Atherton (Avenue Q, The Last Five Years) as Claire, Kenneth Avery-Clark (The Producers, The Drowsy Chaperone) as Jason, Hayley Gallivan (Fiddler on the Roof, Follies) as Deb, and Lee William-Davis (Mamma Mia, Mary Poppins) as Warren. If you happen to be in the UK, get your tickets now for this exciting new production!
Casting has also been finalized for the upcoming NAMT festival presentation of Ordinary Days in New York City, which will feature Jared Gertner (Spelling Bee) as Warren, Adam Jacobs (Les Miserables) as Jason, Kate Shindle (Legally Blonde) as Claire, and Kate Wetherhead (Legally Blonde, Spelling Bee) as Deb. If you are an industry professional you can reserve your spot now for presentations on Oct 20 & 21 at New World Stages.
See you then!
September 20, 2008
A couple concerts coming up in NYC that feature yours truly:
Monday, September 29 @ 7:00PM
Monday Nights, New Voices
Duplex Cabaret Theatre (61 Christopher Street)
I'll be the guest composer at Scott Alan's New Voices series, hosted by Megan McGinnis. Come check out some old favorites as well as some brand-new tunes performed by Jaime Cepero III, Matt DeAngelis, Demi Fragale, Jake Glassman and Molly Hager.
There is a $12 music charge and a two-drink minimum; for reservations call (212) 255-5438 or click here.
~
Monday, October 6 @ 7:30PM
Broadway in South Africa benefit concert
Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street)
I wrote a brand-new song for this concert, which raises money for Broadway in South Africa, and features other new songs from Michael John LaChiusa, Bill Russell & Henry Krieger, Jeff Blumenkrantz, and more. Performers include Stanley Bahorek, Eden Espinosa, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Norm Lewis, Julia Murney, Billy Porter, Kate Shindle, and Sally Wilfert. The evening is directed by Jen Bender, with music direction by Brad Haak.
Tickets available for $100, $60, and $20. To order call Symphony Space at 212.864.5400 or www.symphonyspace.org.
Hope you can make it to one or both!
August 19, 2008
I've been awarded a commission from Broadway Across America! I'm excited to be teaming up with my talented playwright pal Sarah Hammond to pen an original musical that will be developed as part of Broadway Across America's commissioning program.
Along with the Signature Theatre commission, this makes two tremendous shows of support in as many months, and I couldn't feel luckier! I've started work on an incredibly exciting project for my Signature piece, in collaboration with an incredibly exciting writer. So incredibly exciting, in fact, that I'm going to keep it to myself a little while longer!
Stay tuned here for updates on both of these commissioned works, and, of course, all my other projects!
July 28, 2008
Due to popular demand and rave reviews, Ordinary Days has been extended through August 9th! You've got an extra week to catch the world premiere at Pennsylvania Centre Stage. Get your tickets now!
July 17, 2008
Ordinary Days has been selected for this year's National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) festival! The festival showcases new musicals to an audience of producers and regional theaters from across the country. This year's festival will run October 20-21. Get more of the scoop here and stay tuned for details!
July 16, 2008
The world premiere of Ordinary Days kicks off next week at Pennsylvania Centre Stage! The production features the amazing cast of Stanley Bahorek, Jared Gertner, Leah Horowitz and Jordan Toronto, with direction by Matt Toronto and music direction by Rick Bertone. Performances run July 23 - August 2. Get your tickets now!
June 20, 2008
I've been awarded a commission from the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA as part of their exciting American Musical Voices Project: The Next Generation! Thanks to a grant from The Shen Family Foundation, I'll be writing a brand-new piece that will be workshopped at Signature in the summer of 2009. Check out the Next Generation website for more details and profiles of the selected composers. Thanks to both Signature and The Shen Family Foundation for this amazing opportunity!
June 12, 2008
Some Place Like Home, a short musical I was commissioned to write for the York Theatre/Marymount College summer program, will be performed at the York Theatre on Friday, June 20 @ 7:30PM and Saturday, June 21 @ 3PM. It's directed by Tony nominee Larry Fuller and music directed by Darren Cohen -- and it's free! For reservations,
or call (212) 935-5824 x21.
And don't forget, those of you stateside can catch the world premiere of Ordinary Days this summer at Pennsylvania Centre Stage.
May 2, 2008
Primary Stages presents a reading of Bernice Bobs Her Hair, my musical with librettist Julia Jordan, on Monday, May 12. It's directed by Joe Calarco and features a terrific (and Tony-winning!) cast: Carey Anderson, Richard Barth, Lindsay Nicole Chambers, Jared Gertner, Herndon Lackey, Adam Overett, Jacqui Polk, Ben Roseberry, Maria Thayer, Casey Tuma, Kate Wetherhead, Valerie Wright, and John Lloyd Young. Music direction is by the ever-amazing Alex Lefevre.
April 28, 2008
A short film I scored, A Work in Progress, by writer/director Keshia Coe, hits the festival circuit this spring. Check it out in Toronto, Connecticut, San Francisco, and New York.
More news from the theater world to be announced soon. Stay tuned!
March 22, 2008
Ordinary Days makes its regional premiere this summer. Check it out!
And don't forget to grab your tickets for Ordinary Days in New York City -- for three performances only!
Also, here's some info on a presentation of work from a writers' group I'm in. You'll hear a song I wrote with lyricist Beth Blatt:
NO SONG, NO SUPPER
a variety entertainment
conceived by Lynn M. Thomson
featuring The Stage Struck Yankee [1840]
by Oliver Durivage
with Tangents and Interruptions
by the writers of America-in-Play [2008]
Playwrights: Beth Blatt, Erin Browne, Lawrence Dukore, Stephanie Fleischmann, Adam Gwon, C.S. Hanson, David Johnston, Andrea Lepcio, Jenny Levison, Quincy Long, David Myers, Dominic Taylor, Susan Tenneriello, Gary Winter
Also see Exhibits of American curiosities from across the last two centuries, with songs from now and then, and a few surprises.
Join us around the cracker-barrel for chaw and talk!
When: March 31 AND April 7 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Doors open at 6:45 for exhibits and music
Where: TRIBECA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Theatre 2
199 Chambers Street
The event is offered to you free.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: americainplay.org
March 4, 2008
Thanks to everyone who came out for the York Theatre concert last night! I hope a good time was had by all.
Here's a quick run-down of some upcoming performances this spring. Further details, as well as more exciting stuff lined up for this summer, will be posted soon, so stay tuned!
On Tuesday, April 1 @ 7PM, Ordinary Days will be presented as part of the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre workshop, curated by Stephen Schwartz. The presentation will be a 50-minute excerpt of the show, performed for a panel of industry professionals, lead by Mr. Schwartz. Details to come.
The Penn State New Musicals Festival's workshop production of Ordinary Days is coming to NYC for three performances only! Join us at the York Theatre on Saturday, April 5 @ 2 & 8PM, and Sunday, April 6 @ 3PM. The show will feature performances by 4 talented students from Penn State, along with musical direction by Dan Riddle, pianist and associate conductor of The Light in the Piazza. Tickets are available now.
Also, my musical Bernice Bobs Her Hair, with librettist Julia Jordan, will have a reading at Primary Stages on Monday, May 12 @ 5PM, directed by Joe Calarco. Details to come.
February 20, 2008
Join me as I launch the NEO Spotlight Series at the York Theatre on Monday, March 3 at 7:30PM with Reach the Sky: Songs by Adam Gwon, an evening of brand-new songs and excerpts from my musicals Ordinary Days and Ethan Frome. Joining me will be the uber-talented Jill Abramovitz, Jared Gertner, Michael Hunsaker, and Natalie Weiss, with Vadim Feichtner at the keys.
I'm going to be (gulp) performing at this one, so it's not to be missed!
Also performing a set of songs that evening will be fellow composer/lyricist Tim Huang -- more musical theater bang for your buck!
A lot more exciting performances to come this spring...stay tuned here for details.
December 12, 2007
I'm in State College, PA for the first staging of Ordinary Days. Performances are Wednesday, December 12 at 5PM and Saturday, December 15 at 8PM, at the Pavilion Theater, if you're in the area!
November 14, 2007
Check out the newly-launched website of The Shen Family Foundation Musical Theater Composers Initiative, which I am so honored to have received support from. I'm part of a group the foundation calls "exceptionally gifted and highly original musical theater writers," and if you check out the Grant Recipients page, you'll get an idea of why I'm so thrilled to be mentioned in the same breath as those other writers!
October 7, 2007
I'm just getting back from a trip to PA, where I met the cast who'll be performing Ordinary Days out at Penn State in December. A talented group! Stay tuned here for details about the performances.
Also, my online store is up and running, where you can order sheet music to some of your favorite Adam Gwon songs! A selection of my most-requested songs is up right now, but feel free to contact me with any others you'd like to get your hands on.
September 13, 2007
There are several chances to catch some of my stuff this fall! Here's the lineup:
On Monday, September 24 @ 7pm there will be an informal presentation of work from the outgoing Dramatists Guild fellows, in the Frederick Loewe room at the Guild - 1501 Broadway, 7th Floor. I'll be presenting a couple songs from Ordinary Days. It's free!
My short musical Following, which premiered in 2005, will be part of the Chester Horn Short Play Festival in NYC, as one of 12 short plays (and the only musical) selected out of over 600 submissions from around the world. Performances are September 27, 29-30 @ 8PM. Get tickets and more info here.
That same weekend, September 28-30 @ 7PM, you can catch my song "Don't Wanna Be Here" (from Ordinary Days) in "A New Generation of Song," a concert that's part of this year's New York Musical Theatre Festival. Tickets and info here.
In November, Following and "I'll Be Here" from Ordinary Days will both be featured in the ClearSpace New Works Festival in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Check their website for the details.
Last but certainly not least, Ordinary Days will be receiving a workshop production at Penn State University this December, part of the Penn State New Musicals Festival. There will be public performances on December 12 & 15. Stay tuned for more details.
As always, check back here for updates and more info this fall!
September 8, 2007
I've been awarded a 2007-08 ASCAPLUS Award, a nice little award that recognizes emerging writers who do a lot of work in their field, but don't necessarily get paid a lot for it. Thanks, ASCAP!
Stay tuned here in the next couple weeks, as I'll have a fall line-up to announce, with performances of pieces old and new happening in several spots across the country.
July 17, 2007
I've been named "One to Watch" in the July/August issue of The Dramatist magazine, on newsstands now!
You can also read an excerpt from Ordinary Days in the same issue of the magazine, in a separate section featuring the work of the 2006-07 Dramatists Guild fellows.
June 7, 2007
June really is bustin' out all over.
On Monday, June 11, you can catch a song of mine in NEO3, the annual benefit concert for the York Theatre Company. If you can spare the cash for a good cause (new musical theater, that is) come check out what should be a fun-filled evening. Get your tickets here.
The first reading of my new musical Ordinary Days is happening on Monday, June 18, thanks to New York Theatre Barn. The work-in-progress will be performed by the wonderful and talented Jill Abramovitz, Jared Gertner, Leah Horowitz and Michael Hunsaker.
You can also catch two songs from Ordinary Days in "Facing the Facts," a cabaret of new musical theater tunes at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, on June 17 and 20. Check out my MySpace page for all the details.
And, the first workshop of my new musical with playwright Julia Jordan is happening at the end of the month, directed by Joe Calarco. You can't come. But, hey, it's still news.
May 9, 2007
As promised, here are the details for the public performance of Ethan Frome out in Norman, Oklahoma. If you're out here, you can come see it on Thursday, May 10 at 4:30PM at the Weitzenhoffer Theatre, 563 Elm Avenue, Norman, OK. The performance is free!
May 1, 2007
My musical adaptation of Ethan Frome is back in the zeitgeist, as I'm gearing up for two incarnations of the show. This week, the York Theatre Company and Lively Arts Productions are mounting a private reading of the show here in NYC. It's one of those by-invitation-only kinds of things, so unfortunately, unless you're Hal Prince or something, you can't come. But hopefully a public performance will be in the stars soon...
...and those stars are shining in Oklahoma next week, where I'm off for a workshop of Ethan Frome that will culminate in a public performance on Thursday, May 10 at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. I'll post the details of the performance as soon as I know them. If you're nearby, come check it out!
April 1, 2007
Tickets are on sale now for "Untitled," a concert of songs from new musicals that's featuring two new tunes from my upcoming project Ordinary Days. The concert is a benefit for New York Theatre Barn, a brand-new theatre company dedicated to producing new work, my favorite kind of theatre company!
"Untitled" will be playing the Daryl Roth Theatre on Union Square on Monday, April 16 -- there are two shows: at 7PM and 9:15PM. Tickets are $30. Come on down and support this exciting new company!
Tickets are on sale now for a production of Taming of the Shrew I've done some music for, running April 11-15 up in Providence, RI:
The Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium presents Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, directed by Donya K. Washington (Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium ‘08) from April 11-15, 2007. All performances are in the Citizens Bank Theater, Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire Street, Providence. Performances are Wednesday, April 11 at 8PM; Thursday, April 12 at 8PM; Friday, April 13 at 8PM; Saturday, April 14 at 2PM & 8PM; and Sunday, April 15 at 2PM. Tickets are $5, general admission and on sale now at the Trinity Rep box office, by phone (401) 351-4242 and online at www.trinityrep.com.
March 6, 2007
Here are details for performances you can catch in March:
Monday, March 12, 2007 @ 6:00PM
424 West 44th Street (bet. 9th & 10th Aves.)
New Dramatists announces its sixth annual playwright auction, Nocturnal Commissions — an exhilarating evening of instant theater-making — with all proceeds to benefit future programs. Nocturnal Commissions offers the public a rare opportunity to provide the first spark of inspiration for a new work of art. In the course of a single evening, they become a “Medici for a night,” first by commissioning brand new plays written on the spot by some of America’s finest playwrights, then by watching the fruits of their patronage be performed scant hours later by a gifted company of professional actors. This year's writers include such acclaimed and gifted artists as Tanya Barfield (Blue Door), Sheila Callaghan (Dead City), Marcus Gardley (dance of the holy ghosts), Michael Hollinger (Opus), Israel Horovitz (The Indian Wants the Bronx), Young Jean Lee (Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven), Sung Rno (wAve), Sarah Ruhl (The Clean House), and Lucy Thurber (Stay); Kleban Award-winner Julia Jordan (Dark Yellow) will write a song with composer Adam Gwon.
Tickets are $100; call Jessica Sher at (212) 757-6960, ext. 21.
A project curated by Lynn Thomson and Dominic Taylor: 16 playwrights' 10-minute commissioned plays inspired by early American drama. I've done some music for three pieces, one on each evening: Erin Browne on March 19, Quincy Long on March 26, and Ruth Margraff on March 27.
MONDAY, MARCH 19
7:00 P.M. Theatre 2 TPAC
FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA:
American Landscapes
In its beginnings, America was imagined as
“Paradise Found,” a new Eden—perhaps
even the original. America-in-Play artists
started work through exploring the imaginative,
primal landscapes of the Hudson River
School painters and the folk characters born
out of “this land.” Plays on this evening carry
the pulse of all those beginnings in landscapes
both rural and urban.
-Farmer’s Quartette by Erin Browne
-The View from Here and Just Folks
by Lawrence DuKore
-Lion of the East by Les Hunter
-The Next Big Thing by Jenny Levison
-Deleted Scenes from the Love of John Smith
and Pocahontas by David Myers
-Literal Lineage with some ROOTS
by Dominic Taylor
MONDAY, MARCH 26
7:00 P.M. Theatre 2 TPAC
YANKEE DOODLES:
From Crackerbarrel Philosophers to
Silk Crooks
Out of this land of many contrasts arose
a pantheon of archetypal characters to
examine and specify our national identity.
This night’s plays continue that
search.
-Argue the Ocean by Erin Courtney
-Collette Duval by P.J. Gibson
-Falutin by C.S. Hanson
-Falderal by Quincy Long
-Banana and Booh in SECURITY by Susan Tenneriello
TUESDAY, MARCH 27
7:00 P.M. Theatre 2 TPAC
TALL TALES,
or Performing Democracy
This evening investigates how we<
“stage-struck Yankees” enact rituals of
democracy in life and art.
-The Cheechako Treatment by Deborah Brevoort
-the orchard, the handkerchief & the
carbon copyists by Stephanie Fleischmann
-Over the Garden Wall by Ruth Margraff
-Onkel Toms Hutte by Anne Washburn
-American in Play by Gary Winter
Tickets to all evenings are FREE! To make a reservation, send an email here specifiying the date(s) you'd like to attend..
February 13, 2007
It's been a winter of writing hibernation, but spring is around the corner and soon, new pieces will begin to emerge from the cave like so many well-rested grizzlies.
Or something.
Here's a quick run-down of some stuff that's coming up. Save the dates, and check back here for more details, as well as info on some other performances that are in the works for the coming months.
On March 12, I'll be participating in New Dramatists' annual "Nocturnal Commissions" benefit, wherein writers are commissioned to write new pieces, performed that night, to raise money for ND's amazing programs. I'll be penning a new piece with the gorgeous and talented Julia Jordan. Stay tuned for details.
On March 19 and March 26, there will be readings of an exciting new project called "America-In-Play," part of a residency at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. Sixteen fantastic playwrights have been commissioned to write 10-minute plays inspired by early American drama. On the 19th, you'll see my work in a piece by Erin Browne, and on the 26th in a piece by Quincy Long. Check back here for details.
A production of Taming of the Shrew for which I composed and arranged some music will be running April 11-15 up at the Brown-Trinity Rep Consortium in Providence, RI.
And my own Ethan Frome musical is being workshopped May 7-11 at the University of Oklahoma.
More to come, so check back here to stay in the loop!
December 20, 2006
I've added some new songs to my MySpace Music page -- an informal sneak peek at a brand new project of mine. Check 'em out and become one of my MySpace friends while you're at it!
December 11, 2006
The tune I wrote for The Greatest Holiday Musical...Ever is featured on the latest podacast at nytheatrecast.com, along with an interview with creator Michael Ruby. Have a listen, then make your reservation for the show! All the info can be found here.
December 3, 2006
Check out some new songs in performance this month:
I'll be premiering two songs from a brand-new musical project at a benefit concert for the lovely ladies of The Ateh Theater Group. It's a $10 party at MI-5, a really great space in Tribeca, at 8pm on Thursday, December 14. For all the info, visit www.ateh.org. I'll be playing and singing my own stuff (gulp!)...so come check it out!
Also, running December 14-18 at Don't Tell Mama is The Greatest Holiday Musical...Ever, a new holiday revue created by the producers behind my Ethan Frome project. It features songs by a slew of musical theater writers. I penned the finale. For all the info, visit the show's homepage.
November 27, 2006
My podcast, NEW MUSIC NOW, has been picked up as part of a podcast station dedicated to contemporary musical theater! Starting on or around November 30, you can check out NEW MUSIC NOW alongside other new musical theater podcasts at podango.com. Look for us under the "Nascent Voices" station. Current subscribers, don't worry -- you can continue to download all episodes directly from iTunes.
November 6, 2006
I've joined the MySpace revolution...check out my MySpace Music page, where you can hear some tunes, keep tabs on upcoming shows, and feel a part of the Wild, Wild Web.
September 25, 2006
Jenna Leigh Green (currently playing Nessarose in Wicked) and Adam Jacobs (starring as Marius in the upcoming revival of Les Miserables) will be performing my song "It Don't Matter Much At All" at the NAMT Songwriter Showcase on Sunday, October 8!
The concert is only open to NAMT members -- if you are one and want to attend, visit www.namt.org for info and reservations.
September 22, 2006
I'm music directing and playing piano for Daniel Reichard of Jersey Boys at a benefit concert on Monday, September 25. Daniel will be singing a William Finn piece that is part of Love's Fire, an evening of short plays inspired by Shakespeare's sonnets.
The concert will benefit Opening Act, a nonprofit that brings long-term, quality theater programming to New York City schools that wouldn't otherwise have a stage of their own. Its after-school programs in five of NYC's most underserved public high schools give students the opportunity to explore their creativity through improvisation, acting and playwriting - and let students shine in productions they write and perform themselves.
The evening, directed by Andrew McCarthy (yes, that Andrew McCarthy!), will also feature Keith Byron-Kirk, Harriet D. Foy, Zoe Lister-Jones, Michael Mastro, Alicia Minshew and Keith Nobbs reading pieces by Eric Bogosian, Marsha Norman and Ntozake Shange. For tickets and info, visit www.OpeningActNewYork.org.
September 18, 2006
Welcome to my spiffy new website! People have been nudging me to start a site for some time, so I hope you enjoy it and check back often!
I returned not too long ago from the Johnny Mercer Foundation workshop in Chicago to a busy few weeks, and two exciting bits of news:
I'll be featured in this year's National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) Songwriter Showcase on October 8th! Details to follow - check back here for all the goods.
I've been named a 2006-07 Dramatists Guild Musical Theatre Fellow! I'll be a part of a year-long development and mentoring program run by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. Way cool.
