Prospect’s Musical Theater Lab brings together emerging talents for an exciting experiment where writing teams are selected through an open application process and create an original, short musical in response to a shared theme. Last November, the 6-week program culminated in a public concert presentation of these new works at Symphony Space in New York. The shows were inspired by images chosen from a curated selection of photographs posted on social media platforms. Writers were challenged to “caption” the image by creating a musical story arising from the picture.
Writers and writing teams for the 2022 Musical Theater Lab included Rheanna Atendido, Skyler Chin & Sita Sunil, Amy Engelhardt, Jessie Field & James Martinez Salem, Sarah Hammond & Or Matias, Nay Harris & Raiah Rofsky, J. Quinton Johnson, Sarah Kaufman & Shane Dittmar, Sam Norman & Eliza Randall, and Jesse J. Sanchez, who presented their new work as part of Prospect Theater Company’s 2022 Musical Theater Lab Concert presentation: Caption This at Symphony Space.
The 2022 line-up included artists from a wide array of backgrounds who hail from around the country and are working across forms and styles.
Writers, actors, and the production team of Caption This.. Photo by Lia Chang
Thirty actors from Broadway and beyond brought their talents to the stage to celebrate the hot-off-the-presses new works generated in last year’s lab process. Performers included: Dana Aber, Robert Ariza, Maria Bilbao, Jennifer Blood, Thani Brant, Elijah Caldwell, Aubrey Clyburn, Esha Datta, Michael Deleget, Alexandra de Suze, Morgan Siobhan Green, Samantha Hahn, Lyda Jade Harlan, Darius Anthony Harper, Elizabeth Ward Land, Jonathan Mousset, Yassi Noubahar, Jay Paranada, Mukta Phatak, Andrew Prestinario, Stefanie Sambrano, Kevin Schuering, Cliff Sellers, DeMone Seraphin, Doug Shapiro, Gordon Stanley, Nyseli Vega, Viet Vo, Cortney Wolfson, and Ria Yamdagni.
The concert evening was directed by Dev Bondarin, Prospect’s Associate Artistic Director with music directors Keiji Ishiguri and Nissa Kahle; stage management by Emma Hughes and Herbert Welch; Covid Safety Manager Michael Quadrino; Production Assistant Kate Semmens and Producing Artistic Intern Marie Vienne.
The musical theater lab was curated by Dev Bondarin and Cara Reichel, the company’s Producing Artistic Director.”Each year the Prospect Lab offers audiences an opportunity to experience exciting new material from an outstanding group of up-and-coming musical theater voices,” Reichel said. “We are thrilled to be able to continue this important annual program in its 16th annual cycle.”
Scroll down for my coverage of the presentations.
The Velociraptor’s Very Good Day – book, music & lyrics by Sarah Kaufman & Shane Dittmar
Kevin Schuering, Aubrey Clyburn & Jennifer Blood in The Velociraptor’s Very Good Day – book, music & lyrics by Sarah Kaufman & Shane Dittmar. Photo by Lia Chang
Kevin Schuering, Aubrey Clyburn & Jennifer Blood in The Velociraptor’s Very Good Day – book, music & lyrics by Sarah Kaufman & Shane Dittmar. Photo by Lia Chang
Three Bears and a Dog – book by Jessie Field & James Martinez Salem, lyrics by Jessie Field & music by James Martinez Salem
Jonathan Mousset, Elijah Caldwell & Jay Paranada in Three Bears and a Dog – book by Jessie Field & James Martinez Salem, lyrics by Jessie Field & music by James Martinez Salem. Photo by Lia Chang
Elijah Caldwell & Jay Paranada in Three Bears and a Dog – book by Jessie Field & James Martinez Salem, lyrics by Jessie Field & music by James Martinez Salem. Photo by Lia Chang
High Time for Chai Time – book, music & lyrics by Skyler Chin & Sita Sunil
Cliff Sellers, Mukta Phatak & Esha Datta in High Time for Chai Time – book, music & lyrics by Skyler Chin & Sita Sunil. Photo by Lia Chang
Mukta Phatak in High Time for Chai Time – book, music & lyrics by Skyler Chin & Sita Sunil. Photo by Lia Chang
Annie Dream Will Do – book, music & lyrics by Amy Engelhardt
Alexandra de Suze & Dana Aber in Annie Dream Will Do – book, music & lyrics by Amy Engelhardt. Photo by Lia Chang
Alexandra de Suze, Dana Aber, Samantha Hahn & Doug Shapiro in Annie Dream Will Do – book, music & lyrics by Amy Engelhardt. Photo by Lia Chang
Black Holes Like Donuts – book & lyrics by Sam Norman & music by Eliza Randall
Andrea Prestinario, Michael Deleget & Lyda Jade Harlan in Black Holes Like Donuts – book & lyrics by Sam Norman & music by Eliza Randall. Photo by Lia Chang
Lyda Jade Harlan in Black Holes Like Donuts – book & lyrics by Sam Norman & music by Eliza Randall. Photo by Lia Chang
Michael Deleget & Andrea Prestinario in Black Holes Like Donuts – book & lyrics by Sam Norman & music by Eliza Randall. Photo by Lia Chang
Black Friday! – book, music & lyrics by Jesse J. Sanchez
Nyseli Vega, Maria Bilbao & Cortney Wolfson in Black Friday! – book, music & lyrics by Jesse J. Sanchez. Photo by Lia Chang
Nyseli Vega, Maria Bilbao, Cortney Wolfson & Viet Vo in Black Friday! – book, music & lyrics by Jesse J. Sanchez. Photo by Lia Chang
Maria Bilbao & Cortney Wolfson in Black Friday! – book, music & lyrics by Jesse J. Sanchez. Photo by Lia Chang
Snappy Syncs – book & lyrics by Sarah Hammond & music by Or Matias
Elizabeth Ward Land, Robert Ariza & Stefanie Sambrano in Snappy Syncs – book & lyrics by Sarah Hammond & music by Or Matias. Photo by Lia Chang
Elizabeth Ward Land in Snappy Syncs – book & lyrics by Sarah Hammond & music by Or Matias. Photo by Lia Chang
Strategy on Shabbat – book & lyrics by Nay Harris & music by Raiah Rofsky
Gordon Stanley & DeMone Seraphin in Strategy on Shabbat – book & lyrics by Nay Harris & music by Raiah Rofsky. Photo by Lia Chang
Gordon Stanley & DeMone Seraphin in Strategy on Shabbat – book & lyrics by Nay Harris & music by Raiah Rofsky
Payphones – book, music & lyrics by Rheanna Atendido
Morgan Siobhan Green & Thani Brant in Payphones – book, music & lyrics by Rheanna Atendido. Photo by Lia Chang
Morgan Siobhan Green in Payphones – book, music & lyrics by Rheanna Atendido. Photo by Lia Chang
A Midnight Dreary – book, music & lyrics by J. Quinton Johnson)
Darius Anthony Harper in A Midnight Dreary – book, music & lyrics by J. Quinton Johnson. Photo by Lia Chang
Yassi Noubahar, Darius Anthony Harper & Ria Yamdagni in A Midnight Dreary – book, music & lyrics by J. Quinton Johnson. Photo by Lia Chang
The Company will honor George Takei, Georgia Stitt, Michael McElroy and Jim Hoare with 2023 Prospect Muse Awards at the Spring Gala on May. For more information on the Lab, the Gala or the upcoming production of Justin Huertas’ Lizard Boy, click here.
Photo credit, L to R: William A. Williams, Justin Huertas, and Kiki deLohr. Photo by Kevin Berne.
Lia Chang. Photo by Kalin Ivanov
LIA CHANG is an actor, a multi-media content producer, an award-winning filmmaker, and a photo activist and documentarian, who lifts up and amplifies BIPOC communities and artists and the institutions that support them. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle series that airs on Sundays at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996 and streams on MNN2.
Lia moved to New York from her home in San Francisco when she was 17 years of age and made her stage debut as Liat in a national tour of South Pacific with Barbara Eden and Robert Goulet. She spent many years working extensively Off-Broadway, including Signature Theatre’s revival of Sam Shepard’s Chicago. Her film work includes Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, and The Last Dragon. The decades of being viewed by others through the narrow lens of “Asian actor” in the industry brought Lia to a turning point, and she picked up her camera, determined to create awareness by documenting the work and the lives of her BIPOC colleagues, resulting in the creation of thousands of photographs and pieces of video. Her photo archives are housed in the AAPI collection in the Library of Congress’ Asian Reading Room under “Lia Chang Theater Portfolio collection,1989-2011” and in the “Lia Chang Photography Collection” in The Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library.
Lia’s awards include the 2000 OCA Chinese American Journalist Award, the 2001 AAJA National Award for New Media and the 2022 Prospect Muse Award. She is also an AAJA Executive Leadership Graduate, a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age, a National Press Photographers Association Visual Edge/Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media, and a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.
More recently, Lia co-founded Bev’s Girl Films, which makes films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. She executive produced and starred in the indie films Hide and Seek (AA Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Best Actress Nomination), Rom-Com Gone Wrong, and When the World Was Young (2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative).
Lia Chang Photography 