Theatre changed my life when I was in high school. I am grateful to have had opportunities over the last few months to highlight how the arts can transform our schools, and drastically improve students’ mental and emotional health.
Let’s stop chasing the next great educational initiative and get back to what connects us, gives us agency, and shows us the best parts of humanity.
📸 - Bethany Conkel, @kavehparisfilm , @_cisco_kuhl
Honored to deliver the opening keynote at the Kennedy Center’s National Community Partnerships Convening this week.
Being in a room full of educators, administrators, and partners committed to young people is a powerful reminder that even when institutions feel fragile or the future feels unclear, the values behind this work endure.
Deeply grateful for the leadership of the Kennedy Center education team and for everyone who continues to show up for our students thoughtfully and intentionally, especially in moments of uncertainty.
Stellar week of developing @RankedMusical with some insanely talented @txstmt #bobcats! These students tackled new scenes and songs nearly every day - making bold, nuanced choices and bringing it all to life at an impressively high level.
Huge thanks to the students and faculty for creating such a supportive and fearless space to develop new work. If you want to see what a top-tier musical theatre program looks like, we can’t recommend them enough.
Our goal continues to be shaping Ranked for a meaningful commercial future - which means concentrating the characters and sharpening our focus on the heart of the story. We’re walking away inspired by the work, and excited to keep sharing as the development continues.
#TXSTMT #RankedMusical #NewMusicals
Art has always been a way of resisting, of imagining a world better than our own. There’s a reason it’s one of the first things they try to silence. But it also heals, inspires, and reminds us of what’s important.
So here is some art that has recently given me joy and done some inspiring!
Maybe just the act of creating, of finding beauty in the middle of all this, is its own kind of defiance. And right now, that’s enough.
Join us for a New York City holiday party like no other! In just 90 minutes, we’ll write, record, and produce a brand-new holiday song from scratch. Whether you’re a seasoned musician or simply curious to see the magic unfold, this session invites everyone to join the creative process. Together, we’ll brainstorm, craft lyrics, find the perfect melody, and celebrate the season with holiday cheer and libations.
The evening will be hosted by music producer Andrew Heringer (Sound Bath, The Guest and the Host), producer and playwright Kyle Holmes (Ranked, a Musical; Open, Stay) and composer and music director David Taylor Gomes (Ranked, a Musical; Snowed In) as part of Off the Lane’s final ColLab of 2024.
The songwriting session starts at 8pm, but the party starts at 7:30pm! Come early and hang!
TICKETS on the Off The Lane website 🤍
Earlier this year, Mindy Cooper asked me to write a story about young adults trying to figure out how we all fit together in this world, using the music and lyrics of Anna DeNoia’s moving song cycle, Open, Stay. This week, we presented it to its first audiences.
Grateful to Mindy and Anna for trusting me to tell this story and for all of the insanely talented creatives who put their time, energy and hearts into sharing it.
And if, like me, you are also still trying to figure out how we all fit together… you can take your time.
You do not have to be good at art to justify doing art! The mental, emotional, and physical benefits are endless, and have nothing to do with your skill level.
@challengesuccess advocates for a young person having PDF every day - play time, down time, and family time.
Keep creating, people!
#newmusicals #art #artseducation
Thanks for having us, SXSW!
Immense gratitude to Mindy Cooper for staging a beautifully moving 45-minute performance of Ranked, Kaveh Ghaemi for documenting the whirlwind weekend, and Aaron Molho for engineering and capturing the sound.
Stephanie Klapper Casting found eight amazing actors who masterfully shared the heart of our story (and sang the hell out of it), and did it with two days of rehearsal. Thanks to Malia McLellan, Tres Allison, Nicole Richter, Grace Lord, Hailey Truong, Trey Shonkwiler, Kelly Whitlow and Hella Mastagni for their time and care with our words.
We are incredibly grateful for our continued partnership with Challenge Success and Dr. Denise Pope as they continue to provide research and meaningful strategies for school communities to improve students’ mental and emotional health.
Much more soon! 👀
#TheErasTour is everything everyone says it is - 44 songs in three hours without stopping, a 100 million dollar production that has more elaborate lighting, projections, choreography, sets and costume changes than most Broadway shows. Mind blowing from start to finish.
So grateful to be able to celebrate this weekend with so many special people in my life.
A big thank you to all of my friends and family who traveled and took the time to join us in Menlo Park, Woodstock, or NYC. Immensely appreciative of all of the love and support.
“My So-Called High School Rank” hits HBO on November 29!
