Experience the new culture-shifting musical inspired by Tom Rastrelli’s memoir Confessions of a Gay Priest on Monday, May 18, with the return of our award-winning NEW WORKS SERIES.
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Meet the culture-shifting artists behind the new culture-shifting musicals!
Experience ATALANTA: THE LONG SHOT and CONFESSIONS next Monday, May 18.
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Join us Monday in NYC or online for a preview of “Confessions” courtesy of @newyorktheatrebarn ! I’m cohosting the event with @bisforbarros and we’ll interview @elfmanj and @thisisnotbobkelly who wrote the musical. I’ll put the link in my bio.
Tom Rastrelli is the inspiration behind Confessions, a new musical featured in our May 18 New Works Series. Confessions is based on Rastrelli’s acclaimed and harrowing memoir Confessions of a Gay Priest: A Memoir of Sex, Love, Abuse, and Scandal in the Catholic Seminary. Rastrelli will also co-host the evening with Artistic Director Joe Barros.
Explore his story and more on May 18 in our award-winning NEW WORKS SERIES.
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We celebrated the creation of “Confessions” last night. Can’t wait for the reading tonight and to see how the audience responds. The cast, music director, crew at @theatrenowny and director @bisforbarros are fantastic and have worked hard this week. Bob Kelly @thisisnotbobkelly and Jonathan Keebler @elfmanj have written a beautiful, tragic, funny, hope filled, and empowering musical. This story resonates far beyond the memoir I wrote. What an ecstatic ride to see them craft this show over the past four years. And to have Abdel @deldachez join us yesterday was a beautiful. I’m thankful to know all of you and call you friends here on “the other side.”
I’m in NYC and the musical adaptation of Confessions of a Gay Priest is fabulous! We’re workshopping it with Director Joe Barros @bisforbarros this week. Ian Miller is music director. Music and lyrics by Bob Kelly and Jonathan Keebler, who have written a relevant, powerful and beautiful musical! This is a dream come true to be working with such talented NY professionals. Thank you, @m.g.lord.writes for being my first editor and mentor, and thank you @janetfitch323 , @timkirkman , @dinahlenney and all who taught me generously at @uscedu ! Thank you, Jim McCoy and @uiowapress . Thank you, Gretta, Richard and all who taught me theatre at @theatreuni . Thank you, @elfmanj and @thisisnotbobkelly for your careful, beautiful and stellar work and creating “something bigger” than my memoir and story. Thank you @theatrenowny for believing in this show and supporting us!
This week at Ike Box in Salem: come see me and other Pentacle musical theatre actors perform the oldies in this Pentacle Theatre fundraiser. It will be a light, relaxing, nostalgic, and entertaining evening. Tickets at pentacletheatre.org. #supportmusicaltheatre
Here’s a photo of lyricist/book writer of “Confessions of a Gay Priest” — the musical — Jonathan Keebler introducing the show. Composer Bob Kelly is at the piano just out of the shot. The cast was fabulous! Thank you, all, for a stellar performance! Thank you, @theatrenowny staff, for featuring “Confessions”! I can’t wait to see and hear more. Keep up the spectacular work. #newmusic #newmusicals #newyorktheatre #confessionsofagaypriest #gaypriest #tomrastrelli
Thanks, everyone, for your support. The showcase was stellar! Jonathan and Bob featured five songs that spanned the timeline of the show. I look forward to the day you can all hear them. The cast brought their A game. The audience’s emotional response was palpable which was deeply moving.
Being in the audience I could see heads nodding, hear people holding their breath and releasing their emotions. I was deeply moved feeling their collective response to the performance.
I didn’t get that experience with the book, thanks to the pandemic and everything shutting down the day the book was released in March 2020. Zoom readings and performances aren’t even close. Seeing the work with a live audience was a treat! Profoundly moving.
The next step is finalizing the first draft, rewriting, and securing a producer and funding, staged reading, rewrites, workshop production, more rewrites, and then a full production. This is a process and a marathon. Welcome to the ride!
Meet the creators of “Confessions of a Gay Priest” the musical: lyricist/book writer Jonathan Keebler (left) and composer Bob Kelly! It was a joy to finally meet them without a screen between us this morning. That’s a zoom screen, not a confessional screen. 😘 Learn more about their work at jonathankeebler.com and bobkelly-music.com.
I’m in Manhattan for the Theatre Now New York First Look of “Confessions of a Gay Priest” — the musical! Music by Bob Kelly and book/lyrics by Jonathan Keebler. Jonathan and Bob contacted me in 2021 after reading “Confessions,” the memoir. They have been working since on the book and score. I’m excited to meet them in person and see excerpts of the show tomorrow. The songs they’ve written so far are fantastic. More to come! #confessionsofagaypriest #newmusicals #gaypriest #tomrastrelli
Where am I headed? It’s been a while since I’ve shared news about “Confessions of a Gay Priest.” Stay tuned for some big news. 🤩 #confessions #confessionsofagaypriest #gaypriest #tomrastrelli
