Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Cheeyang Ng, the writer and composer of the new musical Eastbound. This is a new bilingual musical about the unexpected meeting of two brothers from opposite sides of the world, their quests for survival, and the power of choice. Told through the soundscape of a contemporary score fused with traditional Chinese folk music and Mandopop, Eastbound is performed in English and Mandarin. In this podcast we dive into why representation is so important to writer Cheeyung, and how he began as a musical theatre writer. You can follow Cheeyang’s journey on Instagram: @cheeyangmusic and https://www.cheeyang.com/

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Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Gabriel Jason Dean, Jessie Dean and David Dabbon, the writers of Our New Town, a new musical. Through music, immersion and meta theatrics, Our New Town calls us all to wake up and take ownership of our personal relationship to guns and gun violence. A hyper theatrical blend of truth with fiction, of scene with song, Our New Town is an immersive play that puts the audience at the center of an American crisis: gun violence. In this podcast we learn why this show was created, why the writers want their show to eventually be obsolete and we get to hear the rousing song “Line in the Sand” from their recent production at Wagner College. You can follow along on their journey at: www.gabrieljasondean.com. 

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For today’s episode Broadway ReFocused is excited to welcome Nicolette Blount, the creator and co-writer/composer/lyricist of Savage, the musical. As a registered Chickasaw Native American, Nicolette shines light on her great grandmother, Wanda Savage, in this new musical. Savage is a powerful story of redemption about an indigenous mother who fought racism, sexism, and abuse to make a name for herself, but at the heart of the story is a mother and her son. Nicolette is a singer, actress, songwriter, writer, and vocal coach that lives in Massachusetts, but hails from Southern California. In this podcast we talk about indigenous representation in musicals, the Chickasaw language that is disappearing and what’s next for Savage, the musical. We listen to the opening number, “Wanda Savage”. We learn about how Savage the Musical holds up a mirror to our society to see how far we have come...or not. Thank you for listening to Musicals With Impact. You can learn more about the Broadway ReFocused project and curriculum on the Broadway ReFocused website. Please share with your family and friends so that we can continue these powerful conversations that uplift new voices and stories for Broadway.

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Over the course of the last few months, Musicals With Impact and Broadway ReFocused podcasts have reached over 1,000 downloads. We are excited that the conversation is getting bigger through these incredible interviews with diverse writers/composers. In this bonus episode, we announce the musicals we will be featuring in the rest of Season 1 of Musicals with Impact, and also share that we will be releasing Season 2 this summer. Thank you so much for your support. One thing you can do today to lift up these diverse voices is to follow the writers and musicals on social media, as well as to share out their podcasts. Remember to like, subscribe, and review Musicals With Impact so others can go on this important journey with us. Next week, we will release a new podcast about the new musical, Savage, based on the indigenous performer Wanda Savage.

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Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Jesse Sanchez, the writer of the new Latinx musical Sueños, Our American Musical. Based in Watsonville, California, the strawberry capital of the world, Sueños tells a contemporary journey about interrelationships, and the dynamics of three generations of a Mexican-American family as they confront challenges, make sacrifices, break cycles, and celebrate community in their pursuit of the American Dream. Sanchez is a San Jose native who is a playwright, composer, and music director who works at Oregon Shakespeare Festival as the Producing Music Supervisor. In this podcast we talk about why different Latinx experiences are important to tell in musical theatre. We listen to the 11 o'clock number, “Set Me Free” in this podcast. You can follow Jesse on Instagram @jessejsanchezmusic and www.jessejsanchez.com

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Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with writers Tidtaya Sinutoke (music) and Isabella Dawis (book/lyrics) and director Desdemona Chiang about the new musical, Half the Sky. Half the Sky tells the story of an Asian American woman climbing Mount Everest. It is a contemporary American musical on a global scale, infused with the sounds of traditional Thai and Himalayan folk music. The writers are winners of the 2020 Weston-Ghostlight New Musical Award and 5th Avenue Theatre’s inaugural First Draft: Raise Your Voice Commission. In this podcast, we deep dive into why this story was written, why representation matters on stage, and the bigger dreams of telling this story to a wider world audience. We listen to the hauntingly beautiful song, “Bistarai'' that follows the Sherpa through the Khumbu Icefall on Mt. Everest. You can learn more about Half the Sky on halftheskymusical.com and on IG: @halftheskymusical

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Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Kira Stone, composer and writer of the new musical, Salem. Salem is a tale about a sisterhood of accused witches & their accusers from the 1692 Salem Witch Trials as they are held hostage in a modern courtroom. Stone asks the important questions: How did this happen? Why did it happen? And could this happen again? With the songs all set to dark pop melodies & 808 beats, Salem is telling the real story of Kira’s 6th great-grandmother. We learn all about this connection to family history, where Salem is at in its development process and Stone’s dreams for the piece in the future. We also listen to her pop anthem “I Believe”. You can learn more about Kira Stone and Salem on her website: www.kirabethstone.com and on IG: @kirabethstone.

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Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with G. Victoria Campell, writer and composer of the new musical: Treeson: An Eco-Musical. A new musical theatre writer, Victoria has created this entire musical during the COVID pandemic in Switzerland. Her dual background in psychology and music have informed the themes of her art, which focus on doing mission-driven work, inspiring people to act on behalf of the collective as opposed to the individual, and activism. Treeson: An Eco-Musical is set in present-day North America, in the beautiful landscape of the Pacific Northwest, where many respect nature, but others seek to destroy it. Treeson is educating, inspiring and entertaining listeners about climate change on its debut concept album released January 15th, 2021 on all music platforms. Learn more about Victoria on her website: https://www.treesonmusical.com/, and on IG @treesonmusical.

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Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with Jaime Jarrett - a New York based composer/playwright - whose mission is to tell honest and imaginative queer stories that simultaneously break the rules of cis-heteronormativity and break the supposed rules of our physical universe. Most recently, his musical Wonder Boy was developed through a staged reading at Musical Theatre Factory. Jaime is the recipient of New York Musical Festival’s “Outstanding Emerging Artist Award” as well as the Ira Brind School of Theatre Arts’ “Excellence in Playwriting Award.” In this podcast we learn about how he came up with this incredible new musical and also listen to a beautiful new song, “The Body”. Jaime gives us the amazing backstory of how this song came to be which is authentic and vulnerable. Learn more about Jamie on his website: https://www.jarrettwritesmusicals.com, and on IG @sauci_boy. 

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Broadway ReFocused is in conversation with 17-year old composer and writer, Elise Marra. In May of 2020, Elise’s sixth musical, Frankie! The Musical was released on Broadway Records making her the youngest female in history to release a cast concept album. The show has been developed with New York Theatre Barn and featured on Playbill.com and Broadwayworld.com. In this podcast, we learn what the show is about, where it’s at in its development process, and we get to listen to one of the first tracks off the new cast album. Learn more about Elise at www.elisemarra.com. And follow Frankies’ journey on Instagram: @frankiemusical. 

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