20 Writing Teams Announced for Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals

A total of 35 established and emerging writers, composers and lyricists will converge on the Goodspeed campus this month to participate in the first-ever Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. The writing teams, representing more than twenty new musicals, will populate the campus, creating a truly exciting environment for discovery and inspiration.

The Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed is an unparalleled, long-term residency program devoted exclusively to musical theatre writing. It will provide a sanctuary for composers, lyricists, and librettists to embark on new musical theatre work or to devote a substantial amount of time to a work-in-progress in an environment rich with creative energy. For four weeks, starting January 21, writers will be immersed in this stimulating environment with the singular purpose of allowing the writers to write. In partnership with the Johnny Mercer Foundation, Goodspeed will proudly offer established and emerging writers the unique opportunity to research, develop and create new musicals. Over the course of the four week program, numerous industry luminaries will be on campus serving as mentors for the many writing teams led by Jonathan Brielle, Writer/Producer in Residence and Vice President of the Johnny Mercer Foundation; Bob Alwine, Associate Producer and Donna Lynn Cooper Hilton, Line Producer for Goodspeed Musicals. Award-winning director Michael Bush will serve as Dramaturge/Mentor throughout the residency.

The outstanding writers who have been invited to participate in the inaugural colony have earned tremendous recognition in the industry with honors such as the Tony Award, Emmy Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Lorenz Hart Award, Kleban Award, ASCAP's Harold Arlen Award, Fred Ebb Award, Jonathan Larson Fellowship, ASCAP Frederick Loewe Award, ASCAP Cole Porter Award for Music and Lyrics and The National Art Song Award, as well as special grants from the NEA.

We are pleased to announce that the 2013 writing teams are (in alphabetical order) Aron Accurso, Will Aronson, Arthur Lafrentz Bacon, Sean Barry, Neil Bartram, Rob Baumgartner Jr., Jonathan Brielle, Ben Clark, Sam Davis, Christopher Dimond, Harris Doran, Laura Eason, Jenny Giering, Adam Gwon, Christy Hall, Brian Hargrove, Laura Harrington, Mark Hollmann, Victor Kazan, Hannah Kohl, Michael Kooman, Greg Kotis, Patrick Lundquist, Jordan Mann, Daniel Maté, Thomas Mizer, Curtis Moore, Adam Overett, Kevin Purcell, Jason Schafer, Benjamin Scheuer, Peter Seibert, Jeff Thomson, Beth Turcotte and Sam Willmott.

The start of the Writers Colony marks the realization of a long-held dream for Goodspeed Musicals. Thanks in part to the wonderful support of The Johnny Mercer Foundation, Goodspeed continues to be an incubator for the next generation of musical theatre artists and performers as well as the center for the American Musical.

Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre, Goodspeed Musicals produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., and additional works at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. The first regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed celebrates another milestone - its 50^th Anniversary - in 2013. In addition to the two theatres and production facilities, Goodspeed maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.