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A DC-BASED COMPANY, and at our core:
DEVELOPING AND PRODUCING ORIGINAL WORKS OF MUSIC-THEATRE,
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AND ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY IN PARTNERSHIP
Changing the Conversation Through the Arts
Our Monthly Newsletter - February 2025
What’s Ahead for Alliance for New Music-Theatre in our 2024 -25 Season?
We are stepping up our activities this season in anticipation of celebrating in 2024-25 season our 30-Year Anniversary of our humble beginnings as a workshop for local artists to advance their collaborative capacities to experiment in the many art forms of music-theatre.
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!
Greg Watkins Kicks Off 2025 with
Unforgettable: A Valentine Tribute to Nat King Cole
Alliance for New Music-Theatre’ continues its partnership with the Arts Club of Washington in our George Fulginiti Cabaret series, and, for one night only, Tuesday, February 11 at 7:00 pm.
This promises to be an evening not to be missed as Greg channels the iconic American singer with some of his most memorable, and yes, romantic songs for this Valentine celebration.
Our headliner Greg Watkins, who has also curated this Nat King Cole Valentine Tribute, is well accustomed to success, having been honored for his local award-winning performances and featured in Jubilee under the direction of Tazewell Thompson, first at Arena Stage, later in Florida, and then, last Fall, in a concert performance in Seattle ‘backed’ by the Seattle Symphony.
The Arts Club will continue the new-found tradition of coming up with a signature cocktail for the occasion to pay honor to the lusciousness of Mr. Cole’s voice in something we’re calling “Je vous aime beaucoup.” Also thrown into the price of a ticket, the Arts Club will provide a small bites buffet and a refresher beverage following the show where you can meet the artist and enjoy other fine company.
The bar opens at 6:30 pm, the show starts at 7:00 pm.
The venue is intimate, perfect for an optimal cabaret experience, but has limited seating, and is (un)fortunately SOLD OUT.
Line-Up of future Cabaret Series at the Arts Club of Washington
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Tuesday, May 6 - Amy Bormet “Amy Bormet’s Cabaret of Love & Longing”
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Tuesday, June 3 - Daniel Smith “Unmasked: Freedom in Full Color”
Shows start at 7p.m. Bar with Signature Cocktail opens at 6:30 p.m.
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and Friday, June 6 & Saturday, June 7 encore performances
- Daniel Smith - “Unmasked: Freedom in Full Color” - at Dupont Underground
Shows start at 8p.m
Read more about the Cabaret Series HERE.
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Workshop Recital of Music of DC Emancipation and the Right to Vote
Join us on our journey as we mark our commitment to this special project-in- development.
On Sunday April 6 at 3 p.m. and Wednesday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. (on DC Emancipation Day), New Music-Theatre returns to Dumbarton United Methodist Church in Georgetown to offer Workshop Recitals of an original work of music-theater celebrating the historic win of Georgetown’s African American community in leveraging their long fight to win early emancipation for the District.
Experience the unveiling of the music from our latest original work, a labor of love for the last two years in a collaboration with Composer Ronald ‘Trey‘ Walton and Music Direction from Evelyn Simpson Curenton. Cast members – several rejoining us from Voices of Zion about two adjacent historic cemeteries and what we now refer to as “Part I” of our story of Black Georgetown – include Sheri Jackson, Kathy Richburg, Cara Schaefer, Daniel Smith, Greg Watkins, Roz White, and Djob Lyons.
(Read more about Djob in our Featured Artist section below.
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The Ukrainian Project: The Trumpeter
At the end of the month on April 26 and April 30, we invite you to descend with us into Dupont Underground to witness a first stage in a new show in our ongoing commitment to the writings of Ukrainian playwrights with a reading of The Trumpeter by Inna Goncharova in an English translation by John Farndon.
The Trumpeter, the last surviving member of a military band, shelters from Russian bombardment in 2022 below the steelworks of Mariupol in Inna Goncharova’s valiant attempt to capture the terrible essence of war.
And what could be a more perfect setting than the echo-ey subterranean space of DU , DC’s spookiest, eclectic, and exciting cultural gathering place, to represent a bunker
World-renowned Director Janos Szasz leads our resistance that this project represents, joined by actors Michael Kevin Darnall and Lise Bruneau along with professional trumpeter Susan Rider.
The full production will be presented later this Fall.
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2025 Composer-Librettist Studio
Professional Composers, Librettists, and Singers/Actors are invited to apply for the 2025 Composer-Librettist Studio. Applications are due by February 15. Applications are on our webpage HERE.
The CL Studio will take place from June 7 through June 22 and will once again be hosted by the Music Department of the University of the District of Columbia. The CL Studio will be co-led by Artistic Director Susan Galbraith and Music Director Sonja Thompson and will continue in the spirit of Ben Krywosz, who developed and led such studios across the country. This nationally-renowned training program has been preparing professional artists to deepen their understanding of collaborative principles across the spectrum of music-theatre since 1986.
Decision will be made by April 2025 with invitations going out to five composers, five librettists, and five singers. All artists receive a stipend but must make their own travel and accommodation plans. Please note this is a full-time commitment, with no exceptions for the good of the whole group.
For more information, go to Composer-Librettist Studio | New Music-Theatre
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Live & About Winter/Spring Season 2025
Join our Live & About Subscription Series where we take you along to different theaters representing large and small companies approximately once a month, introducing you to different expressions across the spectrum of music-theater. Enjoy seeing shows with friends, followed by conversation delving into the artists’ intentions, learning from others in the group about different perspectives, and sharpening our critical appreciation of different of this most hybrid of performance forms.
By joining in this series, you support companies across the DMV, save money by getting in on a group discount, and make new friends to expand your minds and appetite for new and different voices and genres in our culturally rich and diverse community.
Weeknight and weekend matinees are, in most months, options.
For this upcoming season, we are focusing on different venues, and some may surprise you. How does the space affect the experience? And how does the space expand and enhance what we may call music-theater?
Learn more about the subscription aeries and rates for this season. Email us at info@newmusictheatre.org
Winter/Spring Season Outings
Our first Outing is sold out, but you can still join for the rest of the season.
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February 11 - SOLD OUT - Greg Watkins brings his own Cabaret to the Arts Club of Washington in a special Valentine Tribute to Nat King Cole. Arts Club will provide a featured cocktail and light buffet ,ensuring this will be a terrific Valentine party to dispel the winter blahs, (One night only)
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March 16 & 20 - Come see Synetic Theatre in a new venue for this company as it takes on the era of classic silent film in its trademark blend of voiceless movement-music theater in The Immigrant.
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April 6 & 16- New Music-Theatre will share its tribute to the history of Back Georgetown and the leaders who made possible the early DC Emancipation & The Right to Vote at Dumbarton UMC in an original work of music-theatre composed by company member Ronald ‘Trey’ Walton.
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May - Washington National Opera presents a new work by composer Mason Bates and Librettist Mark Campbell (also advisor to our company ), The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Come with us on this operatic journey through the interior workings and spiritual journey of an innovator.
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June 15 & 18- Signature Theatre offer us a return trip to Arlington’s anchor cultural destination and another biographically-inspired work , this month a musical in The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter Thompson Musical.
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Featured Artist - Djob Lyons
Djob Lyons announces proudly, “I am absolutely a DC native!”
And he comes by his prodigious acting talents honestly – from his father who was a local actor, and monologuist, and early in his life sang solos in the family’s church. Watching his father present ”The Creation” made him awestruck to think even then, “I want to affect people like that.” As he further watched his dad, his desire to entertain and help people see different perspectives grew. His father put him in Howard University Children’s Theater founded and led by Dr. Kelsey E. Collie, an original member in the Howard Players. Collie in turn brought the young actor of promise into his repertory company and provided him with a solid professional training foundation. He even took some of these youngsters up to NYC to audition for Broadway shows.
Djob came to his first major crossroad when to enter high school he had to weigh the path of theater vs. his other love for football. He knew he could dance sing, and act. Luckily for the rest of us, he was accepted as a theater major, and even in his first year he changed the rules and performed on stage and then was plucked from school to perform in Journey at the Kennedy Center. Even in college he was lured out to work for Disney sponsored industrial shows, then took a job in Biloxi, Mississippi, headlining casino shows for two years( I wondered if he was even old enough to drink yet.) With that gig came fame. “Face on billboards and the whole nine yards.”
Our boy moves to New York, following his dream, auditioning for everything, getting his face out there. Djob was offered work with Maurice Hines and followed him to Amsterdam. Broadway pulled him back. What work came was pick up dance companies. And he connected with West African dance and later soaking up Afro Cuban dance.
But I’ll be honest,” he tells me, “It was rough. In DC I was a boy. New York made me a man. The city forces you to grow up. Early morning getting up, going to stand in line in some cattle call. 200 men and they’re only looking for 2 dancers. It taught me a lot. A lot of blood, a lot of sweat, a lot of tears.”
You may have seen Djob in The Wiz (the fortieth anniversary) at Ford’s Theater as the lead dancer in the show.
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As a small not-for-profit 501(c)3 public charity organization, Alliance for New Music-Theatre’s mission is to:
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Nurture the creation, development and production of new works of music-theatre
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Foster the growth of professional and aspiring artists and their collaborations across cultures and musical languages;
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Engage community by bringing audiences and other partners into the creative process to promote a deeper understanding and critical appreciation of the transformative power of music-theatre.
We need your support to continue to fulfill our mission. There are many opportunities to provide support at various levels by supporting an artist, a production, or general support.
The Donate page on our website has information about ways to contribute. Donate | New Music-Theatre (newmusictheatre.org)