Jonathan Larson Grants Recipient Concert!

I was lucky enough to receive a Jonathan Larson Grant in the spring of 2020, just as everything shut down. On Monday, the American Theater Wing hosted a concert celebrating the last four years of winners who never got to have an awards concert. I was honored to have the talented Sarah Lynn Marion sing the title song from my musical BORDERLINE. Check out a few photos below from the event, courtesy of Broadway World!

Check out the full article about the concert here!

Benjamin Velez and Sarah Lynn Marion

Benjamin Velez and Rona Siddiqui

VIDEO: Joy and I talk writing the score for Real Women Have Curves!

Check out this video of Joy Huerta and I discussing our score for Real Women Have Curves!
Find additional videos about Arnulfo Maldonado’s Set Design inspiration and Time Lapse of the Set Murals being Painted!

Check out this video of Joy Huerta and I discussing our score for Real Women Have Curves!

"Real Women Have Curves" is a hit!

Thrilled to have opened the show at the ART and to feel how much audiences seem to be enjoying the story we’re telling. Check out some of our fabulous reviews thus far: the Boston Globe, WBUR, The Arts Fuse, the New England Theater Geek, Theater Mirror, Cambridge Day, and On Boston Stages.

You still have until Jan. 21st to see our show in Boston! Find tickets on the ART’s website!

In Rehearsal With Real Women Have Curves

Broadway World shared some photos from our first days of rehearsal. It was amazing to see everyone together, including our team at the A.R.T. We also got fabulous presentations from our costume designers Paloma Young and Wilberth Gonzalez, and from our set designer Arnulfo Moldonado.

Click here for the full article with more photos at Broadway World!

Stephen Schwartz Award

Stephen Schwartz is a living legend, and I had the incredible honor of receiving the Stephen Schwartz award from him last night at the Dramatist Guild Foundation’s annual gala. I’m still pinching myself. He is not only a huge inspiration on my work and of so many writers old and new, but also just the kindest man. My adrenaline was so high when I got onstage to thank him that I ripped my speech by accident!

I can’t thank him or the Dramatist Guild Foundation enough, as well as the incredible Margo Seibert, who masterfully performed my song “Borderline” from my musical of the same name with book writer Aryanna Garber.

Here’s a video of Stephen introducing me and my acceptance speech!

Photos 2-4 Credit: Rebecca J. Michelson / @rebeccajmichelson

I did an interview about the Tempest, check it out!

Check out this interview I did with the Public Theater talking about the Tempest. They did an amazing job editing my 30 minute ramble into something semi-intelligible!

Casting Announced for Tempest! Renée Elise Goldsberry to star!

We finally have a cast for this show and I’m still pinching myself over the talent involved, including Renée Elise Goldsberry as Prospero, Jo Lampert as Ariel, Theo Stockman as Caliban, Joél Perez as Stephano, and Anthony Chatmon II as Antonio. See the full announcement on Playbill!

CLICK HERE to view the casting announcement on Playbill.

"The Tempest" @ Shakespeare in the Park this Summer!

I am so damn excited to be opening my adaptation of Shakespeare’s “THE TEMPEST” this summer at the Delacorte in Central Park (August 27 - September 3rd)! My first New York City production! This Public Works production is directed by Laurie Woolery, music directed by Andrea Grody, and will feature an ensemble of 80 non-professional community performers in addition to a handful of Broadway performers. Come join us this summer for magic, music, and mayhem!! Visit the Public’s website for more info!

"Real Women Have Curves" to premiere at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in December '23

This will be our world premiere of “Real Women Have Curves” and I am so excited to get to be premiering it at the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in Cambridge! Directed and Choreographed by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo, with book by the phenomenal Lisa Loomer, and a score co-written by myself and the brilliant Joy Huerta. We’ll start previews in early December and run through mid-January 2024.

We’ll be part of the A.R.T.’s 2023/2024 season with 3 other exciting productions, including the world premiere musical “Gatsby”. Check out the announcement on Playbill.com!

Back at Berkeley Rep to work on LOST CITY RADIO!

Joel and I are thrilled to be back at Berkeley Repertory Theater as part of the Ground Floor program to work on our show LOST CITY RADIO! We’re excited to be digging into writing and dramaturgy while here, with the brilliant minds of the Ground Floor team, led by Madeleine Oldham. Joél and I first started talking about the project when we were at Berkeley Rep doing KISS MY AZTEC, so it’s extra special to be coming back to where it all started! Check out all the other fabulous artists in this year’s Ground Floor in the Broadway World Article here.

Kiss My Aztec at Hartford Stage June 1-26, Tickets on sale!

If anyone wants to laugh their Aztec off, come visit Hartford in June and see the pre-Broadway engagement of KISS MY AZTEC with our kick-ass cast and incredible production team!

Here we goooooo!!!

Tickets available at this link!

BORDERLINE Industry Workshop Presentation!

After nearly two years since hearing this show out loud pre-pandemic, what a thrill to be in a room with a full company of actors, musicians, and crew to bring this piece to life in it’s latest form! (Check out the article in Broadway World) Thank you to everyone involved, including Director Sarna Lapine, Music Director David Gardos, Producer Josh Goodman, Choreographer Joann Hunter, Sound Designer Leon Rothenberg, Stage Manager Ryan Gohsman, and the ridiculous cast of Lincoln Clauss, Brandon Contreras, Matt Dallal, Micaela Diamond, Amina Faye, Jasmine Forsberg, Kerri George, Kennedy Kanagawa, Marissa Rosen, Andrew Samonsky, Jennifer Sanchez, Frank Viveros and Marisha Wallace. And of course my brilliant partner in crime, Book writer Aryanna Garber. Here’s to next steps and a production!

Videos now live from Larson Legacy Concert!

Check out the full video from my Larson Legacy Concert @ Adelphi University featuring a phenomenal cast of performers and musicians! You can find all videos HERE.

Larson Legacy Concert at Adelphi - September 25th, 2021

I am THRILLED to get to work with these talented artists on my upcoming Larson Legacy concert at Adelphi University!! Over a year ago I had the honor of receiving a Jonathan Larson grant, so it’s exciting to FINALLY get to showcase my work in person and celebrate Jonathan’s Legacy.

Join me Saturday, Sep 25th @ 3pm where I’ll be featuring songs from a bunch of my musicals in development. The concert is co-produced by Ruthie Fierberg and myself, and Music Directed by David Gardos.

Featuring: Micaela Diamond, Hannah Corneau, Lincoln Clauss, Troy Iwata, Jon-Michael Reese, Marissa Rosen, Florrie Bagel, Vishal Vaidya, and myself.

With an incredible ensemble featuring: KC Dela Cruz, Joseph Fierberg, Alesha Jeter, Joey Miceli, Kianna Kelly-Futch, Bill FitzPatrick, Paul Esswein and Alexia Sanchez.

CLICK HERE to get tickets! And check out the write up on Broadway World HERE.

Lost City Radio 2-day Residency with The BringAbout!

Thanks to Jennifer Jancuska and her miraculous group of BringAbout artists, Joél Perez and I were invited to workshop our new show LOST CITY RADIO for two days in a rare opportunity to hear and see work on its feet early in the development process.

Thanks to Jennifer for her leadership and choreography, to Scott Wasserman and his music team for bringing these songs to life for the first time EVER, to the incomparable Taylor Iman Jones for giving me all the chills with her epic performance, and all the performers for reminding me what real talent and artistry feels like.

We’ll have footage to share soon, but in the meantime, check out photos of the process!

"I Miss The Spray!" - La Jolla Playhouse

I had a blast writing this song with David Kamp for La Jolla Playhouse celebrating that we can all taste the imminent return of Live Theater! It's coming y'all! Thank you to the ridiculously talented Storm Lever, Joél Perez, Raymond J. Lee, and Allison Spratt Pearce for bringing it to life!! And thank you to Eric Keen-Louie and Gabe Greene for giving us the opportunity! The song starts around 2 minutes in!

Jonathan Larson Grant 2020!!

I’m am OVER THE MOON to be a recipient of one of this year’s Jonathan Larson Grants. Everything that it represents and everything that it does to elevate new work is what gives me hope when working on challenging new shows that may not seem at first to be the usual fodder for a musical. Thank you to the American Theater Wing for this crazy ridiculous honor, alongside the talented Rona Siddiqui, Anna K. Jacobs, and The Bengsons!

Check out their website for the full announcement!

"Borderline" at the Dramatist Guild Foundation Fellows Showcase

I had a blast presenting material from Borderline at the DGF Fellows Showcase at the Signature Theater! Aryanna and I had a wonderful experience developing Borderline in the Fellows Program over the last year under the guidance of Michael Korie, Larry O’Keefe, and Allison Gold. It was a thrill to see the work presented by our other fellows, such a phenomenal showcase of talent.

Special thanks to Associate Director Signe V. Harriday, Director Candis C. Jones and Music Director Josh Kight, not to mention Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty who created the program in the first place!

You can check out more pictures from the event on Lia Chang’s site or on BroadwayWorld!

1st Row: Michael Korie, Benjamin Velez, Jay Adana, Kit Yan. 2nd Row: Michael Korie, Charles Gershman, Melissa Li, Ericka Dickerson-Despenza, Aryanna Garber, Nambi E. Kelley, Zeniba Now, Rae Binstock, Zack Zadek, Mathilde Dratwa, Laurence O’Keefe. Photo by Lia Chang

Borderline selected for 2018 Weston New Musical Award!

I'm honored to share that Borderline has been selected as the 2018 recipient for the Weston Playhouse New Musical Award! Aryanna and I are incredibly excited to get to showcase music and book from the show at two concerts up in Weston and one in NYC.

We're lucky to have an incredible team helping us bring these concerts to life!

Weston Associate Artistic Director Michael Berresse will direct the project with Music Director Daniel Green. The cast includes Margo Seibert (Boardwalk Empire, Broadway’s ROCKY) as Anna, Derrick Baskin (25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, MEMPHIS), Stephen Bogardus (BRIGHT STAR, WHITE CHRISTMAS), Leo Ash Evens (SCHOOL OF ROCK), and Katie Thompson (City Center’s PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES).

Check out their website for details!

NAMT Cabaret 2017!

I was lucky to be a part of the recent NAMT Conference (National Alliance for Musical Theater) as part of a mid-day cabaret where Katie Hathaway and I presented 4 songs from Afterland and Starblasters alongside our infinitely talented cohorts, Ben Moss and Emily Skeggs!

Video coming soon, but enjoy this adorable picture of the four of us next to our billing in the meantime!