'Bright and Brave: A New Musical' to be Workshopped in NYC

Two young men from Connecticut have written a new musical that will be workshopped in New York City this summer and I am proud to say that I remember both of them from CT performances when they were still in high school.

Jack Saleeby is a proud graduate of Waterbury Arts Magnet School and recently returned to WAMS to visit the cast of their recent hit production of ‘Memphis.’ The talented singer and dancer went on to graduate from Hofstra University where he received a B.F.A. in Acting with a minor in Musical Theatre. He has appeared in ‘Footloose’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury. He is currently an ensemble member in the cast of the national touring company of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ and serves as the Scarecrow/Tinman understudy.

Peter Charney attended Amity Regional High School; he headed the drama club and won a CT High School Musical Theater Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Toby in ‘Sweeney Todd.’ I will always remember this magnificent production that marked my first trip to Amity HS for a spring musical and Mr. Charney’s performance was outstanding. He then went on to earn his BFA from Hofstra University.

The two Hofstra grads have always been huge musical theatre fans, but only as actors and directors. Then in the summer of 2015, the two went to see Stephen Sondheim talk about writing ‘Into The Woods,’ a work that had been the favorite musical for both of them when growing up. During the subway ride back, they started talking about writing an original show. Mr. Charney had grown up playing piano and writing instrumental music and Mr. Saleeby was a writer, so they knew that they would match perfectly as collaborators.

The duo started writing songs the very next day, at first without a story attached. Several months later, book writer Noah Silva came onboard. With the newest member of the team’s help, they discovered the true story of William Johnson Cory and several of his students at Eton College in Victorian era England.

The story is about being young and in love, having dreams, and defining your legacy.The team knew right away that this was exactly what they had been searching for. They took the real letters, journals, and poems that these students and their tutor wrote and crafted their lives into a full-length musical.

It has now been over two years and what was once an idea in a college dorm room has turned into a passion project for the three. There have already been several open readings. Now the three collaborators are excited to announce that in June the show will be workshopped for the first time through a co-production with Dixon Place. There will be a full cast and creative team made up of NYC professionals. “We are very excited to share this story with the world and we hope there will continue to be life for ‘Bright and Brave’ long after this production.” said Mr. Charney.

Bright and Brave: A New Musical is based on a true story, and inspired by Morris B. Kaplan’s Sodom on the Thames and the words and poems of William Johnson Cory and Reginald Brett, Second Viscount Esher. Under the controversially progressive guidance of their tutor, esteemed scholar William Johnson Cory, Reginald ‘Regy’ Brett and Charles ‘Chat’ Williamson embark on a journey of self-discovery, love, and how to come to terms with a world that will not love them.

‘Bright and Brave: A New Musical’
The Fellowship
Thursday - Saturday June 7 - 9, 2018 at 7:00pm
General admission
$15 in advance
$18 at the door
Stu./Sen./idNYC
$12 in advance
$15 at the door
§ tickets
Estimated Runtime
90 minutes

'Bright and Brave' Facebook page
This is a link to the venue's website, which is the best way to purchase tickets for this workshop.