Forestburgh Playhouse Announces Casting for In the Works~In the Woods

NATHAN SALSTONE, RACHEL GOLD, KYLE SCATLIFFE,
ANNA SUNDBERG, LOU LIBERATORE, JAIME LOZANO,
SIDNEY DUPONT, MICHAEL MASTRO, JACK CUMMINGS III,
BILL BERLONI, RICK ELICE, JOAN MARCUS
and more announced for

IN THE WORKS~IN THE WOODS FESTIVAL
AT FORESTBURGH PLAYHOUSE
SEPTEMBER 6-8, 2024

REBEL GENIUS
Book, Music and Lyrics by Matthew Puckett
Directed by Noah Himmelstein
Music Direction by Nicholas James Connell

PALIMPSEST
A new play by Alix Sobler
Directed by Emily Young

ROJA
A Nueva Musical
Written by Jaime Lozano and Tommy Newman
Directed by Florencia Cuenca
I WANT TO BE GOOD
Written and Performed by Michael Mastro
Directed by Jack Cummings III

CATSKILLS CAB LAB
Featuring Tony Award nominee Sidney DuPont
and Tik Tok Sensation Alyssa Payne
OFF-THE-CUFF CONVERSATIONS
With Bill Berloni, Rick Elice and Joan Marcus

Forestburgh, NY – The fourth annual In the Works~In the Woods Festival at Forestburgh Playhouse, (under the leadership of Franklin Trapp, Producing Artistic Director, Broadway veteran Matt Lenz, Festival Artistic Director, Anthony C. Daniel, Associate Festival Director/Casting), will be held September 6 through 8.

The festival will present staged readings of Rebel Genius, a new musical with book, music and lyrics by Peabody Award-winner Matthew Puckett, directed by Noah Himmelstein (I Am Harvey Milk) and musical director Nicholas James Connell (Titanique). Featuring Nathan Salstone (Sweeney Todd, Encores! Titanic), Rachel Gold (Phantom of the Opera), Kyle Scatliffe (Les Miserables, The Color Purple), Robert Anthony Jones (Finding Neverland); Palimpsest, a new play by Alix Sobler (Roundabout Theatre’s Sheltered), directed by Emily Young (Fiasco Theater). Featuring Anna Sundberg (TV: “I’m Not a Serial Killer”), Tony Nominee Lou Liberatore (Burn This; Off-Bway: Inspired by True Events), Ali Rose Dachis (A Fish in the Dark), Luis Vega (Buena Vista Social Club), Molly O’Brien, Laurel Anderson and Melissa Mitchem; Roja, a nueva musical for young audiences by Jaime Lozano (El Otro Oz) and Tommy Newman (El Otro Oz), directed by Florencia Cuenca. Featuring Mayelah Barrera, Mario Tadeo, Daniela Delahuerta and Max Cervantes; Broadway veteran Michael Mastro (Funny Girl, West Side Story, Side Man) presents a solo show I Want To Be Good, directed by Jack Cummings III (Drama Desk and Obie-winning Transport Group Artistic Director); and the popular Catskills Cab Lab returns with Tony Award Nominee Sidney DuPont (Paradise Square, Beautiful) and TikTok sensation Alyssa Payne (Suffs).

This year’s Off the Cuff-Conversations with prominent theatre professionals in impromptu discussions about their careers and the creative process features Tony Honoree, advocate and author of Broadway Tails, Bill Berloni; Tony Nominated playwright Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Water for Elephants, Peter and the Starctacher, SMASH) and Tony Honoree, legendary Broadway photographer Joan Marcus.
In the Works~In the Woods Festival 2024:
September 6-7
Palimpsest - a new play by Alix Sobler, Directed by Emily Young
Palimpsest is a self-referential, meta-comedy about who gets to tell what story, what it means to create art based on real events, and what we owe each other when it comes to telling the truth.
Featuring Anna Sundberg, Lou Liberatore, Ali Rose Dachis, Luis Vega, Molly O’Brien, Laurel Anderson and Melissa Mitchem.
*****
September 7-8
Rebel Genius - Book, Music and Lyrics by Matthew Puckett
Directed by Noah Himmelstein; Music Director Nicholas James Connell
Rebel Genius crashes physics and love into one another as Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric fall madly in love, risking everything to find a perfect theory of the universe. The show is a contemporary exploration into the heart of a genius torn between ambition and love. Featuring
Nathan Salstone, Rachel Gold, Kyle Scatliffe, Robert Anthony Jones, Emily Esposito, Richard Brundage, Kyle Hendricks, Max Boone, Bryan George Rowell, Nicole Fragala.
*****
September 7-8
Roja, a nueva musical for young audiences written by Jaime Lozano and Tommy Newman. Directed by Florencia Cuenca.
Fusing traditional Mexican folk music and Mestizo folklore, Roja offers a new twist on the Little Red Riding Hood story. At the edge of the desert in Northern Mexico, Roja rescues a mischievous, magical coyote who offers her the chance to see her father again. What follows is an enchanting journey of love, loss and resilience. Featuring Mayelah Barrera, Mario Tadeo, Daniela Delahuerta, Yahir Montes and Max Cervantes.
*****
September 8
I Want To Be Good - a new solo play written and performed by Michael Mastro
Directed by Jack Cummings III
In the summer of ’75, a quirky but enthusiastic small town altar boy with Broadway dreams struggles to balance two relationships: one with God, and the other with the superstar priest who’s just arrived at Sacred Heart Church. I Want To Be Good is a spiritual journey both humorous and poignant.
*****
September 6 and 8
Dedicated to developing unique, dynamic cabaret experiences featuring emerging solo performers, the Catskills Cab Lab features Tony Award Nominee Sidney DuPont (Paradise Square) and TikTok sensation Alyssa Payne. Sidney DuPont serves as a guiding voice through the life and legacy of icon Sammy Davis Jr. in “I Gotta Be Me,” directed by Greg Kamp. Alyssa Payne will present “Extra Crispy” - humor and heart collide in this cabaret showcasing original musical theater songs by Alyssa Payne - a deliciously entertaining feast for the soul, directed by Robin Levine. Catskills Cab Lab Musical Director/Arranger Balint Varga.
*****
OFF-THE-CUFF CONVERSATIONS
This year’s Off the Cuff-Conversations Series with prominent theatre professionals in impromptu discussions about their careers and the creative process features Tony Honoree, advocate and author of Broadway Tails, Bill Berloni; Tony Nominated playwright Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Water for Elephants, Peter and the Starctacher, SMASH) and Tony Honoree, Broadway photographer Joan Marcus.
Previous In the Works-In the Woods Festival offerings include El Otro Oz, winner of the Off-Broadway Alliance Award, will open at Center Theatre Group next season; Bottle Shock received a world premiere production at The California Center for the Arts, Escondido, CA; Jessica Hendy’s Walking with Bubbles received an extended Off-Broadway run and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance; Gordon Gets Down! was part of Forestbugh’s 2023 Season for Young Audiences.

TICKET INFORMATION:
Just 90 minutes from New York City in the Sullivan Catskills, Forestburgh Playhouse is located at 39 Forestburgh Road. For Festival Passports and tickets: fbplayhouse.org/itw or by calling 845-794-1194.
The 2024 In the Works~In the Woods Festival Advisory Committee includes: Scott Evans (Actor/Director), Robin Levine (Director), Jaime Lozano (Composer), Banji Aborisade (Director/Choreographer), Valentina Fratti (Director/Producer), Jillian Carucci (Director), Alan Muraoka (Actor/Director), Roque Berlanga (Director/Choreographer), Kate Wilson (Development), Ana Flavia Zuim (Musical Director/Conductor), Nicholas Rodriguez (Actor), Anthony C. Daniel (Director/Associate Festival Director/Casting), Franklin Trapp (FBP Producing, Artistic Director) and Matt Lenz (ITW~ITW Festival Artistic Director).
Major sponsors of In the Works~In the Woods are Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association, The Jeff Hunter Charitable Trust, Catskills Brewery, Do Good Spirits, Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, Vintus Wines and Spirits NY, Kristt Kelly Office Systems.

ABOUT THE FORESTBURGH PLAYHOUSE
The Forestburgh Playhouse is the oldest, continuously running, professional summer theatre in New York State. Located in the Sullivan Catskills, the Playhouse was founded in 1947 by John Grahame and Alexander Maissel. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Franklin Trapp, FBP’s mission is to present high-quality, professional theatre, including musicals, plays, cabarets and theatre for young audiences; to provide arts education programming for local youth; to develop and launch the careers of young artists; and to foster the development of new works through an annual new works festival. FBP attracts over 30,000 patrons each summer and was one of the first venues in the U.S. in 2020 to return to live performance with its popular Under the Stars concert series. The Playhouse celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2021.