Mugby Junction is a new work of contempory musical theatre by New Zealander Rochelle Bright and Canadian Arvi Sreenivasan. It was developed as their thesis project at New York University’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Department, part of the Tisch School of the Arts. The work is currently in its second draft and will be workshopped with a full cast and design team in Auckland, NZ in August 2008. This site will track its progress.
Mugby Junction is told in three episodes and draws on inspiration from Britain, Broadway and Bunnythorpe, NZ. The work's British roots lie in the fact that it was freely adapted from the 1866 collection of stories by Charles Dickens. The spirit of Broadway lies in its form. The connection to Bunnythorpe is its setting.
The music of Mugby Junction combines an indie – rock melodic sensibility with a score drawing on classical music and modal jazz elements. It is embodied on the stage by four actors, who portray a different role in each of the three episodes.
The August 2008 Workshop Team includes:
Lyric and Book - Rochelle Bright
Music - Arvi Sreenivasan
Director - Jennifer Ward-Lealand
Musical Director - Penny Dodd
Producer - Lauren Hughes
Design - Rachel Walker, Andrew Malmo, Andrew McMillan
Performance - yet to be announced
For more information, or to support this project please contact:
IN NEW YORK
Rochelle Bright - rochellenz@gmail.com
IN NEW ZEALAND
Lauren Hughes (Producer) - laurenhughes80@hotmail.com / 021 222 5682
Mugby Junction
Rochelle Bright and Arvi Sreenivasan
Tisch School of Arts, New York
The Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Programme at Tisch is specially designed for major collaborators in the creation of new musical theatre and opera. Each year twenty two full time students are selected from around the world and Rochelle is the first New Zealander ever accepted into the programme. There she met her creative partner Arvi Sreenivasan.
During their time at Tisch Rochelle and Arvi studied under some of the biggest names in musical theatre including:
Stephen Songhiem (Composer/Lyricist Into The Woods, Sweeney Todd)
Bill Finn (Composer/lyricist 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee)
Rachel Skeinkin (Bookwriter: Tony Award for writing 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee)
Michael John La Chuisa (Composer/Lyricist The Wild Party)
Jeanine Tesori (Co-composer Caroline or Change, Composer Thoroughly Modern Millie)
Margo Lion (Producer Hairspray and Angels In America on Broadway)
Lee Adams (Lyricist Bye Bye Birdie and Golden Boy)
Mel Marvin (Composer "The Grinch" on Broadway)
Mindi Dickstein (Lyricist "Little Women" on Broadway)
In addition to Tisch staff several prominent Broadway professionals have contributed directly to the development of Mugby Junction.
The first song written for Mugby was presented in January 2007 as part of the Godspeed residency cabaret in New York, directed by Michele Tattenbaum and sung by Pearl Sun (The Grinch, on Broadway).
In April 2007 Mugby Junction was given its first full length reading at Tisch. Again this was directed by Michele Tattenbaum. It featured Lauren Molina (Sweeney Todd, Broadway), Johathan Rayson (Little Shop of Horrors, Broadway), Joe Cassidy (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Broadway) and Leigh Anne Larkin (Gypsy at City Centre). Bill Finn (Double Tony Award winner for Falsettos) came to the thesis reading and offered feedback on the piece.
During their time at Tisch Rochelle and Arvi studied under some of the biggest names in musical theatre including:
Stephen Songhiem (Composer/Lyricist Into The Woods, Sweeney Todd)
Bill Finn (Composer/lyricist 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee)
Rachel Skeinkin (Bookwriter: Tony Award for writing 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee)
Michael John La Chuisa (Composer/Lyricist The Wild Party)
Jeanine Tesori (Co-composer Caroline or Change, Composer Thoroughly Modern Millie)
Margo Lion (Producer Hairspray and Angels In America on Broadway)
Lee Adams (Lyricist Bye Bye Birdie and Golden Boy)
Mel Marvin (Composer "The Grinch" on Broadway)
Mindi Dickstein (Lyricist "Little Women" on Broadway)
In addition to Tisch staff several prominent Broadway professionals have contributed directly to the development of Mugby Junction.
The first song written for Mugby was presented in January 2007 as part of the Godspeed residency cabaret in New York, directed by Michele Tattenbaum and sung by Pearl Sun (The Grinch, on Broadway).
In April 2007 Mugby Junction was given its first full length reading at Tisch. Again this was directed by Michele Tattenbaum. It featured Lauren Molina (Sweeney Todd, Broadway), Johathan Rayson (Little Shop of Horrors, Broadway), Joe Cassidy (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Broadway) and Leigh Anne Larkin (Gypsy at City Centre). Bill Finn (Double Tony Award winner for Falsettos) came to the thesis reading and offered feedback on the piece.
