It has been a minute!
In my last post I mentioned that I was suspending these writings to complete work on an original musical. My friend and colleague Cliff Aerie wrote the music and I worked with a team of creative artists to craft the book and lyrics.
As I said then, “I am taking a sabbatical so that I can concentrate on the final steps in getting Happily After Ever ready for a hoped-for sustained New York City run in 2024. In this space, I will periodically share updates about the play—performance dates, profiles on members of the company, and how you can support it.”
It is time to share an update! The music is written. We’ve completed our script and chosen our cast and musicians—a highly talented and deeply experienced company. We’ve been fundraising, opened a bank account, developed a website and are in the process of securing a copywrite.
Loosely based on the ancient book of Tobit, Happily After Ever is the story of two young women who embark upon a journey of self-discovery and shatter oppressive social conventions along the way. The show addresses contemporary issues including women’s empowerment, LGBTQ justice and the refugee crisis. An eclectic, jazz-based musical score is filled with memorable melodies, making Happily After Ever an uplifting, hope-filled experience for these perilous times.
We have secured four performance dates: October 7 and 8 (matinee) at Union Congregational Church in Montclair, NJ and October 27 and 28 at the Palisades Presbyterian Church in Palisades, NY.
As a justice issue, we intend to fairly compensate all members of our company (eleven actors, five musicians, four directors), thereby requiring a substantial monetary investment. The budget for just this part of our process is $50,000. To date, we’ve raised 40% of our goal; but we still have a long way to go. Rehearsals begin this week and cash flow is now a critical issue.
As readers of my posts, I appeal to you for your help in this effort.
There are three ways to contribute:
- If you are in the NY/NJ metro area, go to the events page of our website, buy tickets and attend a performance. We’d love to share our musical with you!
- Spread the news about our performances with your networks.
- Become a Gratitude Giver! In addition to ticket sales, we’ve created Categories of Gratitude for those who support the show beyond the price of tickets: Friend: $250-$499; Patron: $500-$999; Benefactor: $1,000; Angel: >$1,000. All Gratitude Givers will receive two tickets to the performance of their choice and acknowledgement in the program.
We are deeply grateful to all who have generously supported Happily After Ever so far (your contributions will be applied retroactively to Gratitude Giver categories) and we look forward to garnering additional supporters as we move closer to our performance dates.
For those of you in the greater New York City metropolitan region, we can’t wait to share this workshopped version of Happily After Ever with you!
Get your tickets now! Space is limited.
Congratulations! The Parlagrecos look forward to seeing the show!