The Doll Maker’s Gift
Nora is an imaginative little girl whose Russian Jewish community faces the Pogroms of the 1900s, but when her family lacks the funds to send her to America, she and the local Dollmaker hatch a plan that will test her imagination and bravery. I’m writing the lyrics, with music by Brian Feinstein and book by EllaRose Chary and Francis Sillau, based on the book by Sashi Fridman.
A musical about a musical that rocked a community.
Hailed as “a work of explosive power,” Brandon James Gwinn’s and my musical Small Town Story explores how two families in a North Texas town deal with a community controversy over a high school production of Rent. Combining modern Broadway pop and country roots, the exhilarating songs will be performed by the acclaimed cast of American Theater Group’s recent World Premiere production at SOPAC. Experience all the feels and laughs of this timely yet timeless story about the power of theatre, the generational divide, and the potential of young people to change the world.
A musical about a musical that rocked a community.
Two families in North Texas struggle with a town battle ignited by a controversial high school musical. As the escalation divides father and son, mother and daughter, leaders and neighbors, all sides must find a way to harmonize before their way of life rips apart.
An exhilarating world premiere musical, Small Town Story explores the power of theatre, the challenge of empathy, and the potential of young people to change the world.
Dan Acquisto’s and my 2012 Off Broadway Alliance Award-winning show StinkyKids® The Musical makes its way to Philadelphia! Come see how Captain Happy’s Jumpy-Fun-Super-Bouncy Indoor Place fits in with the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
Go to back to the ’80s in in this awesome mashup of Shakespeare and John Hughes. The Studio Cast RADcording of Dan Acquisto’s and my show Like You Like It features
Alison Luff, Derek Klena, Robin De Jesus, Patti Murin, Lesli Margherita, Laura Osnes, Nathan Johnson, Kate Rockwell, Sam Underwood, Bonnie Milligan, Nick Cearley and more!
Vital Theatre, who commissioned and produced the 2012 Off Broadway Alliance Award-winning production of StinyKids® The Musical, brings it back to New York!
Book and Lyrics by SAMMY BUCK
Music by DANIEL S. ACQUISTO
Based on THE STINKYKIDS ® BOOKS written by BRITT MENZIES
directed by MICHAEL SCHLOEGL
The DC-area adds to the growing list of US and Canada runs of the show. For tickets, contact the Way Off Broadway Box Office. For more information on the show or to license a production, visit Theatrical Rights Worldwide. Photo from original New York production at Vital Theatre, by Steven Rosen.
Britt loves making everyone happy. But this girl who never gets in trouble is in a sticky situation – literally: She woke up with an impossibly epic wad of gum stuck in her hair. All of Britt’s friends are depending on her parents to take them to the new MegaJumper 3000 at Captain Happy’s Jumpy-Fun-Super-Bouncy Indoor Place, so she definitely doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. Britt must rely on her mischievous friends to go with her on an unexpected adventure across their neighborhood to solve the problem before her parents find out and possibly cancel the trip! Book and Lyrics by Sammy Buck • Music by Daniel S. Acquisto • Based on Stinkykids® by Britt Menzies.
Book my lecture to find out the answer and more. Part of my #storyapy series.
**This seminar is not endorsed by or affiliated with Star Wars, Lucasfilm, The Walt Disney Company or the Galactic Empire. Originally presented at the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) in 2013.
A New York Theatre Barn commission, Brandon James Gwinn‘s and my show was most recently presented as a developmental production with a full cast of students at the Hartt School. A 2014 reading at Playwrights Horizons featured Joe Cassidy (If/Then), Hannah De Flumeri (Bullets Over Broadway), Beth DeVries, Noah Galvin (The Real O’Neals), James Donegan (Forbidden Broadway), Alexa Green (Wicked, So Good), Anthony Lee Medina (The Capeman), Brandon Kalm (American Psycho), Carolyn Mignini (Fiddler on the Roof, Tintypes), Erin Leigh Peck (The Toxic Avenger), Chandler Reeves, Emily Rogers, Erik Sisco and Shorey Walker (Seussical). NYTB artistic director and co-conceiver Joe Barros directed both the production and the reading. Check out the demo on soundcloud and read more at the NYTB website.
Two families in a North Texas town struggle with a community battle ignited by a high school production of the musical Rent. As the escalation drives wedges between father and son – and mother and daughter – Speargrove, Texas will discover that the show can’t open until their minds do. Inspired by actual events, Small Town Story explores the indelible power of theatre and the inherent dangers of silence. Book and Lyrics by Sammy Buck • Music and Lyrics by Brandon James Gwinn.
Conceived by Joe Barros, Laura Brandel, Sammy Buck, Karen Marshall, Reed Prescott and Sam Willmott.