MEET ME THERE, The Interfaith Musical YOUR LOGO: (to change your logo image, use the X to remove the current image) TITLE OF YOUR MUSICAL: CREDITS: (i.e. Book by Jane Writer, Music by Joe Piano, Lyrics by Amy Poet): YOUR WEBSITE: (if you or your musical already have a website, include the full web address here, starting with https://) CONTACT EMAIL: (the email a producer should use to contact you about your musical PITCH PARAGRAPH: (a paragraph that gives a summary of your musical - to whet the producers' appetites!) Visual Text A musical for our times: When Maya, a Jewish mother, and Qaletaqa, an Indigenous father, forbid their children to marry, they unleash a huge cultural and intergenerational storm (imagine <em>Fiddler on the Roof</em> meets <em>West Side Story</em>). With lyrics both hilarious and heartrending, MEET ME THERE, The Interfaith Musical asks: How can we honor our traditions and values while simultaneously making room for our ever-expanding religious and cultural diversity? And beyond that lies the question that every parent must one day answer: If our children refuse to follow the path we chose for them, don't they still deserve our blessing? HISTORY/NOTES: (a spot to talk about what level of development you have reached, and/or what you are looking for next) Visual Text <strong>We are now in the process of contacting university drama departments to workshop the play and refine the script. We are seeking a potential director, producer, and choreographer. Our goal is to secure a workshop production at a university and an on-stage full-theatrical performance by early 2025. Below is a history of the project.</strong> 2017 Completion of the first draft of the libretto and the first read-thru. 2018 Ruth presents her interfaith musical project and one of the songs “Let’s Make Room at the Table” at the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto, Canada to an audience of 4,000. 2019 The CEO of the Pico Union Project in LA, a public performance space, invites Ruth to showcase eight songs from the musical in May 2019. African-American, Asian, Latino, American and Israeli singers perform for one night to a sold-out audience. Ruth is invited to perform at two other venues but the pandemic intervenes and all performances are canceled. 2021-22 Phil Schroeder, a dramaturg based in Boston, works on the libretto with Ruth 2022 Official release of Vol. #2-- with 11 new songs-- lyrics and music by Ruth Four professional musical theater consultants provide feedback: * Catherine Jones (The Way of Story: The Craft and Soul of Writing, Playwright of Musical (<em>Calamity </em><em>Jane</em>); * Elise Dewsbery (Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc.); * Anita Sarner (<em>I Only Have Eyes for You (Musical), Blue Sky (film) </em> and <em>Peggy Sue Got Married (film</em>) * Yuval Ron, Oscar-winning composer Two Indigenous experts provide ongoing advice and feedback for songs and story elements: *Chief Daniel Ramos, of Choctaw, Muskogee, Yamassee and Mayan Nations *Chief Phil Lane, Jr. Hereditary Chief, member of Ihanktonwan, Dakota and Chickasaw Nations 2022 The second read-thru is held, organized by New Musicals Inc. in LA in December 2022 with 20 actors. 2023 Ruth presents the title song "Meet Me There" at the Sacred Music Concert--organized by the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago-- for some 7,000 participants.The performance is simultaneously live-streamed around the world. Two songs from the musical are selected to be performed by local actors/singers during <em>Cabaret Night</em> at the Music Writers’ Academy in Ft. Worth Texas in July 2023. (“I’m a Bu-Jew” was performed by Major Attaway, the actor who played the genie in <em>Aladdin</em> on Broadway for four years.) The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) awards Album #2 a special Wilbur“Award of Merit”-- the first time an album was “deemed meritorious and worthy of acknowledgement.” In 2024, the title song wins another Wilbur Award of Merit. <a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAF1k38VDlM/LwZ2L3h4aPIKCqo6Oh_vRg/view?utm_content=DAF1k38VDlM&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.canva.com/design/DAF1k38VDlM/LwZ2L3h4aPIKCqo6Oh_vRg/view?utm_content%3DDAF1k38VDlM%26utm_campaign%3Ddesignshare%26utm_medium%3Dlink%26utm_source%3Deditor&source=gmail&ust=1712815299112000&usg=AOvVaw2HexIpDDua1lh0Eu536xQ2">Meet Me There Pitch Deck</a> BIOS: (biographies for the members of your team) Visual Text <strong>RUTH BROYDE SHARONE, composer, lyricist, librettist</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">For Ruth Broyde Sharone, a stranger is only someone we haven’t yet met. Ruth had been working as a documentary filmmaker, journalist, author and interfaith leader for 30 years when, in 2014, she experienced “a cosmic download" of 30 songs. The first words of the first song were: “What if, when you awoke, you were wearing a stranger’s shoes?”</span> <span style="font-weight: 400"> Thus began her audacious, unpredictable journey to create MEET ME THERE, The Interfaith Musical, as a mainstream celebration of our religious and cultural diversity. After releasing two albums in 2015 and 2022, as composer and lyricist, Ruth hired a Boston dramaturg to help her write the libretto. She is now ready to workshop the play and then take it to the Big Stage.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400"> In 2013, in recognition of her lifetime of bridge-building, Ruth was invited to join the Martin Luther King Advisory Board of Morehouse College. The same year she received a special commendation for her Interfaith Leadership from LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. The International Human Rights Consortium (IHRC) awarded her a Fete d'Excellence gold medal in Geneva in 2000 for her contributions to cultural education.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400">Together with an African-American minister, Ruth pioneered ground-breaking interfaith pilgrimages to the Middle East in the 90s featured on CNN World News in 1994. In 2007 she co-founded and served as Co-Chair of the Southern California Parliament of the World's Religions for 10 years.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400">Her documentary, “God and Allah Need to Talk,” and her interfaith memoir, <em>Minefields & Miracles--</em>considered a primer in interfaith engagement-<em>-</em> received multiple awards. Ruth also contributed more than 50 articles to the online magazine, <em>The Interfaith Observer</em>, and co-authored the 2018 Amazon best-seller, <em>21st Century Voices: Women Who Influence, Inspire, and Make a Difference</em>. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400">Ruth is a mother of two and a mentor to many.</span> <strong>KC DAUGIRDAS, Music Director and Arranger for all of the songs: </strong> Kc is an award-winning composer, orchestrator, and conductor based in Chicago. Best known as a choral composer, he will be featured at the historic 2024 Lithuanian Song Festival in Vilnius, Lithuania, performed by over 10,000 singers. Fun fact: When Kc arrived in the USA as a young boy from Lithuania, none of his classmates had ever heard of Lithuania, so they decided he must be "Lutheran." AUDIO DEMO 1: (you can include up to three audio demos but please make sure they are MP3 and NOT .wav or .aiff) 07.-Im-A-Bu-Jew-MEET-ME-THERE-Ruth-Broyde-Sharone-1.mp3 AUDIO DEMO 2: 27-29.-Meet-Me-There-Ruth-Broyde-Sharone.mp3 AUDIO DEMO 3: 13.-What-If-My-Children-Go-Astray-Ruth-Broyde-Sharone-conflictfemale-live.mp3 VIDEO DEMO: (if you have a video demo/trailer/pitch, include the full LINK here)
