Alone

Book by John Ertman, Music & Lyrics by John Ertman & Joseph Mathusek

Link to Concept Album: www.alonemusical.com

A high school friend group becomes the center of their small-town gossip chain after a summer romance goes awry.

Alone: A New Musical is a young, electric, and driving contemporary coming-of-age musical exploring how relationships at home change, grow, and form in the time just after high school and at the beginning of college. It follows Mia, an adoptee and valedictorian as she navigates her first love, a helicopter mother, and a town-wide gossip chain that seems to know intimate details about her life before even she does — all while trying to learn who she really is and who she wants to be.

John Ertman (Book, Co-Music & Lyrics) – is a professional writer, director, and AEA actor based in New York. John has written two musicals, Alone (American Music Theatre Project, Concept Album) and Mews (The Tank) with collaborator, Joseph Mathusek. He has independently produced three pop albums: The Abbey Road Live Session, Idle Growth, and Reality and has had his work performed at venues such as 54 Below in New York City and The Bedford in London and studios such as Abbey Road and Power Station NE. John is an award winning director of immersive theatre, internationally recognized by critics for his innovative approach. Selected awards include: Best New Media Award (Lonely Wolf UK 2023), Audience Choice for Best Interactive Experience (FIVARS 2021), and 4x Critics’ Picks for Best Interactive Theatre (Medium/No Proscenium 2020-2022). As a performer, John originated a role in Fifty-Seven at APAP in 2023 and led The Mosquitical as Newman at NYMTF. John earned a B.A. in Communications from Northwestern University, where he majored in Theatre and was a member of the inaugural class of the Music Theatre Writing & Composition program. John is also a student of several established composers including Mark Hollmann (Urinetown), Masi Asare (Paradise Square), Craig Carnelia (Working), and Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop).

Joseph Mathusek (Co-Music & Lyrics) – is a musician trained in performance, composition, arranging, and music production, and is a proud member of the Navajo Nations. He currently studies at BYU-Idaho where he is active in the music and composition scene and is finishing a degree in Vocal Performance. Joseph has participated in multiple performing groups, as both a performer and a director. He has directed/music directed multiple musicals including: Shrek The Musical (R3 Theatre), Alone (American Music Theatre Project, Concept Album) and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (No Drama Theater). Joseph has written and published two musicals, Alone: A New Musical (Co-music/Lyrics, arr.) and Mews (Co-music/lyrics, arr.) with collaborator John Ertman and has published several original arrangements, orchestrations, and original songs. Recent work in arranging/orchestration includes: “Santa Claus is Comin’ (Cover)”, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Cover)”, Alone: A New Musical (Full Score), and Mews (Full Score).