About This Show
Every musical got its start somewhere – don’t miss your chance to see the big hits of tomorrow at the Third Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Artists. Join us for staged readings of three brand new works in this creative gathering of authors, actors, artists, and musical theatre lovers.
The Trouble with Doug: A Modern-Day Metamorphosis
Book and Lyrics by Daniel Maté
Book and Music by Will Aronson
A quick-witted, darkly comedic modern take on Franz Kafka’s short story The Metamporphosis. On the eve of his 27th Birthday, Doug Gregory transforms from a happily engaged, well-adjusted man in the prime of life into a giant slug. His fiancée, his doting parents, his ne’er-do-well older brother, and Doug himself all struggle to reconcile themselves and adjust to this most unexpected and unexplainable turn of events.
Tales from the Bad Years
Written by Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk
A series of short, self-contained stories in the form of songs and musical scenes from those years when you’re waiting for something big to happen but it never does. From the first time you try to make the Thanksgiving turkey and screw it up to the moment when you realize your childhood is over, these stories are about youth, determination, and unexpected love. These are the songs you wish someone sang to you, the anecdotes you love hearing again and again, and the moments of epiphany that every person has. The bad years make the best stories.
Genesius, The Musical
Book by L. J. Fecho
Music and Lyrics by Michael O’Flaherty
Based on a true story, this powerful musical brings to life the significant talents, foresight and chutzpah of Jane Simmon Miller. Against all odds, she started the amateur theater group Genesius for young people in Pennsylvania in 1971. She had no money, but she had a vision and stuck to it. But her motivation wasn’t strictly altruistic; – she used the allure of the theater to keep her romantic interest, a much younger protégé, from leaving for graduate school. Genesius is a celebration of the spirit of community theater – a testament to the power of believing in yourself, in your dreams and in those people that help make it all possible.