Who we are

Artistic Statement

We create works of musical theatre for, and in concert with, young people. Although the characters in our shows are primarily in high school or early adulthood, we don’t consider our work to be Theatre for Young Audiences or even YA. Instead, we are committed to making work for “Evolving Artists” – artists at crossroads in their lives, whether it’s the transition to adulthood, parenthood or retirement.

Between us, we have over six decades of experience creating theatre in a variety of styles in disparate theatrical environments. We have been actors, performers, playwrights, composers, producers and educators. We have collaborated on five musicals and two plays and have created dozens of works independently. But our most important qualification is that we carry the joys, disappointments, magic and wounds of youth with us to this day. Our work is charged with the memory of what it means to be young outsiders swimming upstream. Or balancing hopes and dreams with familial responsibilities. Or navigating the world of adult children becoming caretakers for their parents.

The stories we create are original – none of them are based on pre-existing sources nor are they adaptations. They are crafted through interaction with students and young adults attempting to navigate the world and return home with their compassion and character intact. Our stories tackle issues of gender, social justice, and inclusion. We are fierce advocates for equity even when our works aren’t nakedly political. Our stories are complicated and intricate and don’t permit the audience or the actors to find easy answers in villains and heroes. And even when we’re writing of floods, tornadoes, or abandonment, we believe we have an obligation to the idea of hope.

We created our first work, ALiEN8 at McCarter Theater’s Education Program in 2017. At the time, it seemed that the landscape for young people – particularly those who were othered in some way – couldn’t have been trickier. In the years since, as things have become even more difficult for young people, we have worked to create community at theaters, colleges, education programs and high schools. We see their work as a vehicle for established artists to mentor young performers as they establish themselves, allowing them to bring their perspectives and interpretations to the stage safely and proudly.

CLEAN SLATE tells the story of a group of misbehaving high school students who bond over their mutual mischief. ANATOMY OF A FLOOD deals with mysterious and complicated parent/child relationships, as well as the pain of navigating a world that seems to be self-destructing. BOOK OF WONDER reframes the tropes of familiar fairy tales to question whether stories might actually be dangerous to a culture’s morale.

We have questions. And every time we encounter a group of evolving artists, our list of questions grows longer. While answers can remain illusive, it is vital that we continue using theater as a tool of exploration, as the journey brings its own enrichment and, if not closure, a sense of belonging.

Kate Brennan

http://www.katebrennan.org

 

Kate Brennan is an artist, educator and creator. She has written a dozen plays and musicals and has taught across the country. Her plays include: What’s in Store: A Swedish Dramedy (University of Central Florida’s Pegasus PlayLab,)  #notacult or Camp Hope (Coalescence Theatre Project), The Self-Destruction of Emma James (Lamar University), The Marginals (Montgomery County Community College) and The Wonder in Alice (DreamWrights Center for Community Arts).  Her solo musicals include Lost Boys (Dreamwrights), ELFuego (BCKSEET), and Some Assembly Required (BCKSEET).   Other works include the Brennan & White projects Book of Wonder (In the Works In the Woods Festival @ Forestburg Playhouse), Anatomy of a Flood (Arcadia University), ALiEN8 (Drexel University’s MPiRP), Clean Slate (Rider University & Passage Theatre Company), Illuminate, and The Bleeding Heart Academy for Girls Presents…(Steel River Playhouse). Accolades include: The Infinity Trilogy (Map Fund Grant),  The Self-Destruction of Emma James (O’Neill Semifinalist) What’s in Store (B-Street New Comedy Finalist, O’Neill Semifinalist, Princess Grace Finalist), #notacult or Camp Hope (Judith Royer & Jane Chambers Finalist), The Marginals (Lanford Wilson Finalist) and Lost Boys (O’Neill Semifinalist). She was also named a Finalist for the Jonathan Larson Grant & the Cultural Innovator Award. Publications: ALiEN8 (YouthPLAYS), elevated thoughts, (Literati Press),   McSweeney’s, Dramatist, Howlround, The Offing, Slackjaw, Belladonna, Human Parts, Jane Austen’s Wastebasket, Frazzled, The Narrative Arc & more.  Member: Dramatist Guild & AEA. Kate is a Designated Linklater Teacher and holds an MFA from UVA. www.katebrennan.org

David Lee White

http://www.davidleewhite.net

David Lee White is a New Jersey based playwright who has worked with Passage Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Vivid Stage, PlayPenn, Writer’s Theatre of NJ, Bristol-Riverside Theatre, as well as many other theatres in the NJ/NY/PA area. For fourteen years, David Lee White was the Associate Artistic Director and Resident Playwright at Passage Theatre in Trenton. In 2016, David was commissioned by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Stage Exchange Program and Passage Theatre to create the play FIXED, based on interviews with mental health care professionals and people suffering from bi-polar and schizoaffective disorders. The play premiered at Passage Theatre in May, 2017. Previously, his play BLOOD: A COMEDY was seen at Passage Theatre (2009) and Vivid Stage (2012). His play SLIPPERY AS SIN also received its world premiere at Passage in 2011. At Passage, David created “Stoop Theatre” with the Trenton High drama club and created the show THIS TRENTON LIFE which was the subject an Emmy-Award nominated broadcast on PCK Media’s STATE OF THE ARTS. His solo show PANTHER HOLLOW was performed at Vivid Stage, The United Solo Festival in NY, The New Jersey Fringe Festival, Passage Theatre, Arcade Comedy Theatre in Pittsburgh, Point Park College and Drexel University. David has created five shows with composer/writer Kate Brennan – ALiEN8, CLEAN SLATE, ILLUMINATE, ANATOMY OF A FLOOD, BOOK OF WONDER (a novel and a musical) and THE BLEEDING HEART ACADEMY FOR GIRLS PRESENTS.  Together, they are finalists for the Jonathan Larson grant, and recipients of a MAP Fund Award. Their work has been developed at multiple venues around the country, including Passage Theatre, McCarter Theater Center, Bucks County Playhouse, Drexel University, Rider University, Arcadia University and the Forestburgh Playhouse. Another musical, THE ANGRY GRAMMARIAN with composer Jeffrey Barg, was produced by Pier Players in Philadelphia. His most recent play, ETIQUETTE, was also produced by Pier Players and received its world premiere from Vivid Stage. His plays WAYS TO BE HAPPY, SLIPPERY AS SIN and FIXED are published by Next Stage Press. ALiEN8 is published by YouthPLAYS. Several of his one act plays are available through Bloomsbury Methuen, Smith & Kraus and Witherspoon Press. David received his BA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and his MFA from the University of Pittsburgh.