“David Lee White and Kate Brennan have created a timely look at the struggles today’s teens face to carve out their identity in a world that is both open to broader definitions of self and resistant to those of us who are different. At times funny and poignant, ALiEN8 reminds the most vulnerable among us that we are all outsiders looking to find our place… and that’s okay.”
Kathryn Miller Haines, YA Mystery author (The Girl is Trouble, The War Against Miss Winter)
“We cannot wait to stage another Brennan & White creation. The collaborative process was so valuable for our students. They felt seen and heard. The entire show supported them and their age group as contributing and valuable members of society. You two remind the theatrical world that educators are also theatrical professionals. Some of us choose to delight in the energy of teens. We have made our niche in a world that others cannot tolerate or have patience for. Thank you for allowing us to ‘find our people.'”
Julia Ruth Ohm – Cushing Academy
“ALiEN8 is a force to be reckoned with and a reminder that GREAT art is being produced all over the country. David Lee White and Kate Brennan have written a musical that features young people at the heart and center with actual opinions and an actual voice. This piece is creating inter-generational conversations about gender and sexuality but most all, love and acceptance.”
Director Jorge William Donoso
“ALiEN8 is the perfect musical for young adults, and the young adult that still lives in us all, regardless of our age. It explores connection, identity, isolation and belonging in ways that are at once challenging, unique, timely and timeless. The book will have you laughing and crying and asking important questions…and the music will leave you all fired up, then suddenly breathless. As an educator who worked alongside her students in a workshop of ALiEN8, I can say that it offers a truly rare collaborative experience to its participants and audience alike. I love this show!”
Kristen Cerelli, Assistant Professor of Acting, University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts
“I am so grateful to have been able to work on what I consider to be one of the most important theatrical works of my career in Alien8. The students worked so diligently to bring your creation to life and they took the work so seriously because they understood what it meant to have a community member disappear in despair. Thank you and Kate both for taking on such important work and thank you both for continuing to share that gift.”
Michelle Salvucci, Cushing Academy and Faculty Coordinator for PRIDE! GSA.
“I loved seeing the creative and collaborative spirit of our high school intensive class during summer camp this year. They were part of a musical called ALiEN8 developed by David Lee White and Kate Brennan. The students were able to make suggestions to the content and have input on their characters and truly embraced the theme of gender fluidity/identity in the show. It was so powerful to see that they weren’t just performing these characters but they truly believed in the message of equality and understanding in the piece. It was just beautiful.”
Mary Gragen, Education Projects Manager, McCarter Theater Center
“ALiEN8 is art that changed my life. From the moment I read the script and listened to the demo tracks, I knew that I had to be a part of it. Working with this beautiful script and music alongside an incredible cast and crew was a whirlwind experience full of joy and love. And it was truly heartwarming to know that all the while, we were representing people of diverse race, sexuality, and gender identity — especially since the latter is still so rare to find. ALiEN8 is the kind of theatre the world needs!”
Corinne Prudente, Actress (8)
“My experience with ALiEN8 was honestly one of the most rewarding experiences as an artist. Every person in the cast and production team brought something unexpected and fresh to their character, the music, and the show as a whole. This show touches on very hard subjects that can be hard to portray genuinely, but everyone was very supportive and willing throughout this whole process. I cannot thank David, Kate, and Jorge enough for making this wonderfully unique and important show happen, and for inviting me to be a part of it.”
Adreianna DelPercia, Actress (Janet)
“ALiEN8 came into my life at the perfect time. I really needed to be reminded of what it felt like to be a Rockstar, and the sheer joy of that song lifted my spirits just in time for me to embrace vulnerability in the intimacy gestures. Each time we sang and did the gestures, I found myself getting profoundly emotional and really digging deep into myself. It reminded me that to share myself with others, I have to be able to open up and face myself.”
Danielle Pike, Actress (Emily)
CLEAN SLATE
“CLEAN SLATE is a funny and meaningful coming-of-age story that will resonate widely, especially with high school and college age performers. It explores questions surrounding burgeoning identity, family traditions, and how to be one’s true self, even if that means coming into conflict with others. CLEAN SLATE should be performed at every school in the country.”
Jacqueline Goldfinger, Playwright (Arsonists, Babel)
From the CLEAN SLATE Ignition Arts workshop
“Working on Clean Slate was an absolute joy. It was a very ensemble-driven process geared toward the show’s very ensemble-driven writing. Clean Slate is a benevolent, intelligent piece geared toward audiences of any age, and the rehearsal room was a dynamic place, where change was a constant and we were frequently reminded that the piece was learning and evolving. It felt really good to see Kate and David ceaselessly adjusting and improving, and to be involved in that curious, exploratory creative spirit.” – Erik Hamilton, Herc, Ignition Arts workshop 2019
“Being a part of Kate and David’s creative process was a dream. It was so impactful to be a part of a project that was still in the works because I got to watch it grow and contribute to that growth. Kate and David create beautiful stories and give their artists a safe environment to push themselves. The community that Clean Slate brought about is the type of artistic community I want to be working in for the rest of my life.” – Lisi Levy, Andi, Ignition Arts workshop 2019
From the ALiEN8 McCarter Theater High School Intensive
Emma – Anna
“The music is incredible. Kate is amazing at writing songs. The script is amazing as well.”
Azshneet – 8
“ALiEN8 is a show about being human, but being human has so many different meanings. We’re trying to show people that we can accept other people’s differences. We shouldn’t be pushing anyone away for any reason. I like that I got to be a part of something that’s bigger than myself.”
Clare – 8 & Clara
“I absolutely love ALiEN 8. It’s really fun to bring them to life and question whether it’s important to even have a gender or a certain identity. Can you just be yourself and be accepted?”
Bryanna – Tanner
“I definitely hope that people take away one of the main messages of the musical which is to not care about society’s gender norms. Also, to try to find acceptance in yourself and make sure you’re always keeping an open mind to helping people that aren’t like you or haven’t been through your circumstances.”
Zakir – Ethan
“ALiEN8 is about people discovering themselves and not going with the flow. I think the message of the play is to not take yourself too seriously. Just do your own thing and live.”
Nina – 8 & Marta
“This show is really different from anything I’ve ever done but it was amazing. We brought a lot of ourselves to the characters because we identified with what they’ve been through. You have this really, really diverse set of characters who all have different stories, different backgrounds. They all kind of come together to welcome 8 into the community. It’s a story about accepting people for who they are. I think it’s just an amazing show. I love it.”
Ritika – Janet
“It’s been amazing. I’ve never played a role like this. I hope people will take away that there can be a message behind the message. When you see a person at first, it’s not exactly who they are.”
From the ILLUMINATE online workshop
- Tanner (Technology Consultant): At its core, Illuminate is everyone’s show.
- Michael (Performer): If I had to choose one word, it’d be “refreshing.” The stories are so different than anything I’ve ever heard of – they’re almost like modern mythology.
- Maddy L (Performer): Illuminate is the story of Vida and her quest to understand the past and the future.
- Andrea (Performer): You can escape the past and break free into what the future holds. In both, there are things to take away.
- DeMond (Performer): It’s like Next to Normal meets Hair meets Alice in Wonderland. It’s a whole montage of this one girl’s mind. As the audience, we get to go through the journey with her and learn with her.
- Caroline P (Performer): It’s an opportunity to explore how memories change and are constructed.
- Josh (Music Arrangements): It’s a story of finding who you are when you can’t remember anything. It’s Inception but also Stranger Things but also neither of those. It’s an Escher’s staircase of a musical.
- Avery (Soundscape Artist): I think it’s going to be a story that will affect everyone in a completely individual way and make you question what you stand for.
Brennan & White 