MUSICAL THEATRE
How To Create A Young Girl
Book & Lyrics by Laura Barati
Music by TJ Rubin
In How To Create A Young Girl, Hine’s been raised in a secret laboratory by a team of Developers to become “The Young Girl”: a weapon of mass desirability and the perfect catalyst for science’s newest renewable energy source, human desire. When Hine escapes the Laboratory into the Real World, she and her new roommate and best friend, Fajra, have to navigate sex, friendship, career—and maintaining the perfect ass!—while the ever-present Developers continue their plans to unveil their solution to the energy crisis. A feminist musical comedy that explores gender, identity, and sexuality, How To Create A Young Girl is ultimately the love story of two unlikely friends.
Developmental History:
CDP/NYU Workshop Production. Dir. Mia Sommese, August 2017, NYC
CDP/NYU Reading. Dir. Rob Heller, March 2017, NYC
Semi-finalist, O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference 2018
Writer’s Blocked!
Book & Lyrics by Josh Shapiro
Music by TJ Rubin
A butler and a maid come to realize they exist within a fictional story. With newfound autonomy, they begin to shape their own lives. When the author—suffering from writer’s block and rage—enters the story to shut it down and kill off his characters, the butler and maid must devise a way to save themselves and the story.
Developmental History:
One Act Comedy Fest (PIT Loft), produced by Adam Chisnall and Yue Liu, Dir. Erin Soler, November 2016, NYC
Featuring Alex Canty and Allison Strong. Photo by Duncan Pflaster.A Walk in the Park
Book & Lyrics by Sair Kaufman
Music by TJ Rubin
After a big fight, Wren hasn’t heard from their sister in seven weeks. Finally, their sister calls and lets Wren know that she can call back “if she wants to talk.” Furious, Wren takes a walk in the park to clear their head.
Developmental History:
BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, 2023, NYC
Performers (L to R): Will Ketter, RJ Christian, Sair Kaufman, Andrea J. Love.Musicians: Zalman Kelber (piano), Brian Shaw (reeds), Danny Ursetti (drums).Exorcise My Ex
Book & Lyrics by Cassidy Dermott
Music by TJ Rubin
Based on the demon Asmodeus myth, this one-act musical is about a woman named Sarah who is possessed by a demon that looks exactly like her ex, and thus cannot meaningfully connect with a partner or even herself. With the help of her best friend Tobias (and the demon of prostitution, Lilith), they seek out ways to exorcise this demon and free Sarah from the shackles of her past.
Developmental History:
TBD
United States vs Gupta
by Deepali Gupta
Arrangements & Orchestration by TJ Rubin
United States v. Gupta is a musical tragedy that attempts to tell the story of Rajat Gupta. In the summer of 2012, Gupta—a former head of McKinsey—was tried, convicted, and incarcerated for insider trading. More than a decade removed from the events of his trial, his youngest daughter, Deepali Gupta, is presenting her own version—in collaboration with director Caitlin Sullivan. Working with materials that are transcribed, remembered, and imagined, Deepali writes a play that maps a history. And yes—she’s playing herself.
Performance History:
JACK (in collaboration with New Georges), November 2023, NYC
Featuring Deepali Gupta, Jonathan Raviv, Rita Wolfe, Arti Gollapudi, Jed Resnick, Jon Krupp, Beth Griffith.
Back to the Shore: A Jersey Short Opera
Libretto by Mika Kauffman
Music by TJ Rubin
Our story begins in a dystopian swamp; democracy has failed and Supreme President Trump reigns. Had the reality T.V. show “The Jersey Shore” not existed, Trump would have never had a platform to become President. Malia Ann Obama volunteers to go back in time and join the cast of the Jersey Shore on a mission to end what could be an apocalyptic future of bigly proportions.
Developmental History:
Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company, “The Reality Plays”, The Flamboyan Theater at The Clemente Center, April 2018, NYC
Montclair State University, New Works, May 2023, Montclair, NJ
Featuring Erik Sebek, Matt Delavan, Michael Mottram. Music direction by David Fraley.