NEW@NAMT: Love Is Dead – Featuring Jeff Luppino-Esposito & Brett Ryback

We’re closing out Season 3 of NEW@NAMT with a hilarious—and slightly haunted—new musical. In this episode, hosts Jean-Paul Yovanoff and Adam Immerwahr talk with writing team Jeff Luppino-Esposito & Brett Ryback about their musical Love Is Dead, a romantic comedy about a heartbroken woman and the sexy ghost who just might haunt her back to life.

🎙️ Jeff and Brett share how they met at the concessions stand of New World Stages (really), how their quirky pop-forward score draws from both Ben Folds and Alan Menken, and why they believe musical comedy can be just as emotionally resonant as drama—especially when there’s a Sony Discman puppet involved.

✨ Plus: how In Strange Woods and This Used to Be a Disco paved the way for their musical-theatre-meets-rom-com sensibility, what they’ve learned about writing for modern audiences, and what’s next for Love Is Dead after its Festival debut.

Three actors. One ghost. Infinite laughs.

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More about LOVE IS DEAD:

⁠https://namt.org/musicals/love-is-dead/⁠

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NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers – Featuring Selda Sahin, Autumn Reeser & Derek Gregor (PARTICLE)
📘 Book by Selda Sahin, Autumn Reeser & Derek Gregor
🎵 Music by Derek Gregor
✍️ Lyrics by Selda Sahin

On this episode of NEW@NAMT, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff and returning co-host Dev Bondarin dive into the boundary-breaking new musical PARTICLE with creators Selda Sahin, Autumn Reeser, and Derek Gregor — a multidimensional coming-of-age story set in the high-stakes world of elite online gaming.

At the center of PARTICLE are 17-year-old twins, Cora and Seth, whose paths diverge as Cora rises through the Interglow championship ranks and Seth struggles with being left behind. Through a lens of quantum physics, gaming avatars, and a synth-driven score, PARTICLE explores what it means to stay connected across digital and emotional realms — and the transcendent power of love.

💡 Written over Zoom during the pandemic and inspired by both online culture and real-life sibling bonds, PARTICLE offers a heartfelt, genre-defying look at identity, grief, and the possibilities of virtual worlds. The musical has been developed with Michigan State University, Nazareth College, Missouri State, and Broadway Unlocked.

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More about Particle:

⁠https://namt.org/musicals/particle/⁠

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NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers – Featuring Jaime Lozano & Tommy Newman (ROJA)
🎭 Book, Music & Lyrics by Jaime Lozano & Tommy Newman

This week on NEW@NAMT, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff and co-host Jen Bender talk with composer/lyricist duo Jaime Lozano and Tommy Newman about their magical new musical ROJA, a reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood steeped in the rich folklore, sounds, and soul of Northern Mexico.

In this nuevo musical, 14-year-old Roja embarks on a miraculous desert journey after rescuing a mischievous, magical coyote who offers her the chance to see her father again. 💫 Inspired by Mexican folk music and Mestizo storytelling, ROJA is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about family, transformation, and the power of myth — crafted by two fathers who are also longtime collaborators.

🎶 Jaime and Tommy reflect on their artistic partnership (which began in 2009), their shared desire to celebrate joyful Latine narratives, and how ROJA evolved from a series of late-night texts into a shape-shifting musical that blends theatricality, campfire intimacy, and acoustic soul.

ROJA has been developed with the Forestburgh Playhouse, The New Group, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, and supported by the Pipeline Arts Foundation. The creators are now seeking producing partners who believe in telling Latine stories with joy, depth, and cultural authenticity.

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More about ROJA:

https://namt.org/musicals/roja/

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NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers – Featuring Karen Hartman, Jenny Giering & Adam Gwon (Alice Bliss)
📖 Book by Karen Hartman | 🎶 Music by Jenny Giering | ✍️ Lyrics by Adam Gwon
Based on the novel by Laura Harrington

What happens when a teenage girl tries to hold her world together while her father is deployed to war? In this episode of NEW@NAMT, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff is joined by co-hosts Elissa Adams and Liz Ulmer to welcome the writers of Alice Bliss, a heart-stopping and surprisingly funny new musical about family, resilience, and growing up on the edge of a war no one asked for.

Set in 2007 in upstate New York, Alice Bliss follows 15-year-old Alice as she juggles school, first love, and deepening family tension after her father is deployed to Iraq. Her quiet rebellion? Trying to be perfect—so maybe, just maybe, she can keep him safe. 💔

🎶 Writers Karen Hartman, Jenny Giering, and Adam Gwon discuss the rich development journey of the piece, from its origins as a cut character in another musical (Crossing Brooklyn) to a one-woman show (Alice Unwrapped), to Laura Harrington’s acclaimed novel, and finally to this hauntingly intimate musical. Together, they explore themes of loss, agency, and the often-unseen toll war takes on women and girls left behind.

With a harmonic score and a cast of characters ranging from a Civil War-obsessed little sister to a trio of women who embody a community forever changed by conflict, Alice Bliss is a story for anyone who has ever waited, wondered, or carried the weight of someone else’s battle.

👀 Developed with support from Playwrights Horizons, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, and more, Alice Bliss is now looking for its world premiere—ideally in a community with strong ties to military families who may see themselves reflected in this deeply human story.

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More about ALICE BLISS:

https://namt.org/musicals/alice-bliss/

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NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers – Featuring Jenn Grinels (Wakeman)
✍️ Book, Music & Lyrics by Jenn Grinels

In this episode of NEW@NAMT, we sit down with powerhouse singer-songwriter Jenn Grinels, whose new folk-rock musical Wakeman brings to life the astonishing true story of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, a 19th-century figure who defied convention, enlisted in the Union Army disguised as a man, and left behind a legacy captured in 33 riveting letters.

🎙️ Host Jean-Paul Yovanoff is joined by co-host Sonia Desai (Center Theatre Group) as they speak with Jenn about Wakeman’s journey from overlooked historical footnote to fully realized stage heroine. Jenn shares how she meticulously dissected and categorized each sentence of Wakeman’s surviving letters—preserving their original language and layering in a stirring folk-Americana score inspired by Brandi Carlile, big harmonies, and honest storytelling.

💡 The musical unearths questions about identity, gender, survival, and legacy—and leans into ambiguity where history leaves gaps. Jenn reflects on Wakeman’s life, the countless women who disguised themselves to fight in the Civil War, and her own discovery of the project.

🎶 Developed through Village Theatre, Circle in the Square Theatre School, the Tower Theatre Foundation, and more, Wakeman is a deeply personal and musically rich journey into an often-unseen corner of American history.

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https://namt.org/musicals/wakeman/

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NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers – Featuring Kevin Wong of Soft Magical Tofu Boy(s)

Book, Music & Lyrics by Kevin Wong

In this episode of NEW@NAMT, we step into a glittering queer Asian fantasia with Kevin Wong, the singular voice behind Soft Magical Tofu Boy(s)—a vibrant and imaginative new musical brimming with conjured memories, pop divas, anime princesses, ancestral spirits, and three magical brothers who can project images and sound into the air.

Hosts Jean-Paul Yovanoff, Lily Tung Crystal (East West Players), and Joe Barros (New York Theatre Barn) speak with Kevin about growing up as a closeted, hyper-imaginative kid in suburban Toronto, and how that deeply personal experience shaped the heart of this show.

Kevin dives into the inspiration behind the piece, from his pandemic-era live Twitch looping sessions to the 90s and early 2000s R&B/pop icons who shaped his musical voice (Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Babyface, Max Martin, and more). He also reflects on his past life as a practicing lawyer, the emotional walls we build in adulthood, and the power of letting softness take center stage.

Commissioned by The Musical Stage Company and developed with fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Soft Magical Tofu Boy(s) is already an award-winning hit in Canada—and Kevin shares what he's hoping for next, from a concept album to full production.

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https://namt.org/musicals/soft-magical-tofu-boys

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NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers – Featuring the Team Behind FINN

Created by Chris Nee, Michael Kooman & Chris Dimond

Book and Lyrics by Chris Dimond & Chris Nee

Music by Michael Kooman

In this special Festival edition of NEW@NAMT, hosts Jean-Paul Yovanoff and guest co-host Braley Degenhardt (Atlantic Theater Company) dive deep—literally and figuratively—into the making of FINN, a bold and heartwarming musical about a young shark navigating identity, community, and belonging.

Writers Chris Nee, Christopher Dimond, and Michael Kooman share the origin story of FINN, which began with a NAMT connection and led to a Kennedy Center commission, national acclaim, and viral success after its planned tour was canceled during the Trump-era political shift. FINN became a symbol of artistic resistance, culminating in a star-studded Town Hall concert and a groundswell of industry support.

The trio opens up about writing theatre for young audiences, finding universality through specificity, and crafting a musical they wish they’d seen as kids—one that centers joy, identity, and inclusivity. You’ll also hear about their Emmy-nominated work across animation, their dynamic musical style (including cinematic orchestration options), and what they’re hoping comes next.

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More about FINN:

https://namt.org/musicals/finn

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