Myha’la stars in Discovering Broadway's concert THE TROUBLE WITH DEAD BOYFRIENDS
One Night Only - April 20, 2024 - Tobias Theatre, Indianapolis
Discovering Broadway
Presents
“In a word, it’s the rarest of things: An entirely original musical that’s practically perfect in every way.” – Stage Buddy
“A clever, campy, and surprisingly feminist spoof of the paranormal romance genre.” - Theasy
“All the makings of the next cult hit in the vein of Heathers or Be More Chill.” – TV and City
“A wacky, darkly hilarious production offering a serious feminist message all wrapped in a bloody, campy shell.” – Front Row Center
“A deft combination of action and humor with elements of horror…A fast-paced and, at times, funny show that blends the horror of zombies, vampires, and ghosts, into a workable musical comedy.” – TheaterScene.net
“The songs are utter bops, the minimal dancing full of verve and vigor; the harmonies are beautiful, especially when our trio of women sings together. The show is fun. It’s fun.” - The Theater Times
THE TROUBLE WITH DEAD BOYFRIENDS
Tall, dark, handsome … and UNDEAD!
Starring JIMMY BREWER, MYHA’LA, ARICA JACKSON, EPHRAIM OWENS, ERIC WIEGAND
plus IZZY CASCIANI, SADIE COHEN, BRETT MUTTER, ALANNA PORTER
Book and Lyrics by ANNIE PULSIPHER
Music and Lyrics by ALEX PETTI
Directed by JOEL KIRK
ONE NIGHT-ONLY EVENT
THE TOBIAS THEATRE, INDIANAPOLIS
APRIL 20 AT 5:00 PM AND 8:00 PM
Indianapolis, IN - EMBARGOED: Discovering Broadway Inc., a pre-Broadway incubator nonprofit based in Central Indiana, has selected THE TROUBLE WITH DEAD BOYFRIENDS as its sixth musical to receive an exclusive star-studded concert. Produced with permission from its critically acclaimed Off-Broadway team, Black Watch Theatre, the concert of Annie Pulsipher and Alex Petti’s THE TROUBLE WITH DEAD BOYFRIENDS, directed by Joel Kirk (Discovering Broadway Chief Executive Officer / Founder) will take place at The Tobias Theatre (at Newfields, 4000 N Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46226) during “Prom Season” on April 20th, 2024 at 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Tickets are on sale for the concert at discoveringbroadway.org
THE TROUBLE WITH DEAD BOYFRIENDS is a feminist musical comedy aimed at the sexy, monster-loving teen we all keep buried in our hearts and middle school journals. When BFFs Stella, Grace, and Madison conjure dreamy prom dates with a sketchy love spell, they inadvertently summon monstrous boyfriends that they must slay to save their town and friendship!
“The Trouble with Dead Boyfriends is about the power of female friendship and the importance of doing whatever it takes to leave a toxic relationship. These weighty themes don't keep the show from soaring along on its crazy fun flight, but they lend it something its titular boyfriends lack: a strong, beating heart. While that's largely due to a witty script and get-up-and-dance musical numbers, a spectacularly comedic cast helps, as do stunning vocal performances from the main trio. Off-Broadway can be hit or miss, but this one hits as hard as a stake through the heart of a vampire. The Trouble with Dead Boyfriends deserves a long life far beyond the stage of the Players Theatre, and I hope it gets it.” - Stage Buddy
The concert stars Myha’la (HBO’s Industry and Netflix’s Leave the World Behind), Arica Jackson (Broadway’s The Book of Mormon), Jimmy Brewer (Broadway’s Shucked), and Eric Wiegand (Broadway’s Plaza Suite). Additional cast will include Ephraim Owens (Season 24 of NBC’s The Voice), Brett Mutter, Sadie Cohen, Izzy Casciani, and Alanna Porter.
%20(1).jpg "Eric Wiegand")
Kirk, said, “We are thrilled to host this hysterical feminist original musical in Indiana. We hosted a writer’s retreat back in November where new songs and scenes were written. In April, experience the pop-rock score along with never-before-heard music! So buy a ticket, dress up in your Prom finery, grab a Jell-o shot, and I’ll see you on the dance floor!”
Petti remarks, “Every time we think this show has taken its last step, it rises from the dead and claims more victims. Indiana’s next.”
Pulsipher adds, “This show is near and dear to my high school self’s heart, and I cannot wait for it to capture a larger audience in its hilarious thrall.”
The production features additional orchestrations by Sheela Ramesh and publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.
THE TROUBLE WITH DEAD BOYFRIENDS special concert will take place at The Tobias Theatre (at Newfields, 4000 N Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46226) on April 20th, 2024 at 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Tickets are $39.99-$169.99 and are available online at www.DiscoveringBroadway.org.
Running Time: 90 minutes (no intermission)
Website: https://deadboyfriendsmusical.com/ and https://www.discoveringbroadway.org/ and https://www.blackwatchtheatre.com/
Media Kit with Photos from Off-Broadway
The musical was originally developed at Carnegie Mellon's Playground Festival. It won the Premiere Premieres! Festival in Chicago in 2017 and SheNYC Festival in New York in 2018 (Best Score Winner). In 2019, it was workshopped at Berklee College of Music. Most recently, the musical ran Off-Broadway at the Players Theatre for a limited run this summer. The Trouble With Dead Boyfriends will be the sixth musical incubated at Discovering Broadway Inc.
BIOGRAPHIES
JOEL KIRK (Director/CEO) is a New York City-based theatre director and producer who specializes in the development of new plays and musicals. He has collaborated with Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony-winning artists as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights. He has worked at Playwrights Horizons, New World Stages, Westport Country Playhouse, The Lark, and more. He is the Chairman/CEO of Joel Kirk Productions and Chief Executive Officer / Founder of the non-profit Discovering Broadway Inc. In 2023, he received the IBJ's 40 Under 40 recipient. IG: joeltkirk.
ALEX PETTI (Composer / Lyricist) is a Lebanese Irish-Catholic writer from Massachusetts who grew up as a pop-punk rocker. Though his dreams of headlining Warped Tour have ended, the energy of the genre still infuses his music. He writes musical theater shows in the genres of punk, folk, and rock and is the frontman of good thoughts, his NYC-based rock band.
Alex is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, a composer in the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop, a 2022 O’Neill Semi-Finalist (The Hometown Tour), a 2022 Participant in the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, and a proud Dad to his cat, Sonia.
ANNIE PULSIPHER (Playwright) started writing short plays in high school that were primarily an excuse to make cheesy puns, rant about feminism, and use excessive amounts of stage blood … she is still quite fond of this. Annie received her MFA in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. She’s had productions and readings of her work across the country most notably with Kensington Theatre, the Kennedy Center through KCACTF, and the Tribeca Film Festival. Her screenplay, The Glowing Gene, won the Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize from the Tribeca Film Institute. She is a proud member of the BMI Librettists’ Workshop.
BLACK WATCH THEATRE is a New York City creative producing team with the goal of funding and developing burgeoning new works on their paths from living rooms to lauded commercial runs. The team made its off-Broadway debut producing The Trouble with Dead Boyfriends at the Player’s Theatre during the summer of 2023. Black Watch Theatre is named after the Scottish regiment which famously struck fear in the hearts of their enemies during WWII. One of the co-founder’s grandfathers fought the Nazis with these ‘devils in skirts’, and the producers hope to support rising artists that continue the legacy of displaying courage, defeating fascism, and daring to wear kilts. blackwatchtheatre.com
DISCOVERING BROADWAY is a non-profit whose mission is to make Indiana the launchpad for Broadway. The nonprofit hosts writers' retreats for Broadway authors to develop their shows. At the culmination of the process, a Broadway cast and local actors premiere music from the show in concert to an exclusive Hoosier audience. The incubator has programmed Sir Elton John and Shaina Taub's musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, Ever After based on Drew Barrymore’s 1998 film, a Hamlet musical adaptation by Emmy-winning songwriters, The Turning, and Five Points. The organization has programmed master classes taught by Phillipa Soo, Samantha Pauly, and more. 15% of class participants are underwritten. Discovering Broadway believes theatre is for all. discoveringbroadway.org
# # #