ABOUT THE JOURNEY:
SAT OCT 19, 2019 at 5:15 PM
The Newman Mills Theater at the
THE ROBERT W. WILSON MCC THEATER SPACE
511 W 52 ST
Every musical begins with a small spark of inspiration: a Johnny Cash lyric, a medieval woman’s legacy, a monologue at a youth festival, a performance in a barn in Vermont. These are the catalysts that set into motion the creation of some of the most unique musicals onstage in New York City. Join artists MICHAEL R. JACKSON (writer/creator, A Strange Loop), ROSS GOLAN (writer/creator, The Wrong Man), AMBER GRAY (Tony-nominated for her performance in Hadestown), GRACE MCLEAN (writer/star of In the Green), and more for an inside look at the life of these musicals from inception to performance and beyond. This is a FREE event that is open to the public.
ABOUT our PANELS
Our monthly panel discussions bring together guest experts, community leaders, and peers to explore important issues relevant to our times or raised in our work. Panels are free and open to the public, even if you haven’t seen our work.
MODERATOR
IANNE FIELDS STEWART
IANNE FIELDS STEWART
Ianne Fields Stewart (pronouns: they/them/she/her) is a Black queer nonbinary transfeminine New York-based storyteller working at the intersection of theatre and activism. When Ianne is not performing (their first love), Ianne continues to develop their theatrical consulting business which spans from talkback facilitation to teaching artistry to community outreach and organizing. Their work has taken them to MCC, LCT3, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Music Theatre Factory, NYC charter schools, and the Rose M. Singer Center on Riker’s Island. Ianne is also the founder of The Okra Project ( https://bit.ly/2P3lFGE ) which hires Black Trans chefs to cook healthy and culturally specific meals for Black Trans People in their homes or community centers if they’re experiencing homelessness.
THE PANELISTS
ROSS GOLAN
ROSS GOLAN
Ross is a multi-platinum songwriter, artist, podcast host, and advocate. He studied music at the University of Southern California and has since released songs with artists including Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Lady Antebellum, Michael Bublé, Selena Gomez, Keith Urban, Ariana Grande, Flo Rida, One Direction, Idina Menzel, Nelly, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor, Cee Lo Green, 5 Seconds of Summer, Snoop Dogg, Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Caillat, Andy Grammer, James Blunt, Big Sean, Travis Barker, Lukas Graham and Skylar Grey amongst many others. He was awarded 2016 BMI Songwriter Of The Year. As an artist, his concept album The Wrong Man is being released on Interscope Records. His podcast, “And The Writer Is… with Ross Golan,” has approximately 1.5 million downloads and has become the perennial songwriting podcast. Each episode is a conversation between Ross and a venerable songwriter discussing their journey in the music industry. As an advocate, he coauthored the proposal to get songwriters added to the Album of the Year award at The Grammys®. He has also been a leading voice in passing the Music Modernization Act alongside NSAI, SONA, NMPA, and RIAA.
AMBER GRAY
AMBER GRAY
Hadestown (Broadway, London’s National, Edmonton’s Citadel, NYTW); Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Broadway, Kazino, Ars Nova); Daniel Fish’s production of Oklahoma! (Bard SummerScape); An Octoroon (TFANA, Soho Rep, P.S.122); and Taylor Mac’s A 24 Decade History of Popular Music: 1900’s-1950’s (NYLA/UTR). Gray is a member of The TEAM and has codeveloped and performed in their Mission Drift, Primer for a Failed Superpower, and the upcoming Reconstruction. Gray can always be found with political activist group and show Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping. Recent Television: Escape at Dannemora. MFA: NYU.
MICHAEL R. JACKSON
MICHAEL R. JACKSON
GRACE MCLEAN
GRACE MCLEAN
Grace McLean is an actor, singer, and writer. Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (also Off-Broadway and ART). Currently: Cyrano (The New Group). Other New York theater: In The Green (LCT3), Alice by Heart (MCC), Brooklynite (Vineyard), Bedbugs!!! (Arclight), The World is Round (BAM), Sleep No More (McKittrick), Twelve Ophelias (Woodshed Collective), Hell House (St Ann’s Warehouse), La MaMa Cantata (La MaMa). She was a headlining performer and vocal instructor at the SingStrong a capella festivals in DC and Chicago in 2014, and she has had two artistic ambassadorships with the US State Department touring Pakistan (2015) and Russia (2018). As a writer, Grace has developed work at SPACE on Ryder Farm, Goodspeed, The Orchard Project, The Civilians’ R&D Group, The PiTCH, MacDowell. Grace received the 2017 Emerging Artist Award from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and her first original musical In The Green was produced by Lincoln Center Theater in 2019. Her band Grace McLean & Them Apples performed in both the 2015 and 2016 Lincoln Center American Songbook series. They have released 2 EPs, “Make Me Breakfast” and “Natrural Disaster,” and are looking forward to releasing a full length album soon. www.gracemclean.com
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