Choreography Lab
Now in its 12th season and curated by Avital Asuleen, New York Theatre Barn’s Choreography Lab is the only platform for choreographers and writers to collaborate on movement for original musicals during incubation.
Funded in part by a generous gift from the Amber Foundation, the Choreography Lab was created to elevate and expand the use of dance in musical theatre. The lab’s unique programming and mentorship program supports choreographer development, fosters collaboration between writers and choreographers earlier in the creative process, and serves as an educational forum where all parties can strengthen and specify how dance can be used to convey story and character. Partnerships include Broadway Dance Center and Full Out Creative. Recent original musicals in the lab include: The Real Gemma Jordan, Rita, A Rebel Prayer, Tomorrow, The Bridge, Greenwood, Plane Girl, Tanya’s Lit Clit, Paradise Ballroom, A Pint of Understanding, and Nothing to See Here.
Mentors to the lab have included Joshua Bergasse, Tislarm Bouie, Kristen Brooks Sandler, Rachel Leigh Dolan, Shiloh Goodin, James Harkness, JoAnn M. Hunter, Tony nominee Denis Jones, Lorin Latarro, Lainie Sakakura, Maria Torres, and Kristin Yancy. Lab moderators have included Chip Abbott, Chaz Wolcott, Marc Acito, Hunter Bell, Melinda Atwood, Edie Cowan, Karla Puno Garcia, Gerry McIntrye, Kevin Murphy, Laurence O'Keefe, Richard Sabellico, Rommy Sandhu, Wendy Seyb, and Shea Sullivan.
Fall 2024
Check out the latest pictures from our Fall 2024 program which featured the musicals RITA (written by Bettina Covo and Cheryl Stern, with music supervision/arrangements by Tom Kochan), A Rebel Prayer (written by E. Govedare and A. M. Weil), and Tomorrow (written by A.J. Freeman and Kristoffer Bjarke), with choreography by Shany Dagan, Sam Lobel, and co-choreographers Joe Barros and Héctor Flores Jr.
MAGIA
Book, Music, and Lyrics by
Letitia Bullard and Nathan Leitão
Magia, previously featured in the company’s New Works Series, is a celebration of Afro-Latino-Caribbean cultures and experiences in a fantasy musical with spices from the countries that represent the writers, The Bahamas and Brazil.
BIG QUARTERLY
Book, Music, and Lyrics by
S. Todd Townsend, Luke McLemore and Kim Kilby
Big Quarterly is a hip-hop gospel musical, centering on the legacy of Peter Spencer: a former slave turned pastor who sparked the Big Quarterly, a religious festival and Independence Day for Black people on the Delmarva Peninsula.
FORTY ELEPHANTS
Book, Music, and Lyrics by
Bryan Blaskie and Laurie Hochman
Forty Elephants is a dual-timeline comedy about the power of love, the social diminution of women, and the biggest score they can fit in their pockets.
To Apply
The Choreography Lab accepts submissions from both interested choreographers and writers on a rolling basis. For more information, please email an initial letter of interest with either your resume and reel (choreographers) or your resume and work samples (musical theater writers) to choreolab@nytheatrebarn.org
Past, but still present.
Recent original musicals in the lab include: The Real Gemma Jordan, Rita, A Rebel Prayer, Tomorrow, The Bridge, Greenwood, Plane Girl, Tanya’s Lit Clit, Paradise Ballroom, A Pint of Understanding, and Nothing to See Here.