2024 WRITER TESTIMONIALS
a sanctuary for development of new musicals
We were thrilled to welcome these incredible 24 writers who worked on 9 new musicals at a beautiful house in the Hudson Valley.
Many thanks to our donors who make it all possible!
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The Q Brothers Collective: Jeffrey Qaiyum, Postell Pringle, Jackson Doran & Gregory Qaiyum
RAMI AND JALIYAH
Rhinebeck Writers Retreat gave us the space and time we needed to get our musical production-ready. Everything we could possibly think of was provided and we didn't go out of pocket at all to make it happen. We had a distraction-free, beautiful setting to collaborate and really “live” in the piece. That's when major breakthroughs and improvements happen. That's exactly what happened for us.
Truth Future Bachman
pictured with collaborators Zhailon Levingston and Josh Kight
SKYWARD: AN ENDLING ELEGY
In a time when funding is being cut left and right, it was a GIFT. As soon as I stepped onto the property, I felt my brain relax and open. It was a productive week (creating 5 songs, an ending, and outlining a brand new show), but moreover, it was a week that created space for my ideas to come through without pretense or judgment. It restored my creative light and helped me listen deeper to my own impulses.
Sydney Shepherd, Adrian Blake Enscoe, Christopher Sears, Peter Hedges & Regina Strayhorn
WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE
With the help of our intrepid mentor John Weidman and the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, we arrived with a clear set of goals and were able to meet them and do even more. The house was so special: we had spaces where we could write individually and then come together and share. Within a few hours, we had an 8 minute piece of text! Our collaborative capacity grew during our residency.
Brandy Hoang Collier, Erika Ji, and
Clare Fuyuko Bierman
YOKO'S HUSBAND'S KILLER'S JAPANESE WIFE, GLORIA
Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria is a show that is built out of our conversations with one another. Every scene, every song, every character was born from hours of conversations about our lives and the ways we experience the world as Asian American Women. Our Rhinebeck retreat gave us that much needed time together and let us feel safe, cared for, and inspired.
– Clare Fuyuko Bierman
Derek Gregor and Selda Sahin
OFF SEASON
It's an honor to be included in this opportunity among a group of writers we admire! Our show, OFF SEASON is in its infancy in many ways, hardly shared thus far, and the validation that comes from the prestigious Rhinebeck Writers Retreat is a powerful momentum-builder and has truly jump-started a life for this piece we love so much. The stunning house on the lake is magic.
AriDy Nox and Jacinth Greywoode
BLACK GIRL IN PARIS
Dedicated space and time to collaborate and write free from the everyday hustle and stress of life as a working artist (particularly in New York City) is truly invaluable. While we have always been intentional in our writing process—meeting weekly to talk or crank out a scene or song—over the course of the week we refined the first act and wrote/composed to the end of the show in a draft that we are very happy with!
Abs Wilson and Veronica Mansour
LIGHTHOUSE
In the week we were at Rhinebeck, we were able to fully reinvent our show and we were able to leave the residency with a fully-realized new draft that we felt happy with and were excited to share! Rhinebeck was truly a dream come true for us as writers— it's so magical and rare to have an experience like this that 100% supports the writers and the writing process.
Andy Roninson and Sean McVerry
THE REAL KYLE MCCARREN
We’ve probably made more progress in seven days than we’ve made in maybe seven months. Having the ability to work without outside stress or distraction was such a blessing and such a rare opportunity we were both so grateful to have. Our peer advisor asked questions that we didn’t know we had. Before, we came at the songs very conceptually. Then we got the corkboard out and mapped the show. It was inspiring to see the show come closer and closer to a full draft.
Jessia Hoffman, Kyle Ewalt & Ken Savage
SOMEONE OVER THE RAINBOW
If you’re looking for a direct way to support artists in writing bold, creative, and relevant works of musical theater––look no further than Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. What sets this residency apart is the freedom in its structure: the autonomy to work on our musical with zero strings attached; the trust in our abilities to create something brilliant. - Jessia Hoffman