A NEW, MINI-MUSICAL PODCAST - SEASON 1 PREMIERES OCTOBER 5, 2020
ABOUT THE SHOW
SUBMIT YOUR MINI MUSICAL
Bite-Sized Broadway: A Mini-Musical Podcast consists of 50-minute episodes each featuring a 10-to-20-minute “mini-musical” presented as a fully produced radio play complete with top-of-the-line digital orchestrations and captivating sound effects. Each musical is followed by a discussion with its writers about their piece and their careers. In order to support these gifted writers, we have cast top Broadway and theatre industry talent to help get eyes and ears on these writers and help them launch a fruitful career in the theatre. We hope this program will also encourage other more well-known writers to keep creating short-form musical masterpieces, exercising their creativity and inspiring new and young writers to do the same!
Got a new idea for a short musical? How about an oldie collecting dust in a trunk or buried deep on a hard drive? Well, now's the time to take some action!
Those pieces selected for production will be fully produced by IndieWorks as a radio play and will receive:
-
Dramaturgical support with our Creative Director
-
Help with adapting the show to fit our radio-play format
-
Digital orchestrations by members of our music team
-
Digital sound effects to enhance the radio-play experience
-
Casting/Rehearsal/Direction/Music Direction
-
A fully produced radio-play recording of your musical for you to share
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
-
Mini-musicals must be no less than ten minutes and no more than 20 minutes in length.
-
All mini-musicals must be self-contained stories and have a beginning, middle, and end. No excerpts will be accepted.
-
Mini-musicals will be performed as a radio play with sound effects. Therefore, shows that rely heavily on visuals to tell the story might not be the best fit for our program.
-
Writers may submit any mini-musical(s) they like provided they fit the above requirements.
SUBMISSIONS FOR SEASON ONE OF BITE-SIZED BROADWAY HAVE BEEN CLOSED.
Please check back or join our mailing list to be alerted when they open for Season Two!
A RELATIVE RELATIONSHIP
Book, Music & Lyrics by TIMOTHY HUANG
Rival stepsiblings Simon Pang and Carmen Soledad are in big trouble. It would appear they have been caught cheating on their Bible, Myth and Epic class final. When Simon’s overbearing mom and Carmen’s doting dad – recent newlyweds – find out, heads will roll! To make matters worse, villainous Vice Principal Delancy offers a simple suggestion: Instead of punishing them both for cheating, they must decide between themselves who should take the blame and devastate their respective parent. In trying to convince each other to fall on the metaphorical sword, heated arguments and hurtful comments lead to better understanding and common ground; rivalries and resentment turn to compassion and love. The pair decide to work together instead of against one another to find a way of this mess they’ve made and foil the feared VP Delancy.
BLUE CROSS BLUES
Book by ED LEVY, Music & Lyrics by NEIL RADISCH
Bill and his wife, Michelle, are just a normal American couple who must go up "against the man" to get what they are owed... a check reimbursement for his insurance claim. But as anyone who has had insurance knows, that's anything but easy! In this charming and hilarious satirical send-up of our healthcare system, we journey with Bill as he attempts to get through to customer service, navigate billing codes, and dodge bill collectors all in hopes of one day receiving that $10,000 check!
THE LAST MAGIC NEGRO (or CHAD'S GREAT AWOKENING ✊🏻)
Book by JAMIL ELLIS & ANDREW FOX, Music & Lyrics by ANDREW FOX
As the Black Lives Matter movement thrusts White corporate middle manager Chad into unknown territory, he seeks wisdom from Jimmy Bagger, the very last “Magic Negro” (a wise Black character who exists solely to help a white protagonist). His guidance was simple: “Listen” to black people’s voices, “Use Your Voice” to draw attention to important causes, and learn to "sit with your discomfort". But despite the tuneful clarity of Jimmy’s advice, Chad somehow manages to botch every attempt. Chad is faced with a question for which he, himself, must figure out the answer: now that he can no longer ignore the racism right in front of him…what is he going to do?
RANSOMWHERE?
Book by ERIC GRUNIN, Music by JONATHON LYNCH, Lyrics by GIL VAROD
A pop-up ad freezes Thomas's grandmother's computer and an A.I. program informs her that everything will be erased in 30 minutes unless, of course, she pays the ransom! She calls Thomas to help her figure things out. After all, young people know computers much better than she does! Thomas must be quick to find the origins of the virus and unfreeze grandma's computer before time is up or she'll lose her many precious memories stored on the hard drive. This charming and sweet new musical is played out in real-time and shows us that the joy of memories are in the making.
TOY BOX
Book & Lyrics by TERESA LOTZ, Music by WILL BUCK
Toy Box is a very loose adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit. Velveteen, a young and naive stuffed rabbit is thrown into the toy box where he meets Tank, a muscular hard-headed remote-control War-Tank and Horse, an old and grumpy skin horse figurine that is wise and much older than the others. As Velveteen tries to make sense of what has happened to him he learns about The Boy who may or may not ever come back for his toys.
THE TRIAL OF BASTIANO DI BOLOGNA
Book, Music & Lyrics by AARON JENSEN
It's the 8th Century in the courts of the Vatican Judiciary. Faithful attendant to the Pope, Bastiano di Bologna, has been summoned to stand trial on several counts, including breaking and entering, and the attempted murder of His Holiness. Bastiano admits to having sneaked into the holy bed chambers, but insists that his objective was not to commit conspiracy, or theft, or (Heaven help him!) the murder of His Holiness! Bastiano woefully recounts how earlier that day, he witnessed something so shocking - so devastatingly unsettling - he had no choice but to verify his nightmarish vision, whatever the cost!
THE GETAWAY
Book & Lyrics by JARED CORAK, Music by JOSHUA CERDENIA
On his first day as an Uber driver, Peter bemoans that everything around him is “moving too fast;” daydreaming about taking a getaway somewhere where life is slower. He is summoned to his first ride: a pair of bank robbers (unbeknownst to Peter) whose getaway driver is a no-show. The robbers lead Peter on a wild ride through town and successfully escape to an abandoned warehouse. As they part ways, the robbers leave the still clueless Peter a “tip” in the backseat. Peter finds the money and is momentarily conflicted, but decides that this is finally his chance to make his dream getaway come true.
LIFE THROUGH MY EYES
Book, Music & Lyrics by LAWRENCE DANDRIDGE
Something's up with Tony. His mother has committed suicide, there are rumors floating around school about Tony and another, and there are And even more worrisome is that he seems nowhere to be found! Tasha, his sister, gathers a group of his friends over as they read his journal searching for clues as to what could be bothering him and where he could be. Through a series of small vignettes and a collection of Tony's journal entries, we take a delicate look into mental health as it pertains to Black youth.
SHEILA THE TINY TURTLE
Book & Lyrics by CATILYN BURT, Music by AMIR SHOENFELD
In the Australian desert, a family of turtles works hard to find food for their sick mother. Sheila, the cleverest - yet smallest - turtle of the family, is mocked by her brothers for not being able to contribute due to her size. When Sheila hears about a cure located dangerously far across the desert, she determines to bring the seeds back to save her mum. While crossing the sand, Sheila encounters a kangaroo, followed by a dingo, where she is forced to use her brain instead of her size to overcome the obstacles and make her mum well.
MTA; THE MUSICAL
Book, Music & Lyrics by PETER SAXE, Additional Book by CHRISTOPHER MICHAELS
On a sweltering summer morning on a crowded subway platform, three strangers, each very different from the others, wait for a train that is running on major delay after major delay. The longer they wait, the hotter they get. The hotter they get, the more irritated they become. In a funny and at times touching mini-musical, we go on a rollercoaster ride as these strangers go from frustration to sexual frustration, learning that sometimes you've gotta take the opportunities that come to you, no matter how awkward and irritating they might be.
SEASON ONE PREMIERES OCTOBER 5, 2020!
CREATIVE TEAM PHOTOS & BIOGRAPHIES