NEW, NEXT, NOW is a series of residencies, readings and high-quality, professional concert productions designed to support the development of new voices, new ideas, and new ways to create cross-generational conversations that celebrate, expand and diversify the musical theatre canon.
Made possible with a partnership with The Fred Ebb Foundation, the Foundation is working to build a brand new pipeline for the next generation of theatre makers by forming strategic partnerships with industry professionals, regional theatres, resource companies, and other arts organizations around the country.
2026 LEAGUE OF ARTISTS:
NEW: support provided for 29hr reading presented in partnership with Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, as part of RWR's Triple R program:
LOST CITY RADIO | Benjamin Velez & Joel Perez
NEXT: productions receive development 29-hour reading:
AFLOAT | Zoe Sarnak & Emily Kaczmarek
ONE WAY | Ben Bonnema & Christopher Staskel
THE (DISASTER) MARATHON OF 1904 | Tyler Joseph Ellis, Jacob Ryan Smith, Daniel Mertzlufft
NOW: production receives fully staged concert for the public
AN OPTIMIST’S GUIDE TO THE DARK AGES | Michael Kooman & Christopher Dimond
AN INCUBATOR FOR:
Emerging Writers & Collaborators
Unproduced New Musicals
Innovation in storytelling on stage
Made possible in part by the
BROWSE 2026 PRODUCTIONS
Lost City Radio
Based on the acclaimed novel, this is the story of Norma, a radio host in a country where radio is the only source of media. Ten years after a failed attempt to overthrow the military regime, what started as a radio show meant to find people who have disappeared during the war has become a propaganda machine for the state. Norma's own husband was one of the "disappeared," and she's been unable to even search for him without risking her life and those working on the show. But when a young orphan named Victor shows up at her radio station with a clue to her husband's whereabouts, the two must work together to learn the truth and perhaps form their own family in the process.
BENJAMIN VELEZ (music & lyrics)
Benjamin Velez is a Tony-Nominated composer/lyricist whose shows include REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (Broadway, ART), THE TEMPEST (Shakespeare In The Park), KISS MY AZTEC (La Jolla Playhouse, Berkely Rep, Hartford Stage), and BORDERLINE (O’Neill). He was a Dramatist Guild Foundation Fellow and winner of the Fred Ebb Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, the Stephen Schwartz Award, and the Kleban Award for lyric writing. He’s developed other original musicals, including STARBLASTERS and LOST CITY RADIO at Ars Nova, Sundance at UCROSS, Berkeley Rep's Ground Floor, NYSAF, and the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. Proud member of the Advanced BMI workshop. Born and raised in Miami, FL.
JOEL PEREZ (book)
Joel Perez wrote and directed The Upper Room which premiered at New Fest in 2025. He is also the director and co-writer of Villa Encanto which premiered at the Tribeca Festival and was executive produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda. He wrote and starred in Beautiful, FL which premiered on Disney+ in 2023. Other writing includes Stir, a play commission and world premiere at the Old Globe Theater which was developed at The Huntington Theatre and received an Elliot Norton Award for Best New Script, Lost City Radio (NYSAF, Berkeley Rep Ground Floor, and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat), and Love in Gravity (Award winning narrative podcast series). He is a 2021 Warner Bros. Discovery 150 Artist Grant recipient for his original comedy pilot You’re Tired, You’re Poor which was optioned for development by 20th Television. He is the winner of the 2021 Voces Latinx National Playwriting Competition for his play From the Fountain. He is a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Playwriting from NYFA. His acting work includes Fun Home(Broadway), Kiss My Aztec! (Hartford Stage), As You Like It (The Public Theater), and Sweet Charity (New Group; Lortel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical). Film work includes tick, tick… Boom! (Netflix). TV work includes Jesus Christ Superstar Live! (NBC), Person of Interest (CBS) and Odd Mom Out (Bravo). Follow him at @misterjoelperez and visit www.misterjoelperez.com
Afloat
AFLOAT is an urgent new musical set in the year 2100, when climate change has rendered the coastal United States uninhabitable, and political collapse has left ordinary citizens to fend for themselves. One day in what remains of New York City, an unlikely trio of teenagers -- Blue, Nico, and Casey -- steal a boat and embark on a harrowing, seafaring journey to reach a corporate refugee settlement known as Camp Green. The camp promises a new life for all climate migrants...but at what cost? With kinetic storytelling, vivid worldbuilding, and a thrilling score combining influences across pop, rock, and hip-hop, AFLOAT imagines a startling and increasingly possible future through the eyes of three young people -- and explores the power of friendship, community, and courage to chart a new course for us all.
ZOE SARNAK (music & lyrics)
ZOE SARNAK is a Drama Desk nominated and Larson Award winning composer, lyricist, and writer, as well as a finalist for the Ebb and Kleban Awards. Upcoming and recent works include: GALILEO (with Danny Strong and Michael Weiner) opening at the Shubert on Broadway in December 2026; NY Times Critic’s Pick THE LONELY FEW (with Rachel Bonds) at MCC and Geffen Playhouse; EMPIRE RECORDS (with Carol Heikkinen) at McCarter Theatre; PARTICLE FEVER (with David Henry Hwang and Bear McCreary) opening at La Jolla Playhouse in February 2027; A BEAUTIFUL MIND (with Sarah Treem); THE INVISIBLE LINE (with Christopher Oscar Peña and Mark St. Germain); SPLIT (with Michele Lowe); AFLOAT (with Emily Kaczmarek); SHOOK (with Mike Lew) and others soon to be announced. Sarnak was named to the 2024 Broadway Women's Fund "Women to Watch" list and her music has been featured by the NY Times Live, The Guggenheim, the BBC and more. @zoesarnak
EMILY KACZMAREK (book)
Emily Kaczmarek is a writer for theatre, TV, and film. Her work has been produced and developed at theatres across the country, including The 5th Avenue Theatre, Detroit Public Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, WP Theater, and others. Her play SOFT TARGET was recently published in the Winter '26 issue of American Theatre magazine. Emily is the bookwriter of the original musicals AFTERWORDS and AFLOAT (music & lyrics by Zoe Sarnak) and is the recipient of a Jonathan Larson Award. Her TV credits include MONSTERLAND and THE STAIRCASE (nominated for a Writers Guild Award), among others, and she is currently serving as Executive Producer on a Netflix show, as well as creating her own show for FX. Emily is a graduate of the WGA Showrunner Training Program and is represented by WME and Curate Management.
One Way
Music & Book by Ben Bonnema
Lyrics & Book by Christopher Staskel
ONE WAY is a queer, anti-billionaire space musical in which Naomi, a retired astronaut, must choose between going on the first one-way Mars mission or staying on Earth with the woman she loves.
BEN BONNEMA (music & book)
Ben Bonnema has received a Jonathan Larson Grant, Fred Ebb Award, and the Harold Adamson Lyric Award. Theatre: THE APPLE BOYS with Jonothon Lyons (“Clever, catchy songs” –The New Yorker; Bucks County Playhouse), ONE WAY with Christopher Staskel (NAMT, Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed), BOYS WHO TRICKED ME (Musical Theatre Factory, “heart-healing musical theatre" -Joshua Barone of the New York Times), THE LOST GIRL with Arianna Rose. New Media: PETER PANIC with James Marion (Adult Swim Games, two million downloads). Ben holds an M.F.A. from NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Harper-Collins will publish his debut novel in 2027
CHRISTOPHER STASKEL (lyrics & book)
Christopher Staskel is a musical theatre lyricist-librettist and a winner of the 2020 Fred Ebb Award. He received the 2019 ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Lyric Award following a concert of his work with collaborator Ben Bonnema at the John F. Kennedy Center in D.C.. Their musical ONE WAY was selected for NAMT’s 2019 Festival of New Musicals, the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project, and the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. Chris holds a B.F.A. in Music Theatre from Elon University and an M.F.A. from the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
The (Disaster) Marathon of 1904
The (Disaster) Marathon of 1904 tells the very real story of one of the most unbelievable events in athletic history, as told by Pheidippides, the ancient Greek runner who died after running from Marathon to Athens. From a cheating scandal, to a runner being poisoned, to another falling asleep mid-race, the St. Louis Olympic marathon is a story of epic and ridiculous proportions. This new musical comedy is packed with humor, heart, and... sole.
Smith & Mertzlufft (Jacob Ryan Smith and Daniel Mertzlufft) are a New York City–based songwriting duo best known for their viral hit "In My Head", performed by Andrew Barth Feldman and Joe Serafini, which was praised for its authentic and joyful portrayal of young queer love. The song’s success sparked follow-up collaborations including "Reading Too Much Into You" with Bradley Riches and "Do You Remember" with Lorna Courtney.
Most recently, the duo wrote the music and lyrics for The (Disaster) Marathon of 1904, a new musical comedy with a book by Tyler Joseph Ellis. They wrote music and lyrics for a musical adaptation of Grumpy Monkey, which enjoyed a sold-out run at Pasadena Playhouse.
Outside of their work together, both artists pursue individual projects.
TYLER JOSEPH ELLIS (book)
Tyler Joseph Ellis (book) is an actor, writer, and content creator based in New York City. He just spent a year on the Shucked national tour as Storyteller 2. In addition to his comedy videos on Instagram and TikTok, he’s also appeared on such television shows as The Sex Lives of College Girls and That '90s Show, and various short films, including CO-STAR, in which starred and co-wrote. He is a graduate of the USC School of Dramatic Arts.
JACOB RYAN SMITH (music & lyrics)
Jacob Ryan Smith is known for his original musical Like Father, which will have its World Premiere at The Alliance Theater in Fall of 2026; Painless: The Opioid Musical, a touring musical collaboration between The University of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; and Shelter Me, a large scale chorale oratorio commissioned by the Dallas Street Choir.
DANIEL MERTZLUFFT (music & lyrics)
Daniel Mertzlufft is recognized for his work on The Thanksgiving Musical on The Late Late Show with James Corden, for launching the viral Ratatouille musical movement on TikTok, and for serving as Music Supervisor, composer, and arranger of Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical. He also wrote the music for Dot and the Kangaroo JR, commissioned by MTI Australasia and iTheatrics.
An Optimist’s Guide to the Dark Ages
By Michael Kooman & Christopher Dimond
Fed up with a world filled with plague, pestilence, and poor personal hygiene, the world's only optimist sets out on a quest to end the Dark Ages. Hilarity ensues.
Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond are an Emmy-nominated writing team for the stage and screen. They wrote more than 150 songs for Disney's VAMPIRINA, an animated musical TV series reaching over 100 million viewers in 115 countries.
Other television work includes Netflix's RIDLEY JONES, DEAD END: PARANORMAL PARK, and SPIRIT RANGERS.
Their other stage projects include ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS (Shakespeare's Globe - written with Emma Rice), THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES (Village Theater), FINN (John F. Kennedy Center - written with Chris Nee), ORPHIE & THE BOOK OF HEROES (John F. Kennedy Center), JUDGE JACKIE: DISORDER IN THE COURT (Pittsburgh CLO), DANI GIRL (Exit, Pursued by a Bear), GOLDEN GATE (Williamstown Theatre Festival), HOMEMADE FUSION (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and JUNIOR CLAUS (Orlando Repertory Theatre).
Michael and Chris have written songs for Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patina Miller, Sara Ramirez, Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells, Santino Fontana, Christopher Jackson, Skyler Astin, James Monroe Iglehart, Anna Camp, Jane Lynch, Henry Winkler, Rachel Bloom, Donald Faison, Alfred Molina, Taran Killam, and Wanda Sykes.
Awards and honors include the Fred Ebb Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, the Mary Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Award, the Samuel French Next Step Award, the Burton Lane Award, and the Harold Adamson Award. They are members of the Dramatists Guild and ASCAP, and are proud alumni of Carnegie Mellon University.
Their debut album, OUT OF OUR HEADS, and the world premiere recording of THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES are now available on Apple Music and Spotify.
Learn more at www.koomandimond.com
@koomandimond https://www.instagram.com/koomandimond