Show History
The Onyx Theatre, Las Vegas' leading alternative theatre recently signed on for an April 2014 production.
Song-Poems Wanted! The Musical is the product of an extensive development process of the Theatre Building Chicago's Musical Theatre Workshop. Under the guidance of John Sparks, Allan Chambers and Joan Mazzonelli. The show includes original music and lyrics by Kaufman, Bates and Carpenter as well as "real" song-poems, with lyrics by Bette Cooke, Gary Forney, Josephina Rabaca, John Trubee, Caglar Singletary, Ruth Todd, Sharon Ellis, Chris Month, Charles Jacobs, Margaret Brueske, Sylvia Sterns, Dave Muller and Chuck Foster. Additional Song-Poem music by Ramsey Kearny. The original song-poem composers each receive royalties.
The show had four public readings and a workshop production. Its first public reading at Theatre Building Chicago in February 2008 was directed by Josh Penzell and musical directed by Kathryn Tahiri. A second public reading was held at Chicago Dramatists in March 2008 with the same personnel involved.
Later that year the authors self-produced a workshop version of the show at Theatre Building Chicago. The workshop proved to the authors and others close to the project that it had great commercial potential.
It was selected to be a part of the Stages Festival at Theatre Building Chicago, where it was directed by John Sparks and musical directed by Jeff Bouthiette in August 2009.
In summer 2011, Song-Poems Wanted! was selected as a winner of the inaugural Neil Simon Festival New Play Contest and was presented in a public reading in Cedar City, Utah. In Summer 2013, it was produced at the Neil Simon Festival. See photos from this production.
