Carpe Diem Theater Launches New Works Program with Showcase: A Rehearsal Musical

Carpe Diem Theater is launching a new program this fall with Showcase: A Rehearsal Musical, an original musical by Erin J. Reifler and Kevin Renn, directed by Carson Crow.

The production is the inaugural show of Carpe Diem’s New Works program, an initiative designed to give local emerging theater artists an opportunity to develop and perform original works by professional creatives.

Showcase: A Rehearsal Musical is a musical comedy featuring music and lyrics by Erin J. Reifler, with book and additional lyrics by Kevin Renn. The show follows a group of BFA musical theater students facing a last-minute crisis. With the rehearsal hall closing in an hour and a morning flight to New York City ahead of them, the students need one final rehearsal before their college Senior Showcase. But when their aloof professor is nowhere to be found, the students are left to run the rehearsal themselves while trying to figure out what comes next for their careers.

Featuring 11 original songs, the 90-minute musical takes a comedic look at the realities of pursuing a career in theater, including the pressure to succeed, the uncertainty of the industry and the determination it takes to keep chasing a dream.

“This is a unique opportunity to spotlight local talent while demonstrating the creative capabilities of the arts community here in the Capital Region,” said Brady Walsh, Carpe Diem Theater’s Artistic Director. “New York City is not the only greenhouse for new musicals and original ideas. We can foster those creative spaces in our own backyard.”

Walsh said the production also provides an opportunity to connect established theater artists with performers and collaborators in the region.

“This top-tier team was in need of time and space for their piece and is thrilled to be in Saratoga for that development,” Walsh said. “We, as the local theater makers, are searching for collaborators that can expand our horizons and challenge our existing structures for production. This has been a hugely rewarding and mutually beneficial project for all involved.”

The cast features 10 Capital Region performers between the ages of 16 and 27, bringing together young actors at different stages of their theater training and careers.

There will be three shows of Showcase: A Rehearsal Musical: September 25 and 26 at 7 p.m. and on September 27 at 1 p.m. Tickets to the event can be purchased at carpediemtheater.org.