What is the Jo Zakas Musical Theatre Incubator Program?

The School of Performing Arts envisions the Musical Theatre Incubator Program as the leader in the creation of original (new) works. This niche provides unique and rare training to each Musical Theatre major and extends to all the students in the School of Performing Arts. Gaining recognition as a program that produces relevant, timely, thought-provoking musical theatre, the Incubator Program has many benefits:

  • It places ͷ on the cutting edge of innovation in Musical Theatre
  • It elevates student performing artists and technicians to professional applied learning experiences
  • It facilitates a growing a network of established musical theatre artists
  • It brands the program as a destination for new works embracing inclusive excellence and to create well-rounded theatre artists, including areas such as dramaturgy, theatre history, and other facets of theatre

Each year, the School of Performing Arts will invite guest artists to campus with the end goal of performing a staged reading of a musical to be performed at the conclusion of their workshopping experience. Guest artists could be playwrights, composers, designers, choreographers, and other related professions. Each will interact with students in-person at least two weeks each year: one week prior to and the week of the production. 

How is the Program Funded?

For our first project, the funding was generously provided by the Jo Zakas Legacy Foundation which enabled the School of Performing Arts to bring two of the writers to campus for two days. They visited two theatre classes and answered questions at talkbacks following the first two performances of the show. Funds were also used for artists fees, marketing, and the music director of the show.

In 2024, the , continued their funding of this program. Due to their support, the program was officially renamed the Jo Zakas Musical Theatre Incubator Program. Read more about their experience with the progam .

What new works have been through the program?

 
Express graphic

Express

In 2023, Express was chosen as a new work for the program. Created by Janine McGuire & Arri Simon, is an immersive musical by Arri Simon (composer) & Janine McGuire (lyricist). It is a transportive new musical that unfolds entirely within the bustling confines of the New York City subway on a real-time subway ride. Set against the backdrop of pivotal moments from World War II through the turn of the 21st century, the show traces the journeys of three generations of an American family navigating personal and cultural change.

In 2024, work will continue on this musical & culminate in a fully produced show in Sept 2024. In the second year of creating this new work, the artists & students began exploring how the characters in Express move with a choreographer and how a designer can bring the environment to life with a lighting designer all while McGuire & Simon continue to fine tune the script and score based on these new collaborative influences. For the students, revisiting the material will be like they are taking a next level course in the creation of new musicals. 

 

 

 


 
Photo from the performance of Fox Sisters

The Fox Sisters

 

In 2022, The Fox Sisters was the first production for the Musical Theatre Incubator Program. Not only was this the first staged read-through of this piece, our cast and crew also got to work with the original creators of The Fox Sisters. Not only did this process benefit our students, but also the ongoing development of the script and score. Follow the links below to find out more about the librettist, composer, and lyricist of The Fox Sisters.