Shane Saldivar

LOOKING AROUND, LOOKING BACK, an album musical

| Sep 24, 2008 |

music and lyrics by Joel B. New
conceived by TJ Moss and Joel B. New
performed by TJ Moss
directed by Jessica Hutchinson

Looking Around, Looking Back is loosely based on the Greek myth of Orpheus's failed attempt to walk his wife Eurydice out of the underworld and back to life. In this contemporary interpretation, two walks occur simultaneously. In the present walk, tonight is the first night Orpheus has chosen to take this particular route home since Eurydice's death. It's a route they often took together. In the past walk, tonight is the night Orpheus realizes he is in love with Eurydice.

AWAKENING, a new musical

| Nov 12, 2006 |

book by Joel B. New and J. Oconer Navarro
music by J. Oconer Navarro
lyrics by Joel B. New
directed by Jen Bender

based on Kate Chopin's novella The Awakening

winner of the 2006 Margo Lion Award for Adaptation
and a 2008 NYU-Tisch Alumni Development Grant made possible by the Frederick Loewe Foundation

Set in 1899 Louisiana, Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier, a young mother of two and the wife of a successful New Orleans businessman.  While the family is vacationing at a seaside resort, Edna becomes acquainted with Robert Lebrun, a younger man who sparks feelings that Edna had forgotten.  When she returns to the city, Edna throws off the trappings of her old life -- devotion to family, attention to societal expectations, and adherence to tradition -- to explore her own wants, interests, and desires.  But her independence comes with a price.

STAND CLEAR

| Nov 12, 2006 |

music and lyrics by Joel B. New

Stand Clear is a theatrical song cycle about four strangers on a subway train and the varied thoughts that accompany them.  "I am fascinated by the range of issues I find myself choosing to think about and trying to resolve in the span of a train ride, from the hilariously random to the surprisingly reflective," says New.  The songs are unified by the framework, their internal nature, and are very character-driven.