Pivot, VISION Series & Rebirth
2020-2021 : VISION Series
New Music Theater on Film
Prospect’s VISION Series is an initiative launched in 2020, continuing our mission of creating and presenting original musical theater works while public gatherings were on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the VISION Series, Prospect offered paid opportunities for artists creating new work by commissioning, producing, and presenting short-form original musical theater performances on film.
Two Buoys: An Uplifting Song from the Prospect Family of Artists
Premiered March 23, 2020
During COVID-19 isolation, over 40 Prospect artists from around the world came together for a virtual sing-along, to record a song written by Prospect founding artist, Peter Mills.
CAST & CREATIVE
Music & Lyrics: Peter Mills
Editor: Peter Mills
featuring
Victoria Huston-Elem, Mark Mozingo, Lili Thomas, Ellie Fishman, Zach Wobensmith, Allison Posner, Dara Seitzman & Family, Brian Jose, Alexandra DeSuze (& drums), Sydney Lynn Stachyra, DeMone Seraphin & Family, Tira Harpaz, Amy Hutchins, Avital Asuleen, Maurizio Forgione (Italian), Anicet Castel, Lisandro Nesis, Tony Vallés, Mike Rosengarten (guitar), Alisa D. Miles, Sarah Corey, Jennifer Blood & Family, Simone Zamore & Family, Deb Poppel, David Kessler, Carla Woods, Quentin Bruno, Kristina Dizon, Katie Pickett, Sheila Vasan & Sanna, Anita Vasan, Ellen Diekemper Heavner, Hansel Tan, Angela Stelljes & Family, David, Kerry Lynn & Davey Foley
THE ANSWER
Premiered August 14, 2020
Songwriting duo Charles and Christopher Inniss (or InnissENT) wrote an ode to lost love, “The Answer,” which sat on the shelf for years. In the cultural moment of 2020, it transformed from a personal love song to something much larger: the unrequited love of Black Americans for their country. In collaboration between InnissENT and choreographer Kristen Brooks Sandler, THE ANSWER is a socially-distanced music video spotlighting seven dancers of color, with movement inspired by activism: Sign, Donate, Protest, Petition.
CAST & CREATIVE
Song by: InnissENT
Choreographer: Kristen Brooks Sandler
Director of Photography: Sean Dolan
featuring
J'royce Jata, Jon Joni, Maya Kitayama, Juanita Pearl, Yael Reich, Jamari Johnson Williams & Imani Youngblood
The Band at the End of the World
Premiered October 21, 2020
Produced at the Goodwell Theatre
In a post-apocalyptic world, three musicians discover an abandoned theater and strive to reconnect with humanity.
CAST & CREATIVE
Written by: Bandits on the Run (Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd & Regina Strayhorn)
Director: SRĐA
Cinematographer & Editor: Bart Cortright
Production & Projection Designer: Lianne Arnold
Lighting Designer: Adam Honoré
Sound Designer & Audio Engineer: Marián Gómez Villota
Production & Project Manager: Josh Cape
Production Associate/Video Assistant: Gabby Button
Press Representation: Emily McGill Entertainment
Health and Safety Partner: United Health Services
Health and Safety Supervisor: Megan Farmer, RN, BSN
featuring
Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd & Regina Strayhorn
Lady Lawyer Lockwood Rides Her Tricycle
Premiered October 28, 2020
Produced at the Goodwell Theatre
Groundbreaking 19th-century American lawyer Belva Ann Lockwood, the first woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court, grapples with her decision to run for President of the United States in the 1884 election.
CAST & CREATIVE
Book, Music, & Lyrics: Britt Bonney
Director: Cara Reichel
Director Of Photography: Gabrielle Mariella
Film Editor: Kristen Brooks Sandler
Music Director: Fiona Santos
Production & Projection Designer: Lianne Arnold
Lighting Designer: Adam Honoré
Sound Designer & Audio Engineer: Marián Gómez Villota
Production & Project Manager: Josh Cape
Music Director, Piano & Vocal Arrangements: Fiona Santos
Acoustic Bass: Yuka Tadano
Production Associate: Gabby Button
Press Representation: Emily McGill Entertainment
Health and Safety Partner: United Health Services
Health and Safety Supervisor: Megan Farmer, RN, BSN
featuring
Ali Ewoldt (Young Belva Lockwood), Fiona Santos (Clara Shortridge), Tina Stafford (Belva Lockwood), Jacob Keith Watson (Everyman)
UNRAVELL’D
Premiered October 30, 2020
Produced at the Goodwill Theatre
Lost in the labyrinth, with hope suspended by a single thread, Ariadne and Theseus desperately seek to find each other.
CAST & CREATIVE
Created by: Thistle Dance
Director: Kristen Brooks Sandler
Score & Original Song: Or Matias
Director Of Photography: Sean Dolan
Choreographed by: Thistle Dance (Morgana Mauney, Lucas Melfi, & Kristen Brooks Sandler)
Film Editor: Alcheme
Production & Projection Designer: Lianne Arnold
Lighting Designer: Adam Honoré
Sound Designer & Audio Engineer: Marián Gómez Villota
Production & Project Manager: Josh Cape
Production Associate: Gabby Button
Stylist: Megan Quarles
Creative Consultants: Kaitlyn Schirard, Guy Mannick, Logan T. Sutton
Press Representation: Emily McGill Entertainment
Health and Safety Partner: United Health Services
Health and Safety Supervisor: Megan Farmer, RN, BS
featuring
Morgana Mauney (Ariadne) & Lucas Melfi (Theseus)
with
Nasia Thomas (Vocalist)
Lady Apsara
Premiered November 21, 2020
Produced at the Goodwell Theatre
Apsara, a hard-working NYC actress whose identity is both Filipina and Indian, sings her way through a two-audition day…to an extraordinary conclusion.
CAST & CREATIVE
Book & Lyrics: Naveen Bahar Choudhury
Music: Kamala Sankaram
Director: Zi Alikhan
Directors Of Photography: Sean Maclaughlin & Brian Bon
Film Editor: Sean Maclaughlin
Production & Projection Designer: Lianne Arnold
Lighting Designer: Adam Honoré
Sound Designer & Audio Engineer: Marián Gómez Villota
Production & Project Manager: Josh Cape
Associate Producer: Angel Desai
Press Representation: Emily McGill Entertainment
Health and Safety Partner: United Health Services
Health and Safety Supervisor: Megan Farmer RN, BSN
Production Associate: Gabby Button
starring
Angel Desai
featuring
Chris Cornwell, Shinya Miyamoto, & Debbie Christine Tjong
BRAIN. STORM.
Premiered December 16, 2020
Filmed at the West End Theatre in the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew
A playfully musicalized TED-style talk exploring how Beethoven’s – and composer Jay Alan Zimmerman’s – deafness affects creating music and connection with the world. This short film explores emerging technologies such as music visualizers and brain-mapping.
CAST & CREATIVE
Book, Music & Lyrics: Jay Alan Zimmerman
Director: Darren Lee
Cinematographer & Editor: Jaime Vallés
Music Associate: Mark Weissglass
Production & Projection Designer: Lianne Arnold
Lighting Designer: Adam Honoré
Sound Designer & Audio Engineer: Kevin Heard
Production & Project Manager: Josh Cape
Press Representation: Emily McGill Entertainment
Health and Safety Supervisor: Zoe Grabinski, MD
featuring
Keiji Ishiguri, Dominique Salerno, & Jay Alan Zimmerman
DON’T STAY SAFE
Premiered December 30, 2020
Filmed at the West End Theatre in the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew
Spring 2020, NYC: How can Franki keep both Taylor, her estranged girlfriend, and Eddie, her younger brother, safe? The final offering in Prospect's 2020 VISION Series line-up reflects on critical events of the past year. This companion piece to Davis & Cohen’s full-length musical Bridges engages with the ongoing struggle for racial equality and civil rights, examining the risks of protest...and the risks of staying safe.
CAST & CREATIVE
Book & Lyrics: Cheryl L. Davis
Music: Douglas J. Cohen
Director: Christina Franklin
Music Director: John Bronston
Cinematographer: Lesley Steele
Film Editor: Jessie Stead
Post Production Services: Alive, Inc.
Line Producer: Dev Bondarin
Production & Projection Designer: Lianne Arnold
Lighting Designer: Adam Honoré
Sound Designer & Audio Engineer: Kevin Heard
Production & Project Manager: Josh Cape
Press Representation: Emily McGill Entertainment
Health and Safety Supervisor: Zoe Grabinski, MD
featuring
Iris Beaumier, Latoya Edwards, Nygel D. Robinson
Making Micheaux
Premiered March 18, 2021
Filmed at the Peter Norton Symphony Space
Chicago, 1918. Oscar Micheaux stands at a turning point in his life: Facing down a world which denies him a place in the narrative, what path will he take? This original jazz musical-on-film is inspired by the life of America's first major Black filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux.
CAST & CREATIVE
Book & Lyrics: Jesse L. Kearney, Jr.
Music: Alphonso Horne
Director: Jeffrey L. Page
Director of Photography: Brian Bon
Film Editor: Milton Guanga
Lighting Designer: Victoria Davidjohn
Sound Designer & Audio Engineer: Kevin Heard
Project & Production Manager: Josh Cape
Production Manager: Pope Jackson
Music Direction & Arrangements: Alphonso Horne
Camera Assistant: Milton Guanga
starring
Aaron Marcellus
featuring
Alphonso Horne, Endea Owens, Mathis Picard, & TJ Reddick
Les Misérabbits: An Original Musical Comedy Parody (Youth Engagement)
Premiered September 17, 2021
An original musical comedy parody inspired by the novel Watership Down and the hit musical Les Misérables. Performed at home and recorded on video by a super-talented ensemble of youth performers, ages 10-16, from around the USA and UK.
CAST & CREATIVE
Music & Lyrics: Peter Mills
Director & Choreographer: Simone Zamore Curbelo
Project Manager: Elise Selah
Audio/Video Editor: Peter Mills
featuring
Huck Borden, Kaitlyn Chung, Milanis Clark, Benjamin Coudriet, Sabatino Cruz, Jonathan David, Kelsey Dougherty, Alex Ege, Craig Gibson-Lovie, Thomas Fitzgerald, Sophia Gilbert, Faith House, Christian Knobloch, Jessica Lamoureux, Mia Lingnofski, Angelina Lu, Cecilia Mazzocco, Andrew Perry, Lena Racelis, Jake Rademacher, Savannah Ruiz, Sana “Prince” Sarr, Claire Thananopavarn, Tessa Throckmorton, Tony Lucas Vallés, Lottie Waller, Jonas Winburn & Mira Zatzenbloom
with
Young Bunny Chorus Members: Xanthe Billinge, Leena Dagli, Selah Kessler, Joshua Knobloch, Caleb Knobloch, Chloe Lam, Ella Margulies, Ashley Mui, Eva Nudelman, Hanya Osman, Darby Schlosser, Lola Schreder, Isabella Silverman, Eve Thananopavarn, Wyatt Throckmorton-Kahn, Rainey Walker & Willa Zatzenbloom