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Forget Me Not, an original musical by Joey Contreras (In Pieces) and Kate Thomas (How To Train Your Dragon Jr.), will receive an invitation-only presentation in New York on September 15th. The reading will be directed by Catie Davis (Alice in Neverland), with music direction by Brian Russell Carey (Cabaret).
In Forget Me Not, a whale washes ashore in a forgotten coastal town, dragging an unsolved serial murder case back into the spotlight. Inspired by the Gilgo Beach Murders and the 1970s Exploding Whale, Forget Me Not is a haunting and heart-lifting musical that explores grief, class, memory, media bias, and what happens when the story becomes more powerful than the truth.
The cast will feature Josh Rivera (Rocky Horror), Isabella Esler (Beetlejuice), Jack Cameron Kay (Brokeback Mountain), Gabi Carrubba (Dear Evan Hansen), Kara Lindsay (Newsies), Taylor Iman Jones (The Lonely Few), Brandon Espinoza (SpongeBob SquarePants), Evan Harrington (Bat Boy: The Musical), Allison Blackwell (Ragtime), and DeLaney Westfall (Kinky Boots).
Orchestrations are by Adam Dorfman, Brian Russell Carey, and Joey Contreras with additional sound by BT Odoy. The rest of the team includes associate music director and guitarist Nick Potocki, violin and violist Daniel W. McCarthy II, stage manager Kyra Bowie, production assistants Sidney Rubinowicz, Elizabeth Bedley, and Jesse Mair, casting by ARC Casting’s Patrick Maravilla and Devi Peot, and general management by Zachary Hausman.
Kate Thomas is a book writer and lyricist. Select credits include How to Train Your Dragon Jr. (with Veronica Mansour, DreamWorks/Universal, Music Theatre International), Brambletown (with Grammy award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers, Children’s Theatre Company), and Forget Me Not (with Joey Contreras, Riverside Theatre). Follow @katethomaswrites.
Joey Contreras is a musical theater writer with over 80 million streams across music and social media platforms. His projects include In Pieces (sold-out run of performances at The Other Palace in London), Forget Me Not, Robby Green Is All Grown Up, and more. He is a two-time Ebb Award and three-time Larson Award Finalist. Socials: @JoeyContreras
Catie Davis is a NYC-based director with a passion for new musical development. She’s recently helmed the premieres of Indigo (Leicester Curve) and The Ghost of John McCain (Soho Playhouse). Catie is also the worldwide associate director of Beetlejuice. Upcoming: The King’s Critique and Alice in Neverland. catie-davis.com / @catie-davis
Brian Russell Carey is a music director, orchestrator, and actor. Broadway: Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (Performer, Add’l Orchestrations). UK: In Pieces (Music Supervisor/Orchestrations, The Other Palace). Off-Broadway: CSC, Minetta Lane. Select regional: NSMT, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Flat Rock Playhouse, Ivoryton Playhouse, Royal Caribbean. @brianrcarey
The musical had a 2023 workshop production at Riverside Theatre with Manhattan School of Music. It has also been featured in the NYTB New Work Series, The DARE Tactic concert readings, and developed with NYU Tisch School of the Arts and the AnO THEatre ACCELERATOR.
To request an invitation, please email [email protected].
