Pittsburgh CLO / Carnegie Mellon University
New Works Project
Locally, Pittsburgh CLO’s own New Works Program includes a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, The ASCAP Foundation and composer/lyricist and Carnegie Mellon alumnus Stephen Schwartz to develop new musicals. A collaborative effort established in 2001, the Pittsburgh CLO/CMU New Works Project encourages the development and refinement of new works of the American musical theater.
By utilizing the resources of both Pittsburgh CLO and Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, this program offers a unique opportunity for writers, lyricists, composers, directors and actors from both the academic and professional worlds to collaborate on new musicals. The ASCAP Foundation and Mr. Schwartz select musicals for this initiative from participants in the prestigious ASCAP Foundation/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop.
The ASCAP Foundation/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop occurs twice a year in New York and Los Angeles and is sponsored by The ASCAP Foundation as part of an ongoing commitment to nurture new American musicals. The Workshop is directed by Academy® and Grammy® Award-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, Pocahontas, The Prince of Egypt). The selected musical theatre writers have the opportunity to make short presentations from their original works-in-progress for professional critique by a panel of the most prominent theatre producers, directors, lyricists and composers.
The first musical selected for further development though the dynamic partnership between the Pittsburgh CLO/Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama New Works Program and The ASCAP Foundation was Alive at Ten, which was presented at the New York workshop held in May 2007. The second musical selected was Bubble Boy, written by Paul Cinco and Ken Daurio.
Bubble Boy
The second musical selected for further development though the dynamic partnership between the Pittsburgh CLO/Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama New Works Program and The ASCAP Foundation was Bubble Boy, written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.
Based on the 2001 film starring Academy Award®-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal, Bubble Boy is the fictional story of Jimmy Livingston, a boy who was born without an immune system. Because of this, he is forced to live in a bubble dome in his bedroom, which has led students at a local high school to nickname him “Bubble Boy.” One day, a beautiful girl, Chloe, moves in next door to Jimmy. He is immediately taken with her and they soon become friends. Chloe later announces that she is leaving for Niagara Falls to marry Mark, a man who always ridiculed Jimmy. In response, Jimmy decides to build a mobile bubble suit and sneaks off into the night, determined to stop the wedding before it is too late.
Scott Schwartz, son of Carnegie Mellon University alumnus and legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, “Pocahontas,” “The Prince of Egypt”), directed a workshop Oct. 13-18 that culminated with a staged reading on Saturday, Oct. 18, in the Helen Wayne Rauh Studio Theater at Carnegie Mellon University.
Scott Schwartz has made a name for himself by directing Broadway’s Golda’s Balcony and Bat Boy: The Musical, which won a 2001 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. On Oct. 3, 2004, Golda’s Balcony became the longest-running one-woman show in Broadway history.