PLAYBILL of this show HERE! 

The Picher Project, a new musical, explores the rise, boom, destruction and fall of the abandoned mining town of Picher, Oklahoma. The town that once was the largest producer of lead and zinc in the world became the EPA’s #1 Superfund site, deeming Picher the most toxic place in America. Town politics, involvement with the native Quapaw tribe, illness, natural disasters, and the earth literally falling apart under them, all led to Picher officially dissolving in 2013, making it a ghost town. The Picher Project, comprised of interviews and stories from people who used to live there, is a musical following the lives of individuals from different points in the town’s 100 year history. Picher, a town that meant the world to its citizen, was founded and destroyed by the mining industry, leaving its population with no way to return home.

Quentin Madia is a director, choreographer, and designer specializing in musical theatre and creating new work. Directing Credits: Two Star Motel (World Premiere, TDT), Employee of the Month (World Premiere), Bonnie and Clyde (TDT), Little Women (NJ Rep Theatre), Gathering Sparks (International, Thailand, World Premiere), and original music videos for singer/songwriter Lauren Pelaia. As a designer, Quentin’s work has been seen in Tennessee Williams 1982 (Projections, Off-Broadway, Walker Space), EmbodiED (Projections, Girl Be Heard, HERE Arts Center), The Two Character Play (Sound, Dir. Austin Pendleton, The Duo), and more. Quentin works at The Drama League (Development Associate) and Dixon Place (Production Manager).  

Alex Knezevic is a Brooklyn based actor, musician, and composer. He will be graduating with a degree in acting in May, but has been learning and playing music since childhood. Since taking composition classes, Alex was commissioned to score a piece for Pace University’s Presidential Inauguration, and is currently working on multiple full length pieces with collaborators. Some of Alex’s favorite performance opportunities include NEWSIES (Regional, Buttons); Two Star Motel (NYC Premiere, Ryan); Blood Wedding (NYC, Leonardo).

Lauren Pelaia is a singer/songwriter/composer and actor. Credits: Two Star Motel (Halley, TDT), Little Shop of Horrors (Crystal, Algonquin Arts); Grease (Sandy, NJRT). In November of 2017, she released her first EP entitled March With Me at The Bitter End. Following the EP, she released two singles, Try To Love You and While We Have Tonight, that were introduced as a two-part music video series. Most recently, Lauren co-wrote the song, Employee of the Year, with Quentin Madia for  of Employee of the Month,  and wrote an original score for Our Town, produced at Villager’s Theatre.

Book by Sam French and Kyle Wilson. Music & Lyrics by Kyle Wilson.

It’s 1967 and the United States is in a desperate race with the Soviet Union to land a man on the moon. The US is confident that the American dream and the spirit of capitalism can get the job done, but they’ve decided to film a fake moon landing JUST IN CASE. Leading the project is straight-laced Dougie Whittlebarker, a CIA agent running from his tragic past. But when no one wants in on the mission, Dougie is forced to assemble a team of total misfits and outcasts to envision, execute, and fake one of the greatest moments in American history.

Kyle Wilson (Music, Lyrics, Co-Book) has co-written Kragtar: an American Monster Musical (West End Theatre), The Beatles Present “The Lord of the Rings: The Musical” (The Brick), and The Oscars – But Better (The PIT Loft) with Sam French, as well as songs for the award-winning web series Blank My Life, for which he also directed several episodes. Other recent directing credits include The Alligator Play (Hudson Guild Theater), The Beatles Present… (The Brick), Jimmy! A Musical Fable with Almost No Historical Basis (Irondale), and Freaks: A Legend About Growing Up (NYC Fringe), which won the Fringe Excellence Award for Ensemble. He has developed work with The New Group, National Theatre for Student Artists, Penguin Rep, Theatre Now: New York, Title: Point, Island Theatre Workshop, and participated in the PEN World Voices International Play Festival. Resident Artist at The Brick and core member of Third Space. Education: Carnegie Mellon University. kwtheater.squarespace.com.

Sam French (Co-Book) is a Brooklyn-based writer and director. Previous work has been seen at FringeNYC, the Brick, the Habitat Theater, Tiny Rhino, the National Theatre for Student Artists, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Third Space Theater, Atlantic Acting School, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, and Uncanny Valley. Most recently as a writer: Kragtar: an American Monster Musical (Theatre Now New York) and The Alligator Play (Hudson Guild Theatre). Sam also writes science fiction short stories and podcasts for Brick Moon Fiction. Sam is a former member of the Williamstown Directing Corp and a former Robert Moss Directing Fellow at Playwrights Horizons. Education: BFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon University. No relation to the play publisher beyond a mutual respect for top hats. samuel-french.com

Benjamin Viertel (Director) Recent: Life Boat (Theater 54), The Experiment (Caveat NYC), Loserville (York Theater), Little Shop of Horrors (Bristol Valley Theater), The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (New Ohio Theater), Fireface (The Brick), Kragtar: an American Monster Musical (West End Theatre), Sad Indie Love Song (IRT Theater), Crimes of the Heart (BVT); and award-winning web seriesBlank My Life. Benjamin has developed work with Davenport Theatrical, BAM, Roundabout Theater, Huntington Theater, The New Group, and The Civilians. Member of Kennedy Center Director’s Lab, MTC’s Directing Fellow, The Civilians’ R&D Group, and Resident Artist at The Brick and Abrons Arts Center. Artistic Director of Third Space. Education: Carnegie Mellon University. ww.benjaminviertel.com