Thank you for taking a look at my campaign! I’m Neal Learner, a writer and musician from the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia. My new musical “LIFE: A Comic Opera in Three Short Acts” was selected to be part of the 2017 Capital Fringe Festival, a self-producing performing arts festival taking place this July in Washington, D.C.
I am asking for your support to help offset costs of staging this show.
Venue: Eastman Studio Theatre - Gallaudet University,
800 Florida Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002
Sun, July 9, 6:45 PM
Sat, July 15, 5:00 PM
Sun, July 16, 4:15 PM
Tues, July 18, 9:15 PM
Sun , July 23, 5:45 PM
What is this LIFE? A 70-minute sung-through musical that follows the life of family of four, from the birth of twin children to the death of the parents. The story is in turn funny and absurd, and thoughtful and sad as it explores our common humanity through life's major milestones. The rich, harmony-filled score defies musical genres, blending classical, Broadway, pop, folk and rock styles.
I was fortunate to have it featured in a staged reading last spring as part of The Monumental Theatre Co.’s New Work Series (Listen to clips here: www.learnermusic.com). The performance of excerpts received a positive review on the influential DC Metro Theater Arts website:
"...The incredible potential of this new musical is that it is profoundly relatable...Life has intense happiness and excruciating pain, impressive accomplishment and embarrassing failure, joyful new beginnings and gut-wrenching loss...Thank you to Monumental Theatre Company for producing the reading of this impressive new material, and thank you to the creator of the musical, Neal Learner, for highlighting the beauty in the simplicity of this thing called life..."
I’m taking the next step of producing the show at the Capital Fringe Festival, a wonderful showcase for new theatrical works that takes place each summer in the Trinidad and H Street, NE, neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. The 2017 festival runs July 6-23: www.capitalfringe.org.
How You Can Help
Staging a full-blown musical is not cheap. Expenses include the festival fee, insurance, costumes, sets, advertising, and stipends for the director, music director and actors. All told, I’m looking to raise $5,000 to cover costs. Your donations will go to the nonprofit The Del Ray Players, which is producing this show.
One of the reasons I’m so excited about this show is that I've secured the fantastic, up-and-coming director, Clare Shaffer, who is making a huge splash in the D.C. theater scene and beyond. I’m also grateful to have an excellent music director, Brandon Scott Heishman, and four hot actors: Will Hawkins, Dallas Milholland, Sabrina Koss, and Joshua Simon. You can read everyone’s bio below.
In addition to earning my eternal gratitude, your contributions will be recognized on the Del Ray Players Facebook page (www.facebook.com/delrayplayers) and in the performance program. See details on this page.
Thank you again for your consideration of supporting this endeavor. May you have a long and happy LIFE!
Cast Bios – LIFE: A Comic Opera in Three Short Acts
Will Hawkins
Will Hawkins is thrilled to be working on this brand new Opera! A whole-hearted supporter of new works, he has had the opportunity to develop many new musicals in both readings and fully staged productions. Some of these highlights include Lost in Wonderland (Mad Hatter), Code Name: Cynthia (Ensemble), and Truth: the Musical (Reverend Bullworthy). Non-original roles have included Zombie Prom (Jonny) and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Bud Frump) among many others. Will has also had the tremendous pleasure of performing at venues such as The Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center with the National Broadway Chorus. Since he can never say it enough, he'd like to take a moment to thank his parents for their tremendous support. Look for him elsewhere this season as the Balladeer in “Assassins” with the Pallas Theatre Collective.
Brandon Scott Heishman – Music Director
Brandon Scott Heishman has previously music directed and accompanied for theaters in the DC Metro area and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, including Zombie Prom with Unexpected Stage Company, The Drowsy Chaperone with Damascus Theatre Company, Sweeney Todd at Laurel Mill Playhouse, The Fantasticks and Matt Conner’s Nevermore with Pandemonium Theatrical, Bare: A Pop Opera with Clandestine Arts, as well as cabarets at Lorton Workhouse Arts Center and with LaTiDo (Washington DC’s premiere musical theatre cabaret and spoken word series). Brandon received an MM in Choral Conducting from the University of Mississippi, and a BA in Music from Bridgewater College in Virginia.
Neal Learner – Writer/Composer
Alexandria-based writer Neal Learner has had a life-long love for music. A classically trained violinist and vocalist, Neal enrolled in the University of Michigan’s School of Music as a violin performance major before earning his degree in anthropology. After college, Neal moved to Takasaki, Japan where he taught English to elementary and high school students...and sang a lot of karaoke. Leaving Japan, he busked his way through Europe before heading back to the States where he made a career in journalism and communications. He was a prolific songwriter in his youth but let that passion slide for many years. The 2004 tsunami disaster in South Asia inspired him to sit down at the piano once again. His work is at www.learnermusic.com. Neal is over-the-moon delighted to have this team for his Fringe debut!
Dallas Milholland
Dallas Milholland is delighted to be joining such a talented cast and crew on LIFE! Originally from Seattle, WA, Dallas transplanted to the DC area after touring the country with the National Players where she performed the roles of Ariel in the Tempest and Rosalind in As You Like It. Other local credits include Arabian Nights with Constellation Theatre Company (upcoming as the Jester's Wife), Ballast at Source Fest 2016 (Zoe), and Zombie Prom with Unexpected Stage Company (Delilah Strict). Other favorite roles include The Witch in Into the Woods, Veronica in God of Carnage, Electra, Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Dallas holds an MFA in Acting from Western Illinois University and a BA in music and theatre from Western Washington University where she studied opera and choral music. Peace be the journey!
Stefany Pesta
Stefany Pesta is recent D.C. transplant who is excited to work on the premiere of Life! She relocated from Los Angeles, California where she graduated from Cal State Fullerton. As a singer she studied with the exceptionally talented Jo Monteleone. Favorite past theatre credits include Juno in The Tempest (Independent Shakespeare Co.), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Cypress Theatre), Jocelyn in So You Want to be Korean (East West Players), and Chiffon in Little Shop of Horrors (Maverick Theatre).
Clare Shaffer - Director
Clare Shaffer is a professional director based in DC who works across genres and specializes in new play/musical development. She is the Associate Producer and Casting Director for Nu Sass Productions and Pallas Theatre Collective, and has had the pleasure of working with companies including Olney Theatre Center, Theater J, Mosaic Theatre Company, Monumental Theatre Company, and The Arlington Players. Favorite credits include AVENUE Q, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, VENUS IN FUR, & MAN OF LA MANCHA. In addition to directing LIFE at the 2017 Capital Fringe Festival, Clare is directing, SISTER ACT at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre (May 25 - June 17), SPAMALOT at the Rockville Musical Theatre (July 7-23) and ASSASSINS at Pallas Theatre Collective (Oct. 5-15).
Joshua Simon
Joshua Simon is thrilled to be making his DC Fringe debut! Recent credits include Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Imagination Stage), James and the Giant Peach (Adventure Theatre), Floyd Collins (1st Stage), Ragtime (Toby's), Biography of a Fulton Playboy (Diet Ghost Productions), code name: CYNTHIA (Pallas Theatre Collective), and The Word and the Wasteland (DC Source Festival). Performances and readings with: Kennedy Center, Studio Theatre, Flying V, Blind Pug, La Ti Do, Drilling Company, Theatrix, Carnegie Hall, and Radio City. Love and thanks to this cast and crew, Cody, and Boofle.
Bryan Stopak – choreographer
Bryan Stopak is thrilled to be a part of the world premiere of Life! Bryan has choreographed many shows in the DC metro area including All Shook Up, Godspell (Act Two @ Levine), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spelling Bee, The Wiz (Magruder High School), and Annie (Bravo Productions), as well as being in shows. Bryan performs at theaters such as Arena stage. He is starting school at The University of The Arts as a Directing major come fall 2017.
This production is presented as part of the 2017 Capital Fringe Festival, a program of the non-profit Capital Fringe.