Episode 9 - What is Activist Theatre? Scarlet the Concept Album with Jess Newman & Richard Lindenfelzer

The Theatre Thoughts Podcast

Jan 30 2022 • 20 mins

We recently sat down the creators of Scarlet the Musical and their release of their Concept Recording Album (@scarletmusical).  Jess Newman and Richard Lindenfelzer met when studying a masters of music theatre writing at NYU. Richard is an American writer and performer based in NY. Jess is Australian and currently based in Melbourne, who boasts a great experience in the local industry and community. Throughout the podcast, we discuss how their inception of Scarlet became a developing musical and how it deals with climate change.  We also discuss how activism theatre can be used as a force for good in a changing theatre landscape. Be sure to stay tuned to the end of the podcast where you will hear snippets from the concept album featuring Australia's own @maggiesmckenna @jaymehanekom and @blakeappelqvist  ‘Scarlet (Original Concept Recording)’ is a selection of five songs from the new musical written by award-winning composer and lyricist team Jess Newman (he/him) and Richard Lindenfelzer (he/him), featuring Dear Evan Hansen’s Maggie McKenna (they/them). The EP is out now, available to stream on all major digital music platforms. ‘Scarlet’ is an original post-apocalyptic science fiction parable for climate change and the importance of climate action. The new baroque-pop musical is the story of one woman's pursuit to discover the truth in a future dystopian world that hasn't seen the sun in over 400 years, and is beginning to doubt its existence entirely.  The conception of the musical itself is an international collaboration, being developed in both New York and Melbourne, Australia. It features some of Australia’s most prominent performers and industry members. The full-length musical had an Australian workshop in late 2021, and in New York, The Green Room 42 recently hosted a concert featuring a number of the recording’s songs. Between writers Lindenfelzer and Newman, their work has been performed at Radio City Music Hall, Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Rep. Theatre, and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. This is their second major musical collaboration, and they are thrilled to see ‘Scarlet’ take its next step toward the stage.  ------------------------------------------------------------ LINKS Scarlet the Musical Instagram Page Scarlet the Musical Twitter LISTEN TO THE CONCEPT ALBUM NOW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices