Musical Theater

Then She Ran

Book and Lyrics by Alex Becker
Music by Kat Cartusciello

Then She Ran follows three women from different generations, each at a crossroads moment in their lives, who run away and land in a dark, swampy, other world.

There they meet a group of vagabond artists called the Bone Crew who use music, in exchange for secrets, to guide lost people toward their truth.

Set to an Indie-American-Gothic score, Then She Ran disrupts the notion of the hero’s journey. It's about letting the subconscious guide us through fear, desire, and change in a world where music unlocks magic, and all are responsible for each other’s empowerment.

Kat_Cartusciello · Then She Ran

Nima and the Jenn

Book and Lyrics by Thalia Ranjbar
Music by Kat Cartusciello

Nima & the Jen follows the story of Nima, a 22 year old Iranian-American girl and her pursuit to connect with her Persian culture and uncover the dark secrets of her family’s past. Her father, Reza, is a hardened man who fled Iran during the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and refuses to teach his children about their heritage. When Nima mysteriously receives a box belonging to her late grandmother, Mandana, a quest to uncover her family’s history unfolds.

Kat_Cartusciello · Nima and the Jen

HardTack

Book and Lyrics by Jessie Field
Music by Kat Cartusciello

HardTack is a new musical about historical pirates Mary Read, Anne Bonny, and Jack Rackham. After the daring capture of The William, pirate life is anything but smooth sailing for Mark and Andy aboard Cap’n Jack’s ship. But that’s because Mark was born Mary, Andy’s really Anne, and they’re both kind of in love - which is complicated enough without storms, mutiny, and intrigue afoot! An exploration of gender and sexuality anchored in historical background, HardTack investigates the fluidity of love and identity. Because if pirates can’t be wholly, authentically themselves, is there any hope for the rest of us?

Lottery Ticket

Book and Lyrics by Alex Becker
Music by Kat Cartusciello

A 20-minute adaptation based on the Checkhov short story.

The year is ten years in the future, and Clara, Frank, and Evelyn are still stuck in quarantine in their 1-BR apartment in Queens, NY. The annual immunity lottery is announcing its winners this evening and a few lucky households will be selected. If they win, they’ll receive a highly sought after vaccine that protects them from a deadly virus and grants them the freedom to return to life as they knew it… or, life as they hope it could become. What if tonight is their lucky night?

Kat_Cartusciello · Lottery Ticket