BERLIN — Brown Box Theatre Project has set out to tackle its most ambitious production to date with an outdoor presentation of Jason Robert Brown’s hit off-Broadway musical, Songs for a New World.
Featuring a dazzling cast of professional talent, Brown Box will bring the magic of contemporary musical theatre straight to Delmarva starting last weekend and running through May 28.
Expanding upon its annual tradition of touring accessible Shakespeare productions throughout the Delmarva Peninsula each summer, Songs for a New World kicks off Brown Box’s season of free, outdoor programming. The musical will become an unmissable cultural event in Delmarva’s vibrant nightlife with open-air performances in the streets of Berlin and Salisbury, local parks of St. Michaels and Chincoteague and outside of the Ocean City Center for the Arts.
Kyler Taustin, Brown Box founder and executive artistic director, explains that he was inspired to direct Songs for a New World because of its timeliness and urgency.
“The play is about taking risks, taking steps,” Taustin said. “We are in a time of great change; personally, professionally, and universally; and this play speaks to that turn, the pivotal shift, the unavoidable leap that must be taken to accept, embrace, and champion change. It’s about one moment.”
Jason Robert Brown’s breathtaking song cycle weaves together the stories and voices of a diverse cast of characters in a musical journey that transcends time and space. A soaring, vibrant score transports the audience through a mesmerizing exploration of the unknown world and the tough choices that follow. Bursting with life and discovery, Songs for a New World begs to be liberated from the walls of a theater, and will be presented at over 10 outdoor venues throughout Massachusetts and Delmarva as Brown Box’s premier musical spectacular.
All Songs for a New World performances are free, outside, and open to all audiences. Funding for this event is provided in part by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council, the Worcester County Arts Council, and the Talbot County Arts Council — organizations dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive.
Brown Box Theatre Project’s mission is to create high-quality theatre and deliver the unheard voice directly to communities to expand the reach of impactful, professional performing arts. It implements a bold approach to productions that connects audiences and artists through vibrant and enlightening experiences to transform the way theatre is created and consumed. Brown Box breaks down barriers that separate the masses from live theatre by bringing the very best in performance, design, and collaboration to unconventional venues and underserved destinations to reach the widest audience possible.
The schedule of events kicked off last weekend with performances on May 20-21 at the Ocean City Center for the Arts followed by May 25, downtown Salisbury, Main Street; May 26, Muskrat Park, 207 Willow Green Street, St. Michaels; May 27, Robert Reed Waterfront Park, Chincoteague Island, Va.; and May 28, downtown Berlin, corner of Main Street and Pitts streets. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free. No reservations required.