Infamous the Musical
Less than a year ago I launched my first campaign for Gofundme and I feel extremely fortunate and grateful that the first donations were a great boost to cover essential development and start-up expenses that every project entails.
“Infamous The Musical” is a musical thriller that explores one of the most tragic episodes in American history, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and does so from the least accustomed place, from the mind of his killer: John Wilkes Booth.
INFAMOUS not only addresses the preliminary moments leading up to the murder, but also cleverly expresses the dramatic tensions between all of the characters involved: a president who anticipates his death in dreams, the murderous plot of his adversaries, a tragic romance that is a victim of time and circumstance and the climactic point of no return of the most famous actor of the time, John Wilkes Booth.
The INFAMOUS THE MUSICAL’s cast, and production team stems out of Cleveland, Ohio, one of the big theatrical performing arts hubs in the country. We have amassed a highly talented group of artists that have combined their strengths to make this show come alive! It is a project that has currently taken over a decade to develop, but we are finally ready to share our special project to the world. And we need your help!
Our Objective
Regional premiere of INFAMOUS THE MUSICAL
Our goal is to raise $ 60,000 to fund production and development expenses for the initial mounted production of INFAMOUS THE MUSICAL in Cleveland.
We want to make this regional premiere a launch point for Producers and Investors from around the country to get excited about INFAMOUS too! Once a Producer options our show, we will then be on the exciting journey bound for NYC!
Why do we passionately do what we do?
As a composer and playwright I firmly believe that history deserves to be seen in the eyes of new times, and that art is a channel that allows us the distance to view our past with new perspectives. I feel that INFAMOUS will resonate with young and old audiences alike. We all have learned the history of this tragic event in school, but we never viewed this event from differing perspectives. I would wager that many of us do not even know the whole story and the factors that played into its dark outcome. When we hold a mirror to the divisive climate of our present day and link it to the past, that we can make stronger connections to this event and better understand it in the light of the present. I believe history is worthy of being visited and reinterpreted in this way. There is nothing better than seeing our history brought to life through the magic of theater.
Why musical theater?
What moves me the most about the musical theater art form is that it allows us to explore what it truly means to be human. It allows us to live in our own human emotions and experiences alongside our characters as we feel right along with them through music. We can convey what otherwise would be inexpressible through the magic of music and theater.
There is no better way to explore the complexity of the mind of a murderer, there is no better way to explore the weight of an entire nation on a man’s shoulders, there is no better way to illustrate the mental process of a man in his final farewell to his mother, than through the magic of musical theater. Where words fail, music speaks!
What makes INFAMOUS special?
What fascinates me the most about INFAMOUS is themes of duality that consistently run through it. Booth and Lincoln wrestle with who they are and what they want to be. Throughout INFAMOUS they both struggle with themes of divine right, free will and destiny. It is interesting to see how each character handles these similar themes. What makes the show special is its relevance to our current day and time. We are just as divided now as we were in the Civil War. I believe it is important to see how an event like this occurred in the light of a similarly divided nation. This makes INFAMOUS the ultimate cautionary tale.
More and more people interact in our community of followers every day. There is a definite pronounced interest in this musical, which is beginning to gain steam within the main theater circles in Cleveland. We firmly believe that we have what it takes to move our show to the next level and beyond until we hit the bright lights of Broadway!
Achievements to date
Reading of Act I at Guarino’s Italian Restaurant in Cleveland's Little Italy Neighborhood
This was the first public presentation of the INFAMOUS. The first act was read and sung by our highly talented cast in front of an intimate audience of 35. The last campaign was of great help in financing this event, which took place on the historic date of the assassination, April 14 of this year.
Reading of Act II. Second Reading at Guarino’s Italian Restaurant
The second act reading and sing through was also held at Guarino’s Italian Restaurant on the back patio. The audience was energized by this second act and left many audience members in tears at the shows conclusion (highly promising for a reading!). A survey was sent out to the audience afterword and the feedback we received was excellent. This event was held on July 21, 2021.
Creation of demo CDs
As we progress through the readings we have initiated Studio Recording days in which we record the most pivotal songs from each Act. These Demo tracks will also be made available on Soundcloud and I-tunes in the coming future! These tracks and CD's will be shared with theater Producers around the country!
Website
A little less than a year ago we launched our first website. Just recently, in the months of July and August we have optimized all the technical, graphic, and content aspects of the site, making it a truly interactive page that contains all of the information related to the production history as well as the successes we have shared together as the “Infamous The Musical” team. Check out our amazing website by clicking here!
Infamous has momentum as we head down the developmental highway. We have a series of fully staged workshops planned for later this year and will also be submitting the show to several theater festivals, including the National Alliance for Musical Theater festival!
November Staged Workshop at Cleveland State University
After staged readings, the next stop on the Development Highway is Staged Workshops! In a staged workshop, actors will follow all stage directions and explore their characters in open space. There still will be no scenery or costumes, but this is an incredibly important step in getting the show on its feet. This workshop will be very first staged workshop INFAMOUS receives and will be open to the public.
Staged Workshop at Western Reserve Playhouse on July 31st, 2022
INFAMOUS will then be performed at Western Reserve Playhouse on July 31st, 2022 as another staged workshop, but this time it will be with the addition of lights and costumes! This production will also be open to the public!
Your help is important to us!
A great piece of work like INFAMOUS requires a lot of hard work, talent, collaboration and teamwork. We have a cast of high level actors and actresses with extensive experience coupled with a Production team that works tirelessly to achieve our collective dream of landing this show on Broadway.
To achieve our dream, we need to pay actors, actresses, technical staff, production and logistics staff, as well as attorneys. At the same time we need to pay for period costumes, scenery, lighting and much, much, more.
I invite you to be part! Please consider donating to our cause on Gofundme. Any amount donated will go toward the development of INFAMOUS THE MUSICAL.
You can discover everything about Infamous The Musical on our website:
www.infamousmusical.com
You can also follow us on social media:
Infamous.themusical on Instagram
Infamous The Musical on Facebook.
Thank you all for your generous support!
The Best is Yet to Come!
All the very best,
David Owen Michaels
