It's season announcement time for theaters across the country, and we're excited to share our slate for the 2025-26 season! A common question we get is, "how do you choose your plays?" We talk about the decision process behind selecting these four productions, and how they fit together in the grand scheme. The 2025-26 season at Forward Theater. Season tickets now available at ForwardTheater.com. PRIMARY TRUST by Eboni Booth Directed by Mikael Burke September 4-21, 2025 GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! by Scott Brown & Anthony King Directed by Jen Uphoff Gray November 6-23, 2025 IRONBOUND by Martyna Majok Directed by Marcella Kearns Jan 29 - Feb 15, 2026 LADY DISDAIN by Lauren Gunderson Directed by Jen Uphoff Gray April 9-26, 2026

Jen Uphoff Gray welcomes Kait Kerrigan and Nathan Tysen, writer and lyricist of Broadway's THE GREAT GATSBY! In this episode, this musical power couple shares their insight into the broken pipeline of musical theater development, which leaves countless new works stuck in limbo. We discuss the roadblocks that prevent fresh stories from reaching American audiences and why regional theaters hesitate to take the leap. But it’s not all bad news - we also explore real solutions for making the pipeline more accessible, sustainable, and artist-friendly. A candid, insightful conversation about the future of musical theater and what it will take to get new voices heard. Bonus:

Kait and Nathan reference the types of grants and financial assistance that keeps many writers afloat while they create America's next musical sensation. Here's a link to the Dramatists Guild resource directory of Grants & Fellowships.

This episode was inspired by a VERY spirited conversation we recently had, centered around a particular play and whether it would be a good choice for a future season. This debate required us to evaluate our relationship with our audiences - how do we meet them where they are, and how do we bring them along with challenging material while creating a welcoming and community-centered environment? As theaters across the country work toward building new audiences, what's the best balance between leading and listening?