IN BeTWEEN, a new musical for young audiences with book and lyrics by Julia Gannon and music by Fernanda Douglas. Directed by Roque Berlanga. IN BeTWEEN is a love letter to those kids stuck in the middle. A group of “theater kids” gather together awaiting the annual musical’s cast list. Drama ensues, and their stories are told, when the kids find out the director is running an hour late!

IN BeTWEEN

Directed by Roque Berlanga

Written by Julia Gannon

Composer Fernanda Douglas

Stage manager Courtney Wigderson

CAST

Matthew Lowy - MD

Macy Robinson - Anna

Hap Gannon - Vic

Jason Long - Ethan

Sarah Hamaty - Robin

Sofia Ross - Sam

Sushma Saha - Gretta

Gavin McGinnis - Morgan

Emily Ducey - Riley

Andy McAdams - Taylor

Meadow Monaco - Jess

Isabelle Passante - Nora

Emmett Schwalb - Will

ROQUE BERLANGA is so honored to be back at the “Miracle of the Forest” this summer! A California native, Roque is a proud Latinx director, actor, teaching artist and proud Associate Member of SDC. Roque is currently the Founder and Artistic Director of Theatre [Untitled] and Actor’s Professional Theatre Conservatory (APTC) based in New York City. Theatre [Untitled] focuses on new and reinvented works and provides a platform for undiscovered artists with a focus on LGBTQ+, women, and BIPOC playwrights and artists. In 2023, APTC will celebrate its 15-year anniversary. Roque served as Artistic Director of the Allenberry Playhouse in Pennsylvania and was the first Latinx to do so in the theater's over sixty-year history. Roque trained with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Second City, and received his BA in Theatre from CSU Stanislaus. Roque also serves as Co-Director for the Forestburgh Academy, the educational branch of the Forestburgh Playhouse. Check out our Young Artists this Fall in The Fall Academy Cabaret!

COURTNEY WIGDERSON is thrilled to be PSM of In BeTween for the festival after spending her first summer at Forestburgh Playhouse as the season's ASM. Recent credits include: Six, Jersey Boys, Kinky Boots (Norwegian Cruise Line), Holiday Spectacular on Ice, Newsies, A Chorus Line: High School Edition, Kinky Boots, Elf (Gateway Playhouse) Something Rotten, Mamma Mia (Titusville Playhouse). She is a proud graduate of the University of New Hampshire. Lots of love and thanks to Mom and Dad for the constant love and support!

JULIA GANNON (lyricist/bookwriter; she/her) is a writer, actor, and director originally from Birmingham, Alabama and currently living in NYC. Julia attended The Boston Conservatory, receiving a BFA in Musical Theater with an emphasis in directing, and is currently a proud member of the BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop & Maestra. Julia has written for Red Mountain Theatre’s Holiday Spectacular, Brooklyn Children’s Theatre’s productions of Sweet Tooth & We All Scream for Ice Cream, and was a staff writer for the digital theater company Pixel Playhouse. Along with her writing partner, Fernanda Douglas, she is currently working on an original commissioned musical for Nashville Children’s Theatre, and an original animated movie musical with actor/producer Jordan Fisher. Rep. Paradigm

Fernanda Douglas (composer; she/they) is an NYC-based composer and music director from Santa Barbara, California. Commissions: In BeTWEEN (The Wright Way, NY); The Hobbit (First Stage, WI); Spells of the Sea (orchestrations; Metro Theater Company, MO); We All Scream For Ice Cream, Sweet Tooth and Scouts! (Brooklyn Children’s Theater, NY). NYC productions: Jolie Rouge (workshop, Columbia University); From Russia, With Love (Midtown International Theatre Festival); Plath. (NY Fringe Festival). Assoc. Music Dir./Rehearsal Piano: Moulin Rouge (Broadway); The Unknown Soldier (Playwright’s Horizons); Monsoon Wedding (St. Ann’s Warehouse, with Carrie-Anne Ingrouille and Mira Nair). Fernanda is an active member of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop and an alumnus of Columbia University.

MATTHEW LOWY is an NYC-based composer, music director, arranger, and pianist. NYC: The Music Man (Piano sub), Beetlejuice (Key 2 sub.), Dear World, Oliver, A Chorus Line (City Center, rehearsal pianist). Nat’l Tours/Reg.: An American in Paris (Music Supervisor/Orchestrations), A Chorus Line (U.S., Japan, and Shanghai; MD/Orchestrations), 42nd Street (MD). New Voices (Paper Mill Playhouse, 2010-2023, MD/conductor, arranger, pianist). Original musicals: Fallen Skies (2016 NYI Fringe Festival, Overall Excellence Award in Music Composition), How Christmas Feels (C.I.C. Theater), These Walls (NYTF - winner of Best Short Musical, Sound Bites). Matt is a composer in the Advanced BMI Lehman Engel Advanced Musical Theater Workshop (2019 Jerry Harrigan Musical Theatre Award). B.M. Composition from The Boston Conservatory. Matthewlowy.com

MACY ROBINSON is so thrilled to be performing in In BeTweens, and is in love with the beautiful work that Gannon and Douglas create. She loves participating in new works, and as a Mississippian she especially loves an opportunity to collaborate with other southerns, like Julia. She is a NY based actor who was most recently seen as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific at Interlakes Summer Theatre. She graduated from The University of Montevallo in ‘23 with a BFA in Musical Theatre. www.macyrobinson.com

HAP GANNON is so excited to be making his debut at Forestburgh Playhouse for the In the Works - In The Woods Festival! He is thrilled to be part of the amazing cast of In BeTween written by none other than his sister, Julia! Hap is an actor and singer currently living in Brooklyn after studying musical theatre at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. His favorite roles include Barfeé in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, “All Good Gifts” soloist in Godspell (Virginia Samford Theatre), Emmett in Legally Blonde (Red Mountain Theatre) and Leroy in Violet (Boston Conservatory). Thank you to my friends and family for the never-ending love and support! @Hap_gannon

JASON LONG is absolutely overjoyed to be here for the In The Woods Festival! He's extremely excited to be showcasing this work for you and hopes you enjoy the weekend! Sending all the love to his family, friends, and Zoë for all the love and support they've given him. @jaytlo

SARAH HAMATY is thrilled to be making her Forestburgh Playhouse debut, with the In the Works festival. Sarah was last seen in BFRJ Sings: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill at Little Island. You can find her and her incredible band Purple Reign, at various Manhattan venues. Follow @sarahhamaty for upcoming dates, and more! Love to LD.

SOFIA ROSS (she/her) is thrilled to be making her Forestburgh Playhouse debut! Recent credits: “Our Time” Cabaret (54 Below, NYC); A Million Aisles Away (NYC premiere reading); multiple play readings with Play With Your Food, CT. Regional: Grow (Goodspeed Opera House’s Festival of New Musicals), Mamma Mia (New Bedford Festival Theatre). Currently studying at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Professional Conservatory. Graduate of The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, BFA Musical Theatre. Immense appreciation for the IN BeTWEEN team and their dedication to young audiences! www.sofia-ross.com

SUSHMA SAHA - Broadway: 1776 (Roundabout). Off-Broadway: Interstate (Theatre Row). Off-Off Broadway: 7 Minutes (Waterwell), Girlfriend (The Drama League). Regional: The Wolves (ATL), Little Shop of Horrors (Little Shop of Bools). Sushma Saha (pronoun inclusive) is a queer Indian-American artist based in NYC. They are an actor, singer, dancer, voice actor, model, & songwriter with a BFA in musical theatre from Ithaca College (Class of 2021). Her most recent/notable works include playing Judge James Wilson of Pennsylvania in the Broadway rival of “1776” and winning ‘Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role’ at New York Musical Festival for playing Henry in “Interstate” by Melissa Li & Kit Yan. They are currently working on their first EP “This Isn’t About You” to be released on all music-streaming platforms.

GAVIN MCGINNIS is enthralled to be appearing In BeTween this year! Favorite credits include Matilda (Michael Wormwood), The SpongeBob Musical (Patrick Star), Anything Goes (Lord Evelyn Oakleigh), Beauty and the Beast JR (Gaston), Frozen JR (Wandering Oaken), APTC’s Beauty and the Beat (Beast), and 90s Cinderella (B. Fish, Esq.). Gavin is also the author of ALAMO: A New Musical, a historical country jukebox musical presented by Theatre Untitled at Open Jar Studios. He would like to thank his Mom, Brother, Nan, Pop, Mr. English, Jules, Roque and Kate for all the kindness and support they have shown for his burgeoning passion in music and musical theatre. Long live the arts!

EMILY DUCEY, from Callicoon, NY, is a sixth grade student at Sullivan West Elementary School. She made her Forestburgh Playhouse debut during the summer of 2023 in Matilda The Musical (Ensemble) and performed in Hercules: Roadie to Rockstar (Hercules) during the Summer Academy. Emily is a member of her school Drama Club where she has performed in Bots! (Bulldog) and Space Pirates (Gabby). Emily dances at the Janice Center and has performed as a NYSSMA soloist and in the SCMEA All-County Festival.

Andy McAdams has been performing with the forestburgh academy since 2021 and just finished SpongeBob the musical as the title role. He is a junior at LaGuardia High school in NYC, majoring in drama and is incredibly grateful to be here working in the woods.

Meadow Monaco has been part of the Forestburgh Family as a young artist for the past three years. She recently completed the Broadway Intensive Program this past summer appearing as Sandy Cheeks in SpongeBob the Musical. She has been privileged to receive 1:1 lessons from many of the very talented teaching artists at Forestburgh. In addition to her work at Forestburgh she also participates in classes at Hudson Valley Conservatory. She has taken jazz, ballet, and contemporary dance. She has also been part of their Broadway Intensive Program, appearing as Gabriella in High School Musical and Jasmine in Aladdin. During the school year Meadow participates in many musical activities to keep learning and growing as an artist. Some of her favorite school roles include, Madame de la Grande Bouche in Beauty and the Beast and Alice in the Addams Family.

ISABELLE PASSANTE has been a student of the Forestburgh Playhouse Academy since 2020. She has performed as Scratch in “The Lion That Would be King”, Lasandra in “Cinderella”, Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”, and Mr. Crabs in “SpongeBob the Musical”. In 2022, she performed on the main stage of the FB Playhouse in “Alice In Wonderland”. She has also performed in “Scrooge”, as The Ghost of Christmas Present with the Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop. As a student at Sullivan West Central School, Isabelle has performed in three productions with the Sullivan West Elementary Drama Club. Now as an 8 th grade high school student and member of the Sullivan West Musical Production Club, Isabelle was most recently cast as Flounder in “The Little Mermaid”. In her free time, Isabelle plays the flute, piano and guitar and is in chorus at Sullivan West. Isabelle is thrilled to get all the acting experience that she can and uses every opportunity to learn and grow as an actress. Isabelle is grateful to God, her family and friends for their support and encouragement doing what she loves most.

Emmett Schwalb (Will) is thrilled to be doing this reading of In BeTween. Emmett is exctied to be working with Roque again, having spent the last two summers in the Forestburgh Academy--most recently playing Hades in Hercules: Roadie to Rockstar. Emmett would like to thank the amazing cast, crew and creatives of this show.