Photo Coverage: William Finn Presents SONGS BY RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED... at BSC

The only thing RIDICULOUS about this annual event is that Tony Award winner Bill Finn only does it once a year. I remember observing a session of his Music Theater class at NYU when Professor Finn had an extraordinary group of singers perform his students final exams. The unconventional Mr. Finn had instructed his class to write songs based upon unorthodox, outlandish, zany and sometimes kinky subject matter. The result was hilarious, witty, intelligent and downright entertaining. Mr. Finn is the Artistic Head of Barrington Stage Company's Musical Theatre Lab, and his NYU classroom modus operandi has become an annual "show" at this Berkshire institution.
Tony Award-winning composer/lyricist William Finn (Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) narrates this fresh, fun introduction to new voices in musical theatre. Direction is by Drama League Directors Project Musical Directing Fellow Shakina Nayfack (Assistant Director BSC's The Game and Mormons, Mothers and Monsters).

A Labor Day weekend celebration of extraordinary new songs, Finn shared with the audience what makes a good lyric, why some work and others don't - It felt as if you're in a master class in songwriting taught by the master himself.

Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists You Probably Don't Know But Should... features the talents of Celisse Henderson (BSC debut/Broadway: upcoming Godspell); Anne Nathan (BSC's Disorder, A Mother, Daughter Vaudeville/Broadway: Roundabout's Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins), and Taylor Trensch (BSC's Mormons, Mothers and Monsters/La Jolla: world premiere of Little Miss Sunshine). Also appearing are BSC's Musical Theatre Apprentices Taylor Anderson, Michael Hewitt, Hannah Richter, Michael Wessells.

The composers and lyricists represented are Will Aronson, Carmel Dean, Jeremy Desmon, Jessica DiGiacinto, Vadim Feichtner, Josh Freilich, Sarah Hirsch, Joe Iconis, Creighton Irons, Alana Jacoby, Karl Michael Johnson, Laura Kleinbaum, Dimitri Landrain, Gihieh Lee, Salomon Lerner, Brandon Michael Lowden, Bill Nelson, Micah Norvedt, Eric Price, Sam Salmond, Rachel Sheinkin, Jahn Sood, Jennifer Stafford, Katya Stanislavskaya, Liz Suggs, Frank Terry, Nikos Tsakalakos, Sarah Underwood, and Joel Waggoner.

The production features lighting by Mark Krasnov and sound by Ryan Peavey. Zachary Dietz is music director and Ryan Gohsman is production stage manager. Natasha Sinha is Associate Producer.