THE SHOW:
RIVERBEND, A MUSICAL MYTHOS
Daphne has a plan after graduating high school: repair her late mom’s boat and sail away from her distant father and stifling small town. But when twins Aiden and Diana arrive and shake up her life, Daphne finds her plans and heart challenged by a feeling she has never felt before. In this modern adaptation of Greek mythology, follow Daphne and her neighbors around the riverbend as she navigates tests of love, grief, and learning how to live after loss.
Author's Note:
All at once joyfully funny, heartbreakingly tragic, and daringly hopeful, Riverbend deals with themes such as coming of age, queer self-discovery, the complex relationship between parents and children, artistic self-expression, toxic masculinity and sexual violence, surviving grief and loss, and opening oneself to love. While our show deals with difficult subject matter, it also fights relentlessly for joy. It is our greatest hope that Riverbend sparks conversation, and that audiences leave moved, inspired, and eager
to discuss.
Take a look at our Pitch Deck!
Carly Paige Baron
THE CREATORS:
Caroline Game
LYRICS + BOOK
Caroline Game (she/her) is a librettist/lyricist, and actor/singer. She has a passion for telling complicated, compassionate stories, and is particularly interested in narratives centering women and theatre for mental health advocacy. Her current projects include Group Therapy: No Boys Allowed (song cycle) and Riverbend (musical). Her past work includes Peak and Pit (play) and Jim and Della...and Brian (20-minute musical). Her work has been featured in the New York Theatre Festival, the Druid City Pride Festival, and the Greater Giving Benefit Concert for Five Horizons. Professional performing credits include Ghost (Molly), Significant Other (Laura), and Mamma Mia (Lisa, u/s Sophie). She is originally from Atlanta, GA, and received a B.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of Alabama. She is now based in New York City, pursuing her M.F.A in Musical Theatre Writing at NYU Tisch.
Michael Oosterhout
MUSIC
Michael Light Oosterhout (he/him) is a composer/lyricist, music director, and playwright. Passionate about genre-bending and blending myriad styles into contemporary musical theatre, he is chiefly interested in exploring the relationship between the ancient and modern worlds, as well as highlighting issues affecting queer youth. Michael's current projects include Evelyn Evans (play), The Lonely Girl’s Guide to Friendship or… Love? (musical), The Right Reasons (song cycle), and Riverbend (musical). Past projects include Ariadne: A New Musical, Sparta! The Musical, Euripides' Medea (arrangements), Judith Walsh White's Winnie the Pooh (arrangements), 15-minute opera Windy, and 20-minute musical The Advice Column. Music direction credits include Fly By Night, Mr. Burns, Formerly Known (arrangements), and The Cherry Orchard. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Michael is a graduate of Vassar College (B.A., Music and Greek & Roman Studies) and recently received his M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Writing from N.Y.U. Tisch.