Manhattan Theatre Club (Nicki Hunter, Artistic Director, and Chris Jennings, Executive Director) is pleased to announce the commissioning of two original musicals, expanding the scope of stories the company contributes to the American theatrical landscape.

The commissioned writing teams are Lindsey Ferrentino and Samuel Beam, and Sofya Levitsky-Weitz and Benjamin Velez. These commissions are funded by MTC in partnership with the Edgerton Foundation and Bobbie Olsen, respectively.

For more than 50 years, MTC has developed and produced influential stories for the stage through its commissioning programs, resulting in award-winning world premieres that have gone on to be seen across the country and around the world. Notable world premiere musicals include Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash’s Murder Ballad; Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party; and the home-grown production of Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr.’s Ain’t Misbehavin’, which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical. With the addition of new musicals to its commissioning portfolio, MTC will ensure that original works continue to thrive in one of theatre’s most beloved formats for its audiences and beyond.

Each commissioned musical will receive a developmental residency at the Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director), a leading national arts incubator based on Florida’s Gulf Coast. This is part of a newly announced partnership between MTC and the Hermitage, designed to provide meaningful residency support to the writers of new musicals commissioned by MTC. With this collaboration, the Hermitage and MTC will provide an opportunity for some of the leading voices in musical theatre to take the next step in advancing their creative process and vision.

“I’m thrilled to commission these two brand-new musicals,” said Artistic Director Nicki Hunter. “One of my hopes for MTC’s future is that we can build upon our rich legacy as a home for new plays by also developing exciting world-premiere musicals. I’m particularly looking forward to embarking on that journey with this group of talented artists and to continuing to expand our roster of musical theatre voices in years to come.”

Through these commissions, MTC continues its commitment to supporting visionary artists and developing ambitious new work that reflects the richness, complexity, and diversity of contemporary storytelling.

The Orange Grove

• Book by Lindsey Ferrentino
• Original Music by Samuel Beam
• A modern retelling of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, The Orange Grove is a new musical that centers on a Florida orange grove on the brink of collapse. As one family fights over land, legacy, and the price of survival, the musical examines a century of American history through the lens of a changing nation and the people struggling to preserve what they hold dear.

It's All Relative

• Book by Sofya Levitsky-Weitz
• Music and Lyrics by Benjamin Velez
• When it comes to romantic relationships, it’s all relative. Einstein and his first wife and collaborator, Mileva Marić—a brilliant scientist in her own right—gather friends for a series of funk-infused jam sessions exploring the nature of the universe and humanity’s place within it. Spanning time and space, It’s All Relative asks what parts of ourselves we surrender, and what we discover, in pursuit of love.

Pictured: Top row is Samuel Beam (left) and Lindsey Ferrentino (right). Bottom row is Sofya Levitsky-Weitz (left) and Benjamin Velez (right). Images courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club.