Check out some songwriting demos from popstar below featuring performers from the 2019 industry reading as well as other performers from the music industry.
The new musical popstar explores a fallen Hollywood record label executive named Buzz Michaelson, who needs to find the next big thing in pop music. Driven by the multi-platinum careers of his previous discoveries, a deep passion for the recording industry and the quest for fame, he seeks out a teenage prodigy in the wilds of Idaho. As Buzz pledges to mentor the boy and support the teen’s grandmother, he soon learns the price of developing a new musical sensation might cost him more than his heart can handle.
With a dynamic original score – infused with dance and pop music – written by one of the industry’s leading songwriting teams, popstar is an emotionally uplifting new musical for audiences of all ages that was a part of NAMT 2017 and held an industry reading in October 2019 starring Hamilton’s Sydney James Harcourt.
Jay Levine is a music producer and songwriter whose passion is helping artists find their voices through songwriting and development. He has discovered, produced and written for multi-platinum artists such as Fefe Dobson, Susan Cagle, Catey Shaw, Prozzak and The Philosopher Kings. Levine has written and produced songs for over 20 feature films, and has written singles for Miranda Cosgove (“iCarly”) and Elizabeth Gillies (“Victorious”). His latest project, Today Kid, has been featured in Reebok, Best Buy, Match.com, Verizon and Benjamin Moore and Chase commercials. In 2013, Levine was the head music producer at the Orchard’s sync department and taught songwriting workshops at NYU. Jay has consulted for Lyor Cohen (WMG) and his label Lefthook Entertainment has been supported by Columbia Records, Island Def Jam and Sony/ATV. Currently, Jay is supervisor for a feature film called Manhattan Nocturne starring Adrien Brody. Levine’s band Prozzak is currently playing sold out shows across Canada, and is developing a TV show based on the band. Levine is in the process of recording an album for Catey Shaw, whom he discovered in the subway in NYC, and who now has over 30 million plays on Spotify.
has developed and written for various artists, and successfully placed songs in numerous commercials, television shows, and films; among them are Crayola, Fabreeze, Charmed, and Manhattan Nocturne. Dupin also records under the artist name Brix. Most recently, Brix’s cover of Gwen Stefani’s (No Doubt) “Just a Girl” was featured in Disney’s official trailer for “The Nutcracker and The Four Realms”. Brix’s vocals and songwriting are also featured on Hollywood Records’ (Disney) artist Cole Plante’s “Before I’m Yours”, which topped the Billboard Dance Charts. Artist LOREN, developed by Dupin, was labeled 5 Artists to Watch in September 2015 by SPIN MAGAZINE. Dupin is also the co-writer of viral sensation Kimberly Henderson’s “Tiny Hearts”, which received national press and was performed on the Steve Harvey show. Dupin has worked as a judge for X-Factor and a scout for America’s Got Talent. Dupin also sang with the band Passion Pit on Saturday Night Live. The recent loss of Dupin’s father to cancer provoked a period of writing and reflection, evident in her latest work, the “Broken Vessel” EP, and propelled her into releasing her own music for the first time in 2018.
Black Tom Island (Commission – Premiere Stages/Liberty Hall Museum 2018); THE REPORT (2015 FringeNYC); The Irish Curse (Off-Broadway, London, Edinburgh, Prague; published by French), Directions for Restoring the Apparently Dead, Scituate, Mates, Paydirt, Desert Fire, Beautiful Dreamer, Grand Junction. (Musicals) Mary Modern, Play It Cool (Off-Broadway, NAMT, NYMF), Paper Moon (NAMT, Papermill, Goodspeed, Walnut Street, Ford’s Theater, Tokyo), Happy Holidays (Pasadena Playhouse), Saint Heaven (Village Theater), DOO-DAH! (workshop at Stratford Festival, Canada). (Film/TV) One Night Stand; screenplays/TV scripts for Steven Spielberg, HBO, CBS, ABC, Disney, Universal, WB. (Awards) FringeNYC 2015/2005 Overall Excellence Award for Playwriting, THE REPORT /The Irish Curse.; Dramalogue/LA WEEKLY Outstanding Play Awards for Mates; NY Outer Critics Circle nomination, Best New Off-Broadway Musical, Play It Cool; GLAAD nominations for Outstanding New Play, The Irish Curse and Best New Off-Broadway Musical, Play It Cool. Pride Films and Plays Great Gay Play Award, Directions for Restoring the Apparently Dead. Casella taught playwriting at CalArts and NYC’s Harvey Milk School. Member of The Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild Of America.
produced and directed Play It Cool from NYMF to NAMT to Off Broadway, where it received an Outer Critics Circle Best New Musical nomination, and a Best Off-Broadway Musical GLAAD nomination for its NYMF production. For the Los Angeles production, Play It Cool received several award nominations, including a GLAAD Award nomination for Outstanding New LA Play. Sharon also produced and directed the West Coast premiere of Always…Patsy Cline, starring Sally Struthers, which played The Coronet Theater (LA), The Laguna Playhouse and in Las Vegas, where it received Best Production honors. Her American premiere of Slow Love earned seven Drama-Logue Awards (including Critic’s Choice and Best Production); her LA premiere of David Budbill’s Judevine brought her three more. Sharon also produced RUMI with Paul Sills, founder of Second City and creator of the Tony Award-winning Story Theater. Sharon is preparing to direct a revival of Oh What A Lovely War.
Alchemy Production Group is headed by Carl Pasbjerg and senior General Managers, Marshall Purdy and Abbie Strassler, along with Associate General Manager Lauren Tucker, who have overseen scores of live stage attractions around North America throughout their multi-decade careers. Current Productions: Come From Away, In Transit, The Illusionists – Turn of the Century, Alton Brown Live: Eat Your Science. Recent APG productions include The Illusionists (Broadway Engagements 2014 & 2015), Doctor Zhivago, First Date, Memphis (Broadway, West End and National Tour) Donny & Marie – A Broadway Christmas, A Christmas Story, Guys and Dolls, and Lucky Guy (Off-Broadway), to name a few. APG also works with BASE Entertainment to develop a portfolio of live productions in Las Vegas and throughout North America. www.alchemyproductiongroup.com
Sam Maher started YesBroadway to help people sort through the noise of what to see and what to get excited about on Broadway and in the world of theater. He lives and breathes for fresh and exciting theater, especially musicals (he even has two Broadway-themed tattoos!) and is always excited to help identify what kind of shows are poised to get as close to Hamilton-level hype as possible, what snoozefests to avoid if you’re “not that into Broadway”, and what kind of news and content theatergoers want in 2020. The world of Broadway and NYC theater is super exciting…you just have to know how to navigate it!
Sam was a producer of Be More Chill on Broadway and, through YesBroadway, also heads up influencer and traditional marketing for over 15 Broadway shows as well as several Off-Broadway theater companies and theater-adjacent brands.
Photos by Darin Chumbley, PictureDLC.com
