★★★★
Time Out New York, New York Daily News
NY TIMES CRITICS’ PICK
“GLORIOUSLY strange, DELIGHTFULLY weird, CLEVERLY HILARIOUS! A LIVELY, LIKABLE and ENDEARING new musical!”
—Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
“A DELIGHT! ‘Found’ is the first emotionally satisfying musical for
the post-bust generation.
THE WILDNESS NEVER LETS UP!”
—New York Magazine
“LOOK NO FURTHER: ‘FOUND’ IS HERE!
A welcome edge of surreal authenticity.
A sharp ensemble. Rollicking, ingenious showstoppers! THE BEST DATE-NIGHT SHOW OF THE SEASON!”
—New York Post
“CLEVERNESS and JOY! EXUBERANTLY executed MUSICAL TREATS by a cast of ten SPIRITED talents!”
—New York Observer
“A WINSOMELY QUIRKY, ENDEARING new musical! Imagine a modern Hair with more songs like Frank Mills”
—Time Out New York
“A SURPRISING AND SATISFYING FIND! New musicals with the ORIGINALITY and INFECTIOUS EXUBERANCE of ‘Found’ are uncommon.”
—New York Daily News
“FOUND IS ONE HELL OF A GOOD TIME!A form-exploding new musical will leave you SMILING FOR DAYS! Each word this ensemble utters is a GUT BUSTER OF EPIC PROPORTIONS!”
—Theatermania
“WITTY, LAUGH-OUT-LOUD FUNNY!”
—Entertainment Weekly
ABOUT THE SHOW...
Based on Davy Rothbart's popular Found books, magazines, tours and appearances on This American Life comes a new musical comedy about the things we've lost and the ways they bring us together.
Tony-nominated book writer Hunter Bell joins composer/lyricist Eli Bolin and director Lee Overtree in creating a semi-autobiographical account of Davy's life and loves, set against a backdrop of the hilarious and heart-breaking real notes and letters from the pages of Found Magazine, as they come to life on stage. Presented by an award-winning team of producers, writers and designers, FOUND explores both the objects and the people we encounter along our way, and reveals the stories hidden in plain sight in the world around us.
FOUND isn't just based on a true story... it's based on hundreds of them.
On a snowy winter night in Chicago back in 2000, Davy Rothbart went out to his car and found a note on his windshield — a note meant for someone else... a guy named Mario.
He couldn't get over this note, with its amazing mixture of anger and hopefulness, and so he showed it to as many friends as he could. Soon Davy became obsessed with collecting similar such discarded objects, ultimately publishing thousands of them for the world to see.
FOUND follows Davy from this chance discovery of Amber's note through his efforts to create a widely-circulated indie magazine with his friends. As Davy gains success sharing other people's private, often shocking, hilarious or harrowing moments, he uncovers the secret we've all forgotten: the things we hide are often the very things we have in common. FOUND weaves together Davy's story with the stories of countless other real people, through the notes they've lost that others have found.
<
>
CREATIVE TEAM...
HUNTER BELL (Book) earned an OBIE Award, a Drama League nomination, and a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical all for the original Broadway musical [title of show]. Other credits include the books for Silence! The Musical, Bellobration! (Ringling Bros. Circus), Villains Tonight! (Disney Cruise Lines), Now. Here. This. (Vineyard Theatre) and The Great American Mousical (Goodspeed). He is a co-creator of the web series the [title of show] show and recently developed for ABC Studios/Television and Cherry-Wind Productions. Hunter has also developed new works at the O'Neill Center, Ars Nova, PS 122, Weston Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Source, and the NYMF and NY Fringe Festivals. He is a distinguished alumnus of Webster University, a proud member of WGA, the Dramatists Guild, and a MacDowell Fellow.
DAVY ROTHBART (Creator of Found Magazine) Davy's magazine Found is dedicated to discarded notes, letters, flyers, photos, lists, and drawings found and sent in by readers. The magazine spawned a best-selling book, Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World, published in April 2004. A second collection was published in May 2006, a third in May 2009. The magazine is published annually. He appears regularly on This American Life with Ira Glass. Rothbart is the founder of Washington II Washington, an annual hiking adventure which brings inner-city kids from Washington, D.C. and Southeast Michigan to New Hampshire for a climb to the top of Mt. Washington. He directs the Found Magazine Prison Pen-Pal Program, connecting Found readers on the outside with those behind bars, and is also active with the youth writing programs 826 National, 826michigan, and 826LA.
LEE OVERTREE (Director, Book) has served as Artistic Director of Story Pirates since he co-founded the organization in 2003. His productions have been presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, Solid Sound Festival (curated by the band Wilco), Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival in Seattle, and at dozens of theaters in New York, including at Symphony Space, Ars Nova, Dixon Place, Galapagos and the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. Other writing/directing credits include productions for major publishing houses, the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Lee hosts and directs the weekly Sirius/XM show Story Pirates Radio. He is an alumnus of Northwestern University.
ELI BOLIN (Music, Original Lyrics) is thrilled to be part of the FOUND team. He is music director & chief songwriter for STORY PIRATES, an arts education organization with branches in NYC and L.A. that performs songs and sketches adapted from the creative writing of children all over the country. Eli has composed for SESAME STREET since 2010, and has also written music for FUSE's BILLY ON THE STREET and two Kristen Schaal specials for Comedy Central. His musical VOLLEYGIRLS was voted NYMF's 'Best of Fest' this past summer and his Lucille Lortel-nominated musical SKIPPYJON JONES is currently in its 3rd year of touring. Eli also composed the scores for off-Broadway's I SING!, ROLLER DISCO (ART), SCHMOOZY TOGETHERNESS (Williamstown) & FRINGICAL! (NYMF). As an actor and musician, Eli appeared on NBC's 30 ROCK as a member of the Woggels. Eli is a member of ASCAP, the Dramatists Guild and is represented by Abrams Artists. EliBolin.net
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY...
(CLICK THE YEAR TO EXPLORE!)
A series of developmental workshops begins between Lang Entertainment Group (Victoria Lang, Producer) and Story Pirates (Jamie Salka, Producer; Lee Overtree, Director; Eli Bolin, Composer), in conjunction with the Found magazine creators, bringing the “finds” to life via sketches and songs. These performances take place at the Drama Book Shop in NYC.
As a benefit for Story Pirates, three public performances of the sketch version of FOUND at the Actors Playhouse in NYC are announced and immediately sell out. The reaction to the material is extremely positive and Ars Nova invites FOUND to perform at it’s theatre and develop the show further.
A scout from CBS attends the Actors Playhouse shows and invites FOUND to perform at the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle.
2009 sees the first of four performances of FOUND at Ars Nova
in NYC. Each time the creative team continues honing the material and drawing enthusiastic audiences.
Additional performances of FOUND take place
at Ars Nova in NYC throughout 2010. Producer
Eva Price attends the last performance and joins
the producing team.
The producing team bring on Tony-nominee Hunter Bell to help tie the sketch material together with
a Broadway-worthy book.
A two-week workshop at Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts transitions the show from sketches to a narrative book musical, culminating in a reading.
A week long workshop at Running Deer Musical Theatre Lab in Washington state allows the authors to hone the material in preparation for an upcoming production at the Berkshire Theatre Group.
A two-week rehearsal period culminates in two public performances of the full book musical at the Berkshire Theatre Group's Colonial Theatre.
FOUND is invited to further develop the script in a two-week workshop that culminates in two public presentations as part of the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University.
In July of 2013, as part of the New York Stage & Film/Powerhouse season at Vassar College, a two-week workshop with Broadway-caliber performers culminates in three presentations.
A two-week workshop in December of 2013 at the Atlantic Theatre Company in NYC culminates in two presentations. The focus is on fine-tuning the book and adding choreography.
2007
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS!
SENIOR PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE
Aydrian J Howard
Carolyn Montes
Charles & Patricia Timberlake
Elizabeth McCartney
Jim Balis
Julie Stampler
Lisa Morris
Parvesh Cheena
PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE
Alane Steinacker
Amanda Steen
Amy Manolakos
Ann Walczak
Arlene Kornhaber
Barbara Weber
Benjamin Quintero
Brett Rogers
Brisa Trinchero
Bussinachs
Carrie Reynolds
Chris Elko
Christina Ablon
Christopher Overtree
Cindy Gold
Cindy Lagreca
Craig A. Garcia
D. Kramer
Daniel Kells
Darby Green & Jason Davis
David Levy
Diane Spino
Dorothy P. Fucito
Elizabeth Newell
Frank C. Warren
Hallie Baron
Howard May
Jacob Louis Harvey
Jake Perlman
Janessa Gursky
Jeannette Hektoen
Jeffrey Currier
Jeffrey Rinvelt
Jeni Mitchell
Jennifer Taw
Jessica Salka
Jill Isabelle
Jill Posner
John Fennessy
Joseph Bolduc
Joyce E. Green
Judy Schwartz
Julia Poepping
Julie Brodsky
Julie Stampler
Kristen L. Perlman
Laura K. Heywood
Linda Bolin
Linda Camerota
Marcy A. Heisler
Marya Peters
MaryEllen Collins
Mercer Boffey
Meredith Harvath
Meredyth J. Myers
Pamela G. Freedman
Patricia A. Hensley
Pegge Forrest
Peter Balis & Brian Goldston
Rebecca Cronk
Rebekah M. Simpson
Robert Celli
Sandra E. Bushnell
Sandra Fleischer
Sara A. Gaar
Sara Zick
Shanna Hollich
Sharon M. Kasting
Sherry Frank
Sibylla Frank
Skip Liesegang
Stephen Bolin
Steve Bolin
Steven Spino
Toria Garrett
Willow Ann Baum
PRODUCTION COLLABORATOR
Adam Tesler
Alessandro King
Alex Mazarakis
Allison J. Posner
Andrew M. Hecht
Anne G. Levy
Austin Lysy
Beth L. BaRoss
Bill Keaggy
Claire Wenzel
Claudia Hahn
Colleen N. Clark
Darcy DiModugno
Debbie Deeds
Dianne W. Graham
Donna Dorsey
Donna Sorrow
Elane Morrison
Elisabeth Brown Daley
Elnora M.V. Farley
Emily DiModugno
Erica Tennyson
Ermelia Natiello
Glenn Simpson
Grace DiModugno
Holly Bowen
Howard I. Tilkin
Jack Mitchell
Jacquelyn M. Sabine
James O. Taylor
Janessa Gursky
Janine Giaime
Jayne Schneider
Jeanne Johnson
Jennifer Weber
Josephine P. Peacock
Justin Bradshaw
Karine Bakhoum
Katherine Rose West Valle
Kathleen Christie
Kurt M. Swenstein
Laura Zavetz
Lauren Imbruglia
Laurie M. Carlson
Lawrence R. Leritz
Linda Aktar
Linda Scarpa
Linda Tarzian
Louisa Luisi
Marc Cantor
Maria Saltalamacchia
Marilyn Fitzgerald
Marni Konner
Martin Literary Management
Mary Anne R. Kosmoski
Maureen McKeown Tsuchida
Melynda H. Miller
Oliver J. Rowe
Nickiann Bussanich
Rachel Scott
Rose Boniello
Sara Krakauer
Sean J. McCooe
Shayla Schott
Shirley Kelly
Stan Zimmerman
Steven L. Bussanich
Susan E. Williams
Suzanne Golabek
Tony Baarda
Tristan Chiruvolu
