Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 PM EST
To Paint the Earth is the Richard Rodgers’ Award-winning musical that tells the story of the Jewish Underground in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943 and its stunning decision to fight back. In the tradition of “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Les Misérables,” and inspired by memoirs, video, and first-hand accounts from survivors, To Paint the Earth is a sweeping musical about those who were pushed to the brink but refused to give up – ordinary people who, together, planned an armed rebellion despite the overwhelming challenges they faced.
This performance commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and is a first-ever orchestrated concert version of the musical.
The livestream is free with an optional donation to the Museum.
Register for Livestream Video Here
Daniel F. Levin (words) is a playwright, bookwright/lyricist, and composer based in Brooklyn. His short film “My Body is My Temple” (lyrics) from Spandex the Musical, was selected in February for the NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival and won best original song at the Paris Film Awards. Along with Jonathan Portera, he is the recipient of the Richard Rodgers Development Award and the Jonathan Larson Memorial Fellowship at the Dramatists Guild. Levin’s works have been presented at La Mama, Long Wharf Theater, the Southwark Playhouse, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and the 13th Street Rep, among others, and have been published in three editions of Applause Books’ Best American Short Plays.
Jonathan Portera (music) is a critically acclaimed composer and singer-songwriter. A recipient of the Richard Rodgers Development Award and the Jonathan Larson Memorial Fellowship at the Dramatists Guild, Portera holds degrees from NYU/Tisch and Carnegie Mellon University. To Paint the Earth was selected for the New York Musical Theatre Festival and made its London debut as part of the From Page to Stage Festival at the Southwark Playhouse. Other works include: with book-writer/lyricist Tara Bahna-James, The Uses of Enchantment (dir. Cara Reichal/Prospect Theatre Company), Eleanora (based on the short story by Edgar Allen Poe, Minneaopolis, MN & NYC).
Marcia Milgrom Dodge (director) is a Tony, Drama Desk, and Astaire Award nominated director and choreographer for her Broadway/Kennedy Center revival of Ragtime. Her bold new approaches to classic plays and musicals include Disney’s Beauty and The Beast (Olney Theatre Center) and two productions of Smokey Joe’s Cafe (The Muny and Drury Lane/Jeff Award for Best Revival.) Her New York premieres include Maltby and Shire’s Closer Than Ever (Off-Broadway) and William Finn’s Romance in Hard Times (Public Theater). For TV, Milgrom Dodge appears as herself in Disney+ Encore! and choreographed The Muppets in an Emmy-winning episode of Sesame Street-The Tango Festival.
Artwork by Sheila Phalon.
Watch a teaser of the musical here:
