Works

Just south of the Mason-Dixon line in Delaware in the 1950s, two young girls await the release of their mother from confinement (or is it a ‘50’s incarceration?) in a mental institution. Their aunt acts as their guardian in the Garden Court apartment complex whose grounds are tenderly cared for by a disturbed racist. The heat rises when the girls’ mother is released from the mental hospital and a young black boy from Chicago trespasses on the property. Conflicting personalities and disparate approaches to life, two sets of sisters find each other in the green world of Little Creek.

Staged reading co-produced by Blue Horse Repertory Theater and

Spring Street Productions, South Salem, NY; Zoya Kachdurian, Director.

When Jodi returns to the Maine coast to connect with her deceased mother, memories are stirred by the stark realities of marine life forms in their severe salt marsh environment and the resonance of abstract images in the paintings of 1970’s painter Richard Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park Series. Art and nature become her salvation as the disturbing journey through the challenging extremes of childhood and young adult memories bring Jodi closer to a healthy survival.

With music by Paul Magliari, lyrics Gayle Hudson

In this humorous, edgy one-act are seven scenes and one song telling Susan’s story:  a frantic search for yet another new-age fix, a messy confrontation with infidelity and a desperate need to settle down and listen to her own voice, clear and true.

Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Play Festival NYC

GOLD CIRCLE SEMI-FINALIST

Music and lyrics by Bobbe Bramson, Jonathan Cahr, Caroline Cazes, Lora Lee Ecobelli, Anne Grilli, Bob Grilli, Elizabeth Grilli, Gayle Hudson, Dora Kravitz, Karla Cheatham Mosley and Sloan Wainwright.

Book by Gayle Hudson, with Caroline Cazes Dramaturgy Zoya Kachadurian

A raw and revealing musical about female adolescence.  Based on the writing of young women, OUTLOUD puts the audience smack into the daily lives, concerns and cutting edge issues that claim young women today. The musical numbers, with lyrics based on girls’ first-hand accounts, are written by seasoned as well as novice songwriters and composers and offer an eclectic variety of styles and voices. An episodic journey. A truthful soul is at the center of OUTLOUD and audiences are both moved and empowered.

Music and lyrics by Bobbe Bramson

What is the life pulsing underground, inside a seed, within a human heart in the relentless darkness of winter?  The decrease of light and warmth affects the animal and plant kingdoms and human nature in profound ways.  Borrowing from Robert Frost,  Hans Christian Anderson, Rachel Field, Native traditions, rituals and tales from around the world, Winter Light offers a rich and complex look at how we survive while waiting for the return of light and love.  A powerful and acclaimed score by Bobbe Bramson.

(music and lyrics by Bobbe Bramson, Jan Calner, Dora Kravitz, Anne Grilli, Bob Grilli and Karla Cheatham Mosley)

Is the heart simply an amazing muscle that brings us the pulse of our lives?  Or is it the center of our feelings, emotions and romantic longings?  Framed by dueling narrators, HEARTBEATS delivers scenes, songs and sketches that take us deeper into the search for the heart’s truest purpose.

(based on the novel by Mary Mapes Dodge)

Music and lyrics by Bobbe Bramson.

Hans and his sister Gretl are at the heart of this musical adaptation, bringing honor to their impoverished and scorned family, success in overcoming their father’s dark illness and happiness beyond measure.  An old-fashioned family tale complete with homespun values, deftly drawn characters and boundless human warmth.

A fantasy about an emotionally trapped girl’s journey to liberation. Accepting a twisted and quest-filled path, Becca finds her power and a strong new voice as she climbs above her unnerving attachment to a dark and controlling force. A disturbing and magical but honest look at getting out of the dark.

This bold music theater creation is under construction. The book / libretto is in Version 6 and the search for a composer collaborator is full on.