OUT HERE (2023) (IN PROGRESS)
Book & Lyrics by Leslie Buxbaum, Music & Lyrics by Erin McKeown
Additional Concept Development by David Levin
Dawn wants out. She has a house, a husband, a family. She has a girlfriend. Unexpected guests push her to face who is writing whom. With a crack band joining the fray, the pulsing, punk-folk soundtrack of OUT HERE combines elements of opera and rock as it upends expectations about how musicals work and what it means to sing.
OUT HERE has been developed with the generous support of a Mellon Fellowship for Arts Practice and Scholarship at the Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry, The University of Chicago. Additional support from Lucky Plush Productions.
TERRARIUM BEHAVIOUR (2019) (in progress)
Erin is writing the book, music, and lyrics for TERRARIUM BEHAVIOUR, a new musical.
Three co-workers have been thriving in a terrarium when a new hire suddenly appears, setting off a cascade of events that re-order a harmonious workplace dynamic with devastating results. From the mind of musician, writer, and producer Erin McKeown comes this inventive new musical in progress. Featuring original songs in the style of the Great American Songbook, TERRARIUM BEHAVIOUR is art for our current moment. Power, gender, and ecology do battle in the humble little jar we know as a terrarium.
TERRARIUM BEHAVIOUR had a work-in-progress reading in Los Angeles, presented by Bespoke Plays Feb 10, 12, 2019.
MISS YOU LIKE HELL (2018)
Erin’s first musical, MISS YOU LIKE HELL, co-written with Pulitzer and Tony winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, had its first production at La Jolla Playhouse in 2016 and opened Off-Broadway at the legendary Public Theater in 2018. It was nominated for 5 Drama Desk Awards (including Best Music, Best Lyrics, Best Orchestrations), 3 Outer Critics Circle Awards (Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Score), and a Lucille Lortel Award (Outstanding Musical). The Wall Street Journal named it Best Musical of 2018.
A daughter who is allowed to stay. A mother who may be forced to leave. And the unexpected cadre of American originals they meet en route to mom’s citizenship hearing. Miss You Like Hell explores how many miles we can travel with the help of courageous neighbors and beautiful strangers.