MusiCoLab

As we celebrate Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month, we at MusiCoLab wanted to take a moment to highlight some of our favorite Hispanic and Latine musical theater creators!

Quiara Alegría Hudes is a Philadelphia-born, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and librettist. She is perhaps best known for writing the book for "In the Heights" and the play "Water by the Spoonful."

Lin-Manuel Miranda is one of the most prolific musical theater composers in recent decades. He won Tonys for "In the Heights" and "Hamilton," and a Grammy for his songs featured in the animated film Moana.

Alexander Dinelaris is a screenwriter and playwright of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. He provided additional book and lyrics for "Zanna, Don’t!", and he is the book writer for the Gloria Estefan jukebox musical "On Your Feet!"

Managing Director Gilberto Vega reflects, "As a Costa Rican-American musical theatre artist and administrator, I am grateful for the ways these artists have pushed the artform forward. From "In the Heights" to "On Your Feet," these works allowed me to see myself, my ancestors, my culture, and my community permeate across musical theater."

Who is your favorite Hispanic or Latine performer? Share in the comments!

In Memory of Lou Bluver

MusiCoLab lost one of its earliest and most generous champions last month with the passing of Louis S. Bluver, a lifelong Philadelphian who believed in this city's theater artists and supported some of the city's most adventurous companies.

Lou was there at the beginning — one of MusiCoLab's founding donors, whose support helped a small idea about developing new musicals become an organization with a real home in Philadelphia's theater community. That belief in new work wasn't new for him. For years, the theater that bears his name at the Drake — the Louis Bluver Theatre — has hosted new play and musical development for companies across the city . Among the works that we presented in the theater that bears Lou's name are Goosefeathers, In The Temple of the H***y Tonk, Far From The Tree, Finding Madame Curie and Red & Black, and Lou enjoyed all of these performances from a front-row seat.

Lou's love of the stage ran alongside a genuine curiosity about the world: a travel industry entrepreneur who visited more than 150 countries, a board member of the Philadelphia Film Society with a personal library of silent films, and by every account a man who showed up — for Broadway, for Philadelphia's small companies, for the Big Brothers he mentored, for the community he never stopped investing in.

We're grateful for his generosity, and for the years he spent making room — literally and otherwise — for new stories to be told here. Philadelphia's theater community is diminished by his loss.

Spent the summer spawning a song? Come share with the MusiCoLaboratory! Our community of musical theater creators will convene next Monday, September 21, 7-9pm. Reach out to [email protected] for more information!
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We can’t believe it’s been one year since MusiCoLab’s workshop of RED & BLACK! In August 2025, a week-long development process of this powerful new musical culminated in a public staged reading. Take a stroll down memory lane with us and scroll through some rehearsal photos.

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Created by: Nick Hatcher, Sheridan Merrick, and David B. Thomas
Director: Lindsay Smiling
Music Director: Elle.Morris
Stage Manager: Patreshettarlini (Pat) Adams
Photos: Christopher Colucci

Concocted something new? 🎶🧪 Join us for this month's meeting of the MusiCoLaboratory!

Next Monday, August 17, musical theater writers of all levels will gather to share works-in-progress, receive feedback, connect with collaborators, and discuss craft. Reach out to [email protected] for more information.

Public investment in the arts is an investment in Philadelphia’s future! 🎭🎶
MusiCoLab is honored to receive support provided by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund as part of their new, equitable funding strategy. This unrestricted funding allows us to continue our mission of nurturing new musicals and the artists who create them, cultivating a vibrant community of Philadelphia-based writers and sharing their work with local audiences. Thank you to Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, and the Philadelphia City Council (PHLCouncil) for their commitment to a thriving arts community!

Are you a musical theater creator? Join us next Monday, July 20, for our monthly gathering-- The MusiCoLaboratory! It's a space where writers of all levels share works-in-progress, receive feedback, connect with collaborators, and discuss craft. Reach out to [email protected] for more information.

🌟 Check out these past MusiCoLab works in their next stage of development! 🌟

The annual Midtown International Theatre Festival starts next week in New York City, and COOL AT CAMP and FINAL DAY? the MUSICAL are among this year’s exciting list of shows.

Part of MusiCoLab’s mission is to nurture new musicals and the artists who create them, so we are always excited to share when past projects get new development opportunities.

⛺Catch COOL AT CAMP on 7/14 at 8:15pm, 7/16 at 6:00pm, and 7/18 at 12:30pm. Find tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cool-at-camp-tickets-1989265372278?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
🌅 Performance for FINAL DAY? The MUSICAL on 7/19 at 6:15pm. Find tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/final-day-the-musical-tickets-1989844145404?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

A one-night-only opportunity this Thursday, June 25: Jay Purdy and The Extraordinaires perform Electric and Benevolent live at the Fringe Bar!

If you were at MusiCoLab's Spotlight Series last April, you heard five songs from this rock musical reimagining the life of Nikola Tesla. Thursday night you'll hear the whole thing — performed live by the band that wrote it, with narration weaving the full story of Tesla, Ellethene the Goddess of Electricity, and the epic battle of AC vs. DC.

Opening act Mudfroot takes the stage at 8pm, with The Extraordinaires to follow. No cover charge — just come and enjoy the show!

Details:

Live Music: The Extraordinaires and Mudfroot The Extraordinaires present ELECTRIC AND BENEVOLENT | An evening of music inspired by the life and times of famed inventor Nikola Tesla with a Greek Mythologica