Writer-director Alan Bailey (Smoke on the Mountain), performer Jill Marie Burke, and music director Brent Crayon have released a new music video of Jason Robert Brown's "Hear My Song," the finale from his song cycle Songs For a New World, to commemorate the show's 25th anniversary and benefit Educational Theatre Foundation's efforts to increase access to arts education. The song is performed by a collection of Broadway and regional performers joined by some exceptional high school musical theatre performers. Watch the video above.
“It’s about one moment. It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back,” reflects Brown on the cycle's anniversary. Songs For a New World was the composer-lyricist's first produced show, but he started doing musicals in high school. “Then I just kept wanting to do them. I felt at home in the theater, in that way that you're supposed to if that's the kind of person you are. It is gratifying to know that this version of the song will directly benefit a new generation of theatre students.”
Following a Toronto workshop, Songs For a New World premiered in 1995 at Off-Broadway's WPA Theatre, with a cast including Billy Porter, Andréa Burns, and Jessica Molaskey. The work has gone on to become a regional and college favorite. A recent London production was among the first in-person theatrical events to be held following the theatre shutdowns in response to COVID-19.
The music video is available to watch for free, but donations to ETF are strongly encouraged.
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