The cost of funding a new musical can be overwhelming, a daunting feat for only the bravest among us? Or is it? Eliyahu Kheel, administrator of the Facebook site All Things Broadway, rallied the troops of its 62,000-plus members and crowd-funded $4,000 of the $5,000 needed to produce the new musical Island Song which will receive a two performance run on June 19th and 26th.

What started out as essentially a Facebook chat space for discussion of Broadway (all things, apparently), has evolved into a momentum-building producing organization and theatre company that has produced and performed concerts at the prestigious Feinstein’s/54 Below as well as the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Is Kheel’s Facebook posse (remember, 62,000 people and growing) the wave of producing even bigger projects in the future? Spread out the cost so that everyone can have a small hand in making theatrical magic? It seems like Kheel is onto something. 

Island Song features a score by Sam Carner and Derek Gregor and is developed with Marlo Hunter. Directed by Keira Todd (with co-direction by Kheel), and music direction by Macy Schmidt, the musical will feature a cast that includes Matthew Billman as Will, Stephanie Michele Toups as Jordan, Darren Cementina as Cooper, Anna Harris as Caroline, and Kira Leiva as Shoshana. 

The musical is described as follows: “A poignant, off-beat dramedy with a kinetic pop-rock score (boasting 7 MAC-nominated songs), Island Song takes us through a year in the lives of five twenty-and-thirty-somethings sharing a city and the chain of surprising, poignant, and partially random connections that bring them into each other’s spheres at moments that become pivotal. As the city pulses around them, they all must work through their own complex relationships with ambition, distraction, and the search for connection.

I encourage anyone who can to see Island Song and support up-and-coming composers and vibrant, evolving producing organization with a vision of theatre’s future. Island Song plays the Davenport Theatre Loft on June 19th and 26th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are on sale for $15 general admission and $20 for front row premium. For more information on the show itself visit www.carnerandgregor.com/project/island-song.