Denver Cast
Richard Uhrlaub
(Book, Music, and Lyrics) was conceived in the Midwest, but born, relinquished, adopted and raised in Denver, CO. For the Record(s) is his debut musical – which the Muse gifted to him while sitting outside in a hot tub during the pandemic (crazy, right?). The show, drawn from real life experiences and history, is the culmination of playing piano since the age of five, a love affair with formalist poetry at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop, and serving for 25 years as a volunteer legislative advocate, adoption search and support group facilitator, and national conference speaker. Rich wrote the book for the 15 minute frozen embryo musical "For the Good of Humanity." He is a contributing author to Finding Our Place: 100 Memorable Adoptees, Fostered Persons and Orphanage Alumni, and Adoption and Mothering.
Deepest thanks to this incredibly talented and passionate team for bringing this story and music to life. Rich is a member of ASCAP, the Dramatists Guild and the Colorado Theater Guild. Follow and support the show at www.ftrmusical.com and @iambicrich.
Abigail Rebekah Shown
Abbi is a Director/Choreographer and AEA performer based in New York City. She is the co-founder of Manhattan based MT Choreography Initiative, Black Box Movers. She has her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance from the University of Utah School of Dance and graduated with recognition as an Undergraduate Research Scholar for her thesis, Movement for Actors: Practice, Collaboration, and Performance. Recent Direction/Choreography: dir. Weapon in Waiting (NYC Premiere - Arts on Site), choreo. Blow High, Blow Low (Black Box Movers Showcase), choreo. Fear & Fridays (cHorio Showcase), dir./choreo. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Music Man, and Newsies, among others. Abigail is dedicated to using movement to enhance and further the story– this is accomplished through creating a rehearsal space based in collaboration and community building amongst the cast and creative team.
abigail-rebekah.com @abbirebekah
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Dan Sander-Wells
(Piano, Arranger, Musical Director) is a music director, arranger, and orchestrator based in NYC. Past collaborators include Zoe Sarnak, LaChanze, Freddi Walker-Browne, and Kate Baldwin to name a few.
Music directing credits include: Anne Washburn's new play The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire (Off-Broadway, Vineyard Theatre); New musicals RUBY (Detroit Music Hall) and Syncopated Avenue (winner of A Broadway World Sarasota Award for Best Music direction and Orchestra Performance); the 50th Anniversary revival of RAISIN. RUBY also featured his vocal arrangements and orchestrations. He collaborated with the music team on EMPIRE RECORDS (McCarter Theatre Center).
He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Westminster Choir College and is passionate about arranging, orchestrating and music directing new works, as well as established classics. www.dwellsmusic.com and Instagram @dwellsmusic.
Keaton Viavattine
(Bass, Orchestration) Keaton is a dynamic composer and performer from New York City. With a rich background as a performer, Keaton is credited in nearly 1,000 performances for several international touring musical theater productions, captivating more than one million audience members in total, with recent credits including The King and I, The SpongeBob Musical, and Anastasia: The Musical. Keaton holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Trumpet Performance from Eastman College. He recently completed an intensive one-year Master’s degree in Music for Motion Pictures and Contemporary Media at the Film Scoring Academy of Europe in Sofia, Bulgaria. Keaton’s music has been showcased across the United States, most notably at the Buffalo Film Festival, Marina Del Rey Film Festival, and Indie Short Fest.
Meet Our Brilliant Cast
New York Green Room 42 Cast
It All Started
in a Hot Tub
ABOUT THE MUSICAL, TITLE AND LOGO
For the Record(s) is the first musical to capture the heartfelt, secretive, often coercive dynamics of relinquishment and adoption in the last half of the 20th century, dubbed the "Baby Scoop Era." For millions of people who were relinquished and adopted under the closed adoption system, gaining access to their sealed source documents - the original birth certificate and court records - is like finding the Holy Grail. It can be the key to unlocking mysteries about origins, unknown pieces of heritage and identity and vital, even life-saving history to pass on to future generations. The show's logo, which includes a lock and fragmented face sculpture, is symbolic of the core struggles faced by adoptees worldwide.
ABOUT THE CREATOR
Rich is a member of ASCAP, a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, the Colorado Theatre Guild, and a longtime member of the Lighthouse Writers Workshop.
He began piano lessons at age five, advancing to study with the Denver Symphony's Kathleen Joiner. Accompanying various church and school choirs as a youth, his early theatrical career peaked in the role of Harry Beaton in a high school production of Brigadoon. In response to his adoptive mother's conflicting messages that, "You have a gift for music, and you really should use it," and "You need to get a steady job with good benefits," Rich opted for the latter. Nonetheless, he schlepped his piano around the country in various moves and continues his love of music as an avocation. He wrote the book for the new 15 minute frozen embryo musical For the Good of Humanity, and is a contributing author to Finding Our Place: 100 Memorable Adoptees, Fostered Persons and Orphanage Alumni, and Adoption and Mothering.
Like many people stuck at home, the pandemic left him looking for a creative outlet. One day, while Rich was sitting outside in a hot tub, inspiration struck in the form of about 15 song titles. Suppressing intense feelings of baffled unworthiness, Rich dove into the project at the Muse's insistence. Turns out, his background in formalist poetry and music, combined with decades of service as a volunteer non-profit leader, facilitator, writer, advocate and national conference speaker have allowed him to bring powerful stories to light.
A SHOW IS (BEING) BORN!
As a result of valuable feedback from readings, For the Record(s) has undergone revisions, had a powerful, well-received song showcase concert at The Green Room 42, and is primed for a 29 hour workshop and/or a low-budget full developmental production.
Though this story is told primarily through the lens of protagonist Joshua Greenman, born of Mexican-Italian ancestry but adopted by a Jewish couple, the perspectives of parents by birth and adoption - along with an illuminating glimpse into the post-WWII system that was not always compassionate or ethical - are captured in story and song. Can Joshua, with the help of a supportive like-minded community, overcome obstacles and risks to discover the mystery of his origins, and in doing so fulfill a deep desire for identity and connection? If so, at what cost?
For the Record(s) is already bringing people to their feet, to tears, to laughter, and together. We can't wait to see its ultimate impact.