FEBRUARY 2020: 54 BELOW CONCERT
Check out this concert at 54 Below (NYC) on Feb 5! Masi has a song in the program, featuring the testimony of a young girl being held in a detention camp at the US border, performed by Broadway's Madison Lagares. Tix & info here.
NOVEMBER 2019: DRAMATISTS GUILD INSTITUTE
Masi was honored to be invited to give a workshop on "Making the Contemporary Musical" at the Dramatists Guild Institute's Musical Theatre Intensive at Northwestern University!
NOVEMBER 2019: ASTR PANEL
Masi presented a paper entitled "Vocal Color in Blue: Early 20th Century Black Women Singers as Broadway's Voice Teachers" on the curated Sound Acts panel at the American Society for Theatre Research conference, Sat Nov 9 in Arlington, VA. More info here!
NOVEMBER 2019: TOULMIN COMMISSION ANNOUNCED
Masi was honored with a commission from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, through its Women Playwrights Commissioning Program, to write book, music, and lyrics for a new musical for Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. Read the Broadwayworld announcement here.
OCTOBER 2019: NEW SONGS IN CONCERT
With actor Huling Foster, Masi performed songs from her new musical Rishvor in October at the Whitman/Grove commissioning program showcase, hosted by producer Barbara Whitman, at the Signature Center in NYC!
SEPTEMBER 2019: #AMPLIFYTHECHILDREN CONCERT
I am contributing a new song to a benefit concert on Sep 14 in Chicago to amplify the voices of children being held in detention camps at the US border and to raise funds for immigration advocacy and legal fees. Tix & info here.
AUGUST 2019: SAMUEL FRENCH FESTIVAL
What a blast to see great new work at the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival and serve on the judges' panel with Margaret Ledford and Keli Goff!
AUGUST 2019: INTERVIEW ON MAESTRA BLOG
Had fun speaking with Maestra Music about my work as a composer, proud to celebrate and make space for women in music in musical theatre! See the interview here.
AUGUST 2019: ATHE MUSIC THEATRE/DANCE PANEL
It was a pleasure to reflect on this year’s musical theatre season with colleagues Bryan Vandevender (Bucknell University), Amy Osatinski (University of Northern Iowa), Trevor Boffone (University of Houston), and Barrie Gelles (CUNY)at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) annual conference in our panel "Visions of Nowness: A Roundtable About Noteworthy Happenings in Musical Theatre’s Current Season."
JUNE 2019: MS. MARVEL PLAY PUBLISHED!
Beyond excited that my play about Marvel super hero Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel has been published and is available for licensing from Samuel French! See the write-ups in the NY Times and LA Times, and licensing info here!
JUNE 2019: CONCERT AT RATTLESTICK PLAYWRIGHTS THEATER
Had a blast playing and singing several of my own songs as part of the New Songs Now series at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, NYC, on June 5, 2019, alongside talented musical theatre writer-performers The Bengsons and in conversation with Musical Theatre Factory's producing artistic director Mei Ann Teo.
MAY 2019: LILLY AWARDS CEREMONY
I was so honored to receive the Stacey Mindich "Go Write A Musical" Award, given by Broadway producer Stacey Mindich (Dear Evan Hansen), at the 2019 Lilly Awards!
MAY 2019: OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION PRIZE HONORABLE MENTION
I was honored to receive an honorable mention in NYU's university-wide Outstanding Dissertation Awards. My 2018 dissertation "Voicing the Possible: Technique, Vocal Sound, and Black Women on the Musical Stage" examines embodied, racialized pedagogies of singing technique in order to excavate the ways that black women singers theorized the voice in US musical theatre performances from 1900 to 1970.
APRIL 2019: THEATER HALL OF FAME EVENT
Very grateful to receive an Emerging Artist Grant from the Theater Hall of Fame in April, nominated by Tony winning producer Daryl Roth!
MARCH 2019: PLAYWRIGHTS PANEL AT THE COURT THEATRE, CHICAGO
I was honored to participate in a talkback panel about Ntozake Shange's masterwork for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf at the Court Theatre, Chicago on Sunday, March 24, alongside Lydia Diamond, Loy Webb, Gloria Bond Clunie, and Tsehaye Geralyn Hebert, moderated by Tracie Morris. Thanks to the Dramatists Guild for the invitation!
DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019: MONSOON WEDDING MUSICAL
Was excited to spend some time in New Delhi, India in Dec 2018/Jan 2019 for a workshop of Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding the Musical! I'm fortunate to be a lyricist for this project.
DECEMBER 2018: THE DRAMATIST MAGAZINE
Had fun sharing my thoughts on rhyming politics for the latest issue of The Dramatist magazine, alongside a great group of lyricists. Click here to read.
AUGUST 2018: NEW DEMO TRACKS
Went into the studio with these talented artists to make 3 new demo tracks! Here's the mothers' duet from The Family Resemblance, with Laiona Michelle and Elizabeth Ward Land (vocals), and David Gardos (piano). Full demo here.
AUGUST 2018: SHABASH! LINCOLN CENTER
Excited to help shine the spotlight on musical theatre artists of South Asian descent in this Lincoln Center concert. My lyrics will be featured in 2 songs from Monsoon Wedding the Musical! August 2 - 4.
JULY 2018: CITY CENTER WITH THE CIVILIANS
Excited to work with the Civilians to contribute a new song to The Lobby Project at City Center's Encores! Off Center, for the run of Micki Grant's landmark show Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, July 25 - 28. Tix and info here.
JUNE 2018: INTERVIEW IN THE CLYDE FITCH REPORT
Enjoyed this interview...thank you to Robin Rothstein for the great questions!
Masi Asare and Her Radical, Creative Musical Theater (June 27, 2018)
JUNE 2018: O'NEILL UPDATES
My musical play The Family Resemblance was wonderfully supported at the O'Neill National Music Theater Conference in June. In addition to the wonderful cast and creative team, Tony Award winner Jamshied Sharifi (The Band's Visit) made a beautiful orchestration for one number from the show, and theatre legend David Henry Hwang visited to give some great feedback to the group. I was also very honored to receive both the Georgia Bogardus Holof Lyricist Award and the Paulette Haupt Composition Prize at the O’Neill at the final performance...huge thank you to artistic director Alex Gemignani and all at the O'Neill!
MAY 2018: AT THE O'NEILL IN JUNE
My musical The Family Resemblance will be at the O'Neill National Music Theater Conference in June! Performances on June 23, 24, 27 & 29. Links to: Playbill article and tix info.
APRIL 2018: MONSOON WEDDING THE MUSICAL
Excited to join the creative team of Monsoon Wedding the Musical as a lyricist, working with director Mira Nair and a wonderful group of talented artists. The show is currently in development in NYC.
SPRING 2018: UPCOMING RESEARCH TALK AT UCLA
I'll be speaking about Broadway divas Pat Suzuki and Leslie Uggams in my talk "Belters in Broadway's Golden Age" at the Song, Stage, and Screen conference at UCLA, May 31-June 3!
MARCH 2018: GOOD TO GO FESTIVAL
I'll be sharing songs from The Family Resemblance at the Good to Go Festival with Prospect Theater Company on March 10! More info soon...
JANUARY 2018: BROADWAYCON!
Excited to participate in BroadwayCon on Sunday, January 28 at 11 a.m. as a guest presenter for the session "The Pitch"!
DECEMBER 2017: HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Here's a holiday song I wrote a little while ago in honor of the season, titled "Joy Calls for Courage." That's me singing, with Peter Yarin at the piano...Enjoy!
OCTOBER 2017: NEO ARTIST AT YORK
Excited to be selected as a NEO (new/ emerging/ outstanding) artist at the York Theatre Company this year! I recently had several songs featured in the NEO Benefit Concert at the York on Monday, October 16, performed by Stephanie Umoh, Max Crumm, Sojourner Brown, and Vanessa Lemonides. Read the announcement here. Tix here!
JULY 2017: SUMMER CONCERTS
Excited to have two of my songs featured in upcoming concerts this summer: On Mon 7/21 at 9:30pm, my song "Testimony" will be included in the NYMF Women of Note concert performed by the wonderful Zonya Love Johnson! Tix here. On Fri 8/4 at 9:30pm my song "Love Always Finds the Way Home" will be included in the Women of the Wings concert at 54 Below. Tix here.
MAY 2017: VOICE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Very proud of voice student Nia Ashleigh Harris, recently selected in a national competition as a winner of the YoungArts competition in Popular Voice! Check out a video of her performing the song "Rise Up" here.
MARCH 6 & 7, 2017: STAGED READING
Excited to continue developing my new musical The Family Resemblance, commissioned by Theatre Royal Stratford East, with an invited reading here in NYC on March 6 & 7, with Bingham Camp Theatre Retreat. See the notice in Broadwayworld.com.
FEBRUARY 2017: SONG FROM A NEW SHOW
Check out this country blues number from the new musical The Forgetting Place that I am writing with playwright Chisa Hutchinson! With Jon-Michael Reese and Brittney Johnson on vocals, and Justin Poindexter on guitar.
JANUARY 2017: IN THE STUDIO
I am beyond excited about heading into the studio this month to record demo tracks of a couple songs from the new family musical The Forgetting Place that I am writing with wonderful playwright Chisa Hutchinson. With the talented Rheaume Crenshaw, Shelley Thomas, Tye Roberson, Zonya Love Johnson, Brittney Johnson, Jon-Michael Reese, and Darryl Ivey on the keys, plus Justin Poindexter on blues guitar.
OCT 27 2016: NAMT SONGWRITER SHOWCASE
I was honored to share two songs from my musical THE FAMILY RESEMBLANCE at New World Stages in NYC, alongside a wonderful group of musical theatre writers. The wonderful Shelley Thomas and Talia Thiesfield (pictured above with me) performed with Mark Fifer at the piano. Check out more songs from the show on the working demo here, and see the Broadwayworld article on the concert here!
OCT 17 2016: LILLY AWARDS BROADWAY CABARET
I'm thrilled that the comic villains' duet "If I Didn't Have You" from my secret agent musical SYMPATHY JONES (book by Brooke Pierce) will be performed at the Lilly Awards' Broadway Cabaret on October 17 by the hilarious Ann Harada and Jeff Blumenkrantz! More details and ticket information here.
SEP 29 2016: A SONG FROM MY NEW SHOW
Check out the song "An Ocean Away" from my new musical THE FAMILY RESEMBLANCE performed by the talented Shelley Thomas and Mark Fifer from Bingham Camp Theatre Retreat at iCRV Radio!
SEP 24 2016: BINGHAM CAMP THEATRE RETREAT
I was so honored to participate in a residency at Bingham Camp Theatre Retreat (Devanand Janki, Artistic Director) in September 2016 to develop my new musical, The Family Resemblance! Click here to see an article about the retreat on Broadwayworld.com.
SEP 12 2016: INTERVIEW ON KEITH PRICE'S CURTAIN CALL
As part of a series highlighting artists from Bingham Camp Theatre Retreat, I was delighted to speak with the fabulous Keith Price about my new show The Family Resemblance. You can listen to the full conversation here.
APR 15 2016: SCHOLARLY TALK AT EMP POP CONFERENCE
I was invited to present an academic research paper at the EMP Pop conference, From a Whisper to a Scream: The Voice in Popular Music, in Seattle, WA. My paper is entitled "Singing Unhealthy: Lauryn Hill and the Limits of the Voice." You can listen to an excerpt of the talk (also available on iTunes podcasts) here.
MAR 8 2016: THEATRE ARTIST TO WATCH
From Tony Award winning lyricist Lynn Ahrens: "Let me give a shout out to a few excellent up-and-coming women composers, all of whom are well worth watching. Masi Asare is an emerging writer with a unique point of view, a fascinating background and a strong personal story to tell in music. (And oh yes, she writes lyrics and book, too!)." See the full Playbill article...
OCT 28 2015: BILLIE BURKE ZIEGFELD AWARD
Masi was honored as the first ever winner of the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award for a woman composer of musical theatre! Check out the story on Playbill.