SUNY Cortland musical wins big at NYC theater festival

07/16/2024 

 The debut of “In Emily’s Words” at SUNY Cortland gave students real-world experience in developing a new musical. Now, they can also say that they’ve been part of an award-winning show. 

This June the CreateTheater New Works Festival in New York City named “In Emily’s Words,” the story of English author Emily Brontë’s writing of “Wuthering Heights,” as its Best Musical. It was one of four awards won by the Cortland-influenced work, more than any other production at the festival. 

Notable among the accolades was Best Female Lead in a Musical — which went to Cortland junior Olivia Celis. Celis, who played Emily Brontë, was picked over full-time, professional performers and was the only college student honored. 

“I was not aware that I was up for this award,” Celis said. “I was in the middle of work when, all of a sudden, my phone started buzzing constantly with my friends congratulating me on winning. I read the email and was in shock. I am so happy and grateful!” 

Celis and three other SUNY Cortland students —  Ryan Rodriguez, Lizzie Fitzpatrick and Xander Holden — are performing on stage this summer at Quisisana Resort in Maine, which offers guests a variety of Broadway-style entertainment.  

The New Works Festival Took place from May 28 to June 8, highlighting plays and musicals ready for their first developmental production. It is put on by CreateTheater, a company that helps writers grow their ideas until they’re ready to take center stage. 

Done in partnership with CreateTheater, two staged readings of “In Emily’s Words” were performed at Cortland’s Dowd Fine Arts Performance Studio, helping to develop writer, composer and lyricist Jessy Tomsko’s creation. 

The readings for “In Emily’s Words,” which included singing performances, were the final part of a two-week workshop that let the Performing Arts Department students have a direct hand in the creation of the show. 

Each performance was followed by a talk between the audience and the cast and creative team, giving the show’s creators a chance to hear their dialogue and music performed and get an idea of the impact on a live audience.    

“Hearing the show aloud and seeing it brought to life with the Cortland students and faculty has yielded new material, as well as cuts and edits that I might otherwise not have made,” Tomsko said. “And I couldn’t be happier with the version of the piece I now have — thanks to this talented and eager cast and crew.” 

After the spring semester, the group of students and faculty, including Kevin Halpin, a professor in the Performing Arts Department, got to travel on Memorial Day to New York City and perform “In Emily’s Words” again.  

While there, the students acclimated to the new theater space and adapted to changes made to the production, including new music. 

“Some of them had only been to New York once or twice before, and none of them had ever really performed in New York City, so a chance to have an off-Broadway credit is incredibly valuable and incredibly exciting for them,” Halpin said. 

After arriving, there was an intense first day of rehearsal, followed the next day by extra prep time ahead of two performances. Both shows had a full audience with the first one standing room only. 

Awardees were selected at the end of the festival. In addition to Best Musical and Best Female Musical Lead, “In Emily’s Words” won Best Book of a Musical and Best Musical Score. 

Halpin described the CreateTheater partnership as a connection to the professional theater world that’s not common among other schools.  

The collaboration began last year with readings for another show, “The Bone Harp.” Audiences will get a chance to see the development of another show this fall with the debut of “By Any Other Name.” 

“We have always been committed to making sure that we had strong ties to the professional theater community,” Halpin said. “But this is a very concrete way to do that, and I think it’s a great benefit for our students.” 

For Celis and the rest of the cast, it was a chance to show what they could do on stage in a city where legendary careers on and off Broadway have been born for decades. 

“The musical process of ‘In Emily’s Words’ at SUNY Cortland was so much fun,” Celis said. “Each person involved in the production really had a chance to shine. Performing it in New York City was a dream come true for me. I’ve always wanted to be a part of a workshop for a new musical, and it was such a wonderful experience.” 

The show continues to be a success, as Tomsko said she recently returned from the Florida Festival of New Musicals where “In Emily’s Words” was one of six shows selected nationwide to present. 

At the play’s core, she added, there is a focus on imagination and the creative process that everyone can relate to. 

“People have generally responded in an overwhelmingly positive way to the piece, and everyone especially seems to love the music — which is very exciting,” Tomsko said. “It’s so satisfying as a composer when you write music that thrills you personally, and then you find others are thrilled by it too.”