FORA is the forgotten language of the island nation of Forafu and its story is told in this brand new musical. Lost over the course of many generations and rumored to hold the key to Forafu’s past and future, Fora can no longer be learned, only remembered by falling in love.
We meet Forafu in the time of its Great Migration. The island is losing its citizens and traditions to the harsh realities of a changing world and no family is untouched. As Gigi meets Sola and falls in love for the first time, she is forced to reconcile her joy with this truth: the fate of their nation rests on the choice between unraveling the mysteries of the past or succumbing to the struggles of the present.
Roots. Ruin. Redemption.
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Jae Broderick
Book, Lyrics, Music
Jae is a writer, director, actress and composer hailing from St. Catherine, Jamaica. Her work centers the lives of women and people of color outside of time and in defiance of dominant narratives. FORA, (New York Musical Festival, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center Residency, Pipeline Arts Foundation Grant Winner), Jenny & June (BMI Industry Showcase, O’Neill Semi-Finalist, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat); Author: DeConstructing Criticism; Special Projects: Deconstructing Criticism (Master Class, Maestra), Collaboration in Musical Theater (Master Class, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center), Cultural Performance for Dr. Jill Biden (United States Embassy, Zambia). Jae is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, Actors' Equity Association, The Dramatists Guild and the BMI-Lehman Engel Advanced Musical Theater Workshop.
Matthew AC Cohen
Composer
Matt is an award winning composer with a focus on orchestration, jazz arranging and jazz improvisation. Born in Merrick, New York, his varied musical tastes range from rock to opera and have allowed him to collaborate with many directors, choreographers, university ensembles and professional orchestras as well as work with high profile composers on studio films, triple A game titles and critically acclaimed TV shows. Matt holds a B.S. in Music Composition and Theory, with a special interest in film scoring and jazz saxophone from Hofstra University, as well as an M.F.A in Music Composition for Media from Columbia College Chicago.