It took several years to refine the form, story, and music into this genre-breaking, musical-theater experience.
Patrick Lazour and Daniel Lazour perform with friends on a rooftop in Queens: courtesy of the artists.
2016
Initial Ideas: The first musings start at Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.
2018
Gatherings: First experiments with communal singing on Madeline Benson’s terrace in Queens, where the spirit of the piece begins to take shape.
2019
A.R.T. Commissions: Following the world premiere of We Live in Cairo, A.R.T. commissions the Lazours to write a new musical based on the first successful chemotherapy trials in the 1960s.
February 2020
First Workshop: The first official workshop, in the form of a roundtable discussion with doctors, nurses, and social workers from across Harvard University and beyond, is held at the A.R.T.
2021
Workshopping Music: Communal songs from the now-titled Night Side Songs are tested and tweaked in the open air, on apartment patios.
May 2021
Sharing the Process: Director Taibi Magar and the Lazours give a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show to A.R.T. audiences.
2022
Script Changes: First full workshop with actors and sing-along incorporated at Open Jar Studios in New York City.
Lucy London and Ryder Dean McDaniel in a developmental workshop of Night Side Songs at the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University: Justin Barbin Photography.
February 2023
Setting the Stage: Development continues as part of Northwestern’s American Music Theatre Project.
October 2023
Refining: Developmental workshops at Harvard’s Farkas Hall and in New York City.
2023
It Takes a Village: A.R.T.’s collaboration with Philadelphia Theatre Company begins.
August 2024
PTC Workshop: Philadelphia Theatre Company holds a final workshop to fine tune the script, music, and production elements.
Members of the cast and creative team at the first rehearsal of Night Side Songs: PTC/A.R.T.
December 2024
Rehearsal Begins: With a world-premiere cast assembled, rehearsal begins.
January 2025
First Audiences: Night Side Songs performs at the Under the Radar Festival in New York City.
February – April 2025
Premiere: The communal music-theater experience makes its world premiere at PTC February 21 – March 9 and the A.R.T. March 27 – April 20.
A communal music-theater experience performed for—and with—an intimate audience that gives voice to doctors, patients, researchers, and caregivers to celebrate the resilience of the human spirit.
