in.vest
verb

Devote one's money, time, effort or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.

HELEN moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

HELEN moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Many years ago, a friend sent Helen on 86th St. to me. I instantly fell in love with it. When I needed to write a short musical for a group of eighteen tween girls at a summer musical theater camp, I jumped at the chance to take this story out of my file folder and bring it to life. They fell in love with it, too, as did their parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and fellow campers.

I didn't know where this story would lead me, but I had a feeling it would be someplace special.

All along the way I have been moved by people's passion for the story, and humbled by their willingness to invest in it. Whether it was baklava for a stage reading, flame-proofing spray, child-wrangling skills for backstage, legal services, kind words, money, residencies, fellowships, or a glass of wine, it has all shown up, just in the nick of time.

DONORS Joseph & Kelly Bera, Laurence & Patricia Kempskie, Dallas Hudgens, Shiwali Varshney, Elissa Birke, Shari & David Dreier, Lucy Liu, Helen & Bruce Richardson, Lauren Cosgrove, Sandra Kaufman, Elizabeth Hulsebosch, Helen Lee, Emma Young, Roxanne Artesona & Jeff Bowman, Nick Lazaris, Chryssa Zizos, Alicia O'Connell, Shelly Kluger, David Diehl, Ira & Stephanie Birnbaum, Beverly Boyle, Joe & Larissa Ippolito, Bill and Sandra Dreier, Angelo & Antoinette Ippolito, Judy Birke, Wendi Kaufman, Dale Semler, Kim Farrow, Trina Lasafin, Theodore Stewart, Cynthia Hobbs, Paula Ryan, Carey Fitzgibbon Baldwin, Dwight Pederson, Peter & Ellen Tuozzolu, Lisa Namerow, Maryann Fitzgibbon, Mary Kempskie, Joseph Bera, Ken Davenport, Abbie Rosemeyer, Erin Fuller, Philip Nolen, Amy White Graves, Kathy Nolan, Sean Mc.Grail, Susan Shreve, Ella Kinney, Rich Pezzullo, Eevin Hartsough, Cathy Bacich, G.C. Santos, Richard Barlaam, Bob & Peggy Stamper, Michael Reilly, Eileen Berry Harahan, Beth Sorrentino, Heather Jensen, William O'Sullivan, Janine Sarna-Jones, Wendy Gross Baker, Maureen Fasano, Liz Parker Gagne, Jen Clarke, Reston Aritstree, Nancy Overman, Patricia A. Polizzi Walker, Dan Bolton, William Graves, Luanne Kendrick, Kimberly & Christian Boyle, Lawrence Uman, Aidan & Vivien Boyle, Cathy Freeman, Kathleen Lynch, Stephen & JoAnn Ippolito, Nancy Ford Charles, William Miller, Sara Clark, Carol Ewig, Christine Ganz, Kristine Bendul, Melinda Rebman, Glen Ciuffreda , Arlene Forman, Jennifer Garfinkle, Arthur Solvang, Michele Thompson, Corey Zucker, Brian Montgomery, Kristen Pascale, Joanne Grimes, J. Ippolito, Diana Fulton, Patricia Tober, Kendra Schollard Nicholson, Ann Marie Laramee & Denise Detamore, Sebastian Ippolito, Suzanne Schmuckler, Margaret Leyne, John Garrity, Jody Toser , Adam Fine, Jake Lockwood, Caroline Knauss, Elijah Sivin, Amy Vitner, Gregory Triggs, Sarah Reese, Steve Toto, Valerie Maglione, Terri Campbell, Andy and Yvette Gluck, Barbara Danzi, Rachel Gertzog & Rodrigo Naranjo, Jan Valle, Hannah Ingram, Carolyn Bera, Gail Steele, Beth Chiarelli, Dana Russo, Gwen Gelsinon, Donna Elliott, Roger Harte, Margo Pryzby, Beth Koby, Nikki Buermeyer, Patty Bohnenberger, Barbara and JC Craig, The Hirsh Family, Linda Molee, David Weltz, Sharon Phillips Krug, Julie Marfil Kelly, Linda Rubinaccio, Stephanie Freidin, Robyn Goodwin, Theresa Thiel, Carol Ann Mc.Clure Forrest, Laurence Roth, Barry, Maddie, Lisa Connell, Janel Vanek, Amelia Plummer, Ilyse Robbins, Marissa Joseph, Maureen Fasano, Andrea Frierson, Mark Lainer, Velma de Selby-Bowen, Chris Heller, Jennifer Finocchiaro, Laurence Reich DDS, Karen LaShelle, Joey Martinez , Laurie Giovannucci, E. Sharon Williams, The Hunts, Addie Brownlee, Darrell Loper, Andrea Gavin, Rebekah Fisk, Cassady Mc.Clincy, Robin Lake, Holly Mc.Bride, Judy Barokas, Mary Ellen Lapore, Christine Panepinto, Amy Budinger,  Judy Kuhn, Tina Kloter Glidden, Kelly Bashar, Allyson Tornatore, Michael Bettencourt, Paul, Emily Blum, Susan Burris, Carole Velleca, Stephanie Carr, Alyi Cahill, Kathryn Grant, Robert Duke, Brian Morrissey, Ed Miller, Chris Banwarth, Jennifer Dupree, Simone Marean, Rob Kendt, Raymond Bokhour, Justin Warner Mardan, Lori Cowell, Maura Mc. Donaugh, Andrea Borchetta O'Donnell, Gail Booth, Tracey Gilbert, Jennifer Katona, George DeMarco,  Jen Whipple, Lisa Fontanesi, Christopher Casello, Gamalia Pharms, Joseph Berlinghieri, Charles Lindberg, Ameilia Koby, Joan Ross Sorkin, Brooke Kiener, Lori, Jay Lyons, Beth Ellen Lamontagne, Corrine Gormont, Julie Smallman, John Gonzalez, Scott W. Berg, Pat Hersch, Nancy Desantis ACTORS Meredith Inglesby, Kathryn Markey, Taylor Leigh Bera, Kevin Pariseau, Sean Gilbert, Aurielle Kaminski, Amanda Yuan, Izzy Hanson-Johnston, Shereen Pimentel, Missy Dreier, Maggie Bera, Greg Ippolito, Kaylie Rubinaccio, Mia Fitzgibbon, Danielle Leigh Rosenthal, Emma Young, Martine Bowman, Leah Greenhaus, Clarice Mazanec, Brian Russell, John Deyle, Lance Olds, Jacob Ming-Trent, Nick Wyman, Erica Schroeder, Leenya Rideout, Amy White Graves, Sofia Thompson, Hannah Carne, Drew Beasley, Ellis Gage, Andrew Barbato, Russell Garrett, Grace Brakeman, Audree Hedequist, Jessica Dagg, Whitney Sandford, Emily Sheeran, Grace Goddard, Kristina Ayanian, Joanna Rosen, Lexi Ryan, Kharima Muhammed ADVISORS Sean Hartley, Tracy Bersley, Gretchen Cryer, Nancy Ford Charles, Ken Davenport, Peter Breger, Susan L. Schulman, Beth Blickers, John Tighe, Stowe Story Labs (David Rocchio, David Pope, Anne Hubbel, Alex Boden, Scott Collette, Darrien Michele Gipson, Julie Keck, Anson Mount, Ellen Parks, Deana Shumaker, David Magee) COLLABORATORS Wendi Kaufman, Jen Rudin, Alicia House, Valerie Salgado, Ji-Youn Chang, Niluka Hoatling, Catherine Fisher, Jason Hurley, Jeena Yoon, Sam Gordon, Philip Naude, Kate Dial, Rafael Miguel, Susan L. Schulman, Melissa Hardy, Joseph & Kelly Bera, Peter Breger, Ed Miller, Chip Abbot, Josh Bergasse, Susan Burris, John Wolfe, Joey Docil, Marissa Joseph, Playscripts, Arts Connection, Dan Acquisto, Lucy Moses Summer Music Theater Workshop, The Kaufman Center, Wheelock Family Theater, Ilyse Robbins, John O’Neil, Worcester Academy, Eliza Hale, Jared Field, Jennifer Dowdle, Mc.Math Middle School, Alexander Dawson Middle School, Yew Chung International School, Lindsay Holy Family School, East Cary Middle School, Brooklyn Children’s Theater PROMOTERS Susan L. Schulman, Broadway.com, Broadwayworld.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, The New York Times, Smarttix, Centraljersey.com, Dale Semler, Providence College, New York University, Kickstarter, Wheelock Family Theater, Charles G. Baldwin, Worcester Academy, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Richard Duckett, WQXR, Robert Sherman, Stillhouse Press, Playscripts, Sarah Bernstein, Kimberly Lew, NewEnglandFilm.com, Michelle Meeker, Emma Schlenoff, The Landmark, The Millbury-South Chronicle, The Natick Patch, The Marble House Project DEVELOPMENT
Lucy Moses Summer Music Theater Workshop at the Kaufman Center, The International Family Film Festival (Patte Dee McKee, Chris Shoemaker), The Marble House Project (Sarah Walko, Danielle Epstein, Dina Schapiro), Wheelock Family Theater (Jane Staab), Brooklyn Children’s Theater, Stowe Story Labs, NewEnglandFilm.com (Michelle Meeker)

and…

The fifteen friends of mine who gathered on my birthday in the summer of 2010 to read the first draft of Helen on 86th St.: Tracy Bersley, Drew Eberhardy, Alicia House, Eevin Hartsough, Melissa Hardy, Robby Stamper, Janice Fuld, Jen Clarke, Elijah Sivin, Joy Rodriguez, Sharon Williams, Chris Heller, Amy White Graves, Doug Van Horn and Rebekah Fisk.