A WONDERFUL CAST & CREW - ACTOR'S TEMPLE THEATRE NYC

Origin Story from Librettist Sarah Lawrence:

“People always ask me, where did the idea for this story come from? I can only say that it was a gift, a gift from Emily herself. I believe she led me to this story and wants her tale to be told. I had been living in Dallas and went on a business trip to San Antonio. I chose to stay at the Emily West Hotel, right next to the Alamo. At the time, I didn’t know anything about Emily, and the hotel had precious little information beyond a plaque in the lobby. It was enough to set me to dreaming about her. At the end of the trip, I took a stroll on San Antonio’s Riverwalk, a magical ribbon of river that flows through the old town, with shops, restaurants, bridges: truly one of America’s great cultural treasures. At the very end of the Riverwalk, I stumbled across an open-air theater. The seats were old mossy stone benches on one side of the river, with the stage on the other side. I sat there in the cool of the evening and suddenly, the entire musical came to life on that stage, fully formed. I could see the whirling skirts of the Mexican dancers, the fierce battle scene, and Emily walking up the steps to her destiny.

I actually became obsessed with Emily and had to find out more. Off and on for 12 months, I researched what could and couldn’t be known about her. I dragged my husband on a tour of all the historical sites of the 1836 Texas War of Independence. We visited where Emily lived, now near Houston. History books at the time stated that no one knows where she came from, but I actually found her indenture papers in the Texas State Archives, signed in a beautiful cursive hand, which meant she was well educated. But I was startled to see who witnessed her indenture papers, the agreement she signed to come and work in Texas. The witness was Rev. Simeon Jocelyn, a famous Abolitionist who devoted his life to educating free African Americans in New Haven Connecticut. That’s where she had to have come from! In Captain Morgan’s letters, the man who brought her down to Texas, he said Emily was the smartest woman he’d ever met. Game on! I had written several stageplays that had been produced, but I’d never written a musical before. I was so committed to this project, I went back to school for my MFA specifically to workshop this musical, and graduated in 2015 with a script.”

Development History: In 2016, Terry Langfitt and Paul Gandolfi joined the creative team as composer/lyricists. In 2017, we conducted the first table read with accomplished Dallas actors in front of an audience with completed songs. Development of Yellow Rose began in earnest when the City of Dallas funded a public concert read in 2018. The grant covered hiring well-known musical theater dramaturg Cheryl Coons, and the show grew by leaps and bounds. COVID slowed us down a bit, but in 2022 we hired a director and professional theater diversity consultant. As three White creators, we wanted to be wide open to the diverse voices in the cast and ensure that authentic language was represented in our story. By spring of 2023, our director Tracey Conyer Lee felt we were ready for a New York workshop. Yellow Rose was presented at the Actor’s Temple Theater in September, 2023 with 23 gifted actors, singers and crew. Industry professionals in the audience felt the show was virtually ready to launch. In July, 2023, we signed a contract with DR Theatrical Management for Grant Rice to serve as the show’s General Manager. Our goal is to secure a regional production and then take the show to Broadway or London’s West End.