The Tattooed Lady
Book by Erin Courtney and Max Vernon
Music, Lyrics & Orchestrations by Max Vernon
Developed with and Directed by Ellie Heyman
Choreographed by Mayte Natalio
Book by Erin Courtney and Max Vernon
Music, Lyrics & Orchestrations by Max Vernon
Developed with and Directed by Ellie Heyman
Choreographed by Mayte Natalio
Ida Gibson is a grandma and model citizen, happily concealing her shocking past… until a parade of tattooed ladies hijacks her living room to stage an otherworldly intervention. The Tattooed Lady is a rock musical about shattering taboos and a woman’s right to control her body and choose her destiny.
The Tattooed Lady is a new musical by Obie Award-winning playwright Erin Courtney (Map of Virtue), Lortel-winner Max Vernon (KPOP on Broadway, The View Upstairs), developed and directed by Drama League-winner Ellie Heyman (Space Dogs) and choreographed by Mayte Natalio (How to Dance in Ohio). The musical stars Emmy-nominee and Obie Award-winner Jackie Hoffman (Hairspray, “Feud,” “Only Murders in the Building”) as sideshow luminary Ida Gibson, as well as Kim Blanck (Octet), James Dybas (Pacific Overtures), Ashley Pérez Flanagan (The Great Comet of 1812), Anastacia McCleskey (Caroline, or Change), Jessie Shelton (Hadestown), Katie Thompson (Oklahoma!), Grace Slear (Jagged Little Pill), Sophia Ramos (Party People), and introducing Maya Lagerstam.
The Tattooed Lady was developed with support from the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, the Kimmel Center, National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) and Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater. Major support for The Tattooed Lady has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Frank Young Fund for New Musicals.
The Tattooed Lady is a new musical by Obie Award-winning playwright Erin Courtney (Map of Virtue), Lortel-winner Max Vernon (KPOP on Broadway, The View Upstairs), developed and directed by Drama League-winner Ellie Heyman (Space Dogs) and choreographed by Mayte Natalio (How to Dance in Ohio). The musical stars Emmy-nominee and Obie Award-winner Jackie Hoffman (Hairspray, “Feud,” “Only Murders in the Building”) as sideshow luminary Ida Gibson, as well as Kim Blanck (Octet), James Dybas (Pacific Overtures), Ashley Pérez Flanagan (The Great Comet of 1812), Anastacia McCleskey (Caroline, or Change), Jessie Shelton (Hadestown), Katie Thompson (Oklahoma!), Grace Slear (Jagged Little Pill), Sophia Ramos (Party People), and introducing Maya Lagerstam.
The Tattooed Lady was developed with support from the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, the Kimmel Center, National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) and Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater. Major support for The Tattooed Lady has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Frank Young Fund for New Musicals.
“Unlike many other sideshow “freaks,” the tattooed ladies were not born with the features that made them an attraction but rather chose that life [...] It’s a dynamic premise for a play that Erin Courtney (book) and Max Vernon (book, music, lyrics, and orchestrations) deliver beautifully….
Nora Hildebrandt (Thompson), La Belle Irene (Shelton), and Maud Wagner (Blanck), as well as young Ida herself, formerly known as Imagena Gibson (Pérez Flanagan), all tell Ida—and the audience—about themselves through showpiece musical numbers that led an audience member behind me to gush at one point: “I just can’t decide which is my favorite!”
–Broad Street Review
“The stories swirling around sideshow performers made the show more exciting, but it also makes the truth harder to determine. Did they become sideshow performers because their husband or boyfriend was a tattoo artist who needed a canvas? Or, did they become tattooed as an act of liberation…”
–NPR WHYY
“Hopefully it’s not too soon to start begging the creative team for a cast album, because The Tattooed Lady is filled with some great Broadway anthems for your playlists and big, belting voices. This is a beautiful (and funny!) story about giving the middle finger to fitting in. Be comfortable in your own skin and stand up for what makes you happy. You’ll meet your tribe along the way.
–GoHomePhilly.com
“Erin Courtney blends interesting historical facts and figures in the story, with modern conflicts and sensibilities [...] The Tattooed Lady brings real magic to the stage. It is a thrill to have such an entertaining new musical making its debut right here in Philly.”
-TalkinBroadway.com
Nora Hildebrandt (Thompson), La Belle Irene (Shelton), and Maud Wagner (Blanck), as well as young Ida herself, formerly known as Imagena Gibson (Pérez Flanagan), all tell Ida—and the audience—about themselves through showpiece musical numbers that led an audience member behind me to gush at one point: “I just can’t decide which is my favorite!”
–Broad Street Review
“The stories swirling around sideshow performers made the show more exciting, but it also makes the truth harder to determine. Did they become sideshow performers because their husband or boyfriend was a tattoo artist who needed a canvas? Or, did they become tattooed as an act of liberation…”
–NPR WHYY
“Hopefully it’s not too soon to start begging the creative team for a cast album, because The Tattooed Lady is filled with some great Broadway anthems for your playlists and big, belting voices. This is a beautiful (and funny!) story about giving the middle finger to fitting in. Be comfortable in your own skin and stand up for what makes you happy. You’ll meet your tribe along the way.
–GoHomePhilly.com
“Erin Courtney blends interesting historical facts and figures in the story, with modern conflicts and sensibilities [...] The Tattooed Lady brings real magic to the stage. It is a thrill to have such an entertaining new musical making its debut right here in Philly.”
-TalkinBroadway.com
The Nomad
Book and Lyrics by Elizabeth Swados and Erin Courtney
'Composed and Directed by Elizabeth Swados
Book and Lyrics by Elizabeth Swados and Erin Courtney
'Composed and Directed by Elizabeth Swados
Follow the young rebellious iconoclast Isabelle Eberhardt into the Sahara in Elizabeth Swados and Erin Courtney’s desert musical. Join holy men, kief smokers, spies, soldiers and tribes of nomads on this legendary journey. Embracing the unknown, Isabelle finds utter beauty and terrifying madness in her quest to live and die by her own rules.
“That spirit of adventure fuels this lucid, fast-moving dream of a musical…where exotic thrills are to be had, Isabelle is all for them…how delicious danger can be.”
–The New York Times
“Swados’ score is lovely, and her harmonies capture the distinctions of the region’s musical elements. So does her seamless direction…Eberhardt’s story seems larger than life; then again, truth is often stranger than fiction.”
–The Huffington Post
“Invigorating and thought provoking…I found the whole piece so fascinating.”
–Times Square Chronicle
“A life of wanderlust and fearlessness as evinced by Isabelle Eberhardt is certainly something to laud in times of too much fear.”
–Edge Media
“The Nomad is thought provoking, theatrically stunning, and introduces a compelling new character into the world of our collective imagination.”
–Let’s Talk Off-Broadway
–The New York Times
“Swados’ score is lovely, and her harmonies capture the distinctions of the region’s musical elements. So does her seamless direction…Eberhardt’s story seems larger than life; then again, truth is often stranger than fiction.”
–The Huffington Post
“Invigorating and thought provoking…I found the whole piece so fascinating.”
–Times Square Chronicle
“A life of wanderlust and fearlessness as evinced by Isabelle Eberhardt is certainly something to laud in times of too much fear.”
–Edge Media
“The Nomad is thought provoking, theatrically stunning, and introduces a compelling new character into the world of our collective imagination.”
–Let’s Talk Off-Broadway
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Ghostlight Records: The Liz Swados Project
Featuring “Souf”, performed by Jo Lampert, co-written by Erin Courtney,
from the musical The Nomad
Featuring “Souf”, performed by Jo Lampert, co-written by Erin Courtney,
from the musical The Nomad
Kaspar Hauser
By Elizabeth Swados and Erin Courtney
Directed by Elizabeth Swados
By Elizabeth Swados and Erin Courtney
Directed by Elizabeth Swados
This true tale about “Germany’s orphan”, a celebrity scandal in Europe almost 200 years ago, has tempted many of the best creative minds, including filmmaker Werner Herzog and The Who. Now, Tony-nominee and Obie-winner Elizabeth Swados, together with Erin Courtney of the Obie-winning 13P playwrights company, join forces with some of downtown’s top designers to transform The Flea for a beautiful, elaborate 20-person music theater event. Visually, aurally and emotionally – KASPARHAUSER will rock you!
“Kaspar Hauser is crazy fun. The acting never wavers, the choreography is crisp and tight, the singing excellent. See this magnificent show!”
–New York Press
“This American original aims for a rolling, nearly nonstop theatrical intensity!”
–Village Voice
“Hypnotic, disturbing, and fascinating! Well worth a look.”
–BroadwayWorld.com
–New York Press
“This American original aims for a rolling, nearly nonstop theatrical intensity!”
–Village Voice
“Hypnotic, disturbing, and fascinating! Well worth a look.”
–BroadwayWorld.com
All original artwork by Erin Courtney.
Homepage photo by Sammy Tunis.
COPYRIGHT © 2023 Erin Courtney, All Rights Reserved. Site design by Jocelyn Kuritsky.
Homepage photo by Sammy Tunis.
COPYRIGHT © 2023 Erin Courtney, All Rights Reserved. Site design by Jocelyn Kuritsky.