Six the Musical: Teen Edition by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
at Culver Academies
Director Notes
In case you didn’t know, Six the Musical is an international sensation. Usually when a play becomes an actual pop cultural phenomena (Hamilton, Rent, Les Misérables, Cats, etc.) there is a standard formula: the play is on Broadway/West End FOREVER and then it starts a fancy 1st National Tour, then maybe a 2nd National Tour, then big regional theatres will be given the rights to produce, then smaller regional theatres will be given the rights and then, finally, schools will get the rights. Usually, a school won’t get the opportunity to produce a wildly popular musical for 7-10 years after the premiere date.
So, imagine my surprise when I learned early last summer that there was a teen version of Six the Musical that was going to be available for production in Fall of 2024, even though houses were still selling out on Broadway and the West End. I was confused, to say the least.
With a little research, I discovered that the writers, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, had made a conscious decision to create a teen version to be released while their original production was still wildly popular. You see, they had written Six while they were in college, in their dorm room. They had never written a play, much less a musical, before.
“We hope that kinda goes to show: you never know what amazingness is going to come from collaborating with your peers, just for the fun of it, even when you think nothing is ever going to come of it. And that’s why we’re so excited that our show—that was originally created and performed by students—is now back in the hands of young people who are ready to show the world what they can do.”
-Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
This is a play that encourages us to find our voice, literally and figuratively, and to tell our own story. It is a play that reminds us not to be handcuffed by the expectations of others. I can think of no group better equipped to help share these important themes than this extraordinary group of Culver Academies Theatre students.
Enjoy the show!
-Mrs. Stacy Joyce
In case you didn’t know, Six the Musical is an international sensation. Usually when a play becomes an actual pop cultural phenomena (Hamilton, Rent, Les Misérables, Cats, etc.) there is a standard formula: the play is on Broadway/West End FOREVER and then it starts a fancy 1st National Tour, then maybe a 2nd National Tour, then big regional theatres will be given the rights to produce, then smaller regional theatres will be given the rights and then, finally, schools will get the rights. Usually, a school won’t get the opportunity to produce a wildly popular musical for 7-10 years after the premiere date.
So, imagine my surprise when I learned early last summer that there was a teen version of Six the Musical that was going to be available for production in Fall of 2024, even though houses were still selling out on Broadway and the West End. I was confused, to say the least.
With a little research, I discovered that the writers, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, had made a conscious decision to create a teen version to be released while their original production was still wildly popular. You see, they had written Six while they were in college, in their dorm room. They had never written a play, much less a musical, before.
“We hope that kinda goes to show: you never know what amazingness is going to come from collaborating with your peers, just for the fun of it, even when you think nothing is ever going to come of it. And that’s why we’re so excited that our show—that was originally created and performed by students—is now back in the hands of young people who are ready to show the world what they can do.”
-Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
This is a play that encourages us to find our voice, literally and figuratively, and to tell our own story. It is a play that reminds us not to be handcuffed by the expectations of others. I can think of no group better equipped to help share these important themes than this extraordinary group of Culver Academies Theatre students.
Enjoy the show!
-Mrs. Stacy Joyce
