Month: August 2025

BARBA in Costa Rica – An International Creative Collaboration

JoAnne Tucker / / Costa Rica, Musical Theater

(Scroll to the bottom to read this post in Spanish. Thank you Jan Hurwitch for making this possible,)

One thing leads to another.  As I mentioned in recent blogs, Casa Uno Artist Residency has hosted several graduates of New York University’s MFA program in Musical Theatre Writing.  For the past two years, a faculty member from NYU’s program has sent out an email so alumni can apply for the Residency.  In July, I received an email from Kim Bixler saying she knew of my interest in musical theatre and was going to be in Costa Rica working on a musical called BARBA: Brazilian Body Percussion Musical, inspired by the Brazilian musician Fernando Barba, and she would like to meet me. So we began corresponding, and on August 19, I attended a rehearsal of BARBA. What an awesome treat, and I’m so excited that the piece is being workshopped here and I will get to see a performance.  I encourage all my Costa Rica friends and readers to make sure they go and see BARBA too.

There is lots of interesting history behind this production.  Let me begin by sharing a bit about the two creators, Kim Bixler (Writer and Lyricist) and Carlos Bauzys (Composer, Co-Book Writer and Musical Director).  I immediately identified with Kim, as she boldly tries new things in her life. She gave a TEDx talk this past February titled “Why I Couldn’t Be a Musical Theater Writer Until I Turned 50.” Besides our common interest in musical theatre, we share a love of Frank Lloyd Wright.  The latest book she published is Growing Up in A Frank Lloyd Wright House.  My mom often talked about seeing Frank Lloyd Wright walking around when Fallingwater was being created, as she had a friend with a summer home near the property.  I visited the house many times, first as a teenager and most recently around 2018 with my daughter Julie and her family. You can learn lots more about Kim by visiting her website.

When I met Kim at the rehearsal, we had some time to chat, and she explained that COVID proved to be helpful in bringing her and her collaborator together.  Because of COVID, potential NYU students could apply via Zoom, which opened the option for international talents to apply without the expense of making a trip to NYC to audition. Carlos Bauzys was one of those people and was awarded a full scholarship to attend.  He already had an outstanding career in Brazil as an award-winning composer, arranger, musical director, conductor and educator.  His resume of musical direction is very impressive and I encourage you to check out his website.  Kim and Carlos met and were partnered to work together during the two years they were enrolled in NYU Tisch’s graduate Musical Theatre Writing program.  According to Kim, the first year of the program is dedicated to working with a new collaborator every week on a musical project, then tackling a rewrite after receiving feedback. At the end of the first year, students are asked to rank their top 10 collaborators for their master’s thesis project. Carlos and Kim got their top choices—each other! Their final year is dedicated to completing a full-length musical. Their project became BARBA: Brazilian Body Percussion Musical. Their fellow classmate Matthew Graham from Edmonton, Canada, began working with them when BARBA was just one song and a dream. He is here in Costa Rica as their Assistant Musical Director and also performing in the show.

In February of 2024, BARBA: Brazilian Body Percussion Musical had sold out Off-Broadway performances in NYC where Raphael (Rafa) Esteban Arias Castro from Costa Rica was the lead actor (BARBA).  He is the Producer of the Costa Rican production and again playing the lead role of Barba.  At the rehearsal I attended in San José, the choreographer, Rodrigo Varandas (originally from São Paulo, Brazil, currently living in Los Angeles), was at work setting a section with Rafa and the ensemble.  Rafa’s strong presence guides the scene with talented local Costa Rican actors, singers and dancers supporting him.

Rounding out the international creative team is Guy Retallack from London, England. He is director of the Costa Rican workshop production of BARBA.

Before closing the blog, I want to share more about the relationship of Carlos to Fernando Barba.  Carlos found a way to notate the body percussion and showed that to Barba.  That was the beginning of a long friendship and collaboration.  On Carlos’s website he talks about how important that was and how committed he is. I quote from his webpage:

As the former co-musical director of the Barbatuques, and close friend of Barba, I’m excited to have the opportunity to tell Barba’s history in a musical, because it is also my history. Today, Barbatuques is a very well-known group in the world with reference to body percussion, but Barba’s influences are also in musical education across the country.  The way he could create music from nothing, using just the body and the creativity coming from all people around him was so special, evolving and inclusive.

Kim showed a page of the notation to me, and it is fascinating. I look forward to asking Carlos about it.  It looks as though “x” marks and “little circles” around notes, along with other small symbols on the musical staff, tell the performer what kind of body percussion to do.

While a graduate student at NYU, Carlos published “Songbook Barbatuques: Volume 1 featuring 12 scores and 4 lead sheets” in honor of the late Fernando Barba.   The songbook provides for the first time what was played by the Brazilian group.  Here’s a link to learn more about it.

Watching the rehearsal was a real treat and an excellent example of collaboration. Collaboration has been my focus in previous blogs.  It is indeed very special that a future Broadway show is being workshopped here.  I encourage all my Costa Rican readers to make sure to get tickets.  The show runs in San Jose at Teatro Expressivo from September 11 to September 28.  If you live in Atenas we are arranging for a bus to take us to the Sunday, September 21, performance. Here’s a link to buy tickets.

Thank you, Kim, for reaching out to me, and inviting me to a rehearsal! Following are a few of the pictures I took during the rehearsal.  The international creative team is in black T-shirts while the local cast (which is doing an outstanding job) are in blue T-shirts.

Kim Bixler and Carlos Bauzys watching rehearsal. Assistant Musical Director and Performer
Matthew Graham on keyboard
Carlos conferring with Director Guy Retallack
Director Guy Retallack videotaping Choreographer Rodrigo Varandas
working with the cast. Actor Raphael (Rafa) Esteban Arias Castro is center.
Chorus surrounding BARBA (played by Raphael (Rafa) Esteban Arias Castro).

All photos taken by JoAnne during a rehearsal on August 19, 2025.

BARBA en Costa Rica– Una colaboración creativa internacional

Una cosa lleva a otra. Como mencioné en blogs recientes, Casa Uno Artist Residency ha acogido a
varios graduados del programa de Maestría en Bellas Artes en Escritura de Teatro Musical de la Universidad de Nueva York. Durante los últimos dos años, un miembro del cuerpo docente del programa de la NYU ha enviado un correo electrónico para que los antiguos alumnos puedan solicitar la
residencia. En julio, recibí un correo electrónico de Kim Bixler en el que me decía que sabía de mi interés por el teatro musical y que iba a estar en Costa Rica

BARBA: Brazilian Body Percussion Musical, inspirado en el músico brasileño Fernando Barba, y que le gustaría conocerme. Así que empezamos a escribirnos y, el 19 de agosto, asistí a un ensayo de BARBA. ¡Qué maravilla! Estoy muy emocionada de que la obra se esté preparando aquí y de poder ver una representación. Animo a todos mis amigos y lectores de Costa Rica a que vayan a ver BARBA también.
Hay mucha historia interesante detrás de esta producción. Permítanme comenzar compartiendo un poco sobre los dos creadores, Kim Bixler (guionista y letrista) y Carlos Bauzys (compositor, coautor del libreto y director musical). Inmediatamente me identifiqué con Kim, ya que ella se atreve a probar cosas nuevas en su vida. En febrero pasado dio una charla TEDx titulada «Por qué no pude ser escritora de teatro musical hasta los 50 años». Además de nuestro interés común por el teatro musical, compartimos el amor por Frank Lloyd Wright. El último libro que ha publicado se titula Growing Up in A Frank Lloyd Wright House (Crecer en una casa de Frank Lloyd Wright). Mi madre solía hablar de haber visto a Frank Lloyd Wright paseando por Fallingwater cuando se estaba construyendo, ya que tenía una amiga con una casa de verano cerca de la propiedad. Visité la casa muchas veces, la primera cuando era adolescente y la última alrededor de 2018 con mi hija Julie y su familia. Puedes conocer mucho más sobre Kim visitando su página web.
 Cuando conocí a Kim en el ensayo, tuvimos tiempo para charlar y me explicó que la COVID había resultado útil para unirla a ella y a su colaborador. Debido a la COVID, los posibles estudiantes de la NYU podían presentar su solicitud a través de Zoom, lo que abrió la posibilidad de que talentos internacionales pudieran solicitarla sin tener que incurrir en los gastos de viajar a Nueva York para hacer la audición. Carlos Bauzys fue una de esas personas y obtuvo una beca completa para asistir. Ya tenía una carrera destacada en Brasil como compositor, arreglista, director musical, director de orquesta y educador galardonado. Su currículum como director musical es muy impresionante y les sugiero que vean su página web. Kim y Carlos se conocieron y se asociaron para trabajar juntos durante los dos años que estuvieron matriculados en el programa de posgrado de Escritura de Teatro Musical de la NYU Tisch. Según Kim, el primer año del programa se dedica a trabajar cada semana con un nuevo colaborador en un proyecto musical y, a continuación, abordar una reescritura tras recibir comentarios. Al final del primer año, se pide a los estudiantes que clasifiquen a sus 10 colaboradores favoritos para su proyecto de tesis de máster. Carlos y Kim consiguieron sus primeras opciones: ¡el uno al otro! Su último año se dedica a completar un musical completo. Su proyecto se convirtió en BARBA: Brazilian Body Percussion Musical. Su compañero de clase Matthew Graham, de Edmonton (Canadá), comenzó a trabajar con ellos cuando BARBA era solo una canción y un sueño. Está aquí, en Costa Rica, como asistente del director musical y también actúa en el espectáculo.
En febrero de 2024, BARBA: Brazilian Body Percussion Musical había agotado las entradas para las representaciones fuera de Broadway en Nueva York, donde Raphael (Rafa) Esteban Arias Castro, de Costa Rica, era el actor principal (BARBA). Él es el productor de la producción costarricense y vuelve a interpretar el papel protagonista de Barba. En el ensayo al que asistí en San José, el coreógrafo Rodrigo Varandas (originario de São Paulo, Brasil, y actualmente residente en Los Ángeles) estaba trabajando en una sección con Rafa y el conjunto. La fuerte presencia de Rafa guía la escena, con el apoyo de talentosos actores, cantantes y bailarines locales costarricenses.  Completa el equipo creativo internacional Guy Retallack, de Londres, Inglaterra. Es el director de producción del taller costarricense de BARBA.
Antes de terminar el blog, quiero compartir más sobre la relación de Carlos con Fernando Barba. Carlos
encontró una forma de anotar la percusión corporal y se la mostró a Barba. Ese fue el comienzo de una larga amistad y colaboración. En la página web de Carlos, él habla de lo importante que fue eso y de lo
comprometido que está. Cito de su página web:
Como antiguo co director musical de Barbatuques y amigo íntimo de Barba, estoy encantado de
tener la oportunidad de contar la historia de Barba en un musical, porque también es mi historia. Hoy en día, Barbatuques es un grupo muy conocido en el mundo de la percusión corporal, pero
la influencia de Barba también se extiende a la educación musical en todo el país. Su forma de crear
música de la nada, utilizando solo el cuerpo y la creatividad de todas las personas que le rodeaban, era
muy especial, evolutiva e inclusiva.
Kim me enseñó una página de la partitura y es fascinante. Estoy deseando preguntarle a Carlos sobre ella.
Parece que las marcas «x» y los «círculos pequeños» alrededor de las notas, junto con otros pequeños símbolos en el pentagrama, indican al intérprete qué tipo de percusión corporal debe hacer.
Mientras era estudiante de posgrado en la Universidad de Nueva York, Carlos publicó «Songbook Barbatuques: Volume 1 featuring 12  scores and 4 lead sheets» en honor al difunto Fernando Barba. El cancionero recoge por primera vez lo que tocaba el grupo brasileño. Aquí hay un enlace para obtener más información al respecto.  Ver el ensayo fue un verdadero placer y un excelente ejemplo de colaboración.
La colaboración ha sido mi tema central en blogs anteriores. Es realmente muy especial que un futuro espectáculo de Broadway se esté preparando aquí. Animo a todos mis lectores costarricenses a que se aseguren de conseguir entradas. El espectáculo se presentará  en San José, en el Teatro Espressivo, del 11 al 28 de septiembre. Si vives en Atenas, estamos organizando un autobús para ir a la función del domingo 21 de septiembre. Aquí tienes un enlace para comprar entradas.
¡Gracias, Kim, por ponerte en contacto conmigo e invitarme al ensayo! A continuación, algunas de las fotos que tomé durante el ensayo. El equipo creativo internacional lleva camisetas negras, mientras que el reparto local (que está haciendo un trabajo excepcional) llevan camisetas azules.
 

Foto n.º 1: Kim Bixler y Carlos Bauzys observando el ensayo. El director musical adjunto y actor Matthew Graham al teclado.

Foto n.º 2: Carlos conversando con el director Guy Retallack.
Foto n.º 3: El director Guy Retallack grabando en vídeo al coreógrafo Rodrigo Varandas
trabajando con el reparto. El actor Raphael (Rafa) Esteban Arias Castro está en el centro.
Foto n.º 4: El coro rodea a BARBA (interpretado por Raphael (Rafa) Esteban Arias Castro).
Todas las fotos fueron tomadas por JoAnne durante un ensayo el 19 de agosto de 2025.

Musical Theatre – Collaboration (Part III)

JoAnne Tucker / / "Let My People Go", Avodah's Early History, Dance Midrash, Musical Theater, Personal Life

I am fascinated with the collaborative process.  How does a team work together to create a musical?  Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George by James Lapine gives us an intimate look at how he and Sondheim worked together.

I never saw the show but had the original cast album and knew all the songs by heart.  The songs really registered with me as they speak of the challenges of being an artist. “A blank canvas” for me is just like an empty space in a dance studio.    The book goes into detail about how Lapine and Sondheim developed the show.  Lapine was just beginning his career while Sondheim was already very successful.  They had an easy time developing the first act but struggled with the second act. It is not usual for major stars like Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters to participate in workshops to help develop a show, but both did.  It was interesting to read how both Patinkin and Peters  requested an additional song to develop their respective characters further.

The librettist who was part of the artist in residency at Casa Uno not only recommended the book but told me that there was a recording of Sunday in the Park with George online.  And indeed, there is.  What a joy to finally see the show with the original cast.  It was made for PBS’s American Playhouse in 1986. Here’s the link so you can watch it too.

Reading about the Sondheim/Lapine collaboration reminded me of how many gifted collaborations there have been in the musical theatre world and how much joy collaborations like Lerner and Loewe, Rodgers and Hammerstein,  and Kander and Ebb have brought us.

I found that my creative energy was pushed to a new level whenever I collaborated, which was most of the time. While my collaborations were not in musical theatre and took different forms they stand out as very meaningful parts of my creative life.

The beginning of Avodah Dance Ensemble was a result of a collaboration between me as choreographer/dancer and Irving Fleet as composer.  Together we wrestled with what we wanted to say about the key prayers in a Shabbat Service for the piece In Praise.  Here’s a Link to read about the beginning of In Praise. Those discussions happened in 1972.  That is over 50 years ago and yet those beginning discussions are memories I cherish.  We went on to collaborate on two other pieces, Shabbat Women and Sarah, that are also very meaningful to me.

Rabbi Richard Jacobs and I collaborated on a piece M’Vakshei Or with music by David Finko.  Rick, then a rabbinic student and a member of The Avodah Dance Ensemble, introduced the concept of midrash to me and to the other company members.  Drawing on his knowledge we worked together bringing ritual movement and improvisations on Biblical text to life.

Later a collaboration between me and Susan Freeman, also a rabbinic student and dancer in Avodah, would develop the idea of dance midrash used  in M’vakshei Or into the book Torah in Motion: Creating Dance Midrash which is still available to buy on Amazon.  Susan also contributed poetry and insight to a piece Sisters based on the Biblical sisters Rachel and Leah. Cantor Meredith Stone and dancers Kezia Gleckman Hayman and Deborah Hanna also collaborated on this piece and made it one of my favorites.

Often a collaboration has a key moment when you realize that you share a complimentary vision and that working together will take it further than you could alone.  With Irving it was visiting him in his hospital room and talking about God.  With Rick it was driving to Philadelphia and meeting composer David Finko.

Another important collaboration was with the choreographer Louis Johnson, for a piece based on Exodus.  And the moment when we knew we could create something together was when we were having lunch and Louis, with a sparkle in his eyes said, “I can hear Go Down Moses with the Hebrew chant at the same time.” The resulting piece Let My People Go was performed many times during the next ten years.

Photo of JoAnne and Louis taken by Tommy Scott

Finding the collection of poems Wine, Women and Death: Medieval Hebrew Poems on the Good Life by Raymond Scheindlin was a different kind of collaborative experience.  After choreographing five or six of the poems, I got to know Ray and he joined us on tour talking about the medieval period and introducing the piece before we performed it.

Newman Taylor Baker began as a substitute performer the first season of Let My People Go, and we felt an immediate connection over his approach to accompanying the piece.  That led to a collaboration that has continued to recent years.   I loved how I could work on choreography and then Newman would find just the right percussion sounds to take the movement to a new level.  Working with him on the Forgiveness Project was one of those special experiences.  Fast forward seventeen years and the film company I founded, Healing Voices – Personal Stories, was looking for the right music for a film we had completed on men who experience domestic abuse.  Newman’s music came to mind.  I’ve written a  blog on how his approach enhanced the film.  And then just three years ago Newman spent a month in Costa Rica and contributed to inaugurating  Camino del Artista, the labyrinth on my property which is an important part of Casa Uno’s residencies.

When I began writing this blog about collaborations in the musical theatre world I did not anticipate that it would soon lead me on a journey to explore how meaningful collaborations have been in my creative life. Mostly Dance is filled with more examples than I am highlighting here. Each member of original casts, whether dancers or musicians, played a collaborative role in creating that new piece.  I am so grateful for their willingness to try things and to make suggestions.  And this blog is a collaboration too.  For thirteen years Kezia, the blog’s editor, was a member of The Avodah Dance Ensemble and was part of the creative process on pieces like Let My People Go, Sisters, and Binding.  Now I send her my first draft of a blog, she smooths my language out and makes suggestions, I go over it again, and she checks it before it is published.  I could not do it without her. I love when she remembers a moment in the dance company’s history that I had forgotten to include.

I end with a deep bow of gratitude to the dancers, composers, and choreographers I have partnered with.