A submission to the Creative Artist Residency at Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre

PROJECT SUMMARY
The Shoemakers Live! is a one-act folk-pop musical inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s “The Elves and the Shoemaker.” Set in the magical land of Breukelen, the story follows a struggling music duo — known as The Shoemakers — whose fortunes suddenly change when a mysterious “perfect song” appears overnight, offering wealth, fame, and a second chance. Performed by two actor-musicians playing guitar, piano, and ukulele, this intimate piece blends original songs and comedic storytelling in a contemporary fairy tale for all ages.

THEMES
The piece deals with themes of creativity, collaboration, and what it means to remain an artist in mid-life. In this age of capitalism run amok — and as AI beckons us to value supposed efficiency over time spent experimenting and creating — we believe that there are no “perfect” pieces of art, and that the process of artmaking is where the magic happens. We hope audiences will leave feeling inspired to create, collaborate, and share at every stage of their lives.

RESIDENCY GOALS
We are in the early developmental stage of the project, collaborating remotely (from Iowa and New York) on music and story. During the Creative Artist Residency, we hope to use the time and space to write and rehearse in person, allowing for the magic that can only happen “in the room.” We look forward to being part of a community of artists at Arrow Rock, and the opportunity to share a 15-20 minute excerpt with an audience would be extremely helpful at this stage.

THE ARTISTS

Kelli Rae Powell is an actor and singer-songwriter who has toured internationally with her eponymous folk band, performing in cities including New York City, Frankfurt, and Paris. Time Out New York dubbed her an “old timey songstress,” and Tommy Ramone called her a “poet.” As an actor, Kelli Rae appeared off-Broadway in Karin Coonrod’s Everything That Rises Must Converge at The New York Theatre Workshop (called a “stand out” performer by The New York Times) as well as in several productions directed by Obie Award-winning director Mallory Catlett. She released four albums of original music, including Live at Jalopy featuring singer-songwriter Matthew Brookshire. Kelli Rae is also a licensed creative art therapist and certified EMDR counselor. She uses music creation and collaboration for trauma healing with teens and adults in her private practice in central Iowa. She graduated with a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa and a Masters in Music Therapy from NYU.

Matthew Brookshire is a singer-songwriter and performer based in New York City. Hailed as “the marvelous Mr. Brookshire” by The New York Times and “the fabulous singer-songwriter” by The New Yorker, Matthew’s music has appeared in film, television, and live theater. His song “Belly Breathe” was featured in the 50th anniversary season of Sesame Street, and later in Sesame Street: The Musical, which ran off-Broadway and toured the United States. Matthew collaborated with acclaimed choreographer Keely Garfield on the Bessie Award-nominated Twin Pines (Joyce Theater, Danspace Project) and Wow, where he interpreted the songs of Kate Bush. With composer Curtis Moore, he wrote original music for the film Palindromes (directed by Todd Solondz), pop songs for drag icon Kevin Aviance and others, and created a musical about a woman’s obsession with Lifetime Movies, For The Love of Tiffany (book co-written with Thomas Mizer and lyrics by Amanda Green). Matthew’s cabaret work includes The Lesbian Songbook, a meditation on music, memory, and the Methodist Church. He released two albums of original songs, an EP of duets with banjo player Anielle Reid, and he can be heard on Kelli Rae Powell’s Live at Jalopy. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

WORK SAMPLES

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