TOMORROW, THE ISLAND DIES Comes to 54 Below for One-Night-Only Concert

October 5, 2026

RSO’s award-winning folk-horror musical will receive two concert performances October 26, featuring two casts and a six-piece chamber orchestra.

Tomorrow, the Island Dies, the award-winning new musical by RSO, will come to  ⁠54 Below for two concert performances on October 26, 2026, at 7:00 and 9:30 PM. Very Intense Productions, Actor Therapy New Works, and AT Musicals in Concert present the one-night-only event.

Set on the storm-ravaged island of Haverness in a not-so-distant future, the folk-horror musical follows 18-year-old Widow Clack, pregnant and living in exile at a lighthouse, as the island prepares for its final evacuation. When a young man is found dead on the beach, the remaining youth descend into paranoia, betrayal, and violence. Described as “Once meets Sweeney Todd,” the musical blends gothic folk tradition with a contemporary story of climate catastrophe, fractured communities, and the storms we create ourselves.  

The 7:00 PM cast features Oliver Callahan, Randall Scott Carpenter, James Cunha, Emily Foley, Kamryn Koerner, Emma Kops, Amy Laviolette (Funny Girl, Spamalot national tour), Kaléa Leverette (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Sasha Lippis, Brielle Mae, Julie McConnell, Emma Mineo, Matthew Moròn, Andrew Oppmann, Nathan David Smith (Beetlejuice and Come From Away national tours), Allison Spann, and Nick Xitco.  

The 9:30 PM cast features Oliver Callahan, James Cunha, Elena Reyes Farías, Hannah E. Feldstein, Alexander Fernandez, MJ Hughes, Andy Kear, Hannah MacDonald (Flashdance national/international tour), Lizzie J. Maguire, Jane Margolis, Julie McConnell, Emily Mesa (How the Grinch Stole Christmas national tour), Jack B. Murphy, Tommy Page, Adrian Rivera, Allison Spann, and Rebecca Alice Steiner.  

RSO and Mat Armada direct, with music direction by Joshua Zecher-Ross and a six-piece chamber orchestra.  

To purchase tickets, visit 54Below.com.

Photo Flash: TOMORROW, THE ISLAND DIES storms up SDSU in a thrilling college production

June 3, 2026

San Diego State University is finishing its season with the world premiere of Ryan Scott Oliver’s new musical, Tomorrow, the Island Dies. The work performs at the California institution May 1-6, with Stephen Brotebeck at the helm.

CHECK OUT THE PLAYBILL ARTICLE HERE

The dystopian, original story is set on an island off the coast of Maine facing imminent destruction in the face of the climate crisis. A mysterious death leads to finger pointing between those still left alive.

“I’m interested in the ways people respond to crisis—how they seek order, how they define virtue, and how quickly certainty can become destabilizing,” says Oliver in a statement. “The piece asks what happens when our desire for clarity overtakes our capacity for compassion.”

The work has been developed in the last two years via SDSU’s New Musical Initiative. Press notes describe the score as drawing on influences “ranging from Sweeney Todd to Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes.”

Cast and creatives for the production included:

Widow Clack, the lighthouse keeper: Rebecca Murillo
Benji Clack, her brother: Ian Bartlett
Kathryn, the government: Savannah Comer
Jacob, the law: Nole Jones
Ephraim, the church: Jansen Espares
Wyatt, sanitation: Quetzal Alcaraz
Mckenzy, sanitation: Katie Emily
Shauna, the shop: Ajay Junious
Shelly, the shop: Janeth Shayo
Porter, the docks: Anthony Methvin
Nadine, the hospital: Ashley Roche
Bree, the school: Isabel Wirz
Ms. Kelly, the outcast: Courtney Corey
Ensemble: Kassidy King, Mackayla Olivas, Avery Henkenius, Jordan Davenport, Bobby Bednar, Shane Mullinix, David Lamb (swings: Callen Kraus, Valentina D’auria)

Scenic Design: Lauren Richards
Costume Design: Kelan Yang
Lighting Design: Mary Ashley Fulton
Sound Design: Paul Peterson
Dramaturgs: David Limon, Nitalia Wilson
Production Stage Manager: Aden Carlson
Asst. director: Brett Puppilo

Murney, Arroyo, Pearce and Melendez star in reading of TOMORROW, THE ISLAND DIES, plus complete album released

October 27, 2024

New York, NY (November 5, 2024) – On November 7, 2024, Ryan Scott Oliver’s new musical folk horror, Tomorrow, the Island Dies will be presented in a reading presentation for an invited audience.

Drama Desk-nominee Zi Alikhan directs a cast featuring Alisa Melendez as Widow Clack, Philippe Arroyo as Benji, Liam Pearce as Jacob, Julia Murney as Ms. Kelly, Kim Onah as Nadine, Ethan Carlson as Ephraim, and Caitlin Doak as Kathryn, with Ryan Bronston, Bryanna Cuthill, Nicole DeLuca, Miranda Luze, Jackon Mizell, Jordan A. White rounding out the cast. Joshua Zecher-Ross music directs a five-piece band.

The musical tells the story of “Widow Clack, 18 and pregnant, who lives an exiled life running a lighthouse with her brother on a storm-crushed island set to be uninhabited in two days. When a young man is found dead on the beach, the remaining collection of young adults (left to make final preparations for the abandonment) combust into dangerous accusations leading to devastating division and ultimately, death. When a final, unexpected storm impacts the island, can Widow save the villagers from themselves?”

This follows RSO releasing the complete studio cast album on October 22 on all streaming services.

The track list is as follows:

  1. HAVERNESS ANTHEM
  2. GIRL OF LEGEND — Jisel Soleil Ayon and cast
  3. PREPARATIONS FOR THE ABANDONMENT — cast
  4. THE STORM TO COME — Mason Olshavsky
  5. THE GOOD ONES — Caitlin Doak
  6. BACHELOR’S SHANTY — Tristan Caldwell and cast
  7. ASYLUM — Jason Gotay
  8. MEDITATIONS — Kim Onah, Nicole DeLuca, Grace Ellis Solomon
  9. ON THIS ROCK! — Shelby Acosta, Miranda Luze, Nathan David Smith, Tristan Caldwell, Caitlin Doak, Kim Onah and cast
  10. MS. KELLY’S TAPES — Victoria Huston-Elem
  11. ONLY HUMAN — Jisel Soleil Ayon
  12. I KNOW YOU — Jack B. Murphy, Caitlin Doak and cast
  13. THE BEGINNING OF THE END — Tristan Caldwell, Shelby Acosta, Miranda Luze and cast
  14. THE PRICE OF LIVING — Charlie Fusari
  15. BENEATH THE WATER — Ethan Carlson
  16. THE TIDE — Kim Onah, Jack B. Murphy and cast
  17. ALONE, THE LIGHTHOUSE — Emma Carlile and Ethan Carlson

The reading is produced by American Music Theatre Project (Alexander Gemignani, artistic director), Very Intense Productions, and AT New Works, and is a commission from Samford University. Recently it won the SDSU New Musical Theatre Initiative two-year residency and is an official selection of the American Music Theatre Project’s 2024-2025.

Double “Dies”: TOMORROW, THE ISLAND DIES selected for SDSU and Northwestern AMTP residencies

July 15, 2024

RSO’s latest musical Tomorrow, the Island Dies has been named the winner for two theatre development residencies.

At San Diego State University, Tomorrow will receive a reading early this fall, followed by a workshop in spring 2025, and will culminate in a fully-realized production on the Mainstage in spring 2026. Read more about SDSU’s program here.

Northwestern’s American Musical Theatre Project (AMTP) will also develop Tomorrow this spring with a full NYC creative team. Check out AMTP’s program here as well as its previous productions.

An original concept recording is available on Spotify, Apple Music and wherever you stream music. A second recording completing the score will be available later this year.