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

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.