Celebrating 3 Years at The Barn
And a Happy New Year!
It’s been a spectacular year for The Barn! We filmed a short musical, raised money for another two, completed scripts and demos for three feature films, began fundraising for two, and casting for one.
Thanks to everybody who supported us in one way or another. We couldn’t do it without you.
As we gear up for our fourth year (!!) we thought we’d share some highlights from 2022. (or skip to the end for a surprise.) Here goes …
MOVIE MUSICALS
A Little More Alive (feature film)
Jeffrey Simon is directing and co-writing alongside musical extraordinaire Nick Blaemire (music/lyrics/screenplay) to transfer his indie pop stage musical to the screen. They completed a feature screenplay this year and are well into the casting and financing process.
Two estranged brothers reunite at their mother’s funeral only to discover she’s had an affair their entire lives. Now, they have to keep the secret from their dad while they figure out the truth about what really happened.
Check out the songs sung by some Broadway heavy-hitters on Spotify or Apple Music.
This Used to Be a Disco (A.K.A. TUBAD) (feature film)
Written by Brett Ryback (screenplay/music) & Jeff Luppino-Esposito (screenplay/lyrics).
71-year-old bar owner Nicky Fontana must rally support to save Paterson, NJ’s last gay bar from being knocked down by an incoming tech company. But his escalating battle with the young, gay, tech exec Griffin Scott will risk undermining the very community he’s sworn to serve.
Here’s Nicky’s song, Keep on Keepin’ Time as sung by composer Brett Ryback:
This screenplay made it to the second round of the Sundance Labs and was a finalist for the Austin Film Festival Labs.
Taste of Success (feature film)
This feature film is being developed in collaboration with Thicket & Thistle, an amazing group of writer/performers who’ve teamed up with writer/director Ginny Mohler to bring this hilarious vineyard comedy to life. We had a fun week of recording and writing earlier this year.
Here’s a demo of the magical song, Vincent Vondoo:
The Jordan & Avery Show (short film)
We filmed this short musical from the beautiful mind writer/perform Jay Adana. Directed by Ijaaz Noohu and starring Jay and their frequent collaborator Zeniba Now. Look out for it soon!
Jordan and Avery live together and post comedy songs online. With a looming eviction, they get raw on their YouTube channel - and it goes viral.
In Other Words (Short Film)
Written/starring A.J. Freeman and Sam Balzac, directed by Jeffrey Simon.
An anthology series of short films set in a magical bookstore. Ep.1: Herbert and Lilith get a little extra help from old books to find the words to express their feelings for each other—but what genre is best for honesty?
Thanks to everybody who contributed to our Indiegogo campaign. We reached our initial goal in only 6 days! We're incredibly honored that so many believe and have contributed to this project. If you haven’t yet, there’s still time. We’ve added stretch goals, so check it out.
Spit Me Out (short)
This short film is the brainchild of writer/performer Tova Katz. It’s a higher budget short, so we’ve partnered up with The Film Collaborative to solicit tax-deductible donations. Hit us up if you’re interested in contributing! (or just send money)
On her way out of town forever, Dina—fast-talkin’ queer rebel cowgirl—makes a surprise stop so she and her beloved Bev can escape the pious throttle of their small town church.
COMMERCIAL WORK
It’s also been an exciting year for The Barn continuing collaborations and building new ones.
Revry
The world’s largest queer stream/TV service, we first worked with Revry when they distributed our short films Steam! and Spark. That collaboration blossomed into a thriving working relationship. In 2022 we produced their annual pride special House of Pride sponsored by McDonald’s as well as their QueerX Award Show both featuring fun live music performances.
Concord
We had the pleasure of teaming up with Concord Theatrical, the guardians of the Rodgers & Hammerstein archives and more, to make a series of lyric videos detailing the lyric writing process of some of the songs from Sound of Music. We also made some fun videos honoring the 25th anniversary of the R&H Cinderella (the one with Brandy of course).
You can view these and more at our /work page.
MUSIC
Fairytales & Fallacies
Jeffrey released an EP of pop songs! Produced by the fabulous Evan Chambers. Available on Spotify, Apple Music or anywhere you listen.
And a Gift
And lastly, here’s a little gift from The Barn Boys to anyone who made it this far down this long and winding email.
Happy New Year!
Cheers to a fabulous 2022 and even more fun in 2023!
—Jeffrey, Matt, and everyone at The Barn