In a quiet cabin overlooking Twin Island Lake in Pine Plains, two musical theater writers — lyricist and librettist Mike Ross and composer Dylan MarcAurele — spent the past week doing what many artists only dream of: working without interruption.
The pair are this week’s residents at the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, now in its 14th summer supporting new musicals by emerging and established artists. Founded by Kathy Evans, the retreat offers writers a rare gift: dedicated time, housing, supplies, meals, travel expenses, and a stipend to support their collaboration. This summer, Evans is training her successor, theater producer Erica Rotstein, who will take over as executive director on Sept. 1.
“We read through the entire script out loud. Once Kathy and Erica waved goodbye and left us alone in the cabin,” Ross said, “we both made a lot of notes… then we just got out the whiteboard and both like paced around the room for an hour. And in doing so basically cracked a problem we’ve been having for years.”
Their project, “Lewis Loves Clark,” is a tragicomic reimagining of the famed expedition, laced with unrequited love, historical pathos, and a healthy dose of irreverent bluegrass.
On Saturday, July 26, Ross and MarcAurele will present selections from the musical during a free “Meet the Writers” event at the Stissing Center’s cabaret space from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The event will include live music, a conversation with the artists, and light refreshments.
“This is our third event of the summer,” said Evans. “We choose four of the nine writing teams in residence to share what they’re working on. Dylan and Mike have been revising “Lewis Loves Clark” for a few years now, and they told me they came here hoping to shorten the intermission because it feels too long.”
Evans launched the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat in 2011, and has worked with more than 100 musical theater writing teams since. “We let them focus just on writing,” she said. “We provide everything for them — the home, the supplies, we pay for their food, their travel, and each writer gets a stipend. Musical theater is so collaborative. It’s really hard to find the time and space for writers to work together like this.”
Rotstein, who has worked in both commercial and nonprofit theater — including on Broadway and as a talent manager — said the new role felt like a return to what drew her to the industry. “I was looking for an opportunity to get back to the heart of what I love most about this work,” she said. “Which is being, as I like to say, ‘in the muck’ with artists.”
She and her husband are currently renting a home in Pine Plains. Rotstein noted that the setting has proved to be more than just convenient.
“You can be lake-front and still only be a 15-minute walk from Spud Shack,” she said. “That beautiful mix — of being in nature and also connected to a town with coffee shops, bookstores, and people walking around — is a really lovely thing. It’s part of what makes this such a fertile place to create.”
Ross agreed. “The house is set up so there’s no distractions, and all the resources you could ever need to write,” he said. “You get more done in a week here than you would in months back in the real world.”
He said the team arrived with a script that felt too long and left with a tighter, more cohesive piece. “We’ve added a few new scenes that are short and funny, but overall, we’ve been cutting,” he said. “It’s going to be shorter, better, more streamlined. We’ve been really blown away by what we’ve been able to do.”
“Lewis Loves Clark” is equal parts sweeping historical drama and intimate character study. “It started as a joke,” Ross said. “But then we looked into it, and a lot of historians genuinely believe Lewis had an unrequited crush on Clark. There’s real pathos there.”
The queer retelling of the legendary Lewis and Clark expedition doesn’t shy away from the darker dimensions of history. “It’s a comedy, but also a tragedy,” Ross said. “There’s Sacagawea, this incredible figure who keeps 30 idiots and a dog alive with her baby on her back. And York, the only Black man on the journey. These are the people who really made it through.”
For Rotstein, who’s met a new creative team each week this summer, the residency has only reaffirmed her sense that the work of supporting musical theater writers is vital — and that places like Pine Plains make it possible.
“There’s a reason 205 teams applied this year for just nine residencies,” she said. “We’re giving them the gift of time and space — and that’s a gift that matters.”
The Rhinebeck Writers Retreat’s Meet the Writers event featuring ’Lewis Loves Clark’ is free and open to the public. It will take place from 5–6:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 26, at Stissing Center. RSVP to rsvp@rhinebeckwriters.org.