WaterTower Theatre
presents

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD

Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown

Originally Produced by the WPA Theatre, New York City, 1995
(Kyle Renick, Artistic Director)

Original Orchestration by 
Brian Besterman and Jason Robert Brown

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
is presented through special arrangement 
with Music Theatre International (MTI).

All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
www.mtishows.com

Any video and/or audio recording 
of this production is strictly prohibited.

Special thanks to Mikey Abrams and Texas Pride Realty Group 
for their sponsorship and support of BWY x NTX: 
Songs for a New World. Learn more at www.mikeyabramsrealtor.com or call (817) 714-5959

Additional thanks to Phil Gibbs and Collora Piano for their support of this production.

Rain Phillips* WaterTower credits include Stage Manager for BWYxNTX 2025, Assistant Stage Manager for The Graduate and Always... Patsy Cline. Regional credits include Stage Manager for Broadway Our Way 2023-2026, A Queer Carol, and Fire and Air with Uptown Players; Stage Manager for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Cat And The Canary, and The Underpants with Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas; and Costume Designer for Kodachrome with Circle Theatre. Rain holds a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from Texas Christian University.

*Appearing through the SPT Agreement between this theatre, WaterTower Theatre, and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. 

NOTE TO AUDIENCE: The videotaping or audio and/or visual recording of this production is a violation of United States Copyright Law and an actionable federal offense.

Additional thanks to Phil Gibbs and Collora Piano for their support of this production.

LAILA JALIL (Woman 1) is excited to be making her WaterTower Theatre debut! She is a graduate of TheUniversity of Central Oklahoma where she received a BM in Musical Theatre. Some of hermost recent credits include Ragtime (Dallas Theatre Center), Cathy in The Last Five Years(Circle Theatre), Pritti Pasha in Everybody's Talking About Jamie (Uptown Players). Lailawould like to thank Jayden Mathews for his constant support and encouragement.

Laura Lites (Woman 2) Is so happy to back at Watertower, where she was last seen as Francesca in Bridges of Madison County, Hedda Hopper in Chaplin and Carlotta in Phantom. Some memorable productions have been Penelope Pennywise in Urinetown, Pamela in Head Over Heels, Sister Mary Downey in Disaster! The Musical, Kate McGowan in Titanic and Songs For A New World at Uptown Players; Melpomene in Xanadu and Helene in Natasha and Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 at T3; Lizzie and Murder Ballad at Imprint Theatreworks and Dallas Theatre Center’s Hair and Les Miserables.

Esteban Vilchez* (Man 2) is joining Water Tower for his first production. He is a member of Dallas Theater Center’s Brierley Resident Acting Company. Notable roles include Jonathan Harker/Others in Dracula A Comedy of Terrors(DTC), Bobby in Shane(DTC), Young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol(DTC), and Freddy in Noises Off(DTC). Esteban thanks Water Tower and the production team for this incredible opportunity. He is grateful to his father who is the backbone to his performance and who taught him and pushed him to learn everything he knows, his wife who is his biggest cheerleader and support system, and God for it all.

ZACHARY J. WILLIS* (Man 1) is thrilled to make his WaterTower Theatre debut! He is a member of Dallas Theater Center’s Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company, where credits include Ragtime, Fat Ham, A Christmas Carol, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Public Works Dallas’ The Little Mermaid, and the world premiere of Jonathan Norton’s I AM DELIVERED’T, which earned him an Irma P. Hall Black Theatre Award. Additional regional credits include Theatre Arlington, Stage West, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Theatre Three, Casa Mañana, Circle Theatre, Jubilee Theatre, Uptown Players, Theatre Under the Stars, and Stages Houston. He studied Musical Theatre at Sam Houston State University. Matthew 5:16. zacharyjwillis.com | @zacharyjwillis

Megan Lagemann (Female Swing) is excited to make her WaterTower Theatre debut in “Songs For A New World”. Megan works as the Queen at Medieval Times with other stage credits including Marie in CINDERELLA, Teen Fiona/Ensemble in SHREK, Judy Haynes in WHITE CHRISTMAS and Belle in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Education: Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at DBU. She would like to praise God for this opportunity and thank her family and friends for their support. Also, a special thanks to the casting team for entrusting her with this role. IG @meganlagemann

JONATHAN MCINNIS (Male Swing) is thrilled to make his WaterTower Theatre debut! Across DFW, Jonathan has appeared with Lyric Stage, Imprint Theatreworks, The Firehouse Theatre, and others, with favorite credits including Blood Brothers (Mickey), Memphis (Huey Calhoun), School of Rock (Dewey Finn), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (St. Aphrodisius), Billy Elliot, The Secret Garden, and Evita. TV: Mr. Mercedes. Recording: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (Original Broadway Cast Recording). Outside of theatre, Jonathan is an international award-winning portrait photographer working in Chicago and DFW. Instagram: @jonmci

WaterTower Theatre depends on the generosity of individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to continue to produce the highest quality professional theatre.

Looking for opportunities to share similar interests with other WTT patrons? Make a deeper investment in the arts by joining our popular donor affinity group, Women of WaterTower Theatre (WOW!)! A membership in this donor group offers many exciting opportunities from behind-the-scenes tours, to VIP opening night receptions, to "sneak previews" with guest speakers, and much more.

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We gratefully acknowledge the 500+ donors whose generous contributions each year make it possible for WaterTower Theatre to present more than 125 performances annually.

While space limitations prevent us from publicly listing donors who contribute below the $250 level, please know that we deeply and sincerely appreciate every gift, no matter the amount. Because ticket sales cover only a portion of our operating expenses, the support of patrons, corporations, foundations, and other friends is vital to our ability to produce quality professional theatre for our community.

If you would like to join this extraordinary group of supporters, please visit www.watertowertheatre.org/donations, or contact Brian Gonzales at 972-450-6275 or by email at bgonzales@watertowertheatre.org.

We apologize for any unintentional omissions, as we are currently updating our donor list. If you believe your name or contribution has been missed, we kindly invite you to reach out.

Thank you for helping us bring theatre to life!

Kelly Kirkendoll – President
Omid Rahmani – Vice President
Philip A. Longacre – Treasurer

Elena Arsova
Rosalind Benjet
Mervyn Benjet
Blake Clemens
Nadia Loudon
Rebecca Neef
Stefan Prisacaru
Brittany Willis