Show Me Eternity

Synopsis

Emily Dickinson is a household name. Equally famous is a mostly fictitious account of Emily’s life: one that paints her as a meek, morbid recluse who never knew love. How did this legend come to exist, and why has it overshadowed the truth for so long? In Show Me Eternity, Emily’s untold story comes to life in all its complexity through the eyes of her muse, Sue Gilbert Dickinson. Show Me Eternity recounts Sue and Emily’s story through two intertwined timelines.

In the “past” timeline, Sue is a newcomer in Amherst, a brilliant young scholar whose dreams are held back by unmet material needs. Shortly after arriving, she’s courted by Austin Dickinson, a promising young man who can give her the security she’s never had. But Sue finds herself undeniably drawn to Austin’s brilliant, unconventional sister, Emily. The two develop an intimate bond that forms the backbone of Emily’s craft, and Sue is faced with a decision: will she live the reasonable life that everyone expects her to, or will she embrace who she really is?

Meanwhile, the “present” timeline finds a middle-aged Sue overcome with grief after Emily’s recent passing and determined to see Emily’s verses published and her legacy cemented. Sue faces several opposing forces: Austin doubts her ability to get anything published given her lack of literary credentials, his new lover Mabel is desperate to latch onto the project despite her strained relationship with Sue, and publishers are confused and put off by Emily’s unique, convention-defying style. As Sue struggles to protect Emily’s work from being co-opted and erased, she discovers that truth is worth fighting for, even when almost no one will listen.

Development History

Show Me Eternity was workshopped over the course of 2023 through a residency at Culture Lab LIC, culminating in a sold out run of public workshop performances. In 2024, the piece was further developed and presented at Florida State University and with Amas Musical Theatre. Previously, Show Me Eternity has been workshopped with Michigan State University's dramaturgy department and was presented with the New York Theatre Festival directed by Daniella Caggiano, earning nominations for Best Play or Musical and Best Score as well as BroadwayWorld Off-Off-Broadway Awards for Best New Score and Best New Book of a Musical. It was also performed in concert at 54 Below.

To learn more about Show Me Eternity, follow @showmeeternitymusical on Instagram and visit our media page for demos. Feel free to contact us for more extensive demos or if you are interested in learning more about the show.

Pride and Prejudice

This is not your mother's Pride and Prejudice, but it's still the classic we all know and love -- five sisters navigate courtship in a socially restrictive Regency world. Lizzy hates Mr. Darcy at first, but learns that she can't always trust first impressions. Jane and Bingley fall in love, fall apart, and fall back together. Charlotte's gay, Lydia's thirsty, and Mrs. Bennet thinks she might need a Xanax (but she doesn't know what that is or when anyone will start caring about women's mental health.) Chaos ensues, but love triumphs in the end -- for some.

Pride & Prejudice, the first musical we wrote together, received its premiere through SheNYC's digital Summer Theatre Festival in 2020 and its live premiere in SheNYC's 2021 festival, at which it won the award for Best Score. Songs from the show have been performed at various cabarets, in addition to a planned site-specific performance at Dive 106 that was unfortunately cut short by the pandemic. Our take on this classic is set in the Regency, but with contemporary music, dialogue, and a modern feel. As lifelong fans of the novel and BBC miniseries, we wanted to bring the comedy and the characters to life with a sense of immediacy and irreverence.