Musicals with Book, Lyrics and/or Direction by David Schechter (Partial List):

Soul Doctor

Soul Doctor

Created and Developed by David Schechter and Daniel S. Wise
Book by Daniel S. Wise
Lyrics by David Schechter
Music by Shlomo Carlebach
Directed by Daniel S. Wise
Slated for Broadway in 2013

New York Theatre Workshop Space
Folksbiene Theatre NYC (Directed by David Schechter)
Colony Theatre, Miami
Parker Playhouse, Ft. Lauderdale,
Museum of Jewish History, NYC (Directed by David Schechter)
Roundabout Theatre Black Box (Staged Reading Directed by David Schechter)
The true story of Shlomo Carlebach, often called “The Rockstar Rabbi”, told through his own music. A controversial spiritual leader and composer, Shlomo was instrumental in reviving the spirit of the Jewish people after WW 2.
A Letter To Harvey Milk

A Letter To Harvey Milk

Book by Jerry James
Music by Laura Kramer
Lyrics by Ellen Schwartz
Based on the short story by Leslea Newman
Directed and Dramaturged by David Schechter
AWARDS: Winner of Five Top Jury Prizes, including Most Promising Musical, at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Signature Pershing Square Theatre, NYC
A surprising letter to the martyred gay politician sparks an unusual friendship between a retired kosher butcher and a young lesbian writing teacher, a relationship influenced by the ghosts of his feisty late wife and of Harvey Milk himself. The show is both poignant and laugh out loud funny.
Hannah Senesh

Hannah Senesh
(a play with music)

Written by David Schechter
Music by Steven Lutvak, Elizabeth Swados and David Schechter
Original Diary and Poems by Hannah Senesh
Directed by David Schechter

AWARDS: New York Drama Desk Nom.; L.A. Dramalogue Award; L.A. Weekly News Pick; Hadassah Arts Award

Cherry Lane Theatre, Off-Broadway
Zephyr Theatre, L.A.
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
The Philadelphia Theatre Company
Penquin Rep, NYS
North American Tour, Israeli Tour
WBAI broadcast
Based on the diary and poems of Hannah Senesh, the play tells the true story of the martyred young Hungarian/Jewish WW2 freedom fighter, the first woman to be a paratrooper. After helping to build a Jewish State in Palestine, she parachuted behind Nazi lines to save her fellow Jews. Hannah has been called “The Joan of Arc” of Israel.
Almost September

Almost September

Book by David Schechter
Music by Steven Lutvak
Lyrics by David Schechter and Steven Lutvak
Directed by David Schechter
AWARDS: Winner of Eight Bay Area Critic Circle Awards (including Best Director and Score) and Seven Dramalogue Awards (including Best Director and Score)

Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Missouri Rep
Theatreworks Palo Alto
A sophisticated family musical of whimsy, fantasy and wit.
Gathered in Grandmother’s Victorian attic, six cousins act out The Wind in the Willows, and in the midst of their play, unexpectedly discover what growing up really means.
The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book

Book and Lyrics by David Schechter and Barry Keating
Music by Barry Keating
Directed by David Schechter
Commissioned and Produced by TheatreworksUSA

"Schechter’s work is a knock out! An original and inventive treat."
– Newsday, NYC

Broadway’s New Victory Theatre
A retelling of Kipling’s classic tale, moved to the urban jungle of NYC.
Esmeralda

Esmeralda

Music and Lyrics by Steven Lutvak
Book by Kathryn Placzek and David Schechter
Directed by David Schechter
National Endowment for the Arts Opera/Music Theatre Grant

"Compelling…the actors move about like a pride of lions."
– St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
A passionate chamber musical rendering of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, told within the framework of a Catholic mass.
A Little Night Music

A Little Night Music 

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Directed by David Schechter
"Schechter’s visionary staging seduces the audience completely into his special world."
– Richmond Times

Theatre Virginia
Sondheim’s most romantic show, based on the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night.
Brechtspiel

Brechtspiel

Text by Bertolt Brecht
Music by Kurt Weill
Created by Lynne Greene and David Schechter
Directed by David Schechter
Peformed by Rita Gardner, KT Sullivan, Lynne Greene and David Schechter

Cited by the Dramaturg for Brecht’s Berliner Ensemble as one of the two best theatrical Brecht revues seen outside of Germany.

The Writer’s Theatre
Manhattan Theatre Club (Staged Reading)
A theatre piece constructed of Brecht’s poems, essays and testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, interspersed with Brecht/Weill songs.
A Talmud Tale

A Talmud Tale

Book by David Schechter and Ned Paul Ginsburg
Lyrics by David Schechter
Music and Additional Lyrics by Ned Ginsburg
Directed by David Schechter
Published by Ben Yehuda Press

JCC of Manhattan, NY
JCC of Houston, TX
While preparing for her Bat Mitzvah, a young girl gets swept back in time to ancient Jerusalem, where she witnesses how a unique May/December romance spawned the creation of the Talmud, the most important book of commentaries in Judaism.
The White Rose

The White Rose

Written and Composed by Uto Zimmermann
Directed by David Schechter
Performed by Lauren Flanigan and Peter Kazaras

American Premiere

"Unforgettable. Schechter realizes nothing is more powerful than the imagination"
– Omaha News

Opera/Omaha
An opera about the martyrdom of Sophie and Hans Scholl two German university students who formed a secret organization to debunk Nazi anti-semitic propaganda.
The Diary of One Who Vanished

The Diary of One Who Vanished

Song Cycle by Leos Janacek
Libretto by Ozef Kalda
Directed by David Schechter
Performed by Lauren Flanigan and Peter Kazaras

Opera/Omaha
An erotic tale of a mysterious love affair.
Rivers

Rivers

Created and Directed by David Schechter
Musical and Vocal Arrangements by Dianne Addams
Commissioned by River Barge Productions

"Brilliant theatre, …an incredibly gifted writer and director"
– Watertown Daily Times, NY

Clayton Opera House
A musical journey through the songs and mythology of the world’s great rivers.
The Slick of '76

The Slick of '76: A Musical Catastrophe

Book by David Schechter
Lyrics by Barry Keating and David Schechter
Music by Barry Keating
Produced by John Burt, River Barge Productions and Save The River.
Directed by David Schechter
Commissioned by River Barge Productions

The Clayton Opera House,
Also performed in boathouses and on barges along the St. Lawrence Seaway.
A serio-comic look at the ecological and human impact of one of the largest inland oil spills in North American history.
The Wind In The Willows

The Wind In The Willows

Book by David Schechter
Music by Steven Lutvak
Lyrics by Steven Lutvak and David Schechter
Directed by David Schechter
Inaugural production of the newly reconstructed Clayton Opera House
Commissioned by River Barge Productions
The classic children’s story, re-enacted by a group of cousins in their Grandmother’s Victorian attic on the last night of summer. This is an earlier incarnation of Almost September.
Peter Pan

Peter Pan

Adapted from the play by J.M Barrie
Music by Jeffrey Lunden
Lyrics by David Schechter
Directed by David Schechter
Commissioned and Produced by TheatreworksUSA

Town Hall, NYC and U.S. Tour
The classic tale of the magical boy who wouldn’t grow up, retold as a children’s game, where the children use toys and puppets to help create the fabled Neverland and its motley inhabitants.
Sundiata: The Lion King of Mali

Sundiata: The Lion King of Mali

Book by David Schechter and Barbara Pasternak
Lyrics by Scott Davenport Richards, Kirsten Childs and David Schechter
Music by Scott Davenport Richards and Kirsten Childs
Directed by David Schechter
Commissioned and Produced by TheaterworksUSA

Town Hall, NYC and U.S. Tour
Influenced by traditional African dance, costumes and puppetry, the show is a festive retelling of the mythic tale from West Africa of the crippled young prince who finds his strength after being adopted by a pride of lions.
Just So Stories

Just So Stories

Book by Mindy Dickstein
Lyrics by Helen Chayefsky
Music by Brad Alexander
Adapted from Rudyard Kipling
Directed by David Schechter
Commissioned and Produced by TheatreworksUSA

Town Hall, NYC and U.S. Tour
How the elephant got his trunk, the leopard his spots and the hippo his skin, etc. all played out in a colorfully designed world inspired by the magical art of Henri Matisse.
The Butterfly

The Butterfly

Book and Lyrics by Barbara Zinn Krieger
Music by Charles Greenberg
Based on the book by Patricia Polacco
Directed by David Schechter
Produced by Making Books Sing

Symphony Space, NYC
A young French girl in the Occupied France of WW2 discovers that her mother has been hiding a Jewish father and daughter in their attic. She befriends the girl and when the Nazis start to suspect something, she finds wellsprings of courage she didn’t know she had.
The Orphan Singer

The Orphan Singer

Book by Barbara Zinn Krieger
Music by Vivaldi
Based on the book by Patricia Polacco
Directed by David Schechter
Produced by Making Books Sing

Symphony Space, NYC
In old Venice, a young orphan with a golden voice surprisingly becomes the creative muse for the musical genius, Vivaldi.
The Upside Down Boy

The Upside Down Boy

Lyrics by Juan Felipe Herrera
Music by Christian Amigo
Book and Additional Lyrics by Barbara Zinn Krieger
Based on the book by Juan Felipe Herrera
Directed by David Schechter
Produced by Making Books Sing

NYC Tour
A young Mexican American is traumatized when his family leaves behind their migrant farm workers’ life to make a new start in the city.
Bird Woman

Bird Woman

Written by Ric Averill
Directed by David Schechter
Produced by Making Books Sing

Queens Theatre in the Park and NYC Tour
The story of Sacagawea, the young Native American translator who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their epic transcontinental journey. The show uses puppetry by Ralph Lee and traditional Native American music, dance and ritual.
Guarding the Garden

Guarding the Garden

Book by David Schechter
Music and Lyrics by Margot Stein
Directed by David Schechter
Commissioned and Produced by New Legends

Published in Lilith Magazine and "Torah of the Earth: An Anthology"
- Jewish Lights Books

Northeast U.S. Tour
A revised telling of the Garden of Eden story with the snake and Lilith (Adam’s first wife) as the heroes, fighting against the ecological destruction of Paradise.
Jimi and Mr. B

Jimi and Mr. B

Book by David Gonzalez (OBIE award winner)
Music and Lyrics by John Foster
Directed by David Schechter
Commissioned by Empire State Arts Council

The Egg/Center for the Performing Arts, Albany
The Spirit of Leonard Bernstein teaches a teenage rock and roller all about the NY State performing artists who came before him.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Poem by T.S. Eliot
Adapted and Directed by David Schechter
Featured in the N.Y. Post Page Six Section

The Open Space, NYC
A dance/music/theatre adaptation of T.S.Eliot’s signature poem.
East Towards Home

East Towards Home

Written by Billy Yalowitz
Songs by Woody Guthrie
Directed and Dramaturged by David Schechter
Created with a grant from Temple University

Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia
A music theatre piece that traces a young man’s struggle to find his place as an artist in the Left Wing political tradition he was brought up in.
Paganini

Paganini (a masque)

Written by Robert Rudie
Directed and Dramaturged by David Schechter
U.S. Tour
A concert/theatre piece about the life of the flamboyantly famous violinist.
Waking This Morning

Waking This Morning

Created and Directed by David Schechter
Poems by Emily Dickinson, Diane Wakoski, Muriel Rukeyser,
Music by Various Composers
Invited to perform at August Moon Festival

The Open Space, NYC
A dance/music/theatre piece using the poetry of female poets to explore the experience of breaking up with a lover.
The Seabirds Of Isabella

The Seabirds Of Isabella (a daydream)

Created and Directed by David Schechter
Music by Bela Bartok
Invited to perform at the New Theatre Festival, Maryland

Baltimore Theatre Project Theatre
Comparing a typical suburban family to an island of birds, this experimental music theatre piece crosses Bartok’s vibrant 4th string quartet with an episode of The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau to produce a surreal and compellingly entertaining event.
Seen

Seen

Book by David Schechter and Bill Von Hoene
Music and Lyrics by Bill Von Hoene and David Schechter
Directed and Performed by David Schechter
Produced by Wet Rock Productions/ Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel
Can the most intimate relationship in your life be with a lover you never see (with your eyes)? The true story of a love affair begun with one lover blindfolded for four months, a relationship that continues full force after the sudden death of one of the two.