The New Harmony Project is thrilled to present the culmination of a yearlong commitment to the development of a brand new musical. Q2, by James Lecesne & Ryan Amador, is the incredible story of a group of LGBTQ young people finding community, and coming of age in the digital age. James & Ryan joined the 2018 conference as writers in residence, and participated in a ten-day workshop in partnership with the University of Evansville Department of Theatre in December of 2018.

This final workshop will feature local college and university students in addition to professionals from across the country. The conclusion of the workshop will be a performance of selections from the piece to benefit Trinity Haven, Indiana’s first and only transitional home dedicated to LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness.

JAMES LECESNE wrote the short film TREVOR, which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short and inspired the founding of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide 24-hour suicide prevention and crisis intervention Lifeline for LGBT and Questioning youth.  He has written three novels for young adults, and created The Letter Q, a collection of letters by Queer writers written to their younger selves. Lecesne was the executive producer of After The Storm, a documentary film that tells the story of 12 young people living in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. And his Off Broadway solo show (The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey) continues to tour the country.

RYAN AMADOR is a singer, songwriter, and theater-maker with two full length albums and five EP’s of original music. He is best known for his queer-related music videos “Define Me” & “Spectrum”, as well as his hit song “Instead” with over 3 million listens on Spotify.  Most recently, Ryan directed premieres of live theatrical work in Cincinnati and New Orleans, and is currently in development on several music and theater projects.