lynnette Barkley

LYNNETTE BARKLEY (Writer/Director/Choreographer) Broadway: Assistant to Tommy Tune on My One And Only, Off-Broadway director/choreographer: Chatting With The Tea Party, Leave It To Jane, Gifts of the Magi, Anything Cole, and The Road To Hollywood. Regional Theaters include American Stage, Florida Stage, PBDramaWorks, New Jersey Repertory Theatre, TheatreFest, NJ, Long Warf, Main State Music Theatre, & La Mirada Civic Theatre, among others. Recent directing highlights: Indecent, TRU, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, A Little Night Music, Ragtime. As a freelance writer, Lynnette has written the original musicals, Swing Sisters (w/Coty Cockrell), Backwards In High Heels (w/Christopher McGovern) and Beguiled Again (w/J Barry Lewis). As director, she has collaborated on the development of several...

LYNNETTE BARKLEY (Writer/Director/Choreographer) Broadway: Assistant to Tommy Tune on My One And Only, Off-Broadway director/choreographer: Chatting With The Tea Party, Leave It To Jane, Gifts of the Magi, Anything Cole, and The Road To Hollywood. Regional Theaters include American Stage, Florida Stage, PBDramaWorks, New Jersey Repertory Theatre, TheatreFest, NJ, Long Warf, Main State Music Theatre, & La Mirada Civic Theatre, among others. Recent directing highlights: Indecent, TRU, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, A Little Night Music, Ragtime. As a freelance writer, Lynnette has written the original musicals, Swing Sisters (w/Coty Cockrell), Backwards In High Heels (w/Christopher McGovern) and Beguiled Again (w/J Barry Lewis). As director, she has collaborated on the development of several highly acclaimed original musicals, including Mr. Abbott: A Broadway Legacy, Dancing With The One I Love and Prince of The Dark. Lynnette was co-founder and Director of Theatrical Development of New York Production Company, Barkley-Kalpak Productions, where she directed and wrote scripts for innumerable original business theatre productions and videos. Lynnette holds a BA from San Francisco State University and a Master’s Degree in Theatre from California State University, Fullerton, is a proud, long-standing member of SDC (Stage Directors and Choreographers), and NAMT (National Alliance of Musical Theatre).

Scripts

BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS

by lynnette Barkley

Cast Size

6—10

Genre

biography,

comedy,

musical

BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS: The Ginger Rogers Musical

"Sure Fred Astaire was great, but don't forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did, ...backwards and in high heels." - Journalist Bob Thaves

The remarkable adventures of the legendary actress Ginger Rogers come to life in this intimate musical that dances its way through Ginger’s life with a captivating story, unforgettable music, show-stopping musical...

BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS: The Ginger Rogers Musical

"Sure Fred Astaire was great, but don't forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did, ...backwards and in high heels." - Journalist Bob Thaves

The remarkable adventures of the legendary actress Ginger Rogers come to life in this intimate musical that dances its way through Ginger’s life with a captivating story, unforgettable music, show-stopping musical numbers.

Backwards In High Heels chronicles Ginger Rogers’ journey from hometown girl to Hollywood icon and from one crazy love affair to another. Best known as Fred Astaire’s dance partner, a headstrong Ginger defies her overly-protective mother to become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and one of the industry’s first women to demand equal compensation for her work.

The musical numbers, cinematic transitions and physical world of the show tell the story and develop characters as much as the dialogue does. Everything in the show dances—transitions, turntables, the furniture… and, of course, Ginger & Fred.

“Backwards In High Heels is a funny, moving visual feast of a musical.” (Miami Herald)

Swing Sisters

by lynnette Barkley

Cast Size

10—16

Genre

musical

SWING SISTERS: “Where words fail, music speaks.”
Swing Sisters is an original musical inspired by the barrier-breaking-bad-ass women musicians of the swing era who gave up everything in order to play their music. The story highlights an all-girl, multi-racial band and features an exuberant jazz score. It focuses on the adventures of a diverse array of complex female characters from three generations who turn...

SWING SISTERS: “Where words fail, music speaks.”
Swing Sisters is an original musical inspired by the barrier-breaking-bad-ass women musicians of the swing era who gave up everything in order to play their music. The story highlights an all-girl, multi-racial band and features an exuberant jazz score. It focuses on the adventures of a diverse array of complex female characters from three generations who turn out to be connected in the most unexpected ways.

In San Francisco’s Tenderloin District, circa 1943, we meet a spirited musician, Olivia DuPree, who is searching for her voice and her place in the world. Olivia, along with her quirky best friend Cookie, defies convention and dives into the unpredictable world of Jazz. In a world that says "women don't belong on the bandstand," these fearless “swing sisters” come to understand how the power of music and the bonds of sisterhood can change everything. One young woman’s passion can clear the path for generations of those who follow in her footsteps.

It’s been said that music chooses you, not the other way around. Olivia's destiny is to make music regardless of the obstacles in her way. Backed by the support of her fellow musicians, she learns to believe in herself and follow her passion. Ultimately, that makes her powerful in a world where she is otherwise powerless.

“Music is my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and
curl my back to loneliness.”
- Maya Angelu