Resident Alien
Book, music, and lyrics by Katya Stanislavskaya
Opening/Last Humiliation
Sasha comforts his wife and daughter as customs agents rifle through the family's belongings.
Overview
The Pitch
RESIDENT ALIEN is an original story of Sasha, Sveta, and Nastya Berdichevsky, who emigrate to the United States from the Soviet Union in the early 1990's. The musical explores how nostalgia for the old and adaptation to the new way of life affect the family dynamic.
Development History
RESIDENT ALIEN has been developed at the BMI Lehman-Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, the Dramatist Guild Fellowship, New York Theatre Barn, Western Carolina University, and Astoria Performing Arts Center. It was the winner of the 2015 Weston New Musical Award and had a 7-song demo recorded by Kurt Deutsch/Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight records. Songs from RESIDENT ALIEN have been featured in the Good-To-Go Festival of Women Writers, a masterclass with Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, and the BMI Workshop Showcase.
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CAST SIZE: 8 (4 women, 3 men, 1 adolescent girl)*
Leads:
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Sasha Berdichevsky (40's), former professor of Russian Literature. Passionate, brooding, an intellectual
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Sveta Berdichevsky, 30's-40's, his wife, a piano teacher. Strong, compassionate, a survivor
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Nastya Berdichevsky, 12-14, their daughter. Innocent at first, a troubled teenager as the piece unfolds.
Ensemble:
Each of the 5 ensemble members plays various roles, including:
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Mrs. Dubin (60's-70's), Svetlana's employer- a haughty rich woman with a soft spot
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Richard (30's-40's), store owner who manipulates and seduces Nastya
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Masha (20's), romantic, nostalgic, disillusioned in America
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Keith and Heather (teens)- Nastya's classmates and tormentors
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Principal, Teacher, Rabbi, Customs Agents, DMV Clerk, Social Security Administrator, Co-op Board President, students
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*An expanded-cast version for a college production is available
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BAND: 6 players
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Conductor/Keyboard 1*
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Keyboard 2*
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Bass (electric)
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Guitar (electric and acoustic)
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Reed (clarinets, saxophones)
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Percussion*
Orchestration by Matt Castle and Frank Galgano
* MainStage programming for the two keyboards and auxiliary percussion is available.
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SETTING:
Moscow airport (first scene only) and suburban New Jersey
Act I: 1992
Act II: 1994