Originally published at: https://geektherapy.org/dan-rothenberg-robert-quillen-camp-set-to-write-the-book-for-tegs-stage-adaptation-of-the-beloved-childrens-book-harold-and-the-purple-crayon/
Author: Newsroom
The previously announced adaptation of TEG+’s Harold and the Purple Crayon has found it’s book writers in Dan Rothenberg (co-artistic director of Pig Iron Theatre Company) and Robert Quillen Camp (White on White). The new musical will feature original songs composed by Jack and Ryan Met of the band AJR. Demo songs have already been written and recorded, and the book is well underway. In the adaptation, Harold (once the baby in the classic book) is now a young adult facing real-life problems — and learning that he can no longer rely on his magical purple crayon.
Dan and Quill state, “We’ve loved Harold and the Purple Crayon since we were kids. We’re so excited for the opportunity to bring some real-world emotional depth to match the wonder and charm of the original story. Ryan and Jack’s music is so infused with delight, mischief, and yearning — it will be the perfect conduit for Harold’s inventive spirit.”
Jack and Ryan of AJR add, “We are excited to work with Dan and Quill in stretching the limits of what people think a Broadway show can be. Harold and the Purple Crayon was the perfect story to combine our love of quirky pop music, nostalgic childhood themes, and fantastical magic illusions.”
Says Tiwary, “To say I’m a longtime fan of Dan and Quill’s work would be an understatement– I’ve been following them since high school! Dan and Quill have a unique ability to merge the new and experimental with the infinitely relatable– just like an AJR song! So I’m truly proud to bring this dream team together to adapt Harold and the Purple Crayon for the stage.”
Harold and the Purple Crayon is among a slate of ten new projects being developed by TEG+ revolving around high profile music that includes a Broadway adaptation of Will Eisner’s A Contract With God. In addition to upcoming Broadway projects, TEG+ previously announced the acquisition of film and TV rights to adapt the story of The Lazy Susans, an unlikely rock band of suburban moms. TEG+ is in the process of securing a screenwriter and an A-list musician/composer to collaborate with the band. TEG+ is also in development for a limited TV series The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story. The Fifth Beatle is the only project about Brian Epstein, and the only non-documentary Beatles bio project, to have secured their music/songs.
This news comes on the heels of Vivek J. Tiwary’s recent announcement of an equity investment to launch TEG+, expanding on his award-winning work at Tiwary Entertainment Group (Jagged Little Pill, American Idiot). With the recent addition of Jack Leslie, as Co-President and Head of Film + Television and Elie Landau as Chief Operating Officer, TEG+ is primed to make an immediate impact in film and television. New company TEG+ will focus entirely on working with high profile original music, premier established music catalogs, A-list musicians and composers — creating narrative entertainment for all forms of media and technology (stage, film, TV, NFT’s, etc.).
TEG+ investors include industry leaders Primary Wave Music, Nas, Aasif Mandvi, Steve Greenberg, Andrew Rasiej, Reynold D’Silva / Silva Screen among others. TEG+ advisory board members include Damian Bazadona (founder of Situation, a digital-first marketing agency), Rob Cavallo (record producer and music executive), Jonathan Daniel (founder of full-service music company CRUSH), Tom Kitt (Broadway orchestrator, arranger, and composer), Savan Kotecha (song writer + producer – Ariana Grande, One Direction, The Weeknd), Dave Liu (CEO of Liucrative Endeavors and president of La Mesa Capital), Charlie Lyons (producer and media executive), Dr. Charles Platkin (entrepreneur, public health advocate, TV host, and bestselling author), Stefan Schick (a partner at Loeb & Loeb, LLP), and Debbie White (partner at Loeb & Loeb, LLP).
TEG+ can be found across all social media platforms at @TiwaryEnt