We started work on Meet John Doe in the summer of 2001, originally envisioning a contemporary retelling of the story, complete with panels of video screens and a live cameraman. We ended up writing a draft of the first act which had a concert reading at the Chashama Theatre on 42nd St., set in modern-day New York. The modern setting turned out to be an interesting experiment but one which ultimately taught us to move the story back to the Depression.

A year later, we had a reading of the second act, now set in 1933, at the BMI workshop, and the next spring, we were selected for the annual "Bound For Broadway" concert at Merkin Hall, hosted by Liz Callaway. Julia Murney and Richard T. Adams performed two songs, and brought us to the attention of the folks who were running the first annual New York Musical Theatre Festival that fall. We were selected by NYMF as one of their "Next Link" projects, and had a wonderful, sold-out concert production of the entire show at the Theatre at St. Clement's on 46th St.

This spring, we were selected for the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop, where we received wonderful feedback from esteemed panelists such as Stephen Flaherty, Gary Griffin, and Mark Hollmann, and moderator Craig Carnelia.