a new musical
book by Nicole Jost
music and lyrics by Maggie Grabmeier
Embedded Files
For more information about LOVE U or to request a link to the video of the 2024 staged reading at Z Below, please contact Maggie and Nicole at grabmeierandjost@gmail.com.
Cast size: 8 (4 leads, 4 ensemble)
Genre: musical rom-com, rock musical
Tagline:
LOVE U is a queer musical rom-com about lies, love, and college.
Synopsis:
LOVE U is a queer musical rom-com about lies, love, and college. At a school everyone calls “Love U,” four freshmen discover themselves and each other. Mia is a small town bookworm far from home for the first time. Jae is a charming track star still finding her way when it comes to academics. Sparks fly when they meet at the Love U library, and Jae tells a little white lie: that she loves reading just as much as Mia does. To keep up the pretense, Jae enlists the help of her knowledgeable (and nerdy) friend Phoenix. But the more Mia and Jae fall for each other, the more Jae struggles to maintain the fiction she’s created. Meanwhile, in class, Phoenix butts heads with Mia’s best friend Kelsey. It is Kelsey who catches Phoenix in a lie that unravels Jae’s reader persona. Mia ends the relationship, certain that Jae is just a player and that nothing between them was honest. Still reeling from the breakup, a falling out with Kelsey and a failing grade on an exam cause Mia to make a shocking decision: to drop out of college. Even after reconciling with her best friend, Mia remains convinced that moving back home is the only way out of the emotional mess she’s in. But on her last day on campus, Phoenix reveals that Jae was in fact reading every book they discussed (a fact that Mia confirms by using her library connections to break into Jae’s borrowing history). Mia rushes to find Jae at her track meet and apologizes, telling Jae how wrong she was about her character. Mia and Jae’s reunion brings about a deeper respect for one another, and a deeper love for themselves. Finally, backed by Kelsey and Phoenix, Jae helps Mia to find the courage to stay at Love U. With an emotionally honest indie-rock soundtrack and an all-queer cast of characters, LOVE U is a coming of age tale for students of the human heart.
Photos by Emily Ophidian of Kleos Captured Photography
THE CHARACTERS (4F, 1M, 3NB/trans)
MIA (she/her): Mia Pham, 18 years old. Vietnamese American (third generation immigrant). A queer fat femme. From Sylvester, a very small town in the Midwest. A dreamer, she’s been longing to leave her hometown since she was little. Loves to read; her work study job is student librarian. English Lit major. Looking for love. Soprano.
JAE (she/her): Jae Walker, 18 years old. Lets her parents call her Jasmine, but no one else. Black American. A queer masc tomboy. From a big city in the Midwest. A gifted athlete, she has a full scholarship for Track. Business Administration major, because that seems like a practical thing to major in? Not looking for love, but open to it. Alto.
PHOENIX (they/them, played by a nonbinary and/or trans actor): Phoenix Allen, 18 years old. Named themself Phoenix right before high school. Black American. Nonbinary. Asexual and aromantic (aroace). Jae’s closest friend at school, they met at orientation and bonded right away. A commuter student, Phoenix lives with their mom in the midsize city not far from campus. Avid reader; their dream is to be a book editor. English Lit major. Now that they have Jae, they don’t need any more friends. Alto/Tenor.
KELSEY (she/her): Kelsey Shepherd, 18 years old. White. Bisexual. Her gender presentation is a bit all over the place because she’s a bit all over the place. Mia’s best friend from Sylvester, and her roommate in the dorms. A dramatic Drama major. Not here to make friends. Looking for as much love as possible. Alto.
ISAAC (he/him): First year grad student, 23 years old. Asian American. Bisexual. Works at the library with Mia, and is the T.A. for Phoenix and Kelsey’s Freshman Comp class. Baritone.
EMBER (she/her): Freshman, 18 years old. Any race. Discovering her asexuality. In Phoenix and Kelsey’s Freshman Comp class. Also a barista at some café off campus. Soprano, plays acoustic guitar.
AVA (she/they, played by a nonbinary and/or trans actor): Freshman, 18 years old. Any race. Nonbinary trans femme. Pansexual and not into monogamy. In Phoenix and Kelsey’s Freshmen Comp class. Also a Drama major, cast in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Kelsey. Alto/Tenor.
OLLIE (they/them, played by a nonbinary and/or trans actor): Freshman, 18 years old. Any race. Nonbinary trans masc. Pansexual. In Phoenix and Kelsey’s Freshmen Comp class. Aloof. Alto/Tenor.
THE WRITERS
Nicole Jost
Librettist
Nicole Jost (she/her) is a playwright, theater producer, and educator. She is a co-founder and former Artistic Director of Queer Cat Productions, a San Francisco theater company that created consent-forward, accessible, immersive experiences from 2017-2023. With Queer Cat, Nicole is the co-writer of four interactive plays, including THE GAY DIVORCE PLAY (Potrero Stage, 2019) and FELIX B. LOVE IS NOT ALONE! (virtual, April 2020). As a solo playwright, Nicole’s first play, THE TERROR FANTASTIC, was produced by 20% Theatre Company Twin Cities in 2017. Her play SUCIA was produced by San Francisco State University, the University of Central Missouri, and read at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Nicole holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from San Francisco State University. She lives in San Francisco with her wife, who she met in college. LOVE U is her first musical.
Maggie Grabmeier
composer/lyricist
Maggie Grabmeier (she/her) is a San Francisco-based indie songwriter. Her band Maggie Gently has toured throughout the US and played locally in San Francisco with artists like Sobs, Bad Bad Hats, The Greeting Committee, Ratboys, and many more. As Maggie Gently, her music is melody-driven and heartfelt — a big-city indie rock fascination with an unmistakable emo accent. Her debut EP, GOOD CRY, was released May 28, 2020 on Brace Cove Records. Her newest album WHEREVER YOU WANT TO GO (June 6, 2024) was released with Slang Church Records. Her music has received praise from Audiofemme, Country Queer, and Brooklyn Vegan. Maggie is also a public librarian in the Bay Area, and received her MLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023. She lives in San Francisco with her wife, who she met in college. LOVE U is her first musical.
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
2023-2024: Maggie participated in the Maestra Mentorship program and was mentored by composer/lyricist Janine McGuire (of McGuire and Simon)
2023: LOVE U was awarded a Theatre Bay Area CA$H Creates grant
2024: LOVE U was awarded a Theatre Bay Area CA$H Creates grant
2024: LOVE U first-look staged reading sold out at Z Below (Z Space) in San Francisco directed by Ciera Eis and music directed by Jord Liu
2024: LOVE U first-look staged reading was awarded a Theatre Bay Area Reflection Achievement and Homegrown Achievement
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