Call Me From The Grave
The Story of Robert Johnson
BRIEF
SUMMARY
Call Me From The Grave explores the life and myth of the legendary Blues guitar player, Robert Johnson. In Greenwood, Mississippi, a young sharecropper, Robert, dreams of becoming a Bluesman. When his loving girlfriend, Virginia, becomes pregnant, Robert puts his dreams on hold to build a life and a family with her. However, Robert’s life comes crashing down when Virginia dies of complications in childbirth and their newborn son is taken into the exclusive custody of her unapproving father. Feeling he has failed as a husband, father, and a musician,
Robert is at his lowest when he is approached by the Devil. Robert exchanges his soul for the music career he has always dreamt of, on the condition that he never returns home. As the years go by, Robert gains all the fame and renown that he is promised. However, after learning that the people he loves are in need back home, Robert must choose between his fame and his family.
DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY
● Yale University - Workshop Production (Spring 2019)
● Bluemont Virginia- Sold Out Charity Concert (Fall 2019)
● New York Song Space - Three-Month Residency (February 2020)
● Eugene O'Neill National Music Theater Conference - Semifinalist (Summer 2020)
● NAMT- Semifinalist (Fall 2020)
● New Musical Inc - Workshop (Spring 2021)
● Eugene O'Neill National Music Theater Conference - Finalist (Summer 2021)
● Greenroom 42 - Sold Out Concert (Fall 2021)
● Stanley Drama Award - Finalist (2022)
● The Theater Center Incubator (Off-Broadway) - 2 Sold Out Staged Readings (Spring 2023)
● American Music Theater Project - Finalist (Spring 2023)
● ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop with Stephen Schwartz (Summer 2023)
● ASCAP Foundation Harold Arlen Musical Theater Award (Charlie Romano, 2023)
● Eugene O'Neill National Music Theater Conference - Semifinalist, final results pending
(2024)
