READY WHEN YOU ARE Episode #1: PART 1 with KAIT KERRIGAN & BREE LOWDERMILK with DEEPAK KUMAR & JORD LIU In the premiere episode of READY WHEN YOU ARE, host Timothy Huang brings together two generations of musical theatre writers for an honest conversation about craft, mentorship, and building a life in the theatre. Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk join Deepak Kumar and Jord Liu for a wide-ranging discussion about heroes, education, technology, and how social media is shaping the way writers find their pathway into the field. The group also shares the songs they wish they’d written, the “magic songs” that capture lightning in a bottle, and the moments of struggle that ultimately led to creative breakthroughs. The episode also features an intimate live performance of “Out Here” from ERNXST, or the Importance of Being, with Zachary Noah Piser, recorded live in the NAMT office. READY WHEN YOU ARE is a video podcast series from the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) bringing together Festival alumni across generations for candid conversations about mentorship, legacy, innovation, and the evolving landscape of new musicals. www.namt.org READY WHEN YOU ARE Hosted & Created by Timothy Huang Featuring Kait Kerrigan Deepak Kumar Jord Liu Bree Lowdermilk And Zachary Noah Piser A National Alliance for Musical Theatre Media Project Produced & Directed by Frankie Dailey Cinematography & Editing by Emily Vortherms Audio Supervisor & Original Music by Dylan Glatthorn Associate Producers: Skye Cone Ivey, Amanda Freedman Production Coordinator: Brent Whiteside Featuring the song “Out Here” From ERNXST Or the Importance of Being Book by Justin Elizabeth Sayre Lyrics by Kait Kerrigan Music by Bree Lowdermilk Based on The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Thank You, ART/New York Studios! ABOUT THE HOST TIMOTHY HUANG Follow Tim: @timothyhuangstagram More info: https://www.timothyhuang.net/ ABOUT THE GUESTS KAIT KERRIGAN Follow Kait: @kaitkerrigan Follow Kerrigan & Lowdermilk: @kerrigan_lowdermilk More info: https://kerrigan-lowdermilk.com/ DEEPAK KUMAR Follow Deepak: @_kumarde More info: https://deepakwrites.com/ JORD LIU Follow Jord: @jord_de_vivre More info: https://jminjie.com/ BREE LOWDERMILK Follow Bree: @breelowdermilk Follow Kerrigan & Lowdermilk: @kerrigan_lowdermilk More info: https://kerrigan-lowdermilk.com/ ABOUT NAMT The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, founded in 1985, is a not-for-profit organization serving the musical theatre community. Its mission is to be a catalyst for nurturing musical theatre development, production, innovation and collaboration. Their 140 organizational members and 60 individual members, located throughout 31 states and six countries abroad, are some of the leading producers of musical theatre in the world and include theatres, presenting organizations, higher education programs and individual producers. In 2024, NAMT reached $1 million in awards to member organizations through NAMT granting programs including the Frank Young Fund for New Musicals and the Impact & Exploration Fund. Among the 300 musicals launched by NAMT’s Annual Festival of New Musicals are Come From Away, Lempicka, The Drowsy Chaperone, Lizard Boy, Teeth, Gun & Powder, King of Pangea, Benny & Joon, Darling Grenadine, Ordinary Days, It Shoulda Been You and Thoroughly Modern Millie, among many others, representing 600 writers. Last year, over 100 students from 27 states participated in the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with NAMT. Discover more at namt.org. Follow NAMT: @namt_org More info: namt.org
