BRIANNA KOTHARI
BARNES
The granddaughter of a Hindu Indian immigrant, daughter of an ex-preacher, and sister to an LGBTQ+ brother - Brianna is inspired to write about big questions. She’s drawn to themes surrounding spirituality, existential questions, meaning, and mental health. Brianna’s ability to span multiple genres from Contemporary Musical Theater to Singer-Songwriter to Folk Rock give her a unique edge as a Composer/Lyricist for the Musical Theater stage. She’s interested in projects and stories that center a female point of view, push the status quo, and leave the audience with a fresh sense of hope.
“The musical highlights of the evening came...in the form of two original compositions, the first by Brianna Kothari Barnes, who accompanied herself on guitar while singing "Ghost" from her musical Rathskeller - it was a performance and a song so incredible as to inspire one to run right out and get a copy of the cast album…The second ...was the song "What If" from the new musical Walking With Bubbles. It was played on guitar by Walking With Bubbles composer/lyricist Brianna Kothari Barnes and sung by the show's book writer, Jessica Hendy...It left this reporter anxiously awaiting the new musical's first production.”
-Stephen Mosher, BroadwayWorld
WALKING WITH BUBBLES
MUSIC & LYRICS
ABOUT
As Jessica, a Broadway actress and single mom, and her son “Bubbles” anxiously await their playdate in Central Park, they are approached by a homeless man. This is their extraordinary true story. Hendy’s intimate first-person narrative invites audiences into her seemingly perfect New York City life from center stage as a Broadway leading lady into the depths of a volatile mental illness. At times earth shattering, at times humorous, yet ultimately cathartic, this award-winning one woman musical with music and lyrics by Brianna Kothari Barnes explores how far a mother will go for her son, her family, and ultimately herself.
2023 Off Broadway Alliance Awards - Winner of Best Solo Show
2023 Drama Desk Awards - Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance
RATHSKELLER: A MUSICAL ELIXIR
BOOK / MUSIC / LYRICS
ABOUT
Rathskeller is a mystical dive bar between heaven and hell - a pitstop for sinners where you decide their fate. It’s the place where John Casey wakes up after a fatal accident. The mysterious and devilish Bartender offers him a choice: choose to face his deadliest sin or stay in Rathskeller for eternity. In a time when nuance has become a dirty word, this completely original musical conceived by Dame Productions and written by Brianna Kothari Barnes dives into the gray area.
Do our choices make us who we are? Can one choice change everything? Tackling themes like addiction, generational curses, abuse, and cancel culture with a powerhouse punk-rock score, Rathskeller will not only have you head-banging, but also asking, “in the end, what does anyone deserve?”
2021 Workshop Production at The New Ohio Theater (NYC)
2023 SheAtlanta Festival Selection (Atlanta, GA)
2024 Developmental Production at Zeider’s American Dream Theatre (Virginia Beach, VA)
Currently seeking producer
LET THERE BE LIGHT
BOOK / MUSIC / LYRICS
ABOUT
Let There Be Light is an award-winning story-song cycle created by Brianna Kothari Barnes. Featuring a dynamic folk-rock score and characters based on real interviews, Let There Be Light uncovers the nuanced questions that anyone impacted by The Church (for better or for worse) find themselves asking. It received awards for Best Musical and Best Score at The New York Theatre Festival in 2018.
“Barnes’s acoustic sensibilities as a songwriter are right in line with contemporary music; her theatrical training helps, too. But the most powerful thing for me in her new work, LET THERE BE LIGHT, was Barnes herself and her direct, frank discussion of what’s wrong with Christianity in 2016...It's the most relevant, sincere and moving thing I’ve heard… in a very long time.”
-Kirk Sheppard, The Sappy Critic
THE PRESENCE: A NEW MUSICAL
BOOK / MUSIC / LYRICS
ABOUT
Gabriella has an imagination unlike any other little girl in her small town. Her colorful, vibrant faith and fascination with a mysterious, mystical Presence stand in stark contrast with her family's rigid, black-and-white religion. But when tragedy strikes, Gabriella finds herself questioning if it was all just child-like make believe. Weaving in and out of the present and past, The Presence follows a woman's journey from the imaginative wonder and magic of her childhood to the doubt and frustration of shifting beliefs in adulthood. Highlighting themes of mental health, grief, and reconciliation, The Presence uncovers and honors the wrestle of one woman’s relationship with what lies beyond the stars. Through a series of conversations and unlikely friendships, it amplifies the complex mental and emotional depth of a woman’s perspective on matters of belief, doubt, and the messy middle place of faith. To the tune of folk-rock anthems and soft pop melodies, this work will have the audience second-guessing what they considered holy and humming to the tune of hope—even in the midst of the unknown.
In Development.
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