Big Quarterly, a new musical built on hip-hop, gospel and dance, gets a one-night concert at The Green Room 42 on Monday, November 16, 2026, in support of New York Theatre Barn and the show itself.
The musical tells the story of Peter Spencer, who was born enslaved and went on to found what the writers call the nation's first Black church, along with the Big Quarterly, a freedom festival that became a haven on the Underground Railroad. The show runs one act, about 90 minutes, for a company of 12.
Book, music and lyrics are by S. Todd Townsend, Luke McLemore and Kim Kilby, all of whom hold master's degrees in musical theater writing and design from BerkleeNYC. For the concert, Jōvan Dansberry directs and choreographs, Rashad McPherson is music director and Thavius Beck handles hip-hop production. Casting has not been announced yet.
The piece has a history with the Barn already. Dansberry choreographed a session of New York Theatre Barn's Choreography Lab on the show at Open Jar Studios in April 2025, the program that pairs choreographers with writers while a musical is still being built. Before that, Big Quarterly was part of the BerkleeNYC Showcase of New Musicals at PowerStation in June 2024.
The concert runs 7pm to 8:30pm at The Green Room 42, 570 Tenth Avenue. Tickets are on sale from the venue.
