Exclusive: Watch a Sneak Peek of Adam Gwon's ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE

I put the pieces together

That about that sky If I can't put pieces together I

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World Award-winning composer Adam Gwan brings his brand new musical

All the World to stage To King Company as they celebrate their

25th anniversary season And we drop by Art New York To bring you a sneak peek at the show

and meet the celebrated composer. So take me back to the beginning. How did this all come about

for you to write this gorgeous musical? Yeah, I got a phone call about three and a half years ago

from Keen Company. If you recall, we were in the middle of a little pandemic

at the moment. So it was a very welcome call. And Keen said

we want to commission a new, intimate musical to bring a really a new chamber piece

into the world that small theaters all over the country can do

When I got the commission, I immediately started thinking about my teachers in high school

They were the ones that introduced me to theater and sort of made me the person I am today

And there was a lot of talk at the time about gay teachers and what parts of their identity teachers could talk about and bring into the classroom

And I started looking back at my teachers and thinking, oh my gosh, I bet some of my teachers were gay and I just didn't know it

And in the mid no one talked about that So my imagination just started going and wondering what would it have been like if I was a teenager and knew that one of my teachers was gay

Would it have made things easier for me? Would it have made things more complicated for me

And my imagination just took over, and I wrote this story. So tell us a little about the story

before people come to see the show. What is the show all about? Yeah, yeah. So the show's called All the World is a Stage

And it's about a gay teacher in a small town high school in the 1990s

He keeps his private life and his work life very separate. So he has a boyfriend outside of school, but the folks at school are a little more conservative

and they don't really know about it. And a student ropes him into help coach her for the state Thespian competition

And in doing so, the various threads of his life start to get tangled in a way that he didn't

expect. And it puts him in a very complicated spot in this small town. Do me a favor and lay off the

controversy. Yes, ma'am. Rap gives me high. You're very brave. Well, you know, Luke chapter 6

verse 27. What's that one again? We hate the sin but love the sinner. Right

Right. It's a delicate equation. Knowns. Working with the details I can see Who this little guy That my nephew The local hall water a family photo check the little cross that dangling from the chain around her neck

He loves parts and prouts. Aw. Some daily affirmations, a hidden stash of candy bars

The room's a constellation. and I make a picture connecting stars. If I can put the pieces together, see what I find

If I can put pieces together, I will be flying blind. A tip about coach. Stop wearing free. What

Our wiles are the Clifton Green Dragons. Coach sees green. See it's green. Pretty soon you say bread

Got it, nice. We'll have you been in here in no time

It takes careful observation. A survey of the land. Feeling out a map of the terrain

Catch the vibe at every class will move. The gossip in the halls

What books are on the bookshelves and which posters on the walls

Just bits of information What people show you is all you got And like a constellation there is a story connecting each dot If I can put the pieces together see what I find If I can put the pieces together I could

imagine a life here smiling back as the kids say hey caring too deeply charming the pants of the

PTA meeting the spouse is learning their names pretending I follow football games

Walk that tight road and already said, go, oh. I put the pieces together, that about that sky

If I can't put the pieces together, I... I can be that guy

Watch me be that guy