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Black DahliaBook & Lyrics by Courtney Leigh Heins, Music by Courtney Leigh Heins & Mary MoralesWebsite: https://blackdahliathemusical.com Contact Email: cheins26@gmail.com |
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In January of 1947, aspiring actress Elizabeth “Betty” Short is on the verge of stardom when she is found dead in an empty lot in South Los Angeles. Her rival Mallory Martinez picks up where Betty left off, taking over a coveted studio contract and enjoying fame and all of Hollywood’s what-ifs, but she is far from the only one with a motive in the unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia. When LAPD Detective Joe Fresno begins to question Betty’s closest contacts, he embarks on a winding exploration of the social pressures, misogyny and racism of 1940s Hollywood. Inspired by the stories of Raymond Chandler, the film noir of Howard Hawks and Billy Wilder, and the show-stopping musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Cole Porter, Black Dahlia intertwines historical true crime with a soaring big band score, and haunting ballads that will follow you home. Black Dahlia was written in an 18-month musical writing workshop at the Songwriting School of Los Angeles, taught by Broadway and Motown veteran Bob Garrett. It was given virtual readings in August 2022 and February 2023 before undergoing several rewrites and dramaturgical review through Ken Davenport’s Theatermakers mentorship program. All 19 songs have been orchestrated, arranged, and demoed. Courtney and Mary were honored to be 2024 O’Neill NMTC Semifinalists for Black Dahlia, and Courtney was honored to be a 2023 Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist based on this work. As a female songwriting team from Los Angeles telling the quintessential LA true crime story, we are looking for an opportunity to workshop this piece while building a strong creative team. We hope to attract producers who are as passionate about this story as we are, to help usher this show into production in Los Angeles, New York or beyond. Thank you for your consideration. Courtney Leigh Heins (book, lyrics, music), a 2024 O’Neill NMTC Semifinalist and 2022 Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist, combines Americana music with compelling stories about life from the Heartland to Hollywood. Courtney has performed at SXSW, the Sundance Film Festival, Anchorage Folk Festival, The Abbey Theatre in Dublin and The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. She has released four albums, with her title track “Bright Blue World” winning IMEA Country Song of the Year and earning her an invitation to perform on Park City TV with Adam Gaynor of Matchbox 20 and at Tapestry: A Day for Women, where she opened for keynote speaker Marilu Henner. In 2017, Courtney was honored with a music fellowship from Women in Film, Los Angeles. Her music has been featured on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic and in over 60 television shows including “Dance Moms,” “Heartland,” Poland’s “M Jak Milosc,” and Amgen’s Stand Up to Cancer campaign with Patrick Dempsey. Her songs have garnered over 1.5M YouTube streams and charted in Poland and Australia. Courtney earned a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College in Theatre and English, and won the 1st annual BC playwriting award for her religious allegory “Feeding Sparrows.” As a playwright, she has also workshopped and produced “The Adam & The Eve” and “Uncle John’s Band.” Current musical works in progress include “Black Dahlia” and “The Root Beer Stand.” Courtney is a member of SAG-AFTRA, NARAS, ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. She currently resides in Los Angeles.
Mary Morales (music), 2024 O’Neill NMTC Semifinalist, graduated with honors in theatre and music from Knox College and has gone on to work as a writer, composer, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist throughout the United States. She currently resides in Los Angeles, continuing to create and collaborate as a multi-faceted artist in the film, theatre, and music industry. Mary is the lyricist and co-composer at Throughline Music Production—built in 2016 with fellow co-founder and composer, Brenton Costa. Throughline’s music has been featured in Disney theme parks, as well as Netflix and Amazon Prime productions. They are currently orchestrating their first animated musical short, created by Costa with lyrics and music by Morales. Her first EP “Short Songs on Melancholy Longings” by My Friend Mary can be found across all streaming platforms, with her sophomore release “Hum” set to follow. |
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Black Dahlia
Book & Lyrics by Courtney Leigh Heins, Music by Courtney Leigh Heins & Mary Morales
Website: https://blackdahliathemusical.com
Contact Email: cheins26@gmail.com
In January of 1947, aspiring actress Elizabeth “Betty” Short is on the verge of stardom when she is found dead in an empty lot in South Los Angeles. Her rival Mallory Martinez picks up where Betty left off, taking over a coveted studio contract and enjoying fame and all of Hollywood’s what-ifs, but she is far from the only one with a motive in the unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia. When LAPD Detective Joe Fresno begins to question Betty’s closest contacts, he embarks on a winding exploration of the social pressures, misogyny and racism of 1940s Hollywood.
Inspired by the stories of Raymond Chandler, the film noir of Howard Hawks and Billy Wilder, and the show-stopping musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Cole Porter, Black Dahlia intertwines historical true crime with a soaring big band score, and haunting ballads that will follow you home.
Black Dahlia was written in an 18-month musical writing workshop at the Songwriting School of Los Angeles, taught by Broadway and Motown veteran Bob Garrett. It was given virtual readings in August 2022 and February 2023 before undergoing several rewrites and dramaturgical review through Ken Davenport’s Theatermakers mentorship program. All 19 songs have been orchestrated, arranged, and demoed. Courtney and Mary were honored to be 2024 O’Neill NMTC Semifinalists for Black Dahlia, and Courtney was honored to be a 2023 Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist based on this work.
As a female songwriting team from Los Angeles telling the quintessential LA true crime story, we are looking for an opportunity to workshop this piece while building a strong creative team. We hope to attract producers who are as passionate about this story as we are, to help usher this show into production in Los Angeles, New York or beyond. Thank you for your consideration.
Courtney Leigh Heins (book, lyrics, music), a 2024 O’Neill NMTC Semifinalist and 2022 Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist, combines Americana music with compelling stories about life from the Heartland to Hollywood. Courtney has performed at SXSW, the Sundance Film Festival, Anchorage Folk Festival, The Abbey Theatre in Dublin and The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. She has released four albums, with her title track “Bright Blue World” winning IMEA Country Song of the Year and earning her an invitation to perform on Park City TV with Adam Gaynor of Matchbox 20 and at Tapestry: A Day for Women, where she opened for keynote speaker Marilu Henner. In 2017, Courtney was honored with a music fellowship from Women in Film, Los Angeles. Her music has been featured on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic and in over 60 television shows including “Dance Moms,” “Heartland,” Poland’s “M Jak Milosc,” and Amgen’s Stand Up to Cancer campaign with Patrick Dempsey. Her songs have garnered over 1.5M YouTube streams and charted in Poland and Australia. Courtney earned a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College in Theatre and English, and won the 1st annual BC playwriting award for her religious allegory “Feeding Sparrows.” As a playwright, she has also workshopped and produced “The Adam & The Eve” and “Uncle John’s Band.” Current musical works in progress include “Black Dahlia” and “The Root Beer Stand.” Courtney is a member of SAG-AFTRA, NARAS, ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. She currently resides in Los Angeles.
Mary Morales (music), 2024 O’Neill NMTC Semifinalist, graduated with honors in theatre and music from Knox College and has gone on to work as a writer, composer, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist throughout the United States. She currently resides in Los Angeles, continuing to create and collaborate as a multi-faceted artist in the film, theatre, and music industry. Mary is the lyricist and co-composer at Throughline Music Production—built in 2016 with fellow co-founder and composer, Brenton Costa. Throughline’s music has been featured in Disney theme parks, as well as Netflix and Amazon Prime productions. They are currently orchestrating their first animated musical short, created by Costa with lyrics and music by Morales. Her first EP “Short Songs on Melancholy Longings” by My Friend Mary can be found across all streaming platforms, with her sophomore release “Hum” set to follow.