My Artistic Work (10–12 min)

My work as an artist is rooted in adapting narrative traditions into contemporary musical forms.
> JONI & THE WHALE
> “King of Philadelphia”
> LITTLE GOLDEN HOOKS

My Industry Collaborations (8–10 min)

I prioritize connecting students directly with working artists and professional pipelines. And, as I’ve mentioned, I consistently utilize these creative practice and productions as experiential learning opportunities for students, or job opportunities for alums.
> TELL THE WORLD
- students co-wrote, co-conceived, and full designed the videos, the costumes, the characters, etc
> ABEY BABY
- Students did an independent study with me, developing the full musical.
- Students were on the production and design teams.

My Pedagogy and Student-Centered Development Projects (12–15 min)

Students are not just performers, they are developers, researchers, and essential collaborators.
>Students Centered Development Projects:
- BWAY ARTS LAB into FAMILY PROJECT
- PLAYLIST! Into TELL THE WORLD

My Directing, Choreographing and Producing (5–7 min)

Sometimes, just a good ol’ fashioned, Hey kids, let’s put on a show! But I still always want to find an angle to give students pro opportunities to see that even revivals have to work hard, lol.
-SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
-AVENUE Q
-INTO THE WOODS

JONI & THE WHALE teaser

directed by Matt Reeves & Colette Krogol (2025)
starring Mallory Greisel, Matt Gould, and Sam Scriven
feat. alumni from Stockton and AMDA
music, lyrics, & story by David Reiser

JONI & THE WHALE is a movie musical about a Jewish girl coming-of-age in a Southern college town. The story is adapted from the biblical Book of Jonah, and the main conflict takes place over the Jewish High Holy Days and the conflicting Rush Week on campus. Our modern-day Joni is a freshman in college, trapped between the traditions of an overbearing rabbinic father and the longing to follow in her late-mother’s sorority footsteps. Yet when forced to choose, Joni runs away, determined to write her own story.

The movie musical was filmed in Tallahassee, Florida with students and alumni from Young Actors Theatre & School for the Performing Arts. Produced on the SAG “Ultra Low Budget Agreement” and funded by a combination of indie film investors and fundraising concerts by Broadway stars, including Shoshana Bean (Tony Award nominee: HELL’S KITCHEN), Christy Altomare (Drama Desk Award nominee: ANASTASIA), and Caissie Levy (Olivier Award nominee: NEXT TO NORMAL).

We are currently in the post-production process, continuing work on VoiceOver/ADR, sound mixing, and editing.

“Who Do You Think You Are” (rough edit) JONI & THE WHALE

directed by Matt Reeves & Colette Krogol (2023)
starring Mallory Greisel (NoCo BFA c/o 2027)
music, lyrics, & story by David Reiser

 “King of Philadelphia” music video

directed by Eric Hutchinson & David Reiser (2026)
music, lyrics, and performed by Eric Hutchinson

Music video filmed in Philadelphia and New York City for Platinum-selling singer/songwriter, Eric Hutchinson (“Rock & Roll”; OK, It’s Alright With Me”).

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD mainstage black box production shots

directed & produced by David Reiser (2025)
concepts and designs by Stockton Creative Project Development students
music, lyrics, & concept by Jason Robert Brown

Mainstage production at Stockton University in the black box “Experimental Theater.”

TELL THE WORLD original Eric Hutchinson jukebox musical @ Stockton
&
BRAND NEW AT THE BARN industry presentation @ Holmdel Theatre Co

conceived, directed, & produced by David Reiser (2024)
written by David Reiser & Stockton Theatre students
music & lyrics by Eric Hutchinson

Stockton University Theatre is an immersive B.A. program with a concentration in “Creative Project Development,” where students work with guest artists from Broadway and Hollywood to develop new works over the course of a full semester. Our annual “Industry Weekend” brings students to professional venues in NYC to present the new work to the guest artist and industry insiders.

In 2024, Stockton students worked closely with singer/songwriter Eric Hutchinson to develop a world premiere jukebox musical of his songs.  Hutchinson worked with students and faculty to develop the work from scratch, culminating in a professional presentation as part of Holmdel Theatre Company’s “Broadway at the Barn” series.

TELL THE WORLD tells the story of Kardashian-esque entrepreneur, Jill Scopare, and her controversial “dating app for non-daters” called TELLR.  The stage musical utilizes live video calls to show the experience of connecting on TELLR. With TELLR in trouble, Jill returns to her small Canadian hometown to show investors that her app can stick anywhere, with anyone. But when she is forced to take care of her ailing parents, she must rediscover what connection is really about.

PLAYLIST! (HOW TO MAKE A POP MUSIC MUSICAL)

directed by David Reiser (2023)
researched, created, and performed by Stockton Theatre students in “Creative Project Development”

Playlist! was a series of student devised jukebox musicals (unlicensed class projects), done in small groups in Creative Project Development, working with Broadway jukebox musical veteran, Vasthy Mompoint (Spongebob, Soul Doctor, Good Vibrations) in preparation for development of original Eric Hutchinson jukebox musical.

“The Taxi That Hurried” - LITTLE GOLDEN HOOKS (Proof of Concept dummy videos)

adapted story, lyrics, and music by David Reiser, Adam Cooper, Joshua Cooper (2021)
featuring the voices of Derrick Baskin, Lily Cooper, Ariana DeBose, Laura Dreyfuss, Donell James Foreman, Caissie Levy, and Rebecca Naomi Jones
video edited by David Reiser

LITTLE GOLDEN HOOKS is a pop-driven music video series reinventing the classic Little Golden Books — from The Little Red Caboose to The Saggy Baggy Elephant — for a new generation. We re-imagine the sensibilities of each story, pairing modern pop songs with old-school animations to bring these iconic characters to life again with modern relevance and infectious style.

The project previously had a development deal with Out of the Blue Enterprises (Blue's Clues; Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood), with rights clearances ongoing.

MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE DID NOTHING WRONG
&
WHILE WE WAIT

directed and produced by David Reiser
developed by Stockton Theatre students in collaboration with the artists
music and lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen; book by Nora Brigid Monahan (2021)
&
written by Charly Evon Simpson (2021)

MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE DID NOTHING WRONG is a punk-rock musical about the French revolutionaries, the Jacobins, and their murderous leader, Maximilien Robespierre.

WHILE WE WAIT is a play by Charly Evon Simpson (Behind the Sheet; Showtime’s American Rust) about relationships and what happens to a young couple when they wait for the love.

The artists developed the work with Stockton students over a full semester, culminating in presentations for industry professionals: ROBESPIERRE at 54 Below; and WHILE WE WAIT as “a podcast play” online. Both were attended by the writers management teams, industry producers, as well as Stockton Theatre alums, helping to build strong a foundational network for students.

ABEY BABY song selections (12-14-25 rough edit)

directed by Tommar Wilson and Paris Remillard
starring Jimmie Jeter and Danyel Fulton
feat. Stockton student designers and PAs
music and lyrics by David Reiser

ABEY BABY is a series of 10 connected music videos, as a modern reimagining of the biblical story of Genesis 22: “The Binding", when Abraham is commanded by God to sacrifice he and Sarah’s son, Isaac.

THE FAMILY PROJECT - Stockton Broadway Arts Lab reading
&
THE FAMILY PROJECT - Stockton mainstage production

directed and produced by David Reiser (2018 & 2019)
developed by Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews, Stockton students, and David Reiser
music and lyrics by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews

The Family Project is a musical documentary series, chronicling the lives of our extraordinary writers & cast. Writers/Composers and Life Partners Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews came to Stockton University in 2018, working with students to portray members of Matt and Griffin’s family tree, as well as to research the students’ own family and cultural past. A reading was first done in the Fall semester, featuring the artists performing with the students; the experience then culminated in a full musical production in the Spring, with students’ research and writings being incorporated into the final production, along with the primary work of the artists, to create a truly-ensemble documentary musical.

Matt is a Jewish American whose family is from Poland, where many of his family members were murdered in the Holocaust. Griffin is an African American from Pittsburgh and his grandfather served in Germany during WWII and helped to liberate the concentration camp in Dachau.

The Family Project took root when they traveled back to Germany with Griffin’s grandfather for his 80th birthday. As they visited the concentration camps, they became keenly aware that they all would have been killed there: blacks, Jews, gays, the elderly... but, somehow, sixty years later, they stood there together as a family. How?

In trying to answer the “how,” Matt and Griffin began interviewing members of their families, and combing through writings, photos, and family relics. They used that material to create a musical family tree that documents the journey of two families overcoming slavery, racism, anti-Semitism, war, and holocaust; and doing in so, they challenged the student cast at Stockton to explore their own past with the same honesty and their own future with the same hope.

INTO THE WOODS - Stockton PAC (2017)
&
AVENUE Q - Stockton PAC (2018)

directed and choreographed by David Reiser
book by James Lapine; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
& book by Jeff Whitty, music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
feat. students working closely with industry pros

Mainstage production of INTO THE WOODS in 2017, utilizing a extended stage that lifts up over the proscenium into the audience, a high-rise platform for the Giants/Jack, rolling moveable staircases, with multiple levels of walking paths, creating more space for movement through the woods and a circular space for the actors to continually move. Students worked with City Center Remixed award-winning Music Director Jude Obermüller.

Mainstage production of AVENUE Q in 2018, utilizing the original puppets, Students worked on campus with current (2018) stars of the Off-Broadway production, Dana Steingold (Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut) and Jed Resnick (Princeton/Rod), and later attending the NYC production and touring backstage.