Once I tried my hand at writing lyrics, I was hooked. Each song is like a short story or mini-story. From incidental songs in plays, I finally took a chance on writing book and lyrics for full-length musicals. I collaborated with extraordinary composers–Jay Kerr, Allison Tartallia and Arthur Abrams. Below are some samplings from those productions, as well as single songs from one-acts and a song with both lyrics and music by Marianne Speiser, the composer. Some tracks are from studio original cast recordings, others are demos by the composer, and still others are audio taken from the dvd that are not studio quality but evoke the spirit of the show.
War Bonds: “Heaven is Hell Without You” Lyrics by Barbara Kahn, Music by Jay Kerr © all rights reserved. Vocal by Shanara Gabriel. Original cast studio recording.
War Bonds: “Star-Spangled Girl” Kahn & Kerr. ©all rights reserved. Vocal by Shanara Gabriel. Original cast studio recording.
War Bonds: “My Silver Wings” Kahn & Kerr. ©all rights reserved. Vocal by Shanara Gabriel. Original cast studio recording.
The Ballad of Baxter Street: “Fresh Flowers” Lyrics by Barbara Kahn, Music by Nicola Barber. © all rights reserved Vocal by Colette Porteous & company. Original cast studio recording.
The Ballad of Baxter Street: “Rich Folks Go Slumming” Kahn & Barber. © all rights reserved. Vocal by Colette Porteous. Original cast studio recording.
The Ballad of Baxter Street: “The Old Man is Really Dead” Kahn & Barber. © all rights reserved. Vocal by Jocelyn Adams. Original cast studio recording.
Pen Pals “Faith in America” Words & Music by Marianne Speiser. Recording produced by Robert Sands, vocal by Courtney Colletti. © all rights reserved
Crossings Where W.11th Meets W.4th St. Greenwich Village: “Crossings” Lyrics by Barbara Kahn, Music by Marianne Speiser. © all rights reserved
Law & Order: E.S.L. “What Did It Get Me?”Lyrics by Barbara Kahn, Music by Allison Tartalia © all rights reserved. Demo by composer.
Law & Order: Les LES “Let the Music In” Kahn & Tartalia. © all rights reserved. Demo by composer.
Pyrates! The CourtShip Chronicles: “Jamaica” Lyrics by Barbara Kahn, Music by Jay Kerr. Vocal by Uzo Aduba. © all rights reserved. Original cast studio recording.
Pyrates! The CourtShip Chronicles: “Piratically, Feloniously…” Kahn & Kerr. © all rights reserved. Original cast studio recording.
Pyrates! “Moment in Time” Kahn & Kerr. © all rights reserved. Original cast studio recording.
Pyrates! “A Hearty Appetite” Kahn & Kerr. © all rights reserved. Original cast recording.
Thawed: “Let the Water Fall” Lyrics by Barbara Kahn, Music by Allison Tartalia. ©all rights reserved. Demo by composer.
Unreachable Eden: “Welcome to Eve’s Hangout” Lyrics by Barbara Kahn, Music by Arthur Abrams. © all rights reserved. Audio from production.
Unreachable Eden: “Paris Beckons” Kahn & Abrams. Vocal by Robert Gonzales Jr. © all rights reserved. Audio from production.
Unreachable Eden: “Paris Beckons” (reprise) Kahn & Abrams. Vocals by Gusta Johnson and Steph Van Vlack.
© all rights reserved. Audio from production.
Walking from Rumania “Don’t Look Back” Words Barbara Kahn, Music Allison Tartalia. ©all rights reserved. Demo by composer.
Actor, director and playwright are not just what I do. They are who I am. Before I ever saw a play, I wanted to be an actor. I made scrapbooks of clippings from the Arts section in newspapers, and I read all the theater biographies in the local library, looking for clues on how to enter the world of acting. In school I gave a book report on the history of London’s Drury Lane Theater and speeches about ‘The Star System in Hollywood’ and The Barrymore Family. I learned to love silent movies at the nickelodeon in the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia. When my Aunt Bea finally took me to see a touring production of “The Miracle Worker,” I was totally and irrevocably determined to pursue my dream.
In high school, I joined a professional acting workshop in Philadelphia, later earning a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Adelphi University on Long Island, NY. I appeared in plays Off-Off Broadway before graduation. After graduation, I studied in a professional acting workshop and privately with acting coaches. I gained invaluable experience from the many talented artists I worked with – especially directors Ron Link and Bob Dahdah, actor Marilyn Roberts and that force of nature, Ellen Stewart of La MaMa E.T.C., to name just a few. Crystal Field at Theater for the New City has been my producer, mentor and friend since 1994. Throughout my career, colleagues who led the way have generously shared their knowledge and experience with me. I follow their example by coaching other actors and playwrights.
I began directing professionally when I replaced a director who had been fired two weeks before opening. This successful production led to more offers to direct in New York, including a production that moved to Théâtre Lucernaire in Paris and then to the National Theatre in London.
We all have stories inside us – the legacy stories of our ancestors, the stories from our life experience and the stories of our imagination that as artists, we nurture and share. I grew up hearing about the cost of prejudice and oppression. Brecht’s “Mother Courage” is my favorite play, reminding me of my grandmother’s bravery and ingenuity. With four children including my father, she was trapped in a European war, unable to join her husband and oldest child who were already in the United States. After years of danger and struggle, Shifra Lozawick brought her children to safety.
I have written more than twenty-five historical plays with the goal of holding a mirror to the present. My plays have been presented in the U.S., France and Germany. I write about the history of prejudice in the United States and abroad, about racism, antisemitism, misogyny, homophobia and anti-immigration. Putting a personal face to injustice has a power that reading history books cannot duplicate. As a reviewer wrote, “Barbara Kahn is something rare in theater: an historian and playwright… Aiming for our heads and our hearts she tweaks our intellect and kindles our emotions.” Paulanne Simmons, NYTheatre-Wire.com, Feb. 17, 2012,
Acting is my first love. I wrote roles for myself, including two one-character plays that I perform whenever the opportunity occurs -- “Cyma’s Story” and “CO-OP,” (named “Best Short Play” in the Downtown Urban Theater Festival). I am a longtime member of the Dramatists Guild, AEA and SAG-AFTRA. Along with stage work, I have appeared in several films.
My life in the theater has been governed by a passion for justice and for quality. In the 19th century, George Sand wrote: “All I want is for people to question the accepted lies and call out for the forgotten truths.” Portraying the truth gives me fulfillment as an actor. Directing with integrity and insight is what I offer other actors. Preserving the truth is why I write plays.