COMMITTED: The Musical – A Brief History

COMMITTED has been in development since 2013, when Carly began writing songs as a patient in an NC psychiatric hospital. In 2019, Carly hosted her first music workshop at The Pinhook. This gathering was a musical exploration with instrumentalists and vocalists, and the beginning of orchestrations with local musician, composer, and music director Keith Lewis. During the pandemic, Carly returned to working on songs without sharing them widely.

In December of 2023, Aden Darity convinced Carly it was time to get the show into the world. He called mutual friend and scrappy Brookyln-based theater-maker Caitlin Wells and said, “You need to come back to Durham and work on this show.” Caitlin gathered local actors and devisers and planned a collaborative workshop to develop the script. Those actors were Bryce Preston, Jessica Flemming, Jessica Hudson, Kevin Joshua Rowsey, Leah Wilks, Marie Garlock, Patience, Rajeev Rajendran, and Tori Grace Nichols.

The collective held workshops in January, March, and July of 2024, culminating in public presentations & interactive feedback sessions with community members. Kevin Joshua Rowsey, an integral member of the development workshops, died shortly after the March workshop in 2024. Kevin was a magnetic collaborator, a prolific artist, and a dedicated community builder. His death completely devastated the music and theater communities across North Carolina, including our crew. His contributions are still in the script. 

In November 2024, Lormarev Jones made the bold choice to stage COMMITTED’s first full production with students at Meredith College. The rehearsal process included a workshop led by local drag artists Stormie Daie and G-Clef and an original song written by the students, as facilitated by Carly. The run of the performance saw full houses, and by the last week, there was a nightly waiting list. 

In the summer of 2025, Caitlin led another developmental workshop with the crew of devisers focused on exploring the spiritual aspects of the mental health journey in the show.