MAKER
current projects
THE WELL
written & performed by Rex Daugherty
The devil & June gantry
music & lyric by Rex Daugherty book by Steve Spotswood
As a writer and play-maker, Rex’s plays have received over 20 productions. He was the Co-Artistic Director and Music Director of Charter Theater’s TYA Program, where he served for three years writing and producing original musicals for young audiences. His musical The Devil & June Gantry was a semi-finalist at The Eugene O’Neil Center’s American Music Theatre Festival and a finalist for Olney Theatre’s Vanguard Program. BEEP BEEP, written and directed by Rex, earned a Helen Hayes Award Nomination for Outstanding TYA Production. He also co-devised the hit play -Wake Up, Brother Bear - which has been running off and on at Imagination Stage since 2011.
Rex is the co-creator of DC Dead - a zombie apocalypse survival experience. DC Dead has been adapted for multiple cities, and has enjoyed productions in Washington DC, Atlanta, Santa Fe, and Oklahoma City. Read about the show that started it all here in Washington City Paper.
SNOW DAY by Rex Daugherty
Productions at Arts on the Horizon, Columbus Children’s Theatre Company, Samford University
BEEP BEEP! by Rex Daugherty
Commissioned and produced by Arts on the Horizon
Helen Hayes Nomination - Outstanding TYA Production
The Well - workshop production
“5 stars - Best of Fringe...one terrific song after another...But Daugherty is here not only to entertain but to tell some truth...and in that he does something epic...powerful work of art...profound and worth every moment”
“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ a performance that, musically and vocally, brings to mind the grit and conviction of Bruce Springsteen.”
“deeply affecting...a moving production - both witty and tragic...polished songs and sharp vignettes...Daugherty’s assured timing and sly wit, there’s permission to laugh at the absurdity...a memorable production that will stay with you long after the house lights come up.”
“Daugherty is an award-winning theater artist and gifted actor, but his work in front of the audience in THE WELL isn’t acting — it is honest sharing and bold, raw storytelling...Don’t miss it.”
The Well is a concert-story told through a balladeering hybrid of vignettes and songs. Through poignantly intimate and stranger than fiction real life comedic stories, this show explores addiction, substance abuse, and just how freaking hard it is to offer forgiveness.
Addiction directly affects 1 in 6 people in the United States and a staggering 46% of families in this country. It is an invisible pandemic and no respecter of persons, but we rarely talk about it. There’s so much shame and stigma around this topic. My hope is that this show is a way of opening a door for more people to share their story. With some much needed humor and grace, The Well not only talks about addiction - sit down and lemme sing you all about it!
The Well has had several developments and workshops, including:
reading at Grace DC in March 2022. Performed by Rex Daugherty. Adrien Alice-Hansel as dramaturg.
workshop at Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC - July 2022 by Prologue Theatre. Performed by Rex Daugherty and Jonathan Feuer. Directed by Jason Tamborini.
reading at Atlas Performing Arts Center in June of 2024 as part of the Artists in Residence Program. Directed by Paige Hathaway, performed by Rex Daugherty, Jonathan Feuer, and Emily Erickson.
reading at Atlas Arts Center as part of Intersections Festival, 2025. Directed by Jenna Place, performed by Rex Daugherty and Emily Erickson.
workshop production in District Fringe in July 2026. Directed by Jenna Place, performed by Rex Daugherty, Emily Erickson, and Jonathan Feuer.
We’d love to bring THE WELL to your venue. We’re open to workshops, bookings, or full productions.
The Devil & June Gantry
Demo Music
Book by Stephen Spotswood
Lyrics/Music by Rex Daugherty
with Kinsey Charles & Daven Ralston
The Devil and June Gantry is a southern-gothic rock style musical built to fit more naturally in a raucous roadhouse bar than beneath a proscenium. A variation on the American myth of a musician’s crossroad bargain with the Devil, it reimagines the tale as a meeting of two lost people struggling with a lifetime of trauma, and invites the audience on a journey to discover if music really can save the soul.
Semi-Finalist at Eugene O’Neill’s National Music Theatre Conference
Finalist for Olney Theatre’s Vanguard Workshop