Music and Some Lyrics by Colby Lapolla, Book and Some Lyrics by Sarah Caroline Billings,

The world premiere of Bestie Island will be presented as an AEA Showcase Code production in fall 2025, with rehearsals and performances held in accessible venues across NYC. 
The production will showcase a cast made up predominantly of women and non-binary individuals, supported by a production team that also primarily consists of women and non-binary team members.

Who are you, really?


SC and Colby both went to Belmont University and had overlapping social circles, but their paths never crossed. Then, they each lived in New York City—just not at the same time. SC and Colby were two sultry ships in the night until SC made a silly video at the beginning of 2020’s quarantine and enlisted Colby to make a sick beat. 

In 2021 - SC joined the BMI Lehman Engel Librettist Workshop and was tasked with creating a new musical. Intrigued by the worlds of The Bachelor and The Real Housewives, SC saw potential for a musical satire. SC approached Colby again.

Colby was drawn to the show's concept because it showed the depths of human nature and influencer culture. Game recognized game. These two women got to it. Colby’s work at the time was primarily writing and producing music for film and for recording artists. Because they desired a different kind of sound, Colby opted to approach the music for Bestie Island very differently: by creating fully produced synth-pop tracks. This gave them more creative freedom, honoring yet disrupting the musical theater tradition. 

What began as a satire has evolved into Bestie Island—the story of a mother doing her best to change her financial circumstances, and the questionable choices we sometimes make in the pursuit of money. The characters are larger-than-life, but the emotions and stakes are deeply real.

Ok - enough with the third person: We are a bi-coastal team, and 100% of our work on Bestie Island has been remote (barring our act one presentation at Club Cumming in September of 2022). We can't wait to be IRL this fall, bringing the world of Bestie Island  to life onstage!

What will happen with my donation?

Your donation will be tax-deductible to the extent of the law and will go towards things like:

- Fully accessible spaces for both rehearsals and performances. If you're in NYC, you know how challenging this can be! We want everyone who wants to see or participate in the show to be able to do so without any barriers.
- Stipends to support our cast and crew. We aim to pay folks as fairly as we are able. Exceeding our $30k budget will benefit our cast and crew first!
- Insurance! God forbid something happen - we gotta be prepared. 
-  And more! See our budget breakdown here!

Investor vs. Donor

We have a $30K budget and plan to crowdfund $15K of it. A generous investor (not donor) has pledged to match contributions up to $18K. If we raise 18k - our budget can go up to $36k! Learn more about our plan here!

THANK YOU in advance for your support, Bestie!