Rebecca Pronsky 2/6/25 Rebecca Pronsky 2/6/25

New music out today!!

New single out today.

The first single, “Am I You?,” is released today. It is from the musical “Einstein’s Begonia” that I’m developing with playwright Alexis Roblan. The show is based on the true story of a plant that belonged to Einstein, which I received as a family heirloom.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you stream or download music.

The next single will drop March 1, then another April 1, May 1, June 1, and July 1.

What is this song about, you may ask? At this point in the show, Beggy - the begonia - travels to Brazil in search of native begonias who she thinks may be her real family. When she meets them, she sings this song in the hopes she has found her “roots.”

For these singles, I picked a crop of 6 tunes (out of 18 so far) that feel like a good introduction to Einstein’s Begonia. Some of the songs fit as stand-alone acoustic-style tunes and some are more typically musical theatre, but they are all originals. And I had a great time singing on the tracks!

Big thank you to:

> The incredible musicians who I recorded with: Deidre Rodman Struck (piano), Bronson Bush (guitar), Tina Lama (bass), Konrad Meissner (drums) and Rich Bennett (recording engineer/additional guitars).

> Megan Piontkowski - friend and illustrator who has created individual custom cover artwork for each single. Stay tuned to see them all!

> Christina Batipps - friend and painter who created the gorgeous begonia paintings at the top and bottom of this email, and on the show’s website.

> Alexis Roblan - brilliant book writer and collaborator for Einstein’s Begonia.

O’Neill NMTC Semi-Finalist!

Another fun bit of news: Einstein’s Begonia was just named a semi-finalist in the 2025 Eugene O’Neill National Musical Theater Conference! This is a VERY prestigious musical theatre development program and it’s a great credit for the show.

Follow the show!

Our brand new Instagram account, @EinsteinsBegonia, is your source for behind the scenes photos and videos, stories about the REAL Einstein’s begonia and Albert Einstein, and news about the show! Please give us a follow to keep up with the project.

Rebecca Pronsky 7/27/24 Rebecca Pronsky 7/27/24

New project

Oh hi! Remember me?

If you don’t, I don’t blame you! It’s been a while and I have not performed in a long time. I was dealing some big life changes and other fun things over the past few years, but during all that, I got the idea for my next project. And it’s a big one. I’ve been putting the pieces together steadily, and I finally have something to show…

I’M WRITING A MUSICAL! It’s not a Broadway-type thing so much. It’s an experimental, eclectic piece based on the true story of a family heirloom I was gifted: a houseplant that belonged to Albert Einstein.

It’s called "Einstein’s Begonia."

The story is told from the plant’s perspective and begins in 1955 just after Einstein’s death. In it, Beggy, the begonia, must must traverse destabilizing grief, the roller coaster of fame, and too many plant puns to learn to navigate the world without the only parent she has ever known. The show explores loss, found family, theoretical physics, and botany.

Last year I was introduced to Alexis Roblan, a playwright whose work is surreal, existential, and also really funny. I knew immediately she was THE ONE to write the book for the show. We just got back from a week-long retreat of intensive writing and Einstein-related tourism in Princeton, New Jersey, where the show takes place. Alexis finished up a draft of the script and I wrote the last of the show’s 18 (!) songs.

In just a few weeks, we will be presenting a weekend of free readings of "Einstein’s Begonia” in New York City. You are cordially invited to attend these first readings!

The dates are Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25, both at 3pm. The readings are free but due to the rules of theatre, you must DM me for info on how to attend. Wanna see it? Just send me an email and I will share the location and a link to reserve a spot.

Doing research / trying to make sense of the universe.

We've brought on Director Dara Malina and Musical Director Deidre Rodman Struck, plus a live band and actors to bring the show to life for the first time.

I will be playing the lead character, Beggy, the begonia. Since this is just a reading, there will no set, costumes, or choreography, but you’ll get to be there for the beginning of the show’s development process. You'll experience Alexis’ wildly imaginative script and hear the songs live with singers and full band — and see me try my best to embody a plant. Oy!

I don’t have much in the way of preview, but here’s a video of me singing one of the upbeat songs in a rehearsal.

Hope you can make it!

This is just the beginning of this project, so if you don’t live in NYC, or do but can’t be there, don’t worry — this show has a bright future and you’ll have other chances to see it as it develops! I’m also planning to eventually record the songs as a double album.

You can follow along on my Instagram for updates on the show, videos, songs, etc.

Thank you for sticking with me!
Rebecca

P.S. The beautiful begonia artwork you see on this website was painted by my childhood friend Christina Batipps. Isn’t she so talented?! She also paints people, trees, insects, and other living things.

Rebecca Pronsky 7/19/21 Rebecca Pronsky 7/19/21

Many moons have passed

Hello.

It's been a year since I last sent a real email to my list and what a year it's been. I sincerely hope you have been safe and healthy, and are feeling some relief these days, wherever you are.

I have begun performing live again, and I have a show with Rich in New York City next Sunday, July 25. It's a vaccinated-only event, with an intimate audience of just 16 people! If you live in the area and would like to come see us play, there are a few tickets left.

Since life changed dramatically for us all last spring, I figured out some ways to stay creative within the limitations and worked on some new projects. Here's a little info on each and links to hear more:

Hiking, foraging, and urban gardening saved me during Covid. Nature became one of my only outlets for real joy. When I couldn’t sing in front of people, I sang for plants and created Singing Forager. Singing Forager is an ongoing project of writing songs and jingles about edible plants and mushrooms. I've written and recorded 40+ of these quirky plant tunes, which appear in short, 1-minute Instagram videos of my foraging adventures.

“The Last Season” is my newest recorded release, which came out at the end of 2020, just when the Covid vaccines were being approved. It's an acoustic single that captures the feeling of being both devastated and grateful at the end of a long, scary year. The song is expertly produced by Rich Bennett with gorgeous layered guitars, and features the delicately beautiful piano playing of my dear friend Deidre Rodman Struck. Listen on Spotify. I also made a music video.

I've continued to write political comedy tunes. After I finished all my 2020 Candidate Jams, I joined my fellow citizens to work to win the election for Biden/Harris, which included phonebanks and postcarding, followed by a countdown clock, and an outdoor freezing cold inauguration party. Then, as NYC moved onto our own local elections, I wrote a song that cut through all the drama over the Democratic primary to ask the important, eternal question "Why would anyone want to be mayor of New York City?"

Last spring/summer, I undertook a daunting, but extremely rewarding, effort to write and produce a 10-part podcast called "Together All The Time." It follows the lives of three households (plus my own) through the early "lockdown" months of the pandemic in New York City. The series explores our relationships with food, sleep, nature, friendship, and family during an isolated time, and asks how the pandemic has altered our understanding of science, justice, and ultimately, each other. Listen wherever you listen to podcasts.

A few things other things:

I responded to a call for original jingles for Sarah Silverman's podcast and she played mine on the show! I also shared a funny story about Rich. If you haven’t listened to the Sarah Silverman podcast, I really recommend it. It is freeform and spontaneous.

Acme Hall Studios, the teaching and recording studio I run with Rich, reopened in April after all our staff were vaccinated. Most of our students have returned for in-person lessons and we are hosting a weekly concert series with a slate of awesome upcoming performances!

Well, that's all I got for now. I hope you get a chance to enjoy this summer and hear some live music again.

Thanks for keeping up with me.
Rebecca

Rebecca Pronsky 3/6/21 Rebecca Pronsky 3/6/21

I’m on the Sarah Silverman podcast!

Last week, I sent in some jingles for an open call for the amazing and hilarious Sarah Silverman Podcast and they got played on the show! I am kvelling. I also shared a funny story about my husband Rich who was an early Silverman fan. If you haven’t listened to the Sarah Silverman Podcast, I really recommend it. It’s one of my favorites. The show is freeform and spontaneous, and feels like you’re hang out with a funny friend who has lots of good stories.