Interview with Briarcombe Alum, Kevin Newbury

We recently got the chance to sit down with the brilliant opera, theater, film and television director Kevin Newbury, who recently participated in an artist residency at The Briarcombe Institute in California. In our interview, Newbury discusses his transformative experience at the institute, where he worked on his main project Fellow Travelers - a TV show and documentary film exploring the Lavender Scare. Newbury emphasizes the inspirational and creative environment of Briarcombe, as well as how the current political climate is impacting his art and beliefs. He also shares insights into the powerful responses and intergenerational conversations that the Fellow Travelers opera has sparked across the country. Newbury is excited to continue promoting the opera and bringing it to wider audiences. Plus, we talked a bit about the origins of Briarcombe, and some of the first resident artists at the institute. The following is a trimmed version of our conversation with Newbury.

Hi Kevin! So I know you were the first artist in residence after the program was formalized. I was wondering, could you tell me a little bit about your experience there?

Absolutely. It was so transformative. We had the most inspiring week at Briarcombe. It was just incredible to be in that gorgeous home and surrounded by books and music and good food. We loved the entire town of Bolinas. We took several long walks by the ocean. And we just had lively conversations and then we also spent some time on our own doing some work in our own casitas and rooms. So it was just a wonderful experience. It's a magical place.

That’s great to hear. It is such a magical place. The first time I went there too, I was like, oh my God, is this place real?

I know. I didn't want to leave. I would just stay there forever, it feels like a fairytale.

Image from Fellow Travelers

So I know you have a lot of different projects. How did you decide which project you were going to work on there?

We worked on several different projects at once. We were kind of finishing our TV show and brainstorming about some future projects as well. But Fellow Travelers was my main focus, really building this, not only the opera, but the documentary film that we're going to make and this massive archival research project. So it was just a really wonderful place to brainstorm and focus and be inspired. We were starting to formulate the idea there and starting to think about how we wanted to approach it. I love that the cell reception and internet reception isn't great there too, because it allows us to have a more analog approach to our creativity without having to constantly check email and be on Zoom. So it was just a great place to do a deep dive into the big ideas of how we wanted to approach this nationwide project.

It does feel like one of those places that's kind of for the big picture, really asking yourself why, rather than getting bogged down in details. That was kind of what I heard from other artists who have been recently. Step far back and see the bigger project.

How long did you get to spend there when you went?

Well, I went there just for a weekend the first time just to see the place. And Ka kind of showed me around. And then I went back again for five days. And we did sort of a mini artist weekend kind of testing out how people were liking the space, it was great. We had a lot of fun and it seemed like the people that went got a lot out of it too. So it felt special.

So special. And I just love that kind of individual time to be creative and work on our projects and then coming together for a walk or a trip into town, getting some more work done and then all making dinner together. It's just the ideal day. And I feel like you have every hour in the day in New York and city life, where does the time go? But in this place I just felt like we had every single minute of the day counted. It's such an incredible resource for an artist and creatives. We need it more than ever. With all of the scary things happening in our country and all the cuts to the arts, we need these creative spaces away from the fray of it all.

It's so true. Arts funding being slashed left and right. I mean this current fascist regime, to put it very bluntly, I mean, it's pretty wild, but I guess that's also maybe an interesting question too, as in what ways is this current moment sort of influencing or impacting your beliefs about art, and your project. I read the brief on it and I didn't even know about this Lavender scare.

A lot of people didn't know about it. So wild is that when the book first came out, no one had really told that story, and then the opera really brought even more light to it. In fact, the miniseries wouldn't have happened without the opera. That was the launching pad for bringing that story into the mainstream. So I mean, look, I feel like we are in the middle of, or the beginning of, a bonafide artistic renaissance. A lot of amazing art happens during very trying times. So as challenging as this moment is, I feel galvanized and honored to be on the front lines of the culture war. There are days that are scary. We pulled the show from the Kennedy Centers, you may have heard. And that was a very traumatic experience to go through. And Katerina was so helpful during that time period, giving advice and other help. But I would say nine days out of ten, I feel like, well, this is the moment to be an artist. And we, Brandon and I, are lucky to have a platform right now. Collectively and individually, and I am excited to be part of this moment. There's no other way to think about it. My mentors were on the forefront of Act Up and the AIDS Quilt during the AIDS crisis. This is not the first time the Christian religious has come after us at this moment. So now we need the art more than ever.

Image from Fellow Travelers

And I heard that you went to an Act Up recreation. I heard about that. That sounded amazing. 

It was amazing. 

I didn't even know people were staging things like that. That's so cool.

They're doing it again in August if you happen to be in New York. It's very, very powerful. We all kind of play real characters in that time period that would've been at that meeting. And the blueprints exist. There are ways to learn from the people that went before. So I feel that we stand on the shoulders of people that came before us. And I'm 47 right now, and it's my turn to take up the reins. For our generations, it's our moment right now.

It's inspiring to hear you say that. Totally agree about the blueprints existing. What's something that maybe you'd want people to know about Fellow Travelers that you don't think they would know?

I would say that Fellow Travelers has the potential to bring people together from all backgrounds and sensibilities. And I've seen the show shape hearts and minds, all around the country, from America's biggest cities to her heartland. And I just really believe in the transformative power of a good love story and Fellow Travelers is first and foremost a really beautiful love story. And I look forward to introducing the show to a wider audience, including people that may not think that they like opera, that maybe they're not as familiar with the art form, because really it's accessible. It's actually beautiful music that welcomes you into the world. So I want to take it everywhere. I want it to continue to be the most produced opera all around the country, and I want people to come and see it again and again and bring their loved ones, I think. I think people will be very, very moved by it.

You're going to do it!

We're going to do it.

Yeah. Good correction.

The other thing I would say about it too is that people never want to leave the theater. Every time we do the show, people want to stay in the lobby. They want to keep talking, they want to share stories. It fosters intergenerational conversations. And people just want to keep being together after they see it. So that's the great healing power of the theater.

Image from Fellow Travelers

What kinds of stories were people sharing after the show with each other?

Well, there's a lot of people who break down in tears, especially the generations ahead of us because they lived during that time. There are a lot of people in the audience that lost their jobs for being gay, or maybe their mentors were fired during that time. And it really opens up the channels to start sharing the stories of people that we lost, and that the trailblazers that fought back. And then I find that the younger generation, let's say the audience members in their twenties or even younger, don't necessarily have this connection to our shared queer history, but they want to know about the AIDS crisis. They want to know about the wild seventies and what it was like before Stonewall and all of that. But they don't always have a chance to access that generation. I love having dinner parties with people in their twenties and people in their seventies or eighties. And this show feels like that kind of shared experience of intergenerational conversations. And there's a character named Mary Johnson who really stands up for what's right. And a lot of people will share who the Mary Johnsons in their lives was, who were the people that stood up for them when they faced prejudice. And the most important conversations is that I've heard people actually change their minds and say, my daughter is trans and I'm going to give her a call. I think I want to give her another chance to understand, or that kind of thing. So it really opens up those channels.

Do you think people go into the show knowing what it's about or not really?

I would say maybe it depends on where we are. I think most people that buy tickets have some idea that it's a gay love story. The mini series drew a lot more attention to the brand in the queer community. But people are always surprised. They're surprised how funny it is and how moving it is.

And you were part of the miniseries project as well?

No, I wasn't part of the miniseries. I wish that I had been, but that was totally separate. But the opera came first.

Oh the opera came first?

Yeah, the opera came first. So the book came out in 2008. Opera premiered in 2016, and the miniseries didn't come out until 2023, so it was after we'd already taken the opera all around the country the first time.

Wow. That's great. Now I really want to see it when it goes up in New York next time.

Yeah, we open in Seattle, so it starts in Seattle and Portland. So if you want to come up there, we're also going to be in San Diego next summer. Yeah. Upstate New York, Cincinnati, and then we do LA in the fall. I mean, we're just booking it everywhere.

Amazing.

And if you know anyone in your circle that wants to get involved, we are in the middle of building awareness and fundraising, so spread the word.

Kevin Newbury is an opera, theatre, film and television director and producer based in New York City. Newbury has directed over 100 original projects in multiple mediums. His work has received numerous awards and nominations from organizations like The Grammy’s, the International Opera Awards, GLAAD Media, and the Dora Awards. Newbury’s work been listed as the Best Classical Music and Best Opera across multiple years by Opera News, the New York Times, and the New Yorker. His career highlights include three productions for PBS Great Performances: the world premiere of Bel Canto (Lyric Opera of Chicago), the world premiere of Doubt (Minnesota Opera) and Bernstein’s Mass (Ravinia Festival).  He has also collaborated with acclaimed composers, Pulitzer Prize winners, writers, and actors, including Gregory Spears, Tracy K. Smith, Bradley Cooper, and Carey Mulligan, to name just a few.

Newbury’s long association with the work of Leonard Bernstein includes directing MASS 6 times (Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Philadelphia Orchestra etc),Candide (starring Bradley Cooper & Carey Mulligan, Philadelphia Orchestra) and West Side Story (Philadelphia Orchestra).  Newbury’s productions of Mass have been recorded for commercial release twice (one of them Grammy nominated) and were named “One of the Best Events of the Year” by The New York Times and The Washington Post for the Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center iterations in 2008 and by The Chicago Tribune for the 2018 Ravinia Festival production.

Newbury’s short films and music videos have screened at over 50 film festivals, winning several awards.  Kevin also directed the opera scene and served as a consultant for Apple TV’s Dickinson (Season 2, Episode 6: “Split the Lark.”).

In 2026, he launched the 10th Anniversary National Tour of Fellow Travelers at Seattle Opera. The tour will travel to over a dozen companies around the country in 2026 and 2027.