The Break, with book and lyrics by Christopher Dimond and music by Michael Kooman

Charlie and Samantha are at a crossroads in their relationship. As they near their tenth anniversary, the question of marriage looms large. They’ve always professed to be the type of couple who doesn’t need to get married, but lately… maybe something’s changed? They’re both feeling pressure to commit, but for reasons they can’t quite articulate, are hesitant to do so.

When Charlie finds an engagement ring hidden in Sam’s underwear drawer, they are forced to confront the issues they’ve been avoiding for years.

Having met in college and never seriously dated anyone else, the pair realize what they need before they take the plunge into marital bliss: A thirty day break. A relationship rumspringa, if you will. A month-long respite during which they can each sow their proverbial wild oats, at the end of which they plan to tie the knot.

We follow them both as their sexual walkabouts take them through the hilarious and heartbreaking trials and tribulations of dating in the modern world. Their separate journeys lead them on paths of self-discovery, and though they may not end up where they expect, their relationship evolves into something more complex, more mature, and ultimately more profound than they could have possibly anticipated.

At its heart, THE BREAK is a two-person musical about sex, love, and relationships. It’s about what sleeping with strangers can teach us about ourselves. It’s about the ways we grow together, and the ways we grow apart.

Song Sample



Fucking Good

About the Writers



Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond are an Emmy-nominated writing team for the stage and screen. Their most recent musical, ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS, debuted to rave reviews at Shakespeare’s Globe. They wrote more than 150 songs for VAMPIRINA, an animated musical TV series that airs on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior, reaching over 100 million viewers in 115 countries.

Other television work includes RIDLEY JONES, DEAD END: PARANORMAL PARK, and SPIRIT RANGERS, an upcoming action-adventure series for Netflix.

Michael and Chris have written songs for Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patina Miller, Sara Ramirez, Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells, Santino Fontana, Christopher Jackson, Skyler Astin, James Monroe Iglehart, Anna Camp, Jane Lynch, Henry Winkler, Rachel Bloom, Donald Faison, Alfred Molina, Taran Killam, and Wanda Sykes.

Their stage projects include THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES (Village Theater), ORPHIE & THE BOOK OF HEROES (The Kennedy Center), THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF PERCIVAL VON SCHMOOTZ (commissioned by the Canadian Music Theatre Project), JUDGE JACKIE: DISORDER IN THE COURT (Pittsburgh CLO; licensed by Samuel French), DANI GIRL (Exit, Pursued by a Bear; licensed by Samuel French), GOLDEN GATE (Williamstown Theatre Festival), HOMEMADE FUSION (London’s Ambassadors Theater, Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and JUNIOR CLAUS (Orlando Repertory Theatre; licensed by Dramatic Publishing).

Awards and honors include the Fred Ebb Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, the Mary Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Award, the Samuel French Next Step Award, the Burton Lane Award, and the Harold Adamson Award. They are members of the Dramatists Guild and ASCAP, and are proud alumni of Carnegie Mellon University.

Their debut album, OUT OF OUR HEADS, and the world premiere recording of THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES are now available on iTunes and Spotify.

Learn more at www.koomandimond.com.

Christopher Dimond and Michael Kooman