(NEW YORK, NY) -- In collaboration with legendary rock band FOREIGNER, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and Long Island University's Post Theatre Company have announced the creative team and performance schedule for the first production of Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical. The show will take place at the Little Theatre on LIU's Brookville campus, where it will play eleven performances beginning Friday, April 17, 2026, through Sunday, April 26, 2026.
This groundbreaking collaboration unites Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and LIU’s Post Theatre Company to develop and stage an electrifying new musical inspired by the iconic music of one of rock’s most celebrated bands, FOREIGNER. Following a developmental workshop of the musical last fall featuring LIU students, the production will feature a company of 26, including primarily LIU students and select professional actors to play age-appropriate adult roles. Full casting will be announced at a later date.
Set in 1985, Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical follows an ordinary suburban family whose lives are turned upside down when they win an extraordinary MTV sweepstakes: a weekend visit from rock icon Simon Bash, capped by a private concert in their own backyard. While the Davis family eagerly prepares for Simon’s arrival, their neighbors' attitudes quickly change, each hoping to leverage the superstar’s presence to boost their own social standing, save careers, or land a prom date. Convinced that Simon, the ultimate “Juke Box Hero,” holds the solution to all their problems, they soon discover just how wrong they are when he stumbles off the tour bus.
Powered by some of the biggest hits in rock history, the musical tells the story of three families whose lives need to get rocked in order to take risks, mend old wounds, and rediscover what love really means. Blending humor and heart, Feels Like the First Time features FOREIGNER favorites including “Cold as Ice,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Urgent,” “Hot-Blooded,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” and more.
All tickets are $40, and are available for purchase online starting Friday, February 13 at noon. The theater is located at 720 Northern Boulevard in Brookville, NY.
This first production is directed by Tony nominated Adam Pascal (RENT, Aida, Cabaret, Chicago, Something Rotten!), who also serves as Long Island University’s inaugural 2025/26 Artist-in-Residence. The creative team includes book writer Stephen Garvey (The Bardy Bunch, Five Golden Rings, Stages of Rita: The Rita Hayworth Musical), orchestrator and arranger David Abbinanti (Heartbreak Hotel, Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, Ghost: The Musical), and choreographer Lorna Ventura (The Other Americans, Public Theater, Destiny of Desire, Old Globe Theater, Broadway Original Company/Associate Choreographer Wicked, Nice Work if You Can Get It, All Shook Up, Grease).
Director Adam Pascal shared, “This new show represents everything I love about making theater—great music, fun storytelling, and meaningful collaboration. Partnering with FOREIGNER, Tilles Center, and LIU Post Theatre Company to develop a brand-new musical in an academic setting creates a rare and powerful environment where artists and students are building something together from the ground up.”
Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical is produced under Long Island University’s just launched New Works Initiative, established by Tom Dunn, Creative Producer, Executive and Artistic Director of Tilles Center, and Dean of LIU’s College of Arts and Design. The initiative serves as an incubator for developing and refining new theatrical works by both emerging and established writers.
Tom Dunn said, “This production launches our New Works Initiative, a bold new collaboration between Tilles Center and Long Island University, dedicated to developing original work and creating one-of-a-kind experiential learning for LIU students.”
The partnership also reflects FOREIGNER’s continued commitment to education, the arts, and community engagement. Funding for the project was secured through an exclusive benefit concert with Foreigner, hosted by original lead singer Lou Gramm at LIU’s 2,200-seat Tilles Center on September 5, 2025.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and founding member Al Greenwood of FOREIGNER will be present at the show on opening night, Friday, April 17. Says Greenwood, “The songs of FOREIGNER and a Broadway-style musical fit well together. Our songs tell stories and they complement the story of this musical rather well. It’s beyond exciting for me to see the songs we created years ago come to life in another art form. I am thrilled with the show Adam and the LIU team have created and I know our fans will be too.”
“We’re excited to collaborate with the next generation of theatrical artists at LIU to reimagine these iconic songs for the stage,” said FOREIGNER manager Phil Carson. “Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical celebrates music that has connected generations, and this partnership gives it an energetic new life in a theatrical setting.”
Additional creative credits include Mark Christine, Musical Director (Waitress First National and Broadway Tour; Ride the Cyclone; Arena Stage; McCarter); Anthony Freitas, Scenic Designer (Mamma Mia!; An American in Paris; Argyle Theatre); Chris D’Angelo, Lighting Designer (Powerhouse Theater; New Jersey Festival Orchestra); Matsy Stinson, Costume Designer (SUDS; Lincoln Center Education; Peter and the Starcatcher); Sean Richards, Production Coordinator (Last Call, Our Class, Sacrifice TO Eros, Next Right. Regional: Our Class (BCA Boston); Jamibeth Margolis and Meredith Hoddeson, Casting Directors (Jamibeth Margolis Casting & Productions LLC); and Alyssa Williams, Production Stage Manager (New Plays for Young Audiences, Everybody, A Monster Calls (Provincetown Playhouse); Too Heavy for your Pocket, Significant Other (Education at Roundabout).
With more Top 10 hits than Journey, and as many as Fleetwood Mac, FOREIGNER features strongly in every category in Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time” listing. At times, the band’s weekly catalog sales have eclipsed those of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Aerosmith and most of their Classic Rock peers (Source: Nielsen SoundScan). With 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 Top 30 hits, FOREIGNER is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 80 million.
Responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems including “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Say You Will,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Long, Long Way From Home” and the worldwide #1 hit and member of Spotify’s exclusive Billions Club, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” Rock & Roll Hall of Famers FOREIGNER still rock the charts almost 50 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard album chart success.
Audio and video streams of FOREIGNER’s hits are approaching 20 million per week. FOREIGNER‘s catalog sales were recently celebrated in Business Insider as hitting the Top 40 among the Best-Selling Music Artists of All Time. FOREIGNER is Luis Carlos Maldonado on lead vocals and guitar, noted Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein on keyboards, lead guitarist Bruce Watson, Chris Frazier on drums and John Roth on guitar.
Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at Long Island University Post’s mission is to engage and enrich our community through arts performance, education, and advocacy. For more than 40 years, Tilles Center has hosted and presented more than 50 performances each season by world-renowned artists in music, theater, and dance. The nonprofit also supports thousands of children and adult learners each year through its robust arts education programs, providing arts experiences to underserved communities — from low-income school districts and those on the autism spectrum to local seniors. Tilles Center is located on the beautiful Long Island University Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd, Brookville NY.
Long Island University, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, providing high quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized by Forbes for its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its “value added” to student outcomes, LIU has a network of over 285,000 alumni, including industry leaders and entrepreneurs around the globe.
The Post Theatre Company (PTC) is the resident ensemble of the Theatre Arts Program at Long Island University’s School of Performing Arts. Known for its bold and socially engaged productions, PTC offers students professional-caliber experience in performance. The company presents a full season of work and has earned national and international recognition, including awards from the Kennedy Center and performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. PTC is committed to new work, artistic innovation, and preparing students for professional careers.
Adam Pascal is a Tony-nominated actor and director best known for originating the role of Roger in Broadway’s RENT, earning Drama League and Obie Awards. His Broadway credits include Aida, Cabaret, Memphis, Chicago, Something Rotten!, and Pretty Woman: The Musical. Beyond performing, Pascal has directed regional productions of Rent and Something Rotten! on Long Island, bringing his Broadway experience to the next generation of artists. In addition to his stage work, he continues to shape the performing arts through film and television roles.
Stephen Garvey created the Off-Broadway musical The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady, now enjoying productions across America. His book writing credits include Five Golden Rings: A Greeting Card Channel Holiday Musical and Stages of Rita: The Rita Hayworth Musical. Stephen’s co-authored screenplay 9/11 Kevin was honored with a staged reading at the Nantucket Film Festival and his screenplays Chasing Disaster and My Dead Dad’s Musical Extravaganza are currently in development.
David Abbinanti is an award-winning composer, orchestrator and book writer. His credits include Heartbreak Hotel, Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, Five Golden Rings, The Perfect Dog and many more. A veteran executive in the theatre industry, he has served as SVP at Broadway Licensing Global and VP at Theatrical Rights Worldwide—where he led the development of new plays and musicals. David is also a proud member of the adjunct music faculty at Nassau Community College.
Lorna’s distinguished career includes work on the original Broadway productions of Wicked, Grease, All Shook Up, Harlem Song, and Nice Work If You Can Get It, serving as an original cast member or associate choreographer. She has collaborated with celebrated artists including Idina Menzel, Stephanie J. Block, Kristin Chenoweth, Rosie O’Donnell, Ben Vereen, and Joel Grey. Her work with acclaimed directors such as George C. Wolfe, Joe Mantello, Charles Randolph-Wright, Jerry Mitchell, and Kathleen Marshall helped shape her artistic voice and paved the way for her transition into directing and choreography.
Catholic Health is an integrated system encompassing some of the region’s finest health and human services agencies. The health system has nearly 17,000 employees, six acute care hospitals, three nursing homes, a home health service, hospice, and a network of physician practices.
Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, part of Long Island University, is committed to entertaining and enriching the community through arts performance, education, and advocacy.
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