The Show
Flower & Ash explores a dystopian America born of violent political differences. The post-apocalyptic story chronicles an epic journey of two 20-somethings—Flower and Ash—who find each other on the quest for a purpose beyond survival. Along the forgotten roads that lay between The Island (Manhattan) and Fishcamp (Gloucester, MA), the two develop deep bonds with unlikely friends (Steel, Sasha, and a few dozen outlandish characters). Facing danger from wayward tribes, the anarchic Confeds, and a primal landscape after “The Fall,” the journey calls on Flower and Ash to discover and embrace their authentic (super) powers.
The Songs
A few demo tracks from our City Winery Boston Concert April, ‘26
featuring Pearl Scott, Lila Blue, Casey Murray, McCoy Plaisted, Cameron Kirkpatrick, Mike Descoteaux
Time & Setting
The story is set 15 years after The Fall of America in the post-apocalyptic Northeast spanning from The Island (formerly Manhattan) to Fishcamp (formerly Gloucester, MA). While the journey unfolds in real time, the On-Stage Band exists further into the future than the story timeline--a pseudo Greek Chorus interpreting and reflecting the “gospel” of Flower and Ash. Acoustic in a dystopia without electricity, The Band and its singers (ensemble actors) weave a folk/roots concert throughout the play.
Why Flower & Ash?
At the heart of Flower & Ash is a conversation—a conversation about what it takes to fight for true freedom; freedom of expression, of gender identity, of chosen family, of who we love. Perhaps it takes an apocalypse to understand what America is all about. While the play portion dives into the messy, dystopian details, the folk/roots songs speak to universal humanity, the power of connection, and how hope survives in the darkest corners. At a time when suppression of minority and vulnerable voices is making a dramatic resurgence, our project aims to elevate and celebrate the Queer community along with the greater American community, fractured as it currently may be.
The Author
Mike Descoteaux is a songwriter with over 25 years in the industry. In addition to his singer/songwriter catalog, he’s written musicals including Ready for Life, Dia De Los Muertos, Sodomites!, The Fundamental Skip, and Warfield: USA. He’s worked with Ellis Paul, Jason Robert Brown, Jackie Hoffman, Dickie Smothers, Laura Hall, William Finn, and many more. His songs have been performed at venues like The Second City, Club Passim, Chicago Shakespeare and New World Stages.
Mike is the creator of the Training Center Music Program at the legendary Second City in Chicago, former artistic director of several New England nonprofit arts and comedy organizations, and has been seen on NBC, A&E, WGN, and WGBH. He's “composed” and “conducted” over 1,000 completely improvised musicals with BLANK! the Musical (Off-Broadway), Baby Wants Candy, Musical! the Musical, and others. Mike leads workshops in improvisation, sketch, music direction, and music improv at festivals internationally.
The Development
Flower & Ash has a finished book and score. The show is currently in grant and workshop phase.
Songs have received audience sea trials at live music venues throughout Greater Boston and online through Mike’s social media accounts (follow @mike-d-makes-music on IG).
A concert version of the music debuts at City Winery in Boston on April 16th, 2026. More information here. Made possible through a generous grant from NEMPAC.
The show has received a grant from the MCC for its first staged reading in Winthrop, MA on Nov. 16, 2026
Flower & Ash was awarded a spot in the New Opera & Music Theater Initiative (NOMTI) for the ‘26-’27 Advanced Writers Lab season.
THE STORY
The World After the Fall
Fifteen years after the Fall of America born of violent political differences, the grid is dead, society is fractured into isolated tribal settlements, and the brutal "Confed" militia tightly controls much of the landscape. Humanity is caught in a bitter struggle between ruthless survival and the desperate hope to rebuild. Woven through this original story is a concert performed by a live, onstage acoustic folk/roots band. Featuring vocals from ensemble cast members, the songs function as a narrative force bearing witness, memory, and warning.
Two Destinies Awakened
At opposite ends of the Northeast, two young adults discover unexplainable, mythic abilities triggered by the harsh brutality of their environment: Flower (aka "Sprout") is a gentle, empathetic, non-binary trans woman living in Fishcamp, a peaceful coastal fishing commune in what used to be Gloucester, MA. When Sprout miraculously heals a companion from a fatal wound, the awakening of this supernatural gift places a massive target on their back, forcing Sprout to flee south to escape the crosshairs of the local Confed militia. Ash is a street-smart, fiercely independent Queer woman surviving in the concrete ruins of "The Island" (formerly Manhattan). When tyrannical forces raid her sanctuary and execute her mentor, the trauma triggers a terrifying, glass-calm "Tempest State" that unleashes a superhuman gift for lethal destruction. Consumed by vengeance, Ash sets off north, determined to burn down the forces that broke her world.
The Convergence and Chosen Family
Neither can survive the wasteland alone. As they travel the dangerous paths toward one another, Flower and Ash forge an unbreakable chosen family. Sprout is joined by Steel, a haunted former Confed soldier desperately searching for a way to rewrite his dark past. Ash finds a lifeline in Sasha, an apocalypse-glamorous drag queen who brings warmth, sharp wit, and maternal light into Ash’s dark, vengeful world.The four outcasts eventually converge at a reconstructed safe haven in the ruins of Yale. There, the healers and the fighters realize their separate paths are pieces of the exact same puzzle.
The Resurrection of Hope
To secure a future where true freedom--of expression, love, and identity--can survive, they must return to where it all began: Fishcamp. Together, Ash’s power to fight and Sprout’s power to restore become the ultimate weapon against oppression. In a final, devastating battle against the Confed militia, victory demands a heartbreaking cost. Out of the ashes, a new mythology is born telling the gospel of how human connection and radical hope would resurrect a fallen nation.
The Artists
Heartfelt gratitude goes out to all the artists and creatives who have helped to shape Flower & Ash along the journey. The many folks who have donated considerable time and talent include:
Deana Criess
Dawn Simmons (and SpeakEasy Stage)
Pearl Scott
Britt Garner
Thain Bertin
Jono Mammel
Ali Reed
Jeffrey Bouthiette
Kristine Niven
Jeff Sweet
Laura Klayman Welsh
Rebekah Walendzak
Aniela McGuinness
Pamela Victor
Michelle Boncek
Lila Blue
Casey Murray
Cameron Kirkpatrick
McCoy Plaisted
Will Neely
Jesse Barnett Photography
Abby Altman (and Club Passim)
Steven Friedman
Mark Dann
Elizabeth Ramirez
The Summer Salt Writers’ Retreat
North End Music Performing Arts Center
Mass Cultural Council