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Exclusive: Lively McCabe Entertainment, a company that specializes in packaging and adapting iconic intellectual property into new stories for theater, film/TV, and book publishing, is teaming with licensing agency Theatrical Rights Worldwide and music powerhouse BMG on three stage works that could bring the songs of country stars like Luke Bryan and Kenny Chesney and ’80s New Wavers including Billy Idol and Devo to theaters by 2020.

Lively McCabe Entertainment Co-President Michael Barra unveiled a slate of three new stage musicals under development in the previously-announced partnership with Trw and BMG that would feature select music from the deep BMG catalog.

The three newly announced projects are:

May We All, a country music musical with a book by Troy Britton Johnson (The Voice: Neon Dreams) and Todd Johnson (a producer of Broadway’s original The Color Purple). May We All will include including music from country artists such as Luke Bryan,...

Cannes Lions, an event that has gathered creatives and marketers since 1954, boasts a roll call of showbiz stars, media chiefs and academics that gives it the feel of a cross of the Golden Globes, Ted Talks and Davos. But the spotlight is not on the celebrities; instead, the fest focuses on content and the cross-pollination of creativity, commerce and culture.

If you look at the names of those who are speaking at the Riviera event, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were at a Hollywood after-party rather than an event traditionally associated with the worlds of advertising and marketing. TV talking heads including Conan O’Brien, Chris Cuomo and Shaquille O’Neal mingle with such filmmakers as Tyler Perry and James Marsh, actors Kevin Costner, Thandie Newton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and music world habitués Paloma Faith, Common and Johnny Marr, formerly of the Smiths.

But to dwell on the glitzy names is a mistake,...