Extended Stay
By Jenny Stafford & Scotty Arnold
June 5-15, 2025

In a faded extended stay motel on the edge of an Indiana highway, four lives collide: a recovering alcoholic starting over, a dreamer in a bathrobe who hasn’t left his room in years, a lonely adventurer chasing likes and open roads, and a motel manager with a sharp tongue and a guarded heart.

With humor, humanity, and a dynamic original score with rock and singer-songwriter energy, Extended Stay looks at the places we get stuck—and the unexpected moments that pull us forward. Through unlikely friendships, late-night confessions, and songs full of longing, this new musical offers a deeply human look at the courage it takes to begin again.

You never know what’s holding someone back—or what might move them forward.

This is the first production of Extended Stay by Jenny Stafford and Scotty Arnold, produced by Walking on Water Productions following its 2022 workshop at WoW’s NOW (New Original Works) Festival, and presented at Kitchen Theatre Company as part of the Kitchen Sink Series.

This program is made possible in part with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and NYS Legislature, administered by the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.

Please note: Extended Stay contains themes of addiction and recovery, references to emotional trauma, mild language, and a depiction of alcohol use and relapse onstage. Recommended for ages 13 and up.