Bean, Smith Etc Join Talented Students In 'DEFYING GRAVITY'

Shoshana Bean (Broadway and LA "Wicked"), Rex Smith ("Pirates of Penzanze", "Sunset Boulevard", "Scarlet Pimpernel"), Eric Kunze ("Miss Siagon", "Les Miserables", "Damn Yankees"), Marissa Perry ("Hairspray"), Lindsay Mendez ("Grease"), Terron Brooks ( "The Lion King" and NBC-TV's movie "The Temptations") and Tony-nominated actors Cathy Rigby ("Peter Pan", "Seussical") and Jonelle Allen ("Two Gentlemen of Verona") will join 40 talented students from The California Conservatory of the Arts and its sister school, The McCoy Rigby Dance Academy, in "Defying Gravity --- The Music and Lyrics of Stephen Schwartz" for two performances, January 24 and 25, at the Irvine Barclay Theatre on the campus of the University of California, Irvine.

All proceeds for the staged concert will benefit the educational programs at The California Conservatory of the Arts and it is being presented by special arrangement with Mr. Schwartz.

Stephen Schwartz has had a career spanning four decades and has written music and/or lyrics for such stage musicals as Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, The Baker's Wife, Working, The Magic Show and the animated features Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Prince of Egypt and Enchanted. He has won three Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards and received six Tony nominations.

The California Conservatory of the Arts, founded by Executive and Artistic Director David Green, is a comprehensive training ground for aspiring young artists, specifically Musical Theatre. Mr. Green's alumni include Tony nominees Susan Egan ("Beauty and the Beast") and Matthew Morrison ("The Light In The Piazza"), Stephanie Block ("The Pirate Queen" and upcoming "9 to 5"), and Anneleise VanDer Pol ("Beauty and the Beast" and upcoming "Vanities"), to name a few. His new book "The Road To Broadway --- A Career Guide For The Aspiring Young Musical Theatre Performer", published by Smith and Kraus, will debut later this year.

"Defying Gravity - The Music and Lyrics of Stephen Schwartz" will feature songs from the entire Schwartz songbook, from Godspell to Wicked, performed by these celebrated Broadway artists and the talented Conservatory students. Additional Broadway actors joining the cast will be announced soon. Tickets range from $15. to $35, and are available at The Barclay Theatre or through Ticketmaster. For further information about the concert or The California Conservatory of the Arts, call 949-487-7253 or visit the Conservatory's website at www.ccarts.net.