Musical Theatre Factory to Stage Jahn Sood's Folk Opera THE DISAPPEARING MAN this Month

The Musical Theatre Factory (MTF) presents a showcase production of THE DISAPPEARING MAN, a new folk opera with book, music, and lyrics by Jahn Sood. This production follows a sold-out concert at Joe's Pub and a standing-room-only development reading in the spring of 2013 . THE DISAPPEARING MAN takes place backstage at a small-time travelling circus in 1936. When the headliner is offered another job, the motley troupe must decide whether to adapt to the change or fight to keep the family together.

The production stars Mike Longo (Hair national tour) and Mary Kate Morrissey (Hair national tour), with Jason SweetTooth Williams (Bloodsong of Love), Jeremy Morse (Bloodsong of Love), Luke Wygodny (American Idiot national tour), Katie Melby, Andrew Lynch (Blue Man Group), Lizzie Hagstedt (Southern Comfort), and Jeremy Yaddaw.

THE DISAPPEARING MAN was originally conceived while Sood was on tour with the band Ezra Furman & the Harpoons and was subsequently workshopped in Cambridge, MA with a director and cast from the ART's Inst. for Adv. Theater Training. In 2013, Sood began a new phase of development with director Shakina Nayfack and music director Brian Cavanagh-Strong, the team behind this Musical Theatre Factory showcase.

Performances are January 17-19, 23-25 at 8pm, and January 20 & 21 at 7pm. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door, and are available at Brown Paper Tickets (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/544268). A limited number of industry tickets are available by emailing Musical Theatre Factory at MTFtickets@gmail.com.

A New York City based cooperative dedicated to helping musical theatre artists (writers, composers, performers, choreographers, and directors) develop and present new work in a collaborative atmosphere free from the pressures of critical or financial success. MTF seeks to accomplish this goal by identifying new works and artists of promise, then facilitating a development process that includes readings, concerts, workshops, and public performances of new musical Theatre Projects. Currently in development: Junk: A Rock Opera with the Swedish pop band Brainpool, Jahn Sood's The Disappearing Man, and The Craft - The Musical with composer Kevin Michael Jones.

A multi-use performance space created by founders of Dead Herring, Cloud City serves as Williamsburg's newest hub for live music, independent theatre, variety shows, and visual art. A former factory space, the sleek white walls, concrete floors, and rag tag flexible seating offer endless possibilities for environmental theatrical events. Located at 85 N. 1st St. in Brooklyn, Cloud City presents new offerings from local and touring artists weekly, with ticket prices ranging from donation to $18.

Jahn Sood makes things in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Musicals: The Disappearing Man, In A Sea of Faces (words/music), Vital Signs and With You Always (with Max Mamon), The Last Words of Dutch Shultz (with Pat Irwin). Plays: Applying For Sainthood. He was a founding member of Ezra Furman & the Harpoons and toured nationally with the group and worked as a guitarist/audio engineer/assistant for composer Pat Irwin on the scores of Nurse Jackie, Bored to Death, and several feature films. He is a graduate of NYU Tisch (Graduate Musical Theater Writing) and Tufts University.

Shakina Nayfack is a director, choreographer, producer, and transgender performance artist. World premieres: The Poor Players by Dan Lefranc (Actors' Theater of Santa Cruz), Cosa Rara by Butchlalis de Panochtitlan (Highways Performance Space, Santa Monica). Concerts include Pieces of JUNK and The Disappearing Man at Joe's Pub, Freilich And Benson Split The Keys at NYMF, Ashkon Davaran - Here In the Dark at The Cutting Room, and three years of Songs By Ridiculously Talented Composers And Lyricists You Probably Don't Know But Should, with 2-time Tony winner William Finn at Barrington Stage Company. Also at BSC: Bashir Lazhar (American premiere), and choreography for Mormons, Mothers, And Monsters, The Game, and Lord of the Flies. Shakina recently premiered her solo piece, ONE WOMAN SHOW: A Work In Progress at Joe's Pub, launching her KickStartHer campaign to raise funds for gender confirmation surgery.