New Musical BRAVE NEW WORLD Holds Pre-Broadway Workshop Reading Today

By: May. 03, 2013
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Today, May 3rd at 12 noon, Brave New World Enterprises, LLC will present a Special Pre-Broadway Workshop Table Reading of the new musical based on Aldous Huxley's novel, BRAVE NEW WORLD. The presentation, directed by Sheryl Kaller, with musical direction by John McDaniel, will take place at the Snapple Theatre Center (1627 Broadway) for invited industry audiences only.

Published in 1932, Aldous Huxley's novel stunned the literary world, shocked international religious leaders, flew off the shelves in the countries that did not ban its sale and eventually captured the attention of Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey and John Lennon.

In 1999, the Modern Library ranked BRAVE NEW WORLD fifth on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th Century.

In 2014, the Broadway-bound musical, also entitled BRAVE NEW WORLD, will be ranked by the Broadway Community.

ABOUT "BRAVE NEW WORLD": Five hundred years in the future, there is no war; no disease; no poverty. But perfection comes at a price. In order to maintain social stability, humanity has been stripped of the very things that make us human. True love has been replaced with free sex, art and faith have been replaced with mindless sport and distraction and citizens are brainwashed and drugged into a perpetual state of happiness. Humans don't even reproduce anymore; they are hatched in test tubes to avoid the dangers of family. But there are places - savage reservations - where people still live according to the "old" ways. These savages are fenced in and know nothing of the outside world, until one such savage - John - is given special permission to leave and experience the wonders of civilization. Two worlds collide in Huxley's provocative story about love, humanity and loss, set against the backdrop of a world where the most dangerous thing you can do, is to have an original thought.

Sheryl Kaller, Tony Award-nominated director, will direct. John McDaniel, Grammy and Emmy Award winner, will be the musical director. Ben Andron wrote the searing book, adapted from the classic by Huxley. Jonnie Rockwell wrote the music & lyrics. NICK MESSITTE wrote the additional lyrics. Daryl Eisenberg, CSA is the casting director. Aaron Grant of Aaron Grant THEATRICAL, INC is the General Manager.

ABOUT Sheryl Kaller (Director)
Sheryl Kaller was nominated for a Tony Award in 2010, for the direction of Geoffrey Nauffts' dramedy, Next Fall, which began Off-Broadway in the summer of 2009, with Naked Angels & moved to Broadway with few changes and the same cast. She has also directed Off-Broadway's Adrift in Macao and new works for companies including The New Group, Primary Stages & New York Stage & Film. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Two Island Productions and has developed plays with writers including Christopher Durang, Peter Melnick, ReGina Taylor, Dick Beebe, Michele Bourman and Alan Menken.

ABOUT John McDaniel (Musical Director)
John McDaniel served as the Music Director or Supervisor on Broadway for Bonnie & Clyde (Drama Desk Nominated Orchestrator), Catch Me If You Can, Brooklyn (Producer & Orchestrator), Annie Get Your Gun, Taboo, Chicago, Grease, Patti LuPone on Broadway & Company - Original Cast in Concert at Lincoln Center. Television: "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (2 Emmy Awards), "Friar's Roasts" '99-'02, "Tony Awards" '97-'00 as arranger, "A Rosie Christmas" (ABC), "A Family is a Family" (HBO). Recordings as Producer include Annie Get Your Gun (Grammy Award), The Maury Yeston Songbook, Bonnie & Clyde, Brooklyn, Taboo, The Journey Home (Malcolm Gets), John McDaniel at the Piano (Broadway, Christmas, Compositions & Live at Joe's Pub). Recently, Daughter of the Regiment (Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Happy Days (National Tour), Bonnie & Clyde (La Jolla Playhouse & Asolo Theatre), Pirates! (Goodspeed Opera House, Paper Mill Playhouse, Huntington Theatre, Boston, St. Louis Muny). Music director/arranger for Tyne Daly in NYC and LA, as well as concert appearances with Cab Calloway, Shirley MacLaine, George Burns, Al Jarreau, Joel Grey, Carol Burnett, Frederica von Stade, Betty Buckley and most recently, Bette Midler. Guest Conductor at Symphony Orchestras in San Francisco, Indianapolis, Utah, Buffalo, Colorado, Baltimore and his hometown, St. Louis Symphony.

ABOUT Ben Andron (Book)
Ben Andron's first play White's Lies was produced Off-Broadway in 2010. Other plays include The Cigar-Box Photographs (drama) and The Legend of Bobby Stone & the Good Feeling Hat (comedy). Ben has worked closely with Disney TV Animation developing the animated series "Hunachi" for Jetix/ABC Family and wrote numerous episodes for the BBC animated series "Friends & Heroes." As a writer/producer of motion picture marketing, Ben has been creatively involved in the releases of major Hollywood films, including the Harry Potter series, Pirates of the Caribbean and many others. Recent titles include Warm Bodies, Parental Guidance, The Impossible, Pitch Perfect and The Bourne Legacy. He has produced additional behind-the-scenes content for several films, including Rango, It's Complicated and Point Break: Pure Adrenaline Edition, during which he spent a most unusual afternoon with Gary Busey.

ABOUT Jonnie Rockwell (Composer/Lyricist)
The grandchild of renowned early 20th Century Czech opera composer and folklorist, Leoš Janá?ek, Jonnie Rockwell studied music and art at Skidmore, is a classically trained pianist and a preeminent synthesizer programmer. She toured for ten years with several progressive orchestras and rock bands, prior to conceiving the musical adaptation of BRAVE NEW WORLD, her first musical.

ABOUT NICK MISSETTE (Additional Lyrics)
Nick Messitte is a New York based composer/mixing engineer/producer/writer/instrumentalist. As a guitarist, he has played with Josh Groban and Herbie Hancock. As a mixing/live sound engineer, he has worked with Marky Ramone, Norah Jones, 50 Cent, Rihanna, They Might Be Giants, Morrissey, Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed, John Legend, Philip Glass, Scissor Sisters, Jack Bruce, Meshell Ndegeocello and Living Colour, among others. As a sound designer, he has designed for theatre, film and dance. His theatre credits include 2008's Attack of the Soccer Moms (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), 2009's Antigone (The Secret Theatre) and the 2012 Winter Pop Festival for Frozen Feet Theater, as their sole composer/sound designer & will be scoring an adaptation of The Famished Road (Based upon the Booker Prize-winning novel by Ben Okri). In 2009, Nick composed music & lyrics for Really Bad Things (NYMF 2012) and Get Got (Edinburgh Fringe Festival).

ABOUT Daryl Eisenberg (Casting Director)
Daryl Eisenberg, CSA is owner of Daryl Eisenberg Casting, a full service casting office for film, theatre, TV, commercials, new media. Theatre credits include West End's and Off-Broadway's White's Lies, My Big Gay Italian Wedding, Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage, Gay Bride of Frankenstein, My First Time, The Awesome 80s Prom, Baby Case, Stand Tall, VOTE! A New Musical, Street Lights, Altar Boyz, Garage Band, Folger Theatre, Norwegian Cruise Line, Davenport Reading Series, Gotham Stage Company. Film credits include Hypebeasts, Sleep, Following Chase, The Last/First Kiss, Coffee & Pie. TV credits include Casting Associate on "Gossip Girl" (Warner Bros/The CW) and "Cashmere Mafia" (Sony/ABC). Web: Characters, Guard of Dagmar, TheBatterysDown.com, JoeyAndDavid.com, Simon & Schuster Young Adult book trailers, Standard Deviants.

ABOUT Aaron Grant (General Manager)
Aaron Grant is an independent Executive Producer, General Manager and Producer who has been active in the theatre for over a decade. Aaron was lead producer on 2010's White's Lies at New World Stages, which finished a very successful run in Michigan this past January. Aaron just recently opened Aaron Grant THEATRICAL, INC, prior to which he was a Partner and General Manager at Kelvin Production with the late Vincent DeMarco. Prior to his work with Kelvin Productions, Aaron had worked in various management & development capacities on projects like Grumpy Old Men: The Musical, Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver, The Screwtape Letters, Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday Concert, The Molly Maguires (also directed by Sheryl Kaller), Robin & the 7 Hoods (directed by Casey Nicholaw), Minimum Wage, Stormy Weather and the Chicago production of Altar Boyz. Productions in development include The Legend of Bobby Stone & the Good Feeling Hat by Ben Andron (to be directed by Peter Scolari), the cult favorite Gay Bride of Frankenstein, a UK production of White's Lies and an Off-Broadway production of Around the World in 80 Days (scheduled to open this May). Aaron & the entire Aaron Grant THEATRICAL, INC team are very proud to be working on BRAVE NEW WORLD.

Jonnie Rockwell
Composer/Lyricist

RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION: BraveNewWorld@theatrical.ag. No admittance without written confirmation.



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