New York Musical Theatre Festival Presents OPRAHFICATION

Oprahfication, the Australian, one-woman, tour de force musical, celebrating all things Oprah has been selected for a season at the prestigious New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) in July.

NYMF is the largest annual musical theatre festival in the world. Each summer the Festival presents productions, concerts, readings and special events in the heart of New York City's Theatre District. Oprahfication's North American Premiere Season as part of NYMF is an enormous achievement for a show with very humble beginnings.

Oprahfication was first performed in 2012. This award winning ten-minute imagining on 'what Oprah did next' quickly developed into an hour-long production which premièred at the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival with subsequent seasons at The Melbourne Cabaret Festival, The Ballarat Cabaret Festival and Adelaide's Feast Festival, giving the 'O' team inspiration to develop the show even further.

Oprahfication recently completed return Melbourne seasons as part of the Midsumma Festival in 2014 before premiering in Sydney as part of the Mardi Gras Festival 2014.

From cabaret show to fully-fledged musical with a five-piece-band and full production values, New York is about to be wowed as Oprah (Rachel Dunham) brings to the stage this one-woman, musical theatre tribute to the Queen of the talkshow. Treated to being part of a live taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show, the laughs are constant, the original score by Shanon D. Whitelock a witty fusion of musical styles which showcase off Dunham's incredible voice, and every ticket-buyer gets a seat!

This loving tribute to one of the world's most influential personalities has garnered extraordinary reviews at every stage of its development and is set to return to Australia for a national tour following the season at NYMF. Details on cities and dates will be announced in the coming months.

On confirmation of the NYMF season, Rachel Dunham said, "I am staggered at what has been achieved in less than 2 years. From ten minutes to ninety minutes and an incredible response to a simple idea."

"NYMF being interested and inviting our little show to perform is beyond wildest dreams. What this will mean for this project on our return to Australia is the reason we do what we do. The ability to continue performing this work and watch it evolve to even higher heights."

Australian Producer, Adam J. Lowe added, "From the first time I saw Oprahfication, early on in the development of the show I responded in the same way audiences did and have throughout the genesis of the show. I immediately saw the potential for the show to have a life not only on Australian stages but those around the world."

"For those wanting to contribute by donating funds to see Australia's latest New York bound musical theatre work take its bite out of The Big Apple visit: http://www.pozible.com/oprahficationnymf"

The NYMF is the flagship program of The National Music Theater Network, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Now celebrating its 11th year, The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) exists to revitalize musical theatre culture by discovering and promoting new musical theatre artists, producers and projects, nurturing a vibrant and innovative artistic community, and connecting one of America's greatest art forms with a diverse, contemporary audience.