Patchogue Theatre Premieres WELCOME HOME/BIENVENIDO A CASA Tonight

The Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts (PTPA) will premiere "Welcome Home/Bienvenido a casa" tonight, September 17 at 7:30 PM. "Welcome Home/Bienvenido a casa" will be performed Live in the Lobby and is a production of The New Musicals Project, which began its run at the PTPA in 2011, and is now a cooperative venture between PTPA and Worldwide Voices, both 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, volunteer driven organizations. The New Musicals Project is the only Long Island repertory company whose primary mission is to develop and produce original musical plays. Company members include theatre folk, playgoers and volunteers who are passionate about being part of the future development of the uniquely American art form of musical theatre. "Welcome Home/Bienvenido a casa" is an interactive musical comedy with songs in English and Spanish written by Patchogue resident and Berlitz Publishing's "musical language guy" Howard Beckerman. "Welcome Home/Bienvenido a casa"

Wednesday, September 17th 7:30 PM The Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts Lobby, 71 E. Main St., Patchogue $10, general admission tickets include a beverage at the bar; available at the box office or call 631-207-1313 to reserve tickets. Lobby performances are a combination of seating and standing room; SEATING IS LIMITED. Doors open at 7:00 PM. This new stage adaptation of Howard Beckerman's language-learning comedy is a story that follows someone who remembers very little from high school Spanish classes. After being smitten by a Spanish speaker, the spirit of the Spanish teacher appears and begins to coach our frustrated language learner in this interactive musical comedy.

Patchogue's Howard Beckerman is Berlitz Publishing's "musical language guy" (Rush Hour Spanish, French, Italian, German, Inglés) and Executive Director of Language and Media for Yale University Press (Encounters Chinese Language and Culture). A veteran creator of original musical theatre, composer, lyricist and playwright, he starred in the original cast of the Huntington Village Theater Company's production of his musical "Married in the Suburbs" in 2001. Since then, that show has been revived three times with new casts in Long Island theatre productions, including a 2011 bilingual adaptation at the Patchogue Theatre. In June 2014, the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts hosted the sold-out "Patchogue: The Musical," with performances of original Patchogue-inspired songs by many other local musicians.