Photo Flash: NORMATIVITY Prepares for NYMF Run; Go Inside Rehearsal with the Cast!

Aneesh Sheth will be featured in the New York premiere production of Normativity, a new musical by Jaime Jarrett and an official selection of the 2016 New York Musical Festival Next Link Project. Normativity opens this year's NYMF Season playing a limited five-performance engagement beginning on Monday, July 18 at The Pearl Theatre (555 West 42nd Street). Tickets are now on sale at: nymf.org/normativity

Check out photos of the company in rehearsal below!

Directed by Mia Walker, the complete cast includes Izzy Castaldi (Taylor), Christopher Livingston (Mike), Soph Menas (Dev), Geena Quintos (Kara), Aneesh Sheth (Anne/Danielle), Mitchell Winter (Charlie), Madeline Wolf (Emily) and Jesse James Keitel (understudy). Normativity aims to explore our ideas about sexuality, the world we live in, the people we're surrounded by, and the way these factors influence the lives of LGBTQ+ teens.

"Normativity came out of a place of deep personal frustration and sadness," says author Jaime Jarrett. "Asan eighteen-year-old LGBTQ+ person, I looked around and didn't see myself or my friends represented in the books we read or the shows, movies, or theatre we watched. When there was an LGBTQ+ character, they often fit outdated stereotypes, written with tragic endings. That wasn't what I wanted for myself. That wasn't what I wanted for my family and friends. I hope Normativity will prove to the world that everyone deserves a happy ending."

Normativity is about Taylor, a teenage lesbian, who's sick of seeing LGBTQ+ people killed off in media with tragic endings (the phenomenon known as "Bury Your Gays"). When Taylor meets Emily, a book character who's willed herself to life in order to confront Charlie, the author who wrote her story, they force him to rewrite Emily's story, giving her a happy ending and proving why positive LGBTQ+ story telling is so important.

"In light of the Orlando shooting, the queer community has been reminded that our fight for LGBTQ+ rights and equality is ongoing, and furthermore how important it is for us to stand together," added producer Dylan Jarrett. "Art like Normativity can have an invaluable impact - especially on LGBTQ+ youth who need to see positive representations of people like themselves in the media at moments like this. We hope that when LGBTQ+ audiences see Normativity, they see themselves on stage."

The Normativity creative team includes Adin Walker (choreography), Emily Marshall (music direction), Kristen Robinson (set design), Tristan Raines (costumes design), Zach Blane (lighting design), and Shannon Slaton (sound design) with music supervision by Adam Kaufman, casting by Rebecca Feldman, and general management by Dailey-Monda Management. Katie Kavett serves as the Production Stage Manager.

Normativity opens Monday, July 18 at 7:00PM and continues Thursday, July 21 at 5:00PM, Friday, July 22 at 9:00PM, Saturday, July 23 at 1:00PM and Sunday, July 24 at 5:00PM at the Pearl Theatre (555 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036).

Photo Credit: Steve Riskind