RENT's Morgan Weed and AVENUE Q's Jed Resnick Lead SWING STATE at NYMF, 7/20-7/29

Casting has been announced for the NYMF production of SWING STATE which will star Morgan Weed (currently in RENT at New World Stages, Saved and Next to Normal Off-Broadway) and Jed Resnick (Avenue Q on Broadway and currently in the Off-Broadway cast at New World Stages) at the 45th St. Theatre Mainstage from July 20th-29th. Set in Ohio, SWING STATE follows the unpredictable relationship that develops between Kindergarten teacher and Born Again Christian Bonnie (Weed) and her chiropractor Neil (Resnick), a gay atheist who arrives in Ohio fresh from New York City.

In this highly charged election year, SWING STATE is a show committed to exploring both sides of our ongoing Culture Wars. It features book & lyrics by Dana Yeaton (a Helen Hayes Award nominee for his play Redshirts), music by Andy Mitton, and will be directed by Drama Desk Award-nominee Igor Goldin (YANK! at the York Theatre, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice at NYMF, Award for Excellence in Direction, and With Glee at Theatre Row).

In SWING STATE, Bonnie has promised God she’ll save every little soul in her Appalachian Kindergarten class, and if that means risking her job, or happens to trigger her chronic back pain – well, so be it. Neil, the new chiropractor in town, sees things differently. A gay, new-age transplant from Brooklyn, Neil is over the moon when his first treatment turns out to be a miracle cure. But Bonnie is feeling things she hasn’t felt in years and has a different response: “Put me back.” The moment Neil refuses, they’re off…and another epic battle in the Culture Wars is ON. With both of their professional lives now in flux, Neil is convinced the only way to help Bonnie is to heal her crippling belief system first. And she feels the same about him.

With a contemporary score with hints of rock, gospel, and folk, and influences ranging from Sondheim & Gershwin to BrIan Wilson & Ben Folds, musical numbers in SWING STATE include “Born Again Again,” “City Boy in the Hollow,” and “One Nation Under Blank.” SWING STATE will also feature scenic design by Josh Zangen, lighting design by Zach Blane, costume design by Joseph S. Blaha, sound design by David Margolin Lawson and projection design by Driscoll Otto.

SWING STATE will be performed at the 45th Street Theatre (354 West 45th Street) playing the following performance schedule: Friday, July 20th at 8:00pm, Saturday, July 21st at 1:00pm and 5:00pm, Tuesday, July 24th at 8:00pm, Wednesday, July 25th at 1:00pm and Sunday, July 29th at 4:30pm. Tickets, priced at $25, can be purchased online at www.NYMF.org or by phone at 212-352-3101.