Victoria Clark Hosts New 'Page to Stage' Series at NY City Center in '10-'11

New York City Center will present "Musical Theater: From the Page to the Stage," a new series curated and hosted by Tony Award-winning actress and master teacher Victoria Clark, on three Monday nights beginning October 18 and continuing on February 28 and May 16. The first program will feature Tony-nominated choreographer Christopher Gattelli and will focus on the choreographer's role in the creation of a new musical.

"Musical Theater: From the Page to the Stage" is the newest addition to the Studio 5 at City Center series, which debuted last year with a dance program curated and hosted by renowned dancer-turned-director Damian Woetzel. Studio 5 provides an intimate forum for informal conversations with some of today's most compelling figures in the theater and dance worlds. Interactive discussions and performances by guest artists offer audiences a glimpse beyond the proscenium into the creative worlds of theater and dance.

From Concept to Choreography
Monday, October 18, 2010
It starts with the music or an idea in a script and ends with a show-stopping dance number. Tony nominee Christopher Gattelli, currently working on the new musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, will join Victoria Clark to explore how a concept is transformed into movement. Performers will be on hand to illustrate the process with live demonstrations.
Christopher Gattelli has been nominated for the Tony Award for his work on South Pacific and the Drama Desk Award for Altar Boyz. He won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Choreographer for Altar Boyz and Bat Boy: The Musical. His work as a choreographer for Broadway includes Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, High Fidelity, The Ritz, Sunday in the Park with George (revival), South Pacific and 13.

Master Class: Permission to Play
Monday, February 28, 2011
Victoria Clark will lead three students through a rigorous master class designed to help them unlock the connection between text and music in songs from the musical theater canon. This class will also offer audience members a rare opportunity to observe and participate as budding performers hone their craft.

All About Collaboration
Monday, May 16, 2011
How do a composer, lyricist, book writer and director work together to create a cohesive musical? Theater professionals will chart the evolution of a show from concept to the finished product.

Victoria Clark most recently was seen off-Broadway in Love, Loss and What I Wore and at Lincoln Center Theater in When the Rain Stops Falling. Ms. Clark's previous work includes the Broadway musicals The Light in the Piazza (Tony nomination), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Cabaret, Urinetown, Titanic and Guys and Dolls. Ms. Clark portrayed Sally in the acclaimed Encores! production of Follies and the title role in Juno.

Studio 5 at City Center is generously supported by Barbara Brandt, Margee and John Falk, and Barbara and David Zalaznick.

NEW YORK City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city for more than 60 years. It was Manhattan's first performing arts center, dedicated by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in 1943 with a mission to make the best in music, theater and dance accessible to all audiences. Today, City Center is home to many distinguished companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paul Taylor Dance Company and Manhattan Theatre Club; a roster of renowned national and international visiting artists; and its own critically acclaimed and popular programs. The Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series, now in its 18th season, has been hailed as "one of the very best reasons to be alive in New York." Dance has been integral to the theater's mission from the start, and dance programs, including the annual Fall for Dance Festival and a partnership with London's Sadler's Wells Theatre, remain central to City Center's identity. City Center is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to New York City students and teachers with programs such as Encores! In Schools and the Young People's Dance Series. Special workshops cater to families, seniors and other groups, while events such as the Fall for Dance DanceTalk series offer learning opportunities to the general public.

Studio 5 events take place in City Center Studio 5, 130 W. 56th Street, 5th floor. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance via CityTix® at 212-581-1212, online at www.NYCityCenter.org or at the City Center Box Office, (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th avenues). All events are at 6:30 p.m.