HESITATION WALTZ, MY LITTLE BRONY and More Set for '4@15' at The Playroom Theater, 4/18-19

4@15: Four New Fifteen-Minute Musicals, performed in conjunction with University of California, Irvine, will commence performances Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19, for three performances only at the Playroom Theater. Tammy Holder serves as Music Director; Brian Blythe directs.

4@15 commissions musical theatre writing teams to write mini-musicals for musical theatre actors from UCI's New York Satellite Program (Dr. Myrona DeLaney, Director). The writers are given two weeks to write the new musicals tailored specifically for the talents of the actors, culminating in a staged concert performance. Now in its eighth year, this cycle represents the 53rd, 54th, 55th and 56th show in the 4@15 catalog.

Performances are Friday, April 18, at 1:00 PM; and Saturday, April 19 at 11 AM and 2:30 PM. Tickets: $10 (general admission) available online at: 4at15uci2014.eventbrite.com. Performances at The Playroom Theater, 151 W 46th Street, 8th Floor.

The four new musicals include:

HESITATION WALTZ

Book, Music & Lyrics by Caleb Hoyer

Lovesick, dumbstruck Martin enlists the help of his Parisian café in wooing the woman of his dreams.

With Anthony Chan, Anthony Cloyd, Allison Feist, Lydia Hunter, Nicole Koenig, Derek Miller, Hannah Schwartz & Lilian Wouters

HE'S GOT THE POLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS: A Christian Pole Dancing Musical

Music by Anna Dagmar

Book & Lyrics by Kevin Wanzor

Bunny Mullins has a dream: To teach pole dancing at her conservative church. She pursues God's calling no matter the odds.

With Heidi Bjorndahl, Trintee Curcio, Kristina Kahveciyan, Kirsten Myers, Ashley Nelson, Taylor Sanders, Molly Siskin, Erik Smith & Tasha Tormey

DAYS OF RAGE

Book by Shoshana Greenberg & Hyeyoung Kim

Lyrics by Shoshana Greenberg

Music by Hyeyoung Kim

Inspired by the radical organization The Weathermen in 1969, Days of Rage is the story of young people fighting for what they believe is right.

With Karli Blalock, Ryan Brodsky, Haylee Cotta, Emma DeLaney, Michelle Fetterly, Stacy Griner, Jeffrey Hurley, Joe Romanini & Danielle Yee

MY LITTLE BRONY

Book, Music & Lyrics by Elyssa Samsel & Kate Anderson

Follow four Bronies (adult fans of "My Little Pony") as their journey to BronyCon takes them far beyond any of their expectations.

With Jonathon Barouch, Gigi Greene, Morgan Hollingsworth, Hana Ishijima, Madisen Johnson, Amanda Melhuish, Christopher Renfro, Leota Tisdel-Rhodes & Alex White

More info on the writers:

KATE ANDERSON is a BMI lyricist/librettist who spends her days writing quirky musical comedy with Elyssa Samsel. The two most recently contributed "Kitten's First Full Moon" to Theaterworks USA, and completed a reading of their full-length musical comedy, Camp Wish-No-More, with NYU Steinhardt in November of 2013. Their work has been featured in two BMI Smoker Series concerts as well as The Platform: London. Kate and Elyssa want to thank Brian and Tammy for letting them participate in 4@15 for the third time as well as the wonderful cast of My Little Brony.

ANNA DAGMAR is a British-born/NYC-based pianist, vocalist and composer. An active member of Folk Alliance as a singer-songwriter, in 2012 she was chosen as a finalist in two national festivals - Kerrville and Rocky Mountain. She has won a gold and two silvers in the annual Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest. Dagmar became part of the musical theatre scene in 2011 when accepted into the BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop. Her theatre songs have been showcased in Cutting Edge Composers and the Directory of Contemporary Musical Theatre Writers concerts, and have been performed by artists including Emma Hunton, Taylor Richardson and Britney Coleman. This is her first opportunity to compose for the 4@15 program. www.AnnaDagmar.com

SHOSHANA GREENBERG's musicals include Lightning Man (Ars Nova ANT Fest), Sophia Venetia Voyager, and Soon Never, and her work has been featured in concerts at Lincoln Center, The York Theatre, the Duplex, TriArts Sharon Playhouse, Goodspeed, and The Laurie Beechman. Plays: Lost Girl in Florida Swamp (Fresh Produce'd's monthly performance series) and The Rapture of Our Teeth, a ten-minute parody play (ESPA's Detention Series, published on Indie Theatre Now). She earned her MFA from NYU's Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program after graduating from Barnard College. She also blogs about the arts for The Huffington Post and Culturadar.com.

CALEB HOYER is a composer/lyricist originally from Pittsburg, KS. He wrote music, book, and lyrics for Nightfall, and co-wrote music, book, and lyrics (with Kevin Michael Murphy) for Dance Moms: The Musical, which was featured on the Lifetime television series of the same name. Also a highly sought-after music director and pianist, he is the founding music director of the concert series Too Legit To Quit, Once Upon A Time In New York City, and If It Only Even Runs A Minute, which received a Bistro Award. He holds a degree from NYU, where he received the Alan Menken Award.

HYEYOUNG KIM is a MAC Nominee and recipient of the 2005 Jonathan Larson and Daryl Roth Awards. Originally from Seoul, Korea. MFA from NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Nautilus composer/librettist lab at New Dramatists, ASCAP Johnny Mercer Song Writing Project and York Theatre's NEO 5. Sunfish; Daegu International Musical Theater Festival, Korea (Official Judge's Selection), Stoneham Theater, Boston, MA (BWW Boston Best musical), Disney/ASCAP Workshop, NAMT's Festival of New Musicals, TRU reading series. Cafe-In; Live theater, Seoul, Korea, Global theater and Amuse theater, Tokyo, Japan. Luna Park; Commissioned by SUNY Cortland. Falling; Changjak Factory's winner, Korea, 2009. Sunny; Commissioned by CJ E & M. Frequent collaborator with Prospect Theatre Company. Member of ASCAP and BMI workshop. www.myspace.com/hymuse

ELYSSA SAMSEL is a composer/actress who teamed up with Kate Anderson in the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop in 2010. They spend their days writing musicals and thinking of ways to make Brian Blythe laugh. Most recently, they wrote Theatreworks USA's Kitten's First Full Moon. Past credits include Camp Wish-No-More for 4@15 UC Irvine and Llamaze 101 for 4@15 NYU Steinhardt. Thank you Brian and Tammy; who are ALL THE FUN. Thanks to the cast for being so inspiring! Visit SamselAnderson.com for more info!

KEVIN WANZOR Projects include an untitled musical with Anna Dagmar, Cupid (with Andrew Fox), Roseanna (with Caleb Damschroder), and the plays The Good Son and The Beginning and the End. A musical adaptation of latter (with Ronnie Reshef), was selected by Emerson College for their Developmental Lab Series. His song, "Dream in Color," written with Natalie Tenenbaum for the Live Through Love organization is currently available on iTunes. An alum of Syracuse University, he is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and Actor's Equity. Kevin currently participates as both a lyricist and librettist in the Lehman Engel BMI Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop.

4@15: Four New Fifteen-Minute Musicals will take place Friday, April 18, at 1:00 PM; and Saturday, April 19 at 11 AM and 2:30 PM. Tickets: $10 (general admission). Available online at 4at15uci2014.eventbrite.com. Performances at The Playroom Theater, 151 W 46th Street, 8th Floor.