STAGE TUBE: In Rehearsal for MERCURY RISING Benefit Concert, Feat. Drew Aber & Josh Freilich

Big Thunder Productions will present Mercury Rising, a Benefit Concert by MSS Alums in the Big Apple, a cabaret event to be performed on Sunday, September 15th at 4pm at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. The event will feature songs from new, bound-for-Broadway musicals written by up-and-coming composers and lyricists from all over the globe, including Mercury Summer Stock's own Dan Marshall, Carla Rose Fisher, and Aliyana Stewart. This benefit concert will feature Broadway's Corey Mach and Drew Aber, and over a dozen of Mercury's NYC-based professional alumni, along with special guest Marissa Rosen. Check out a first look at Aber and Josh Freilich rehearsing below!

Proceeds from the benefit will support MSS's innovative "My First Musical" program, which offers children faced with financial hardship free admission to MSS performances and creates educational and interactive experiences within the theatre, designed to foster a life-long interest in the theatre arts. During the past five years, "My First Musical" has shared the joy of theatre with over 1600 children in the greater Cleveland area.

Performers include Corey Mach (Broadway: Hands on a Hard Body, Godspell, Nat'l tour Flashdance) and Drew Aber(Broadway: Tale of Two Cities), producer and emcee Dana Aber(Off B'way: Erotic Broadway Vintage Variety Off-Bway, Gay Bride of Frankenstein NYMF), Jack Bartholet (Cohoes Music Hall, Weathervane), Nicholas Bernard (Geva Theatre Next Stage, SUNY Fredonia), Jason Elliott Brown (Nat'l tours: The Pajama Game, Spamalot), Phillip Carroll (Cleveland Play House, Idaho Shakespeare Festival), Dan DiCello (Cain Park, Fine Arts Association), Kate Edwards (Pittsburgh Playhouse, Players Guild), Beth Kirkpatrick(Nat'l tours: Les Miserables 25 Annicersary, The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast), Mitch McCarrell (Tour: Unexpected Boys, Sacramento Music Circus), and Tim Singleton (Hairspray, Royal Caribbean Productions), plus special guest Marissa Rosen (Tony and Tina's Wedding, Bedbugs the Musical, Marty and Marissa at the Time Out Lounge).

The work being featured in the concert includes songs by Anna Jacobs, Joel Waggoner, Lori Mannette, Barbara Anselmi, Carla Rose Fisher, Josh Freilich, Paul Castles, EllaRose Chary, Aliyana Stewart, Willem Oothyusen, Jennifer Stafford, Kiyun Kim, Janine Robledo, Christopher Staskel, Rona Siddiqui, Avi Amon, Julia Gytri, Julian Blackmore, Dan Marshall, Brian Cavanagh-Strong, Christie Baugher, and Max Vernon. These writers and composers have been featured at many notable places including Lincoln Center, Playwrights Horizons, Yale, Goodspeed Opera House, NAMT, Barrington Stages, the New York Musical Theater Festival, the Midtown International Theater Festival, NYU, Prospect Theater Company, Penn State Musical Theater Festival, Pittsburgh City Theater, Sidney Theatre Company, Diversionary Theater, Indiana University, Two Rivers Theater, and many more.

Mercury Rising, a Benefit Concert by MSS Alums in the Big Apple will be performed on Sunday, September 15 at 4pm at the Laurie Beechman Theatre located at 407 W 42nd Street in New York City. Tickets are $10, with a $15 food and beverage minimum.