Playwrights Horizons Presents Private Readings Of ROCKET SCIENCE: The Musical

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) will present private readings of ROCKET SCIENCE: The Musical, a new musical based on the 2007 HBO film Rocket Science. Winner of a Richard Rodgers Award for Staged Readings, administered by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the musical features a book by Patricia Cotter, music by Stephen Weiner and lyrics by Jason Rhyne. Directed by two-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall (Pajama Game, Wonderful Town, choreographed Violet at Playwrights Horizons), the four invitation-only readings will take place on Thursday, October 28 and Friday, October 29 at both 12 Noon and 3:30 PM at Playwrights Horizons (416 West 42nd Street).

Playwrights Horizons is presenting the readings with support from the Richard Rodgers Award for Stage Readings, administered by the American Academy of Letters.

The cast features Nancy Anderson (Wonderful Town, Drama Desk nominations for Fanny Hill and Jolson & Co.), Ann Harada (Avenue Q, 9 to 5, Les Misérables), Nikki M. James (All Shook Up), Troy Britton Johnson (The Drowsy Chaperone, Damn Yankees), Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Mary Poppins, Beauty & the Beast), Mykal Kilgore (Hair), Jacob Ming-Trent (Shrek The Musical, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"), Don Stephenson (Rock of Ages, The Producers), Jesse Swenson (Spring Awakening, "Gossip Girl"), Julia Bray, Andrea Lynn Green, F. Michael Haynie and Miguel Jarquin-Moreland. Musical direction is by Remy Kurs.

Hal Hefner's (Mr. Keenan-Bolger) stutter has always kept him quiet, but when his love for Jenny Ryerson (Ms. James) leads him to join the Plainsboro High School debate team, he finds more than just his voice. When Jenny's plan to partner with Hal turns out to be a set up, he enlists formerly great, currently disgraced, debate champion Ben Wekselbaum (Mr. Swenson) to help him show everyone what he's made of. Charming and quirky, ROCKET SCIENCE: The Musical is a story about living life out loud

Playwrights Horizons is supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New

York State Assembly and the New York State Senate. In addition, Playwrights Horizons receives major support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Time Warner Inc., the Charina Endowment Fund and the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.

BIOGRAPHIES
Patricia Cotter (Book). As librettist: Rocket Science: The Musical based on the HBO film (Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Richard Rodgers Development Award), one woman show Beth Malone - So Far (now playing in New York and L.A.; Peter Schneider, director), The Break-Up Notebook: The Lesbian Musical (NAMT Festival, The Vineyard Theatre reading, Hudson Theater in L.A., Diversionary Theater in San Diego, The Beck Center in Cleveland, upcoming: The Zack Theater, TX). Cotter also wrote the play Three (The Renberg Theater in L.A. reading; Electric Lodge, Venice, CA) and provided the book adaptation and additional lyrics for the musical Mulan Jr. (Matthew Wilder, David Zippel, Stephen Schwartz, Jeanine Tesori: music), a Disney Theatrical and Music Theatre International stage adaptation for young audiences. Awards: Richard Rodgers Award, Daytime Emmy Award for Special Class Writing, BackStage West Garland Award for Best Adaptation, L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Award for Best New Musical. B.A., University of Massachusetts.
Stephen Weiner (Music) is the recipient of two Richard Rodgers Awards, the Jonathan Larson Award, the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, the Global Search for New Musicals Award and The New York Innovative ("IT") Theater Award. He was recognized by Variety among its "50 Creatives to Watch" with the Obie Award-winning revue, newyorkers (Glenn Slater, lyrics; Drama Desk, Lortel noms.), which played at The Manhattan Theater Club. His newest musical, the 2010 Richard Rodgers Award winner Rocket Science, is an adaptation of the HBO film by Jeff Blitz. Other credits: The Hudsucker Proxy (Glenn Slater, book & lyrics), Once Upon a Time in New Jersey (Susan DiLallo, book & lyrics), Iron Curtain (Susan DiLallo, book; Peter Mills, lyrics; New York Innovative Theater Award), Spittin' Image (Karin Kasdin, book; Laura Szabo Cohen, lyrics). New Jersey had its UK premiere at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts, and both New Jersey and Iron Curtain have played at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Festival of New Musicals at The Village Theater in Seattle. Steve was a long time member of the BMI Musical Theater Workshop, a "graduate" of the ASCAP and Dramatists Guild Workshops, and is a member of ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild.
Jason Rhyne (Lyrics), a recipient of a 2008 Jonathan Larson Award as a composer-lyricist, is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and studied musical theatre at Ithaca College. Credits include lyrics for the musical adaptation of the HBO film Rocket Science, which received the 2010 Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; music and lyrics for the The MacGuffin, presented at the New York Musical Theatre Festival; and book, music and lyrics for an adaptation of the children's novel Littlejim. Jason is an alumnus of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop.

Kathleen Marshall (Director). Broadway: directed and choreographed The Pajama Game (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Awards for choreography; Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics nominations for direction; Tony for Best Revival of a Musical), Wonderful Town (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Astaire Awards for choreography; Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics nominations for direction) and Grease (Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Musical); choreographed Little Shop of Horrors, Follies (Roundabout; Outer Critics nomination), Seussical, Kiss Me, Kate (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Astaire nominations), Ring Round the Moon (Lincoln Center Theater), 1776 (Roundabout) and Swinging on a Star (Drama Desk nomination). Off-Broadway: directed and choreographed Two Gentlemen of Verona (New York Shakespeare Festival) and Saturday Night (Second Stage); choreographed Violet (Playwrights Horizons) and As Thousands Cheer (Drama Dept.); directed and choreographed 70, Girls, 70; House of Flowers; Carnival; Hair; Wonderful Town; and Babes in Arms. City Center Encores!: Artistic director for four seasons. West End: choreographed Kiss Me, Kate (Olivier nomination). For ABC/Disney: directed and choreographed "Once Upon a Mattress" starring Carol Burnett and Tracey Ullman and choreographed Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" (Emmy nomination). She is on the Executive Board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and is an associate artist of the Roundabout Theatre Company. She appeared on the NBC-TV series "Grease: You're the One That I Want."

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