Tom Bozell and More Stars in SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON at NYMF, Beg. Tonight

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) presents Swiss Family Robinson, a world premiere musical comedy by John and Patrick J. Kennedy. Patrick J. Kennedy directs a cast of seventeen including Tom Bozell*, William James Daniels*, Paul DeBoy* (Mamma Mia), Alexander Ferguson, Danielle Gimbal, Patrick Oliver Jones* (The Addams Family), Heidi Kloster, Michael Lorz (Gross Indecency), Matt Mundy*, Sergio Pasquariello, James Patterson* (Mary Poppins), Jessie Shelton*, Barbara Tirrell* (Wicked), Meg Schneider, Emily Shoolin* (Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark), Sam Tedaldi*, and Elisa Van Duyne* (Finian's Rainbow, 110 in the Shade).

Swiss Family Robinson is being staged at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street (bet. 9th & 10th Avenues) in NYC for five performances from tonight, July 9 through Wednesday, July 17, 2013. The Pershing Square Signature Center is the official hub of The New York Musical Theatre Festival. *Appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association.

The shipwreck was only the beginning. This classic adventure comes to life in a magical new musical tale. Join the Swiss Family Robinson as they survive a stormy shipwreck only to be left to fend for themselves on an exotic tropical island. Together, they bravely face the mysteries and perils of their new home but soon discover they are not alone. French sailors are in hot pursuit, and wait, do you hear drums? Jungle drums? Filled with hilarious hijinks, the hope of rescue and the bloom of romance, this fresh new musical tells a tale of how the winds of fate can lead you to find your destiny.

Swiss Family Robinson is presented by The New York Musical Theatre Festival. Director: Patrick J. Kennedy; Music Director/Orchestrations: Matt Aument­­­­­­­­­­­­; Technical Director: Tom Donohue; Choreographer: Walter Kennedy; Fight Choreographer: Ron Piretti; Lighting Designer: Cory Pattak; Scenic Designer: Lewis Folden;Costume Designer: Cheryl McCarron; Sound Designer: Randy Bobo; Stage Manager: Denise Wilcox;Assistant Stage Manager: Kristine Schlachter; General Manager: Suellen Vance;Photographer/Videographer: Seth Walters; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR. Casting by Michael Cassara, CSA.

Swiss Family Robinson plays for five performances on the following schedule: tonight, Jul 9th, 2013 at 8:00pm; Wednesday, Jul 10th, 2013 at 1:00pm;Saturday, Jul 13th, 2013 at 1:00pm; Sunday, Jul 14th, 2013 at 1:00pm; Wednesday, Jul 17th, 2013 at 9:00pm.

John Kennedy (book, music & lyrics) was introduced to musical theatre in high school while playing french horn in the pit for many shows. During college he was musical director for several productions including Company, Chicago, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; often working with his brothers Walter and Patrick. During this time he also wrote three original musicals. After a career in hotels, he has now returned to his first passion...words and music. John has a B.Mus. in film scoring; from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He lives in Marin County, California with his wife, Ruth, and two dogs, Dashiell and Bertram.

Patrick J. Kennedy (book, producer/director) worked in Los Angeles for several television Productions companies, most notably Witt, Thomas, Harris, on the hit shows Benson, It's A Living, and the pilot of Golden Girls. He was also a staff writer on a cable version of the Universal-MCA program Airwolf. Mr. Kennedy has directed several short plays and readings as well as six short films, including the award winning Each Man To His Work. As a playwright, Mr. Kennedy's plays have been produced at the Washington, DC Source Theatre's Summer Festival and the Actor's Theatre of Louisville's Ten Minute Play competition where two of his short plays were finalists in the same year. Mr. Kennedy's newest work, Pilot Fish will debut at this year's New York Fringe Festival at the 29th Street Rep. He has enjoyed several NYC productions of his shorter works, including Sunset Diabolical, (Finalist - Samuel French short play competition). Mr. Kennedy produced Soho Shorts, an eight part series of short plays at the Soho Playhouse. He regularly enjoys participating in Naked Angels' Tuesday's at 9. He has a M.F.A. from the playwrighting program at the Catholic University of America.

Walter Kennedy (choreography/musical staging) is a dance artist and educator. He was a principal dancer with the internationally acclaimed Lewitzky Dance Company for nearly twenty years and was trained by the legendary Bella Lewitzky to be one of her master teachers of technique, improvisation, and composition. He served as the company's rehearsal director from 1990 until its farewell performance in 1997. Walter has worked with such diverse choreographers as Lar Lubovitch, Laura Dean, Joe Goode, Anna Sokolow, and Mary Oslund. His choreography has been seen at The Krannert Center at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Mark Taper Forum; Highways Performance Space and the Dance Kaleidoscope Festival in Los Angeles; and The Yard, an artist's colony on Martha's Vineyard. Since 2000, he has collaborated with director John Schmor at the University of Oregon in productions of Waiting for Emily, Kafka's Parables, Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses, Batboy, Big River, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, among others.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at nymf.org or by calling 212-352-3101. For more information, visit nymf.org. The runtime for Swiss Family Robinson is 120 minutes with one intermission.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) exists to revitalize musical theatre culture by discovering and promoting new musical theatre artists, producers and projects; nurturing a vibrant and innovative artistic community; and connecting one of America's greatest art forms with a diverse, contemporary audience.

Now in its tenth year, the Festival is the largest musical theatre event in America. The preeminent site for launching new musicals and discovering new talent, the Festival provides an affordable platform for artists to mount professional productions that reach their peers, industry leaders, and musical theater fans. More than 85 festival shows have gone on to productions on and off-Broadway, in 48 states, and more than 20 countries worldwide, and Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work "creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form."

NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF 2013 is presented in association with Dunkin' Donuts, BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group, and TheaterMania.com, and is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Major supporters include The ASCAP Foundation, BMI Foundation, Inc., The BWF Foundation, Con Edison, The Nathan Cummings Foundation with the support and encouragement of Jamie Mayer Phinney, The New Musical Development Foundation, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Theater League.

NYMF Memberships, which combine charitable contributions with valuable, flexible ticket packages and perks like early seating, and tickets to individual events, are currently available for purchase at (212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org.

Photo Credit: Seth Walters