2nd Gretna Mainstreet New Musicals Festival Announced

NOLA Voice Theatre producers Vatican Lokey * and Edward R. Cox * are thrilled to announce The 2nd Gretna Mainstreet New Music Theatre Festival March 30th & 31st, 2018 at the new Gretna Cultural Center for the Arts in Old Gretna, LA. The Festival, which debuted last year, presents three new musicals as staged readings, featuring some of New Orleans best professional and community theatre talents.

This year, it's the "Season of Love" beginning with Cupid & Psyche! Music by Jinwan Kim and book & libretto by Sean Hartley, starring Big Easy Award winner Yvette Voelker , Friday March 30th at 7 pm.

On Saturday March 31st it's Treehouse Players' Rapunzel , a new "revisal" of the 1990s local musical hit, with book & lyrics by Vatican Lokey*, music & score by Brent Crayon, and additional material by Edward. R. Cox*, starring Big Easy Award winner Soline McLain* . Show time is 2 pm.

Closing the Festival is the intimate musical Sit Down and Eat Before Our Love Gets Cold by Barbara Schottfeld, starring returning Festival performer Wendy Miklovic* . Performing Saturday, March 31st at 7 pm. The Festival's musical director is Danny Rubio.

Both Cupid & Psyche and Sit Down... are winners of the Mainstreet Musicals annual competition. Established in 1984 by Broadway veteran Timothy Jerome , Mainstreet Musicals takes new music theatre scripts for rigorous adjudication with some of Broadway's biggest names. The winning productions are sent across the United States and Canada to be performed in staged readings: actors perform with scripts and scores in hand, bringing the essence of these winning productions to audiences and theatrical producers.

The Festival is made possible through the generosity of The Post Backstage , NOLA Voice Theatre , Bayou Throws , Red Clay software, our community supporters, and The City of Gretna . ( * denotes members of Actors' Equity Association, the professional actors' union.)All the shows in the Festival are proudly presented under the auspices of Actors' Equity

Association'sMembers' Project Code .
Tickets for The Gretna Mainstreet New Music Theatre Festival are $20 each, with proceeds benefiting the new Gretna Cultural Center for the Arts , 740 4th St., corner of Huey P. Long Avenue in Old Gretna.
For tickets, go to www.gretnacca.com .

THE SHOWS:
CUPID & PSYCHEMusic by Jihwan Kim, book & libretto by Sean HartleyDirected by Vatican Lokey*Musical Direction by Danny Rubio
CUPID AND PSYCHE is a vibrant, vivacious retelling of the Greek myth. The book sparkles with sly wit as Venus (with the aid of Mercury, as himself and a cast of thousands!) tells the tale of her thwarted efforts to come between her son Cupid and the bright and beautiful Psyche, a mere mortal. The songs are by turns laugh-out-loud funny and achingly romantic, and the classical tale shines anew, making for a luminous, magical musical."

Suitable for audiences 12 and up.Artwork designed by Edward R. Cox*
PERFORMING FRIDAY, MARCH 30th at 7:00 p.m. 2018THE GRETNA CULTURAL CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 740 4 TH ST., OLDGRETNATICKETS AT: www.gretnacca.com
TREEHOUSE PLAYERS' RAPUNZELBook & Lyrics by Vatican Lokey*Music & Score by Brent CrayonAdditional Material by Edward R. Cox*Directed by Edward R. Cox*Musical Direction by Danny Rubio

TREEHOUSE PLAYERS' RAPUNZEL was originally produced in 1992 in New Orleans, where it ran for over two years, winning multiple awards. In 1995, the show was optioned by Pres. Clinton's AmeriCorps program as the keystone production, touring throughout the Deep South states, then enjoying productions in New York and Los Angeles. For this Festival, the authors have revised and reworked the show for contemporary audiences. Set in Holland, witch and chocolatier Maude has her eye on a local couple, Eric and Mary, who are about to have a baby. A baby Maude wants. Through the use of a magic chocolate called a rapunzel, she takes the girl and hides her away in an enchanted windmill until a Prince and his herald, Harold, find the lone girl with the long, long hair. An uproarious yet touching family musical for all ages!
Suitable for all audiencesArtwork by Edward R. Cox*

PERFORMING SATURDAY, MARCH 31st at 2:00 p.m. 2018THE GRETNA CULTURAL CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 740 4 TH ST., OLDGRETNATICKETS AT: www.gretnacca.com
SIT DOWN AND EAT BEFORE OUT LOVE GETS COLD By Barbara SchotterfeldDirected by Vatican Lokey*Musical Direction by Danny Rubio

SIT DOWN AND EAT BEFORE OUR LOVE GETS COLD is a funny, moving, intimate three-character musical set in New York City, exploring the subjects of friendship, love, fear of intimacy and other complications of contemporary relationships. The show revolves around Abby, a songwriter, her best friend Sue, and Josh, the handsome lawyer who gravitates from one woman to the other, threatening their lifelong friendship. The story begins in Sue's dress shop where Abby vents to Sue about Abby's ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her. Sue shares her concerns about how Josh has been acting, inviting Abby to join them at their favorite cafe. By the time Abby arrives, Josh has broken up with Sue, and it becomes clear that Josh has set his sights on Abby. She falls head over heels for Josh, becoming very dependent, which makes him retreat. After a heated argument, they decide to change for one another. Abby and Sue finally have it out, and a lifelong friendship hangs in the balance. But the women acknowledge their friendship is too precious to lose. The musical is through composed, comprised of book songs, musicalized scenes and comedic revue-style numbers that Abby is inspired to write, as the events of the story unfold.

Suitable for ages 16 and up.Artwork by Edward R. Cox*
PERFORMING SATURDAY, MARCH 31st at 7:00 p.m. 2018THE GRETNA CULTURAL CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 740 4 TH ST., OLD GRETNA.TICKETS AT: www.gretnacca.com
( * denotes members of Actors' Equity Association, the professional actors' union.)All three shows in the Festival are proudly presented under the auspices of Actors' Equity Association's Members' Project Code