Anneliese van der Pol to Lead GHOSTLIGHT Reading, 12/2

"That's So Raven" star Anneliese Van Der Pol has joined the cast of the highly anticipated industry reading of Martin and Realbuto's Ghostlight. Van der Pol will play the central role of Olive Thomas, joining previously announced Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll and Hyde), Rachel Bay Jones (Pippin), Jennifer Hope Wills (Wonderful Town), Trevor McQueen (Annie Get Your Gun), and Kimberly Faye Greenberg (One Night With Fanny Brice). The industry reading will take place on December 2nd at the famed New 42nd Street Studios. Ghostlight had a sold out and extended run at the Signature Theatre in 2011 as part of NYMF. The show has been revamped since then. Alison Holman will provide musical direction for the upcoming reading. Matthew Martin and Tim Realbuto wrote the book, music, and lyrics, and will also co-direct, the same duty they performed during the NYMF production.

Ghostlight tells the true story of infamous Ziegfeld Follies girl and silent film star Olive Thomas, whose ghost is said to still haunt the New Amsterdam Theatre today. In Ghostlight, we see Olive's rise to fame in the Ziegfeld Follies alongside Fanny Brice, her affair with Ziegfeld (who was famously married to stage and screen star Billie Burke), her whirlwind Hollywood marriage to Jack Pickford, and ultimately her tragic downfall, which led to her mysterious death at age 25 in Paris.

Casting for the coveted role of Billie Burke (which was originated by Rachel York at NYMF) will be announced shortly. However, a production insider has slipped that a popular A-list film star is currently in serious negotiations with Martin and Realbuto to play the role.

Although the reading is closed to the public, the creators have initiated a raffle to anyone who donates to their IndieGoGo campaign. The winner of the raffle will receive two seats to the special event. You can donate to Ghostlight and enter the raffle at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ghostlight-a-new-musical

Van der Pol is most known for starring as Chelsea Daniels for six years on the hit Emmy-nominated Disney channel show "That's So Raven." Her performance earned her a Young Artist Award for 'Outstanding Young Performer in a Television Series.' Van der Pol also holds the distinction of being the final Belle in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast. Other theatre credits include starring as Kathy in Vanities Off-Broadway at Second Stage, as well as multiple award winning performances in regional productions of The Importance of Being Earnest; Emma; The Heiress; Oklahoma!; and Meet Me in St. Louis. For her captivating performance as Eva Péron in the Buena Park Civic Theater production of Evita, she not only won rave reviews from the Los Angeles Times but also earned a place in history as the youngest actress ever - at the age of 15 - to play the role in a professional production.

Van der Pol's other film and television credits include starring in the recent 20th Century Fox hit Vampires Suck; as well as Friends With Benefits; Cats Dancing on Jupiter; Shake It Up!; Kim Possible; and the hit 2007 film Bratz. She has also performed in the popular 'For The Record' concert series, performing music from the films of Quentin Tarantino, John Hughes, and Baz Luhrman.

Her music career includes a slew of hit songs and music videos, most notably "Over It"; "A Day in the Sun"; and "Candle on the Water."