Casts Set For Theatre Now's SOUND BITES 13

Complete casting has been announced for Theatre Now's 13th annual SOUND BITES Festival of 10-Minute Musicals to be held on Monday, May 4th at Symphony Space, hosted by Tony nominee Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family, Big Fish, The Wild Party). Tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit www.tnny.org.

Performers including Courtney Bassett (Natasha, Pierre..., Teeth, Titanique), Olivia Kaufmann (Mean Girls, Vanities), Leenya Rideout (Company, Cabaret, War Horse), Andrew Rothenberg (The Walking Dead, True Blood), and Wes Williams (The Outsiders, An Officer and a Gentleman) will join almost 50 other actors in presenting the 10 fully-staged short musicals in this year's festival. Also appearing will be D.C. Anderson (Phantom of the Opera), LaDonna Burns (White Girl in Danger), Mike Cefalo (New York, New York), Veronica Fiaoni (Lempicka), J'Quay Gibbs (Saturday Church), Kendyl Ito (Soft Power), Andrew Mayer (Natasha, Pierre...), Amy Persons (The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber), Michelle Veintimilla (The Visit), and many more!

Since 2013, SOUND BITES has showcased almost 200 emerging writers, and many past shows have now been licensed by MTI and performed all over the world. This annual festival offers a chance to see the future of musical theatre in a fast-paced, exhilarating evening featuring a diverse slate of stories and styles. The 10 shows that will be featured in this year's festival are:

53 MONTHS

Music by Sequoia Sellinger, Book & Lyrics by Sarah Rossman
Directed by Marella Martin Koch, Music Direction by Minhui Lee

An exploration of bodily autonomy, motherhood, self-determination, and what it means to be human through the relationship between a marine biologist and the most devoted mother on planet Earth: the Graneledone boreopacifica (deep-sea warty octopus).

Featuring: Trevor Bunce, Charlene Jean, and Anna Mintzer

BITCH, I CLONED YOU!

Music & Book by PJ Ju, Lyrics & Book by Ed Horan
Directed by Jenny Bennett, Music Direction by Joe Brauch

A goofy sci-fi comedy about the existential horror of trying to win the breakup.

Featuring: Greg Brostrom, Katie Emerson, Kendyl Ito, Ross Neal, Leenya Rideout, and Andrew Rothenberg

DIVORCE PARTY

Book & Lyrics by Carli Freeman, Music by Caitlin Thomas
Directed by Melody Munitz, Music Direction by Caitlin Thomas

Recently divorced couple Viv and Lexi throw a party to celebrate their separation and play wingwoman for each other but soon realize starting over is harder than it seems.

Featuring: Alaina Anderson, Kathel Griffin, Teagan Jenay Reynolds, and Kat Rodriguez

THE DUST MOTHER

Book, Music & Lyrics by Jarrett Murray
Directed by Kayla Coleman, Music Direction by Jacinth Greywoode

A star comes to Earth wanting to put down roots but finds so much more.

Featuring: Christopher Brasfield, LaDonna Burns, Briawna Jackson, Morgan J. Smart, and Zia

ISLAND TIME

Book by Danielle Koenig, Music & Lyrics by Asher Muldoon
Directed by Kate Semmens, Music Direction by Asher Muldoon

When a couples cruise sinks in the ocean, a recently separated couple are horrified to find that they are marooned on a small deserted island with the hottie they both cheated on each other with.

Featuring: Courtney Bassett, Andrew Mayer, and Wes Williams

JUST OUTSIDE

Book & Lyrics by Emily Boyd Dahab, Book & Music by Allison Kraus
Directed by Logan Reed, Music Direction by Asher Denburg, Fight Choreography by Skye Bronfenbrenner

Based on found text from a real social media post, an agoraphobic Long Island housewife learns her husband may have seen a UFO and makes a social media post which snowballs out of control.

Featuring: Jessie Cannizzaro, Gavin Conner, Sydney Cox, Amy Persons, Bern Tan, and Daniel Tepper

THE KEEPER

Book, Music & Lyrics by Maxwell Carmel
Directed by Ryan Dobrin, Music Direction by Sharon Ahn, Choreography by Rebecca Brudner

A short musical folktale about keeping your light shining brightly through the dark forces of the night.

Featuring: D.C. Anderson, Mike Cefalo, Veronica Fiaoni, Olivia Kaufmann, Jax Terry, and Michelle Veintimilla

OUR OWN ODYSSEY

Book & Lyrics by Chris Rivera, Music & Lyrics by Joe Montoya
Directed by Rula A. Muñoz, Music Direction by Joe Montoya

A remix of Homer's epic myth through a Queer Latin lens.

Featuring: Danny Borba, J'Quay Gibbs, A.J. Lockhart, and Heaven Nikitenko

STEAK!

Book & Lyrics by Brooke di Spirito, Music by Louis Josephson
Directed by Ren Rotante, Music Direction by Joe Brauch

Two friends wake up to realize they have drunkenly opened a high-end steakhouse...in their apartment.

Featuring: Neil Devlin, Ethan Farmer, Ed Horan, Brecken Hummer, Brenna Peerbolt, and Scott Semanski

THE TROUBLE WITH TIME TRAVEL: A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Musical

Lyrics & Book by Dan Caprera, Music & Orchestration by Ryan Jacobs
Direction by Maeve Brady, Music Direction by Jeremy Jacobs

A choose-your-own-adventure musical where the audience themselves get the opportunity to vote on what happens next!