Changed for Good, with Songs by Stephen Schwartz, Runs April 7-9

By: Mar. 13, 2006
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Changed For Good: The Impact of Stephen Schwartz, a senior thesis project for NYU's Tisch School of the Arts celebrating the music of the composer/lyricist of Wicked and Pippin, will be presented from April 7th through April 9th at Playwrights Horizons' 440 Studios Black Box Theater (440 Lafayette Street near Astor Place).

"Changed for Good is a new musical written in the style of the musicals of Stephen Schwartz and Bill Irwin's New Vaudeville; the show is a truly original exploration of the power of theater, and the impact of Schwartz's work, especially with regard to the dichotomy between his critical and audience response. The stories are all true. The music is all Schwartz," state press notes.

Created and written by Ashley Griffin (with co-direction by Sam Joseph), the show features music and lyrics by Schwartz, with music supervision and musical direction by Sam Johnson.

The cast features Rosalie Burke (The Fan), Ashley Griffin (The Observer), Courtney Hammond (The Leading Player), MATTHEW ALAN Schmidt (The Showman), Douglas Ullman Jr. (The Explorer), and Kate Weber (The Critic).

The design team includes Cherrye Davis (costumes) and Christopher Grant (lighting).

Schwartz, whose Wicked is the biggest musical hit on Broadway, wrote the music and lyrics for Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show, The Baker's Wife, Children of Eden and Captain Louie, and contributed his songs to the score of Working; he also collaborated with Charles Strouse on Rags. He has also written for the big screen, with a number of scores for animated films; he wrote music and lyrics for DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt and the TV musical Geppetto, as well as lyrics for the Disney films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (both with Alan Menken). Schwartz, whose two solo CDs "Relucant Pilgrim" and "Uncharted Territory" feature him performing his own songs, has received three each of the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards and the Drama Desk Awards.

Griffin, a senior at the Tisch School of the Arts, has studied at the Playwrights Horizons Theater School at NYU, The Boston Conservatory, and the Hamilton Academy of Music. In 2002, her play Subtext was work-shopped in Chicago, before moving to L.A. Griffin has also written a musical adaptation of The Grimm Brothers' The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Lilly: A Dark Faerie Tale. She has performed off-Broadway in Hedda Gabler, as well as in national and international tours, and in regional productions. In 2004 Griffin became the founder, and artistic director of the Collaborative Theater Ensemble, under Ariel Visions Productions.

Changed For Good performs April 7th at 7:30pm, April 8th at 2:30pm,and 7:30pm, and April 9th at 7:00pm. Tickets are now available by writing to: hypernena@yahoo.com. Tickets are free, however donations are welcome at the door ($10.00 advised). For more information, visit www.changedforgood.com.



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