New Musicals Selected For ASCAP's Musical Theatre Workshop With Stephen Schwartz 4/14-27

The ASCAP Foundation is pleased to announce that six new musical works have been selected for presentation at the annual ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop in New York. The winning proposals were selected from over 200 applicants. The workshop will take place April 14, 15, 21, 22, 26 & 27, 2010, at 7:00 p.M. Sharp, at ASCAP, 5th Floor, One Lincoln Plaza (Broadway between 63rd & 64th Streets) in New York.

The workshop will be directed by Academy and Grammy Award-winning composer/lyricist, Stephen Schwartz, whose credits include the Broadway smash Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, the Walt Disney films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Dreamworks' film The Prince of Egypt. The selected musical theatre writers will have the opportunity to make short presentations from their original works-in-progress for professional critique by a panel of the most prominent theatre producers, directors and composers.

The ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop in New York is part of an ongoing series of workshops sponsored by The ASCAP Foundation to nurture new American musicals. For more information about the program, please contact Michael Kerker at ASCAP at 212-621-6264.

The selected writers and their musical works are listed below, and will be presented on the following dates:

Wednesday, April 14
SYMPATHY JONES
Masi Asare (music, lyrics), Brooke Pierce (book)
The irrepressible Sympathy Jones is a receptionist at a New York City intelligence agency who studies Indonesian martial arts in her spare time and is constantly angling for a promotion, to the amusement of the manly spies who inhabit her 1960s world. When a top-secret file is accidentally left on her desk, she seizes the opportunity to embark on an adventure of her own and discovers that daring to save the world against impossible odds is unlike anything she ever imagined.

Thursday, April 15
SUNFISH
Michael Cooper (book, lyrics), Hyeyoung Kim (book, music)
SUNFISH puts a fresh, multicultural musical spin on the "Sim-Chung" Korean folk tale about the power of love and sacrifice, chronicling the relationship between a poor, blind man and his devoted daughter, Aheh, and the fantastical lengths that she is willing to go to restore his eyesight. It's a magical adventure that takes her to the bottom of the ocean and beyond, in a theatrical world where anything can - and does - happen.

Wednesday, April 21
THE LONGING AND THE SHORT OF IT
Daniel Mate (book, music, lyrics)
Five strangers have responded to the same cryptic Craigslist ad seeking "mildly dissatisfied people," and show up at a rented meeting room to find nothing but a blackboard and a stack of cue cards containing some very odd and probing questions. What ensues is a hilariously uncomfortable group therapy session that goes places none of them could have expected.

Thursday, April 22
THE VIRGINIA
Peter Lerman (book, music, lyrics)
After finding a vintage guitar with his name carved into the headstock, struggling musician Levi Pierce searches for clues to its history. As Levi unfolds the guitar's dangerous heritage, he finds answers about himself within the mysterious instrument called The Virginia.

Monday, April 26
EVERYTHING IS FINE
Ryan Langer (music, lyrics), Jon Weissberg (book)
Do you think there's anything worse than moving home with your parents at the age of twenty-five? Just ask Andy.

Tuesday, April 27
FIRECRACKER JACK
Johnny Rodgers (music, lyrics), Nathan R. Crone (book, lyrics)
FIRECRACKER JACK is the story of a young baseball prospect who leaves his failing family farm to make it in the big leagues. Waylayed by ill-fortune at every turn, Jack struggles to return home, but first he must face his childhood hero in duel, knowing his very life is on the line.

About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org