Schwartz, Brown, Etc. Part of L.A. New Musicals Festival

Some of musical theatre's most acclaimed voices will take part in the inaugural Festival of New American Musicals, which will take place in Los Angeles in May and June 2008.

Among the productions will be the Rubicon Theatre's premiere of the Stephen Schwartz musical revue Snapshots, and a production of the John Bucchino song cycle It's Only Life.  The Festival will also feature Scott Schwartz' adapted play version of the Willa Cather novel My Antonia (with incidental music by father Stephen), a suite of music from the Ricky Ian Gordon-Michael Korie opera The Grapes of Wrath, based on the John Steinbeck novel and performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale under the direction of Grant Gershon, Pepperdine University's presentation of a concert featuring new songs by Jason Robert Brown, and the West Coast premiere of Sarah, Plain and Tall, presented by Pepperdine's Theatre Department.  Currently in negotations, the English language premiere of Schwartz' musical about fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen may also play the Festival (it has previously been seen in Denmark, performed in the Danish language).  More musicals will be announced.

Stage and cabaret stars Faith Prince, Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway, Amanda McBroom, Marilynn Lovell Matz, Karen Mason, Jason Graae and Karen Morrow will perform in venues around L.A.  There will also be workshops of new musicals, presented by ASCAP.

"It is our goal to make the festival a permanent celebration with new musicals on a regular basis and to establish a permanent center for the development and workshopping of new musicals in Los Angeles," said Bob Klein, a founding board member of Reprise!.  Center Theatre Group, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse and Geffen Playhouse are likely to become involved in the Festival as producing partners.

Visit www.lafestival.org for more information.

Photo of Stephen Schwartz by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.