Tony Nominee Barbara Walsh Stars in NYMF's 'About Face'

Barbara Walsh, celebrated Tony and Drama Desk award nominated actress in such Broadway musicals as the 2007 revival of COMPANY, FALSETTOS, BIG, HAIRSPRAY, BLOOD BROTHERS, NINE AND ROCK AND ROLL: THE FIRST 5,000 YEARS, as well as television’s "One Life To Live" and "Law and Order," will star as Beatrice Stanton in the New York Musical Theatre Festival’s production of ABOUT FACE.
 
Also starring, as Bill Benedick, is Mark Zimmerman of Broadway’s A Catered Affair, THE RAINMAKER, and BRIGADOON and ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY; Pamela Myers of the original Broadway production of COMPANY (Another Hundred People) as Mae Francis; and John Horton of Encore’s City Center DAMN YANKEES, and Broadway’s KISS ME KATE. Others featured in principal roles are Nick Mannix, Aubrey Sinn, Rebecca Weiner and Mark Christine.

ABOUT FACE begins performances at 37Arts Theater C, 450 W. 37th St. between 9th and 10th Ave on Wednesday, Sep 17th at 8:00pm and continues Friday, 9/19 at 8pm; Saturday, 9/20 at 1 and 5pm; Sunday, 9/21 at 1pm, and Wednesday, 9/24 at 9pm.

Producing consultant: Kim Vasquez/Gray Lady Entertainment Inc., Directed by Nick Corley and Choreography by Mary MacLeod, who recently reproduced all the original Bob Fosse choreography in the Encore’s City Center DAMN YANKEES. Written by award winning authors David Arthur (book and lyrics) and Jeffrey Lodin (music) ABOUT FACE was originally developed in the Tony honored Lehman Engel BMI Workshop, is a winner of the Cardiff International Festival’s Global Search for New Musicals and received special recognition from the Richard Rodgers Foundation.
 
In addition to ABOUT FACE, David Arthur is composer, book writer and lyricist for the new musical, SARATOGA TRUNK SONGS, which was presented at The Theatre Building, Chicago, the MAC award winning, HERE’S TO OUR FRIENDS, and for the concert stage and recordings has written for Randy Graff, Judy Kuhn, Karen Mason, Marin Mazzie, Donna Murphy, Gray Lady Entertainment, Inc. Barbara Walsh, and Miss Julie Andrews. He is the recipient of the Jerry Harrington Award. Jeffrey Lodin composed A HUNDRED YEARS INTO THE HEART (lyrics by William Squire, book by Richard Vetere) which was presented at The Spirit of Broadway Theatre, and recipient of 7 Spirit awards. Other productions with Squire include DOUG LIVE, Songs for Disney’s Doug’s First Movie, and TOP OF THE HEAP.
 
Kim Vasquez/ Gray Lady Entertainment, Inc. (Producing Consultant) is a theatrical producing and consulting company. She is currently a general producing partner on Pterodactyl Island, book and lyrics by Peter Morris, with music by Michael Jeffrey; One Way Ticket To Hell, book by Drew Taylor, music by Robert Cioffi and Simon Says a play by Mat Schaffer. She has produced for NYMF, Such Good Friends with book, music and lyrics by Noel Katz. Such Good Friends was the recipient of five theatre awards including: Best New Musical of the Year from Talkin’ Broadway 2007 and Emerald Man with book by Janet Cole Valdez, Music by Tom Valdez and Lyrics by Marc Bosserman. This year, she is also happy to be Executive Producer on the Max and the Truffle Pig team for NYMF as well. As a Director, Kim directed the first-female version of Fully Committed by Becky Mode, starring Amy Stiller as “Sam” and Beirut by Alan Bowne. As an Actor, Kim has performed in many stage productions most recently Arthur Kopit’s Chamber Music playing Woman with Notebook. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, The National Shakespeare Conservatory, The Commercial Theatre Institute and she is a founding Producer of the New York Musical Theatre Festival and an adjunct member of The Broadway League.

Hailed as "the Sundance of Musical Theatre," The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) exists to revitalize one of America’s greatest art forms by discovering, supporting and promoting new musical theater artists, producers, and projects, and by introducing a diverse audience to the vibrancy of contemporary musical theater. Since its inception in 2004, the three-week annual festival has premiered more than 130 new musicals – many of which have gone on to award-winning productions in New York, in regional theaters and on tour in 38 states, and nine countries worldwide. NYMF 2004 hit ALTAR BOYZ has played well over 1,000 performances off-Broadway and is now in its fourth year at New World Stages; fellow NYMF alum [title of show] recently began performances at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway.
 
Widely regarded as the essential source for new material and talent discovery, NYMF is the flagship program of The National Music Theater Network, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and is presented in association with BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group and TheaterMania.com, and is supported by amNewYork, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, BroadwayBox.com, BroadwayInsider.com, Frank & Camille's Fine Pianos, HX Magazine, Jossip.com, King Displays, Queerty.com, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, Metromix.com, The New York Blade, Next Magazine, Panasonic Astrovision, Queerty.com, Tekserve, TheMENEvent, VOGA Italia, and The Zipper Factory. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
 
Festival memberships are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.nymf.org or by calling (212) 352-3101; single tickets go on sale on September 1.
 
For more information, visit www.nymf.org

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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