Town Stages Announces An Industry Reading Of The New Musical THE COLLINS BOY

Town Stages announces an industry reading of the new musical The Collins Boy by Brad Bass and Cari Joy on Sunday, January 14, 2018 at Town Stages, 221 West Broadway, NYC.

The Collins Boy is a new musical by Brad Bass and Cari Joy based on real-life events surrounding Christine Collins, her son Walter, and the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders of Los Angeles in 1928.

Los Angeles. 1928. The corruption of the LAPD is at its boiling point. Innocent people are being beaten, silenced, and locked away. Amidst this deception, a mother's son goes missing. The story gains national attention and the pressure to find the boy is palpable. Five months after his disappearance, the promise to return her son is realized...or is it? This astounding musical journey is laced with lies, betrayal, collusion, police brutality, mistaken identity but most importantly...this is a story about a mother who will stop at nothing to find out the truth about her son. It's all for him.

The reading will feature Lisa Howard as the mother, Claudio Pestana Aguiar, Austin Bowen, Chase Crandell, Michelle Dowdy, Jacob Estes, Russell Fischer, Andrew Holder, Angelo McDonough, Chris McNiff, Aline O'Neill, Payton Pritchett, Shannon Rowland, Lauren Turner, and Declan Wagar.

Brad Bass (Book, Music, and Lyrics) was born and raised on a tobacco farm in Ringgold, VA. Broadway credits include: Wicked, the Original Cast of Memphis, and Jersey Boys. Other credits: the Chicago Company of Wicked (Fiyero), the national tour of The Will Rogers Follies, and numerous regional credits. Brad has performed on such television programs as Good Morning America, CBS Morning Show, The View, and The Tony Awards. He was also in the feature film of Memphis, and can be heard on the original cast albums of Memphis and Andrew Lippa's A Little Princess. He now resides in Danville, VA and is the Musical Theatre Artist in Residence at Averett University and is about to receive an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Brad is currently developing four new musical projects with his writing partner Cari Joy: The Collins Boy, The Gathering of Waters, Learning to Fly, as well as the musical short film Gretel + Hansel.

Cari Joy (Book, Music, and Lyrics) has been writing music since the age of 14. She studied Music Theory at Penn State University and spent a semester at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. After earning her M.A in Educational Theater from NYU, she taught music in Brooklyn and then moved to Lambertville, NJ where she is currently the Performing Arts Coordinator at the Cambridge School in Pennington. Cari has a 7-year-old daughter who is the light of her life. Her song "The World Changed" can currently be heard in the musical Homeroom. She enjoys performing her original songs in the tri-state area and is currently working on four musical projects: The Collins Boy, The Gathering of Waters, Learning to Fly, and Gretel + Hansel with her writing partner and long time friend Brad Bass.

Town Stages (Robin Sokoloff, Executive Director) is located in the heart of Tribeca. TOWN is New York's premier venue to celebrate, collaborate and put on a show.A new female-driven cultural arts institution and venue space, Town Stages is a state-of-the-art, flexible performance and event space that can support the entire lifecycle of New York's hallmark industries. With a stunning 9,000 square foot storefront facility, TOWN provides world-class cultural experiences and opportunities for all: from civic to corporate, tech to theater.With a Mainstage, a Cabaret Lounge, and a multi-use event space with a capacity of 225, Town Stages offers much-needed space and production resources for businesses, arts organizations, and families. TOWN boasts ticketed performances and curated community programing, from performance art to dance to theatre, and is also available for fashion shows, film shoots, weddings, and beyond. For more information, visit www.townstages.com.

Sokoloff Arts (501c3) is an emerging cultural institution providing inspired space, prospective, and opportunity for cutting edge events in all sectors of The Arts, Corporate, Civic, and Cultural life in New York City. Led by a team of women from diverse backgrounds and artistic expressions, Sokoloff Arts works to provide viable and safe space to congregate, strives to promote cross-cultural community engagement, and blends the arts and business to create sustainable solutions to social and financial inequalities. The organization assists young creators with not only space, but resource generation, production, and community. To address the overwhelming demand for hi-tech, flexible, and affordable performance and event space in New York City, Sokoloff Arts is building Town Stages. To learn more, visit sokoloffarts.org.