Von Essen, Big River Actors Headline Reading of New Musical Judgment Day, Dec. 12

By: Dec. 06, 2005
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On Monday, December 12th, Bouncy Stripe Productions, Jamie McGonnigal and the LGBT Community Center of New York City will present an early reading of the new musical, Judgment Day by Garrett Zuercher.

The free reading will take place at 7 pm at the LGBT Community Center at 208 West 13th Street off of 7th Avenue in Greenwich Village--with a reception afterwards where refreshments will be served.

The show will feature Max von Essen (Dance of the Vampires, the recent World AIDS Day Secret Garden concert) and several actors from the Tony-honored ensemble of the Broadway production and national tour of Deaf West's Big River including Melissa van der Schyff, Kevin Massey, Guthrie Nutter, Stanley Bahorek, Alexandria Wailes, Erin Krugh, Cathy Newman and George McDaniel performing simultaneously in spoken English and American Sign Language.  However, this reading will not feature music, since the production is still in its early stages, and the lyrics will all be read.  All audiences, hearing and deaf, are welcome.

The original production of Judgment Day as a non-musical play was written and directed by Zuercher while studying abroad in spring 2001 at LaTrobe University just outside of Melbourne, Australia.  A year later, he revised the script and directed it again, this time with an American cast at his home institution of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  This performance will feature the third revision of the script and its first incarnation of its new life as a musical.  As far as it is known, this is the first and only original musical completely written by a deaf playwright.

Zuercher is a 25-year old deaf playwright working and residing in New York City, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A magna cum laude graduate of Marquette University's theater and writing programs, Zuercher's other works include the full length plays First Degrees and Quid Pro Quo.  The latter play placed first in the American College Theater Festival, won Zuercher two national playwriting awards, and played the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center in April 2004.  Also an actor with numerous credits, he joined the cast of the Broadway National Tour of Deaf West's Big River in May 2004 and later took over the role of Huckleberry Finn.

The reading will be open to the public, but reservations are requested. For reservations and more information, please call 212-620-7310.

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