The Music Theatre Company to Present THE 48-HOUR MUSICALS: ENCORE!, 12/4-14

The Music Theatre Company will launch its 2014-15 season with THE 48-HOUR MUSICALS: ENCORE!, featuring four 15-minute musicals originally written and rehearsed in just 48 hours by Scotty Arnold, Diana Lawrence, Michael Mahler and J. Oconer Navarro plus the world premiere of a 20-minute musical by Smashing Pumpkins frontman and Chicagoland native Billy Corgan.

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Jess McLeod, with choreography by Founding Artistic Director Jessica Beth Redish and music direction by Aaron Benham, THE 48-HOUR MUSICALS: ENCORE!, will play December 4 - 14, 2014 at The Music Theatre Company, 1850 Green Bay Rd. in Highland Park, IL. Tickets are currently available at www.themusictheatrecompany.org or by calling the TMTC Box Office at (847) 579-4900.

The cast of THE 48-HOUR MUSICALS: ENCORE!, includes Emily Berman (Days Like Today, Writers Theatre), Victoria Blade (Sweet Smell of Success, Kokandy Productions), Matthew Keffer (The Wild Party, Bailiwick Chicago), Rachel Klippel (The Light in the Piazza, Theo Ubique), Sarah Larson (Passion, Theo Ubique) and Patrick Martin (Merrily We Roll Along, The Music Theatre Company). Additional casting to be announced.

The 48-HOUR MUSICALS, for which emerging and established musical theatre writers create and rehearse 15-minute musicals in just 48 hours, have been an annual mainstay of The Music Theatre's Company's seasons since 2008. This year, TMTC reprises four audience favorites that led to full-length commissions that TMTC will produce later this season. The program concludes with the world premiere of a 20-minute musical by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who makes his musical theatre writing debut.

"The 48-Hour Musicals were devised as a way to challenge musical theatre artists to trust their instincts and introduce audiences to emerging writers and the creative process," comments Co-Artistic Director Jess McLeod. "What began as an experiment in 2008 quickly became a season favorite for TMTC patrons, resulting in the creation of a new art form - the 15-minute musical - and an annual showcase for the innovation and artistry TMTC is known for."

"We are thrilled to be revisiting these pieces which ultimately inspired future TMTC commissions and to be premiering a work by Billy Corgan in this year's line up," comments Founding Artistic Director Jessica Beth Redish.

Adds Mr. Corgan, "My interest in musical theatre has grown throughout the years. Ms. Redish, I believe, is a visionary; she's inspired me to jump into the narrative form in a fresh way."

The 48-HOUR MUSICALS: ENCORE! Line-Up:

CHASE by Associate Artist Michael Mahler

An adorably neurotic Chase Bank employee stamps "DENIED" and "REJECTED" on loans, claims - and the men in her life. Originally written in 2008 and inspired by a randomly chosen line on a randomly chosen page from The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works.

POSTCARDS FROM PARIS by Associate Artist Diana Lawrence

Two lost Americans swap stories in a café in Paris while an all-seeing server looks on. Originally written in 2012 and inspired by a phrase on a quirky greeting card meant to be sent anonymously to an ex.

RECEPTION by J. Oconer Navarro

One actress plays both a bride-to-be and her mother on the night of her wedding, their first family event since the father of the bride has passed away. Originally written in 2009 and inspired by the imagined last words of businessman Peter Griffith by his daughter, actress Melanie Griffith.

TERESHKOVA by Scotty Arnold

Two men discuss their relationship in code at the foot of the statue of the father of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. Originally written in 2013 and inspired by a smartphone autocorrection.

A New 20-minute musical by Billy Corgan

A world premiere musical based on The Eleusinian Mysteries and the myth of Persephone's abduction by Hades, Lord of the Underworld.

The production team for THE 48-HOUR MUSICALS: ENCORE! includes Alex Weisman (casting director), Sarah Watkins (scenic and props design), Stephanie Cluggish (costume design), Brian Hoehne (lighting design), Patrick Bley (sound design), Ryan Brewster (pianist) and Sarah J. Luse (stage manager).