National Music Theater Conference to Present 3 New Shows This Week

The National Music Theater Conference, led by artistic director Paulette Haupt, will present three shows this week, Son of a Gun, with Book by Chris Cragin, Music and Lyrics by Don Chaffer, with additional music by Lori Chaffer; The Shadow Sparrow, with Book by Anton Dudley, Lyrics by Charlie Sohne, and Music by Keith Gordon; and Suprema, Book and Lyrics by JorDan Harrison, and Music and Lyrics by Daniel Zaitchik.

Readings of Son of a Gun, directed by Gabriel Barre with musical direction by Matt Hinkley, and featuring Billy Brimblecom, Michael Castillejos, David Finch, Lori Fischer, Rebecca Hart, Van Hughes, Ryan Link, and Skye Scott, will continue Wednesday, July 6 at 8pm and Friday, July 8 at 7pm.

A reading of The Shadow Sparrow, directed by Joe Calarco with musical direction by David Libby, and featuring Danny Binstock and Barbara Walsh will take place Thursday, July 7 at 8pm with additional readings on Sunday, July 10 at 2:30pm and Thursday, July 14 at 8pm.

A reading of Suprema, directed by May Adrales with musical direction by Julie McBride, and featuring Heath Calvert, Chris Hoch, Jamey Hood, Carl Kimbrough, Theresa McCarthy, Brooke Moriber, Rachel Resheff, and Price Waldman will be held Saturday, July 9 at 8pm, and three additional readings will be the held following week on Sunday, July 10 at 3pm, Wednesday, July 14 at 8pm, and Friday, July 15 at 7pm.

The National Playwrights Conference, led by artistic director Wendy C. Goldberg, will present the first two of the Conference's eight shows, The Nether, by Jennifer Haley and The Happiest Song Plays Last by Quiara Alegría Hudes.

Readings of The Nether, directed by Lisa Peterson and featuring Michael Countryman, Jon Devries, Megan Green, and Jeanine Seralles, will begin Wednesday, July 6 at 8:15pm and conclude Thursday, July 7 at 8:15pm.

The Happiest Song Plays Last, directed by Eddie Torres and featuring Demosthenes Chrysan, Kevin Geer, Zabryna Guevara, Armando Riesco, Najla Said, Jaime Tirelli, and musician Nelson Gonzales Tres, will have readings at Friday, July 8 at 7:15pm and Saturday, July 9 at 8:15pm.

Theatermakers, the summer program of the National Theater Institute will present three original one-act plays on Tuesday, July 5 at 8pm. These one-act plays are written, directed, and performed by Theatermakers students within a weekly intensive period of development. All Theatermakers performances are free and open to the public.

All performances take place at the O'Neill, 305 Great Neck Road in Waterford, Connecticut. Schedule is subject to change. Tickets may be ordered online at www.theoneill.org or through the box office at 860.443.1238. Discounted tickets are available for O'Neill Members, for more information, email Membership@theoneill.org or call 860-443-5378 x211.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964 in honor of Eugene O'Neill, four-time Pulitzer Prize Winner and the only American playwright to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, is the recipient of two Tony Awards, in 2010 for Regional Theatre, and in 1979 for Theatrical Excellence.

The O'Neill is the country's preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the American theater. The O'Neill has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O'Neill have gone on to full production at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, and major regional theaters.

O'Neill programs include the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Critics Institute, National Puppetry Conference, the Cabaret & Performance Conference, and the National Theater Institute, which conducts semester-long intensive theater training programs as well as Theatermakers, a six-week summer program.

The O'Neill also owns and operates the Monte Cristo Cottage, boyhood summer home of Eugene O'Neill and setting for his plays Ah Wilderness! and Long Day's Journey Into Night. The museum is a registered National Historic Landmark and is open to the public during the summer season.

In addition to its Tony recognition, the O'Neill has received the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theatre Excellence, and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. For more information, visit www.theoneill.org or email theaterlives@theoneill.org.