Goodspeed's 10th Annual Festival of New Musicals Kicks Off Today

The 10th Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, produced by Goodspeed Musicals' Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre, kicks off its much-anticipated three day festival of brand-new works today, January 16, 2015 at the Goodspeed Opera House with a staged reading of the Jesse James-inspired musical Outlaws. On Saturday, January 17, the musical comedy The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes debuts. On the final day of the festival, the riveting For Tonight will be presented. Several special events will round out this exciting weekend.

Tickets are available at the Goodspeed Box Office or by calling 860.873.8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org. Tickets are $20 each for one show, $15 each for students. This year's Festival is sponsored in part by lead corporate sponsor RisCassi & Davis, P.C., with additional support by The Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation, Inc. and The Burry Fredrik Foundation.

This year, Goodspeed's ever-popular Festival GOLD Package offers a weekend full of special events. The $99 package includes admission to all three staged readings; the New Musical Preview, a short preview of a of new musical planned for 2015; the Symposium, a panel discussion with musical theatre writers hosted by special guest WNPR's Colin McEnroe; three Festival seminar sessions; a Saturday evening pre-show dinner at either the Gelston House OR La Vita; and a Meet the Writers Reception, which will complete the weekend's festivities. Also included in the special Festival Package is a tour of Goodspeed's incredible Costume Collection housed in the new state-of-the- art Cynthia Kellogg Barrington Costume Center and admittance to either the Friday Night or Saturday Night Cabarets, informal gatherings showcasing new songs by new and established artists. A special SILVER Package highlighting the three staged readings, symposium and new musical preview is also available for only $65. Goodspeed Opera House tours will be offered on Saturday morning for both Festival Package and single ticket holders.

"This winter we are thrilled to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of our Festival of New Musicals - one of the cornerstones of Goodspeed's new works development program and the source of countless hours of fun and entertainment for our new works audience," said Goodspeed Line Producer Donna Lynn Hilton. "It is a delight to see the village of East Haddam brimming with energy and excitement on a cold winter night as hundreds of musical theatre fans from across the country converge to celebrate Goodspeed and the best and brightest young writers and performers," she added.

Productions from the three composing teams included in the Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals and the schedule of Special Events for Festival Package ticket holders include:

Friday, January 16

OUTLAWS

7:30 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

Music and Lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen

Book by James Presson

Frustrated with Washington and hard-up for cash, Jesse James and his brother Frank take matters into their own hands - robbing banks, courting the press, and killing anyone who gets in their way. Alternating between sprawling epic and intimate family drama, Outlaws examines the blurred lines between hero and villain, bravery and recklessness, and man and god.

Festival Cabaret

10:00 p.m., Gelston House

Showcasing new songs by our festival writers.

Saturday, January 17

Seminars

10:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., Gelston House

Untold Stories of Broadway - Heralded author Jennifer Ashley Tepper will share stories from her new book The Untold Stories of Broadway: Volume Two, the follow-up to her hugely successful first book. Meet the author and book signing will follow the session.

How Do They Do That? - Set Designer Paul Tate dePoo will debut his designs for Goodspeed's upcoming production of Guys and Dolls and share his secrets for just how to make a night club, a mission, steamy Havana, and Times Square fit in our jewel-box theatre.

Vocal Arranging 101 - Learn the process of vocal arranging from Goodspeed's Resident Music Director Michael O'Flaherty with demonstrations performed by festival participants from The Hartt School.

ADDITIONAL SEMINARS TBA

New Musical Preview

2:30 - 3:30 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

A preview of a new musical set for Goodspeed in 2015.

Symposium *

4:00 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

The New Musical Challenge: Ever wonder what it takes to write a musical? WNPR's Colin McEnroe will host a conversation with the writing teams represented in this year's Festival, along with a team currently writing-in-residence at Goodspeed and Festival favorites Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich (upcoming production of Ever After at Papermill and Goodspeed's The Great American Mousical). Learn first-hand about the challenges of writing a new musical and be the first to hear a brand new song written on-the-spot by one of the teams willing to take our New Musical Challenge.

*This event is free and open to the public.

Festival Dinner

5:30 p.m., Gelston House - OR - La Vita

Enjoy a three course meal with fellow festival goers.

THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES

7:30 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

Book and Lyrics by Christopher Dimond
Music by Michael Kooman

Howard Barnes is a perfectly average man until he discovers that his life has become a musical. Equal parts satire, romantic comedy, and love letter to the American musical, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes is a musical for people who love musical theater and their spouses who hate it.

Festival Cabaret

10:00 p.m., Gelston House

Sunday, January 18

Tour of Goodspeed's Costume Collection

11:00 a.m., The Cynthia Kellogg Barrington Costume Center

FOR TONIGHT

1:00 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

Music & Lyrics by Shenelle Williams and Spencer Williams
Book by Whitney Rhodes, Spencer Williams, and Shenelle Williams

When their parents die of a mysterious illness in their small Welsh village, surviving siblings Thomas, Haydon, and Nettie are forced to fend for themselves. Inspired by the gypsies who once shared their home, Haydon heads off to Liverpool, guitar in hand, to find what he's been missing. There he meets Mirela who speaks to his wandering soul. Through a riveting indie-rock/folk score, For Tonight explores the indelible power of home.

Meet the Writers Reception

3:30 p.m., Gelston House

Gain insight into the inspirations and processes of the writers. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cash bar.

Lodging and dining information for Festival attendees as well as up-to-date information on the weekend's events may be found at goodspeed.org.

Created in 2002, Goodspeed's Showalter Center inspires and nurtures musical theatre artists and students by providing a unique and comprehensive range of training and educational programs to serve both the national and local academic communities. The Goodspeed Festival program offers new and emerging artists the rare opportunity to thoroughly work on their projects with the help of Goodspeed's renowned resources and artistic environment. At the same time, the Festival affords senior students from prominent conservatory programs real-world experience in new musical development and performing new musicals.

Preparations for the Festival begin the first week of January. The three teams of writers and composers dedicate their time to further writing and composing their musicals in development. They are joined by senior

musical theater students from The Hartt School and Boston Conservatory, who take part in rehearsals and continued development of the material. The intensive retreat culminates with Goodspeed's Festival of New Musicals, which showcases staged readings of the new musicals developed during the two-week long program, one of the Showalter Center's major endeavors.

Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre, Goodspeed Musicals produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., and additional works at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. The first regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts.

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