2009 Festival of New American Musicals Announces Closing Party 8/22 Honoring Stephen Schwartz, And Post Festival Readings 8/25, 8/26

The Festival of New American Musicals, headed by its Executive Producers Marcia Seligson, Bob Klein, and Linda Shusett is announcing two events. The first is a closing party on Saturday, August 22 from 3 to 6 pm, honoring Stephen Schwartz, open to the public with donation. There will be performances of songs from Schwartz' musicals performed by Peter Gallagher, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Graham Phillips, David Burnham, Susan Egan, Georgia Stitt and others.

The second are post-festival readings, co-presented with ASCAP, of "Bubble Boy," a new musical based on the film that starred Jake Gyllenhaal, with music and lyrics by Cinco Paul, and book by Paul and Ken Daurio. Paul and Daurio were the authors of the screenplay of the film. These readings of "Bubble Boy," directed by Scott Schwartz (Stephen Schwartz' son), are on August 25 and 26 at 8 PM at the Frank Wells Theatre at The Walt Disney Studios and free to the public.

For more information about the closing party or reservations for "Bubble Boy," please call 310-827-2850 or visit www.lafestival.org.

Stephen Schwartz is the celebrated composer-lyricist of "Godspell," "Pippin," "The Magic Show," "The Baker's Wife," "Rags," "Children of Eden," "Wicked," and, with Alan Menken, songs for the films "Pocahontas," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and "Enchanted." His first opera "Séance on a Wet Afternoon" premieres this fall at Opera Santa Barbara.

"Bubble Boy" tells of the odyssey of Jimmy Livingston, a boy born without immunity and confined to a plastic bubble room. When he discovers the love of his life, Chloe, is getting married, he builds a bubble suit, breaks out and travels cross-country to stop the wedding, dealing with cults, bikers, an Indian ice cream man, and the greatest obstacle of all, his controlling mother.

The annual Festival of New American Musicals is home to full productions, staged readings, workshops of musicals in progress, cabaret events, concerts, master classes and other events highlighting new Musical Theatre Works. The Festival works in partnership with over thirty Southern California area performing arts organizations, each of which will produces new work for the Festival. A major element of the Festival is an education component, which brings new musicals into schools and students into the theatres

The Festival has two primary creative advisors, Stephen Schwartz, and Michael Kerker, Director of Musical Theatre of ASCAP, the major organization which represents American theater composers. The honorary co-chairs of the Festival are Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Jason Alexander and Angela Lansbury.

The Festival of New American Musicals is presented by Bank of New York Mellon. Main sponsors are the ASCAP Foundation, KUSC, Maurer Family Foundation, and Greenberg & Glusker.

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