Full Cast and Creative Team Announced For Theatre Now's THE JURY

Theatre Now has announced the full company of The Jury, a new life-affirming musical premiering next month. Performances will run from February 11th-26th at the Jeffrey & Paula Gural Theatre at ART/NY 502 W 53rd St.

Tickets range from $25-$35, with two performances that are pay-what-you-want, and are available for purchase at www.tnny.org or by calling 855-254-7469. Strict COVID protocols will be followed during all performances, including requiring proof of vaccination and mask adherence.

The Jury is a new musical with book & lyrics by Casey Kendall and music by Jonathan Bauerfeld. It tells the story of Tess Butler, who has died after a short lifetime of battling opiate addiction and burning bridges. Now, it is up to seven people from her life to come together and decide whether or not she's worth saving. Tess can only bear witness as they reconstruct her life, uncovering secrets, confronting hard truths, and slowly reaching a consensus. Originally scheduled to premiere in March of 2020 and postponed due to the COVID pandemic, The Jury will be the first production to be presented from Theatre Now's Musical Writers Lab.

Tess Butler will be played by Kelly Grago, with Stacie Bono, J Nycole Ralph, Emilie Modaff, Sebastian Treviño, Chloe Howard, Kyle Sherman, and Dino Nicandros as the jury of seven deciding her fate. The cast also includes McLean Peterson and Noah Benjamin.

As previously announced, The Jury will be directed by Lucky Stiff, with musical direction by Jason Weisinger and choreography by Ambika Raina. Joining them are scenic designer Meg E McGuigan, costume designer Amanda Gladu, lighting designer Emily Schmit, sound designer Ernie Bird, and projection designer Ryan Belock. Orchestrations and vocal arrangements are by Jonathan Bauerfeld. Casting was done by Erik Schark.

"The Jury is a life-affirming examination of a difficult nationwide crisis, full of humanity and heart, and a great contribution to the future of musical theatre storytelling," says Theatre Now's Artistic Director, Thomas Morrissey. "After it was originally scheduled to premiere in March of 2020 and postponed due to the COVID pandemic, we are thrilled to finally share The Jury with an audience."

Theatre Now is an artist service organization dedicated to the development, production, publication, and circulation of short and long- form musicals, by providing ongoing support for writers and their work in order to nurture voices and forms that push the boundaries of musical theatre. Theatre Now bridges the gap between early readings and fully produced theatrical runs by offering staged and performed developmental productions to pieces that are ready to live on their feet. They strive for continuity and growth in their production process by collaborating with artists on story development through song and dialogue and focusing on their prospective audience. For more information, visit tnny.org.