Kerstin Anderson, Michael Esper, Heath Saunders and Jonathan Schwartz Lead Casts Of New York Theatre Barn's New Works Series

New York Theatre Barn's 12th season continues with its signature New Works Series on Monday, September 16th, 2019, with exclusive pre-premieres of the new musicals The Pickup Artist and My Name is Annie King. New York Theatre Barn serves as a home for new musicals during incubation.

The Pickup Artist has a book by Sash Bischoff, with music and lyrics by Jason Pomerantz. In the underground world of pickup artists, there are five simple steps to attract any woman within minutes. When Peter Miller, renowned ghostwriter plagued by self-doubt, agrees to pen the biography of the master of seduction, he is plunged into this world and taught the rules of the game. In no time at all, Peter is well on his way to mastering the art of pickup himself. All it will cost him is his own identity. Bischoff (associate director of Dear Evan Hansen) will serve as director, and Pomerantz (Sam's Room) will be the music director. The cast includes Emily Afton, Laura Galindo, Jacobi Hall (Paradise Square), Sam Heldt (Fall Springs), Sarah Elizabeth Naughton, Nathan Richardson, Heath Saunders (Great Comet), Jonathan Schwartz (Aladdin), Tim Shea (School of Rock tour), Liz Shivener (Les Miserables tour), and Yaniv Zarif.

Set to a folk and bluegrass-infused score, My Name is Annie King is a country-fried thriller with a book by Krista Pioppi (Lazarus) and James Presson (Fuck Mary Kill, Album of the Year), and music and lyrics by Aaron Albert and Katy Rea (who will also music direct). Set in a rural community deep in the belly of the Ozarks, Rosalie, a sheltered young woman with a bubbling curiosity, has her world turned upside down when a mysterious, troubled stranger arrives on the property. Their unlikely friendship soon becomes more and, as their lives become intertwined, she must choose between the utopia she knows and the glistening possibility of a life on the outside. My Name is Annie King is a dark meditation on identity, grief, and the high cost of a fresh start. The cast features Kerstin Anderson (My Fair Lady), Carson Higgins (American Idiot nat'l tour, Love Actually Live, "American Idol"), Margaret Dudasik (Cabaret national tour), Michael Esper (Lazarus, The Last Ship), Julia Estrada, Aury Krebs, and Lilli Passero.

The 70-minute presentation will begin at 7PM at the D-Lounge, located at the Daryl Roth Theatre (101 East 15th Street) in New York City. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, and can be purchased on New York Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org. Seating is limited. Sam Strum is the line producer, and casting is by Eisenberg/Beans Castinga?? (Daryl Eisenberg,CSAa??; Ally Beans, CSA).