York Theatre Company's 11th Annual NEO Concert Set for 6/15

The York Theatre Company presents a one-night only benefit concert celebrating up and coming musical theatre writers, with NEO 11 on Monday, June 15, 2015 The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). Festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. followed by a champagne and dessert reception to toast the evening.

The NEO 11 concert will feature songs by this year's NEO writers: Christie Baugher (The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul), Kathryn Hathaway and Benjamin Velez (Afterland), Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop), and AnnMarie Milazzo (Pretty Dead Girl). The evening will be directed by Jennifer Paulson Lee (NEO 7) and Michael Unger (York's Associate Artistic Director), with music direction by Matt Castle (returning for his ninth NEO). Performers will be announced shortly.

York's NEO program seeks to connect emerging writers with established artists and producers and affords participants a number of opportunities to gain insight, advice and awareness from industry leaders. NEO mentors making special appearances include Kirsten Childs, Stephen Schwartz, and more to be announced. Past NEO concert mentors include Maury Yeston, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Michael John LaChiusa, Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel, and Sheldon Harnick.

NEO (an acronym for "New, Emerging, Outstanding") celebrates songwriters primed to pen the next generation of musicals. Since the first NEO concert in 2003--recorded by England's JAY Records-musical theatre fans and York supporters eagerly anticipate each incarnation.

In this new NEO format, which began in 2012, the concert kicks off a year of activity for each writer. NEO artists receive a developmental reading during the course of the year and are assigned an established producing mentor for the selected project. Past producing mentors have included Eva Price, John Pinckard, Janet Brenner, Deborah Taylor, Patrick Catullo, and Alan & Barbara Marks.

Tickets for NEO 11 can be purchased by calling 212-935-5824 (x214) or via the York's website: www.yorktheatre.org.

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