Casts and Creative Teams Announced for SOUND BITES ELEVEN, 11th Annual Festival of 10-Minute Musicals

Theatre Now New York has announced the casts and creative teams of the 10 short musicals to be presented in its SOUND BITES ELEVEN Festival of 10-Minute Musicals. The festival will take place on May 6th at 7pm at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center (129 W 67th St, New York). 

Hosted by Ben Cameron (Wicked, Broadway Sessions), this year's eleventh annual SOUND BITES Festival of 10-Minute Musicals features a stellar cast of 30 including Jean Christian Barry (How to Dance in Ohio), Sam Gravitte (Wicked), Christine Heesun Hwang (Suffs), Kendyl Ito (Soft Power), Kristen Jeter (Book of Mormon), Sierra Rein (MAC and Bistro Award Winner), Devina Sabnis (Monsoon Wedding), and Heath Saunders (Company). Casting is by Erik Schark. Theatre Now's Artistic Director Tom Morrissey describes the event as "an incredible opportunity to experience the future of musical theatre, with both traditional and genre-bending shows that showcase the next generation of writers."

The 10 teams for this year's festival are:

A DOOR

Words by Seth Christenfeld, Music by James Ballard

An ordinary couple faces the ordinary problems of an ordinary Sunday: marital stagnation, who gets to do the New York Times crossword, and a mysterious portal opening in their backyard.

Director: Rachel Klein, Music Director: Bryan Blaskie

Featuring: Dana Aber-Torres, Katie Emerson, and Keith Varney

A PIECE OF THE PAST

Book, Music, & Lyrics by Brooke Trumm & Will Shishmanian

While making an apple pie, three generations of women try to recall pieces of their family history lost to their grandmother’s memory loss.

Director: Mack Brown

Featuring: Patricia M Lawrence, Andrea Prestinario, and Devina Sabnis

INPUT/OUTPUT

Music by Adam Rothenberg, Book & Lyrics by RJ Christian

A disgruntled anthropology professor seeks to prove the limitations of artificial intelligence with a live demonstration of software that feels uncannily human and takes an unexpected turn.

Director: Dalia Ashurina

Featuring: Christine Heesun Hwang and Heath Saunders

MAY I BE FRANK

Music by Jack Lipson, Book & Lyrics by Jessica Wu

Inspired by the short film ANNE by Adi Eshman

Two hopefuls vie for the title role in Anne, a new mega-musical.

Director: Jessica Wu

Featuring: Kendyl Ito and Jenna Lea Rosen

THE BIRTHMARK

Book & Lyrics by Kaylee Killingsworth, Music & Lyrics by Kenady Sean

Arranged by Rhett Hayes

Inspired by the short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a scientist grows obsessed with removing a mysterious birthmark from his wife’s cheek.

Director: Rachel Klein, Music Director: Halle Mitchell

Featuring: Jean Christian Barry, Zachary Crowle, and Kristen Jeter

THE COIN TOSS

Book, Music & Lyrics by Jake Landau

A person flips a coin to decide whether or not to text their ex, but the coin spirals up impossibly high into the sky and refuses to come back down — it is not the only thing spiraling.

Director: George Abud, Music Director: Melody Valdez

Featuring: Sam Gravitte

THE GREAT FALL

Music & Lyrics by Noah Weisbart, Book & Lyrics by John Sakelos

It’s such a beautiful day. What could possibly go wrong?

Director: John Sakelos and Noah Weisbart, Choreographer: Michael Sakelos, Music Director: George Luton

Featuring: Patty Irwin, Andrea J. Love, Connor Marsh, Maxime Prissert, John Sakelos, and Noah Weisbart

THE LATCHKEY KID

Book, Music & Lyrics by Katherine Cartusciello

In the fifteen minutes she has before her mother comes home, a girl goes on an adventure with her faithful dog companion, battling foes real and imaginary in order to finally face the Giant in the Sky.

Director: Thalia Ranjbar

Featuring: Alia Cuadros-Contreras, Lauren Genevieve, and Sierra Rein

THE PEARL OF THE EAST

Book, Music & Lyrics by Zonia Tsang

Set against the backdrop of the recent Hong Kong protests, a grandmother recounts the dangers she survived and the prices she paid to leave China during the Cultural Revolution.

Director: Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li

Featuring: Sarah Chiu, Mami Kimura, Hanh Nguyen, and Mandarin Wu

TIKTAALIK: THE MUSICAL

Book & Lyrics by Andrea J. Love, Music by Alex Ngo

Story by Andrea J. Love and Alex Ngo

It’s the Devonian Period — 375 million years ago — and one bold Tiktaalik is about to journey onto land for the very first time and change the course of evolution…right?

Director: Billy Eric Robinson

Featuring: Teresa Attridge, Patrick Swailes Caldwell, and Nicole Eve Goldstein

SOUND BITES ELEVEN is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional support is provided by Music Theatre International and A.R.T/NY. 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.

Tickets are on sale now at www.tix.com/ticket-sales/tnny/4464. For more information about Theatre Now New York, visit www.tnny.org.

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