Judges Announced for SOUND BITES 5.0

Theatre Now New York is pleased to announce the finalized judging panel for SOUND BITES 5.0, the Fifth Annual Festival of 10-Minute Musicals. This one-night only event showcases ten new musicals of up-and-coming musical theatre writing teams.

The judges for SOUND BITES 5.0 will include Kristy Cates (Creative Director of Musical Theatre Department at NYFA; Broadway: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, Wicked), Ken Cerniglia (Dramaturg and Literary Manager at Disney Theatrical Group), Ciera Iveson (New Works Director at National Alliance for Musical Theatre), Casey McLain (Director of Operations at Samuel French, Inc.), Broadway and Off-Broadway Producer Matt Murphy (Sex Tips For Straight Women from a Gay Man, Side Show revival, Memphis, Berenstain Bears Live!), Director Stephen Nachamie (Broadway: She Loves Me '16 revival, Associate Director; Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Olney Theatre Center, Penguin Rep Theatre, Hudson Stage Company, Capital Repertory Theatre), and Off-Broadway Producer Zach Zamchik (Beat the Bomb, The Bad Years, Rocking Dead).

After a record-breaking amount of submissions this year, the SOUND BITES 5.0 Adjudication Committee chose the top ten musicals. These ten finalists in SOUND BITES 5.0 will compete for top festival honors, including Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Book, Best Choreography, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Music, and Best Lyrics. The award winners will be determined by votes from our judging panel of industry professionals. The audience will also vote for their favorite musical, which will earn the coveted Audience Choice Award. A musical is not limited on the number of awards it can receive.

SOUND BITES 5.0 will take place on May 28, 2018 (Memorial Day) at 7:00pm on The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036. Tickets are $25, $35, and $45. Tickets can be purchased on www.tnny.org or by phone, 855-254-SHOW [7469]. The proceeds of SOUND BITES 5.0 will go to the creation and development of new musicals.

Producing SOUND BITES 5.0 is Theatre Now New York Artistic Director, Thomas Morrissey, who has helped develop and produce new plays and musicals, including the East Coast Premiere of Kingdom, the world premiere of The Last Sunday in June, and the East Coast Premiere of The Break-Up Notebook, Chris Giordano, Theatre Now New York Managing Director, who co-produced last year's SOUND BITES 4.0 and TNNY's Rotating Rep Series, which included musicals: We Have Apples, Kragtar: An American Monster Musical, and Thicket & Thistle's What's Your Wish?, and Stephen Bishop Seely, Theatre Now New York Literary Manager, who has helped develop several Off-Broadway and Broadway shows including Disney's Tarzan, Rock Wilk's Broke Wide Open, Rock Wilk's Brooklyn Quartet, and 8 Million Protagonists.

The mission of Theatre Now New York is to facilitate the creation and development of new theatrical works, the reimagining of previously produced known titles and the reinterpretation of classic works through readings, productions, workshops and work-in-progress presentations, and to promote the understanding and appreciation of live theatre and its process by the general public. TNNY provides opportunities for emerging, mid-career and established theatre professionals in their ongoing creative process. In keeping with this mission, SOUND BITES' goal is to seek out and cultivate new writers and composers and develop new musicals.