New Musicals By Debra Barsha, Sheilah Rae, & Brad Ross To Dance In New York Theatre Barn's Choreography Lab

The fifth season of New York Theatre Barn's Choreography Lab concludes on Monday, December 3rd, 2018 at 2pm at The Cell. Funded in part by a generous gift from the Amber Foundation, The Choreography Lab was created to elevate and expand the use of dance in musical theatre. It is also the only curated choreography platform where choreographers and writers collaborate to develop movement for new musicals during incubation. Director/Choreographer Shea Sullivan (R.R.R.E.D., Pageant!) will serve as the lab's guest moderator.

On December 3rd, The Choreography Lab will present its annual WILD CARD lab, which explores new and diverse programming from season to season. In this installment, three choreographers will workshop ten-minute segments of two new musicals, which include: The Helena Project written by Debra Barsha (Radiant Baby, A Taste of Things to Come) and Sheilah Rae (The Belle of Tombstone), and Passing written by Artistic Director Joe Barros, lab curator Avital Asuleen, and Brad Ross (Little By Little). Hector Flores joins Asuleen and Barros as the featured choreographers. The performers include Owen Beans, Ruby Berube, David Bevis, Vinny Celeiro, Hector Flores, Becca Fox, Mark Heitzman, Alyssa Fuhrman, Rino Kamimura, Jessi Lawyer, Samantha Lawton, Sandy Shelton, Tina Stafford (Once, National Tour), Brittany Testone, and Miranda West. Casting is by Eisenberg/Beans Casting? (Daryl Eisenberg,CSA?; Ally Beans, CSA).

The Choreography Lab's programming supports choreographer development, fosters collaboration between writers and choreographers earlier in the creative process, and serves as an educational forum where all parties can strengthen and specify how dance can be used to convey story and character. Lab consultants are Adolpho Blaire and Christopher Noffke. Past moderators have included choreographer Edie Cowan, director/choreographer Gerry McIntrye, DanceBreak creator Melinda Atwood, writer/director Marc Acito, and director Richard Sabellico.

The Cell is located at 338 West 23rd Street in New York City. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, and can be purchased on New York Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org. Seating is limited.

Under the artistic direction of Joe Barros, New York Theatre Barn is a Manhattan-based non-profit theatre company, founded in 2007, dedicated to incubating and producing new musicals that tell untold stories. Inspired by the lives of real people and actual events, our stories promote inclusion, diversity, and positive social change. For more information: www.nytheatrebarn.org.

Photo via NYTB