New York Theatre Barn Awards 2017 IMPACT Award To New Musical EASTBOUND

New York Theatre Barn has awarded the writers of the new musical Eastbound the annual IMPACT Award. Eastbound has book and music by Cheeyang Ng and book and lyrics by Khiyon Hursey.

The annual IMPACT award recognizes a pre-premiere from Theatre Barn's New Works Series that had the greatest impact on the world, our theatre community and society. Eastbound follows the journey of two Chinese brothers who were separated at birth. Calvin, diagnosed with leukemia, travels to China in search of his biological family in a fight to survive. Yun travels to America to escape societal expectations in China. Through their intertwined quests for survival and acceptance, we discover how different cultures deal with loss, sexuality, disease, and what it means to be a family. Told through the soundscape of a contemporary score amalgamated with traditional Eastern sounds, Eastbound is performed in English and Mandarin with a diverse cast.

"New York Theatre Barn chose Eastbound because it showcases a culture that is rarely seen in the American Musical Theatre. The integration of multiple languages and innovative supertitles challenges our perception of communication in musical theatre storytelling," said Joe Barros, Artistic Director, New York Theatre Barn. "The company will continue to incubate and develop the musical throughout the year, and we will produce a developmental production in November of 2018." Sam's Room, inspired by real stories of nonverbal teens who find a way to communicate, was the recipient of the 2016 IMPACT Award which culminated in a developmental production last fall.

Eastbound is currently in residency with Musical Theatre Factory and will have presentations this weekend: Saturday, February 10th at 8pm; Sunday, February 11th at 3pm; and Monday, February 12th at 2pm & 7pm. The presentations will take place at Playwrights Horizons Theater School, located at 440 Lafayette Street 3rd Floor. For tickets: www.mtf.nyc.

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. Our stories are inspired by the lives of real people and actual events that challenge our preconceived ideas, and promote inclusion and positive social change. For more information: www.nytheatrebarn.org.