Photo Flash: In Rehearsal with THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA at NYMF

The 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival and Angel Wings NYC present the New York premiere of THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA, an original new musical set against the backdrop of a Depression era family circus. THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA is an official selection of the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival and will play The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street) in Manhattan beginning July 12th, 2013 for 5 performances only. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the show in rehearsal!

Ollie Blatsky, a hobo clown, returns to the DeLuna Family Circus after many years adrift. He finds the circus has been taken over by a shifty magician, and the love of his life, Angel DeLuna, living in a fragile memory of her past. When a stranger arrives to dismantle Angel's beloved family carousel, long buried secrets of Ollie and Angel's history emerge. With live trapeze acts and circus performers, THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA will remind you why the human spirit is undefeatable and love is worth every risk.

The creative and design team behind THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA is: West Hyler (Director), Larry Pressgrove (Musical Director, Orchestrations),Judylynn Schmidt (Book & Lyrics), Lee Ellis (Music & Lyrics), Kate Griffler (Choreography), Jess Glover (Music Supervisor, Arranger), Jason A. Quinn (Stage Manager), Kacie Hultgren (Set Design), Andrew Keister (Sound Design), Lee J. Austin (Costume Design) and Zach Blane (Lighting Design).

The cast of THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA will feature Michael Thomas Holmes (Broadway: "Oklahoma!"), Paul C. Kelly, Zal Owen (National Tour: "Fiddler on the Roof"), Nicholas Kohn (Broadway/Current: "Avenue Q"), Matt Baker (Guthrie: "Roman Holiday"), trapeze star and half of the world-famous "Wau Wau Sisters" Tanya Gagne, Aidan O'Shea ("Humor Abuse"), Amy Shure (current member "2 Ring Circus"), Jena VanElslander ("Zelda: An American Love Story"), Matt Wilson ("One Life to Live"), and featuring Patty Nieman in the title role of "Angel DeLuna."

West Hyler (Director) Broadway: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Jersey Boys" (both Associate Director). As Associate Director of "Jersey Boys" he set up international productions of the show over 5 continents. New York: NYMF ("Flambé Dreams"), The Big Apple Circus ("Legendarium"), Ars Nova, The York Theater Company, Primary Stages, Playwrights Horizons. Regional: Colony Theater, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Upstate Shakespeare Festival, Warehouse Theater and the O'Neill Conference as the director of Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford's "I'm Still Getting My Act Together."

The Pershing Square Signature Center is the official hub of The New York Musical Theatre Festival. The performance schedule for THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA is as follows: Friday, July 12 at 8pm; Saturday, July 13 at 9pm; Tuesday, July 16 at 5pm; Tuesday, July 16 at 9pm; and Wednesday, July 17 at 1pm at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). Tickets are general admission and can be purchased at www.NYMF.org. Membership packages to purchase tickets for multiple shows are also available.

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski.

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