UnsungMusicalsCo Presents Limited Run of 45 MINUTES FROM COONTOWN

UnsungMusicalsCo. presents the new documentary musical 45 Minutes from Coontown, created, written and performed by Ben West, the founder of UMC and a 2017 recipient of Lincoln Center's Martin E. Segal Award, with musical continuity and arrangements by Fran Minarik, and direction and musical staging by Parker Esse. 45 Minutes from Coontown is a celebration of black musical theatre, tracing its history from the late-1800s through 1999, and featuring more than 30 songs almost exclusively by black writers. Developed over more than four years, with more than 20 archives in more than 10 states, 45 Minutes from Coontown documents the story of an art form that grew amidst a nation's racial prejudice, and the many African-American authors who not only furthered the form itself but were also instrumental in the development of the American popular song.

The new documentary musical 45 Minutes from Coontown will premiere for FIVE PERFORMANCES ONLY: Thursday, September 12, 2019 through Sunday afternoon, September 15, 2019 at The York Theatre Company's Theatre at Saint Peter's (619 Lexington Avenue, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). NOW ON SALE, single tickets start at $45, and may be purchased by visiting UnsungMusicals.org. Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission. Warning: This documentary musical contains mature, historically accurate themes.

The creative team for 45 Minutes from Coontown includes music direction by Evan Zavada, lighting design by Joe Hodge, projection design by Lianne Arnold, and costume design by Gail Baldoni. The Stage Manager is John Carpentier.

45 Minutes from Coontown is the second installment in The Show Time! Trilogy, a trio of documentary musicals charting the evolution and cultural impact of the American musical. The first installment, Show Time! The First 100 Years of the American Musical, premiered last September at The York Theatre Company's Theatre at Saint Peter's under the direction of Shannon Lewis. The third installment will be 68 Ways to Go - premiering in 2020 - a celebration and history of female musical theatre writers from Clare Kummer and Anne Caldwell in the early-1900s to the emergence of Jeanine Tesori in the 1990s. 68 Ways to Go will feature more than 30 songs with lyrics and/or music written by a woman.

For more information, visit UnsungMusicals.org

Photo by Kris Rogers

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