York Theater Company Announces 4@15 Musicals On 1/25

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) is thrilled to announce the presentation of four brand new 15-minute musicals. The York has partnered with the Program in Vocal Performance/Musical Theatre at NYU's Steinhardt School, inviting four writing teams to write four separate mini-musicals with a cast of eight college students. York's Associate Artistic Director, Brian Blythe, directs; Tammy Holder music directs. The four musicals are:

AN ORCHESTRA IMAGINED: In Four Invisible Movements
Words by Sophia Chapadjiev, Music by Julianne Wick Davis
Imagine that music were something you could hold in your hand. Like a baby. Or a love letter. How much would it weigh? If you licked it like a tootsie pop, how long would it last? An Orchestra Imagined: In Four Invisible Movements for Eight Instrument-less Instrumentalists takes a look at the rituals, the nightmares and the music within the musician.

With Elizabeth Aylsworth, Shannon Collins, Jessica Hearn, Nick Luckenbaugh, Bryna O'Neill, Maria Sims, Tyler Stein, Alex Yacovelli

CHANGING TIMES
Book, Music & Lyrics by Timothy Huang
Reese Tyler, an avante garde visual artist suffers a creative block during his residency at the Standhaven Artist colony. Somewhere between the oddball staff and his even more bizarre fellow colonists, Reese discovers that while some things in the world will never change, some things absolutely must.

With Kristen daCosta, Sarah Folsom, Gillian Greenbaum, Chris Ketner, Cynthia Lanzas, Michael Montalbano, Nicole Pagnotta, Nic Rouleau

HIGH SCHOOL SUCKS: A Cinderella Story
Book, Music & Lyrics by Rick Hip-Flores

High School Sucks: A Cinderella Story turns the classic fairy tale upside-down, as students from two Upper East Side high schools gear up for the their annual Springtime Formal. Eddy, a geek who writes songs, gets a little help from his fairy godmothering drama teacher to get to the ball. But how will he win the heart of the most popular girl?

With Cristina Ambrose, Caitlyn Caughell, Madeline Fallier, Freddi Mack, Jordan Person, Harrison Post, Jeff Raab, Roy Richardson

THE WAKE
A Modern Gospel-Country-Folk Melodrama-Opera
Book by Russell M. Kaplan & Sara Wordsworth
Music by Russell M. Kaplan, Lyrics by Sara Wordsworth
A tragic death. A bitter widow. A Southern wake. Five mysterious women in dark glasses. Fifteen minutes. Hijinks ensue.

With Meghan Cork, Marco Cuoco, Jenna Jacobs, Amanda Pupo-Mayo, Ashley Sweetman, Rebecca Vogel, Melanie Weisner, Gregory Williams

The works-in-progress will be staged at the York Theatre in Saint Peters Church (just east of Lexington Ave on E. 54th Street) on Sunday, January 25th at 7 PM and 9:30 PM. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 with valid student ID and can be reserved (CASH ONLY) by calling 212-935-5824 ext. 21.

Sunday, January 25 at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM
The York Theatre at East 54th just east of Lex. (in St. Peter's Church)

Tickets ($10.00; $5.00 with student ID) reserved at 212.935.5824 ext. 21; cash only

The Steinhardt School's program in Vocal Performance (William Wesbrooks, Director; Meg Bussert, Master Teacher) offers music-based training for a career in music theatre performance. The curriculum is designed for the serious young musician who is seeking a program that fully integrates the study of voice with the study of acting. The program is committed to the traditions of classically-based vocal training while at the same time allowing a student to explore the demanding repertoire that is expected of professional singers in today's ever-expanding world of music theatre performance.

The York Theatre Company (winner of a special Drama Desk Award for developing and producing new musical theatre) is the only theater in New York City-and one of very few in the world-dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals, as well as preserving gems from the past. For almost four decades, York's intimate, imaginative style of producing both original and rarely seen classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike. Under the guidance of Artistic Director James Morgan since 1997, the York has focused exclusively on new musicals in its Mainstage Series-most of them world, American or NYC premieres-by some of the field's most esteemed creators, and has also helped launch the careers of many talented new writers. The York's Developmental Reading Series, which presents nearly 40 free readings of new musicals every year, was the incubator for the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit Avenue Q, among many other significant shows.