Joseph-Vernon Banks News

The 60s sci-fi immersive musical comedy Wild Women of Planet Wongo, a wacky B-movie inspired sci-fi comedy about two astronauts that land on a planet of beautiful warrior women who have never seen men, is returning to New York after its successful Brooklyn run last year.

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company will open its 40th annual tour August 6 with 'Election Selection, or You Bet!,' a rip-roaring musical in which three everyday New Yorkers are galvanized into community activists. Free performances will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs through September 18. Book, lyrics and direction are by Crystal Field; the musical score is composed and arranged by Joseph Vernon Banks. (Schedule follows at bottom of this document.)

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company opened its 39th annual tour August 8 with 'Teach It Right, or, Right to Teach,' a rip-roaring musical which tackles the challenges and struggles facing public education in NYC. Free performances will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs through September 20. Book, lyrics and direction are by Crystal Field; the musical score is composed and arranged by Joseph Vernon Banks. Scroll down for an updated schedule!

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company opens its 39th annual tour today, August 8, with 'Teach It Right, or, Right to Teach,' a rip-roaring musical which tackles the challenges and struggles facing public education in NYC.

 Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company opens its 39th annual tour August 8 with 'Teach It Right, or, Right to Teach,' a rip-roaring musical which tackles the challenges and struggles facing public education in NYC. Free performances will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs through September 20. Book, lyrics and direction are by Crystal Field; the musical score is composed and arranged by Joseph Vernon Banks. (Schedule follows at bottom of this document.)

The original 1960's inspired sci-fi musical WILD WOMEN OF PLANET WONGO gets an immersive, dance-party infused production beginning June 11. This theatrical extravaganza will transform the bar and gallery space of Bushwick's Brooklyn Fireproof into Planet Wongo where audience members can dance, interact with sexy alien beings and be part of the show. Wongo is based on a concept by Ben Budick with music by Dave Ogrin, lyrics by Ben Budick, Steve Mackes and Dave Ogrin and a book by Steve Mackes. David Rigano directs. Performances begin June 11.

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company opens its 38th annual tour today, August 2 with 'EMERGENCY!!! or The World Takes A Selfie,' a rip-roaring outdoor musical comedy about a New York EMT worker on a workingman's grand tour of the world, who decides to tackle global problems the way he does emergencies of his NYC beat.

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company opens its 38th annual tour August 2 with 'EMERGENCY!!! or The World Takes A Selfie,' a rip-roaring outdoor musical comedy about a New York EMT worker on a workingman's grand tour of the world, who decides to tackle global problems the way he does emergencies of his NYC beat. Free performances will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs through September 14. The piece has book, lyrics and direction by Crystal Field and musical score composed by Joseph Vernon Banks.

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company opens its 37th annual tour today, August 3 with 'Sanitation, or Off the Grid,' a rip-roaring musical which will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs through September 15. The production, free to all New Yorkers, will have book, lyrics and direction by Crystal Field and musical score composed by Joseph Vernon Banks. (Schedule follows at bottom of this document.)

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) presents Madam Walker and the Divine Dream. Performances will take place on July 10th at 3:00PM & 7:00PM and July 13th at 8:00PM at The Studio at Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street). Starring Jennifer Fouche* (Off-Broadway's Sistas), Angela Grovey* (Broadway's Leap of Faith), two time Audelco Award Winner Juson Williams*, Kenya Lee*, Cheryl Gadsden, Annie Lee Moffett*, Carrie Compere* (Broadway bound Holler If You Hear Me, National tourShrek the Musical), Audelco nominated chandra thomas*, and Michael Roberts* (National and International tour West Side Story, Dreamgirls) . The book and lyrics are written by Steve Mackes and music by Joseph-Vernon Banks. Kevin Ray serves as music director and Bayo is stage manager.

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company opens its 37th annual tour August 3 with 'Sanitation, or Off the Grid,' a rip-roaring musical which will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs through September 15. The production, free to all New Yorkers, will have book, lyrics and direction by Crystal Field and musical score composed by Joseph Vernon Banks. (Schedule follows at bottom of this document.)

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced the lineup of special events, concerts, student productions, and free developmental readings for its 10th annual festival. The festival also announced three additional full productions. This year's Festival will begin July 8th and continue through July 28th.

Theater for the New City 's 2012 Street Theater tour, '99% 'Reduced Fat, or, You Can Bank On Us,' an operetta for the Street with book, lyrics and direction by Crystal Field and score by Joseph Vernon Banks, will now appear at 6:30 PM (instead of 8:00 PM) tonight, August 17 at Coney Island Boardwalk (at West 10th Street), Brooklyn. The alteration was made in response to revised sound permit regulations.

Theater for the New City 's 2012 Street Theater tour, '99% 'Reduced Fat, or, You Can Bank On Us,' an operetta for the Street with book, lyrics and direction by Crystal Field and score by Joseph Vernon Banks, will now appear at 6:30 PM (instead of 8:00 PM) on Friday, August 17 at Coney Island Boardwalk (at West 10th Street), Brooklyn. The alteration was made in response to revised sound permit regulations.

A gang member learns to fight for his community and morphs into a civic leader in '99% 'Reduced Fat, or, You Can Bank On Us,' Theater for the New City's 36th annual Street Theater musical, which will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs from tonight, August 4 to September 16 in free performances.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival Developmental Reading Series presents The Sugar Hill Sisters, a new musical with book and lyrics by the Lambda and Stonewall Award-winning Bil Wright and music by Joseph-Vernon Banks (Girlfriends!). The reading will be directed by Jade King Carroll (Assoc. director of Broadway's current revival of A Streetcar Named Desire) with music direction by GLAAD Award nominee Dionne McClain-Freeney Kasey Ostopchuck (4000 Miles) will be stage managing.

A gang member learns to fight for his community and morphs into a civic leader in '99% 'Reduced Fat, or, You Can Bank On Us,' Theater for the New City's 36th annual Street Theater musical, which will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs from August 4 to September 16 in free performances. It's the saga of a tough young man named B.C., known for stealing tires and bullying store owners, who falls for Suzy Freedom, a young and oh-so-innocent activist in Zuccotti Park. Guided by her dreams, he abandons hooliganism to become a community organizer. The production will have book, lyrics and direction by Crystal Field and musical score composed by Joseph Vernon Banks.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced their full slate of partner events and readings for their ninth annual festival. This year's Festival will begin July 9th and continue through July 29th.

This weekend continues the run of our Street Theater tour, BAMBOOZLED, or, THE REAL REALITY SHOW. This weekend, we have three performances, beginning on Friday Evening at the Coney Island Boardwalk.

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company opens its 35th annual tour August 6 with 'Bamboozled, or The Real Reality Show,' a rip-roaring musical which will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs through September 18.