TONY AWARD nominee SALLY MAYES and TARZAN's JOSH STRICKLAND will star in a new jazz musical 'PLAY IT COOL' at The New York Musical Theatre Festival from September 22 to October 4 at TBG Theatre, 312 West 36th Street.
The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) celebrates its fifth year with 24 full productions, a dance series, a developmental series, concerts and special events.
The New York Musical Theatre Festival, Sharon Carr and Richard Winkler present IDAHO! (www.IdahoMusical.com), a new American comedy musical with book, music and lyrics by Buddy Sheffield and music by Keith Thompson.
The New York Musical Theatre Festival (Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Executive Director and Producer) announces a 14 new musicals to be presented as part of the 5th annual Festival from September 15 through October 5, 2008 in New York City. The New York Musical Theatre Festival is the enormously popular three-week celebration that features the works of the newest generation of musical theatre writers. The 14 musicals listed below are joining the ten new musicals previously announced, which were chosen from NYMF's open-submission writer service program, The Next Link Project.
Village Theatre is pleased to announce its exciting director line-up for the 2008-2009 Mainstage Season.
Andrea Dymond, Resident Director of Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, will direct the new musical and season opener, Saint Heaven. Dymond comments, 'I'd originally directed an earlier version of Saint Heaven in a developmental workshop production, about five years ago, at the Stages Festival at Theatre Building Chicago. That's when I got to know Marty [Martin Casella, book writer] and Keith [Keith Gordon, lyricist and composer] who are every bit as gorgeous to work with as is their musical. I think Saint Heaven is unique in the fullness of its telling, the richness of its characters, and the variety of forms of deeply American music it uses to engage us in the story.' At Victory Gardens Theater, Dymond has staged a wealth of productions such as Gloria Bond Clunie's Shoes (Best Director nomination, Black Theatre Alliance) and Charles Smith's Free Man of Color (winner of the Jeff award for Best New Work).
Steve Tomkins, Artistic Director for Village Theatre is set to direct the charming Disney classic Beauty and the Beast. Tomkins gave his directorial debut at Village Theatre with the 1988 production of Gypsy. This upcoming season marks his sixteenth season as Artistic Director for Village Theatre.
David Ira Goldstein will direct Oscar Wilde's classic play The Importance of Being Earnest. 'I have been eager to direct Wilde's greatest comedy ever since I directed his earlier play A Woman of No Importance for the University of Washington School of Drama in 1994. If any play can invoke a spirit of pure pleasure for two hours, it is certainly Wilde's Earnest,' Goldstein comments. As artistic director of Arizona Theatre Company (ATC), Goldstein has received the 2003 Governor's Arts Award as Individual Artist for his contributions to the arts in Arizona. He has directed over 30 mainstage productions for ATC and has been a guest director across the country. Before living in Arizona, he was the associate Artistic Director of A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle.
Steve Tomkins will also take on the original work Stunt Girl this season. His last three new musical projects, which include Once Upon A Time in New Jersey (2006-2007), Girl of My Dreams (2005-2006), and The Ark (2002-2003), quickly became huge hits amongst Village Theatre audiences.
Lastly, Village Theatre is thrilled to announce Jerry Dixon as the director of the musical masterpiece, Show Boat. Dixon began his career as an actor with original Broadway cast performances in Once On This Island and Five Guys Named Moe, with other original roles in Bright Lights, Big City, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, new yorkers, and tick, tick…BOOM!. Dixon's directing credits vary and include tick, tick…BOOM! (Korea and Singapore), Crowns (Kalamazoo Civic), and concerts and special events for Tony winner LaChanze, recording artist Raúl Midón, Carnegie Hall, and the Belgium National Symphony. Dixon's directorial work was last seen at Village Theatre in 2007, when he was brought from New York to direct the Village Originals production of Barnstormer.
On April 14, 2008 GAYFEST NYC hosted a major fundraising event as a kick-off for this year's Festival and a benefit for the Harvey Milk High School scholarship fund. The evening included a performance by Emmy Award-winning actor Leslie Jordan and was be held at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10036, with a reception following.
Village Theatre announces its 2008-2009 Mainstage Season, comprised of five shows that explore the perils of young love and the thrill of a great story.
Play It Cool, the acclaimed new jazz musical will presented in two special industry readings in New York City, on Friday, October 19 and Monday, October 22. Both readings are at 2PM. Sharon Rosen directs.
The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) and Executive Director Kathy Evans announced the casts and directors of the eight musicals for its 19th Annual Festival of New Musicals to be held at New World Stages (340 West 50th St between 8th and 9th Avenues) on Sunday, October 7 and Monday, October 8, 2007.
A kick-off cocktail party was recently held for GAYFEST NYC, a festival of new plays and musicals, that will be presented at the TBG Arts Center, May 9 - June 2, 2007.
Stephen Henry's acclaimed production of The Irish Curse, which recently had its European Premiere at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, will transfer to London's King's Head Theatre for a six-week limited engagement beginning January 16th, 2007.
Tony Award-winner Chuck Cooper will star with Deborah Gibson in Saint Heaven, a world premiere musical that will run from June 1st through 11th Stamford Center for the Arts' Rich Forum in Stamford, CT
