New York Musical Theatre Festival News

Daisy Eagan, who is the youngest actress to ever win a Tony Award, will make her long awaited return to the New York stage in the new musical Ghostlight. According to press notes 'Ghostlight excavates the true story of Olive Thomas, a small-town girl who rises to headline alongside Fanny Brice in the Ziegfeld Follies. Seduced by the decadent world of the theater, Olive stumbles into a secret affair, an unfulfilling Hollywood marriage, and a downward spiral into drugs and alcohol. An homage to Broadway's Golden Age, Ghostlight captures the glamorous and tragic lives of those who changed the face of the American musical forever.' Eagan will play the role of Molly Cook, Olive's best friend and fellow showgirl, who ultimately unleashes a major secret.

If the Vineyard Theatre's Off-Broadway production of [title of show] had concluded its run in 1986, or even 1996, the story of the musical where composer/lyricist Jeff Bowen and bookwriter Hunter Bell played themselves creating the musical that the audience was watching most likely would have ended right there. But it was October or 2006...

Classic Stage Company's acclaimed production of UNNATURAL ACTS, a new play created by members of the Plastic Theatre, conceived and directed by Tony Speciale, will close on Sunday, July 31 at CSC (136 East 13th Street).

Theatre Under The Stars' (TUTS) Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HSMT) will develop and present the Southwest regional premiere of VOTE! A New Musical, a high-energy musical that takes a look at the good, the bad, and the funny of high school student council elections.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced a full slate of musical productions, a developmental reading series and special events for their eighth annual festival. This year's Festival will begin September 26th and continue through October 16th.

Village Theatre announces the official selections of the Village Originals 11th Annual Festival of New Musicals, taking place August 12-14, 2011 at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah, Wash. This is an invitation-only event.

On Monday, June 25, 2011, New York Theatre Barn will present its monthly platform, now in its 4th year, for emerging musical theatre writers at The Duplex (the series usually plays the Daryl Roth D-Lounge, by will play The Duplex for the summer). Featured writers for the July 25th installment include Mark Sutton Smith (Stand By The River), and Daniel Green. Executive Producers for NYTB in the D-Lounge are Laura Brandel and Karen Marshall.

Classic Stage Company's acclaimed production of UNNATURAL ACTS, a new play created by members of the Plastic Theatre, conceived and directed by Tony Speciale is set to close July 24 at CSC (136 East 13th Street). New York Magazine called UNNATURAL ACTS 'remarkable, sleek and brutal' and said 'the play offers damning lessons in power, persecution and solidarity - or lack thereof.' Variety raved 'UNNATURAL ACTS is riveting and fascinating' with 'stunning theatricality.' The Associated Press called UNNATURALS ACTS 'powerfully riveting' and said 'Speciale has staged this engrossing story with flair and impressive theatricality, employing a company of extremely talented actors. In a riveting series of increasingly charged vignettes, he unspools a story of prejudice, intimidation, friendship, fear and betrayal that displays the crushing effect of societally-approved homophobia.' And The Daily News wrote 'Speciale's production is stylish and stirring, and beautiful.'

On Monday, June 25, 2011, New York Theatre Barn will present its monthly platform, now in its 4th year, for emerging musical theatre writers at The Duplex (the series usually plays the Daryl Roth D-Lounge, by will play The Duplex for the summer). Featured writers for the July 25th installment include Mark Sutton Smith (Stand By The River), and Daniel Green. Executive Producers for NYTB in the D-Lounge are Laura Brandel and Karen Marshall.

Village Theatre announces the return of the new musical CLOAKED to the organization's nationally renowned new works program, Village Originals. CLOAKED is the first Village Theatre developmental production to be produced at the newly reconstructed First Stage Theatre, and it will run August 12-21, 2011-it is open to the public.

Due to extraordinary demand, Classic Stage Company's acclaimed production of UNNATURAL ACTS, a new play created by members of the Plastic Theatre, conceived and directed by Tony Speciale, will extend for one final week through Sunday, July 31 at CSC (136 East 13th Street).

I Got Fired, the 2010 New York Musical Theatre (NYMF) selection to The 2011 Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) in Daegu, South Korea has been awarded The Best International Musical Prize at The Festival.

Moldy Fig Productions, LLC and the creative team of The Last Word are proud to congratulate the winner of its 'Naming A NYMF Production' contest held on Facebook and Twitter, Colleen Jasinski! Colleen posted her title suggestion Central Avenue Breakdown on the show's Facebook page.

Classic Stage Company's acclaimed production of UNNATURAL ACTS, a new play created by members of the Plastic Theatre, conceived and directed by Tony Speciale, will close on Sunday, July 17 at CSC (136 East 13th Street).

UnsungMusicalsCo. Inc. (www.UnsungMusicals.org) announces the world premiere of the original score from Gatsby at the Peter Norton Space (555 West 42nd Street) on September 30 at 7pm and 10pm as part of the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival offers internships in a variety of fields allowing interns to learn about not-for-profit theatre through active participation in a small, open-office environment.

This summer, California youth and the Pasadena Musical Theatre Program (est. 1995) will workshop Ryan Scott Oliver's brand new Jasper in Deadland, August 5 and 6. 'Jasper in Deadland tells the story of 16-year-old Jasper, who loses his best friend Agnes and travels into the afterlife to retrieve her. But this afterlife-'Deadland'-is some kind of freakish, a hybrid of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse and Judeo-Christian mythologies, divided into seven 'circles' where Jasper encounters Cerberus, the demoness Ammut, Loki and his daughter Hel, a psychotic redneck named The Chuckster, and the ever mysterious Mr. Lethe. Will Jasper retrieve his best friend Agnes? Or will he join the Dead forever?'

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced the next round of invited musical productions, a developmental reading series and special events for their eighth annual festival. This year's Festival will begin September 26th and continue through October 16th. A breakdown of newly added performances for this year follows.

Classic Stage Company's acclaimed production of UNNATURAL ACTS, a new play created by members of the Plastic Theatre, conceived and directed by Tony Speciale, will extend by popular demand for one additional and final week through Sunday, July 24 at CSC (136 East 13th Street). New York Magazine called UNNATURAL ACTS 'remarkable, sleek and brutal' and said 'the play offers damning lessons in power, persecution and solidarity - or lack thereof.' Variety raved 'UNNATURAL ACTS is riveting and fascinating' with 'stunning theatricality.' The Associated Press called UNNATURALS ACTS 'powerfully riveting' and said 'Speciale has staged this engrossing story with flair and impressive theatricality, employing a company of extremely talented actors. In a riveting series of increasingly charged vignettes, he unspools a story of prejudice, intimidation, friendship, fear and betrayal that displays the crushing effect of societally-approved homophobia.' And The Daily News wrote 'Speciale's production is stylish and stirring, and beautiful.'

Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, will present UNNATURAL ACTS, a new play created by members of the Plastic Theatre, conceived and directed by Tony Speciale, as the final offering of its triumphant 2010-11 season. Based on the real-life story of Harvard's 'Secret Court' of 1920, UNNATURAL ACTS will conclude performances Sunday July 10 at CSC (136 East 13th Street).