'Ward 9' Presented by NYMF Starting 9/18 at Movement & Arts Center

“Ward 9” is being presented as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street (bet Amsterdam Ave. & 11th Ave.). The story is by Gregory Victor and Matt Williams, with music by Ludwig Van Beethoven; choreographed by Matt Williams and directed by Mark Robinson & Matt Williams.  Emily Miller is the producer of the new musical production which has set design is by Edward Pierce; costume design by Dana Embree, lighting design by Susan Nicholson and projection design by Chris Kateff.  The cast includes Matt Baker, Alexander Brady, Kate Chadwick, Trey Gillian, David Guggino, Tiffany Howard, Kelly Jacobs, Travis Magee, Sal Mistretta, John Paolillo, Ashley Anne Russ and Michael Scirrotto.  Performances are: Thursday, September 18 at 8pm; Saturday, 9/20 at 5pm, Sunday, 9/21 at 1pm and 7pm. Tickets are on sale for $20 at www.nymf.org or (212) 352-3101.    http://www.nymf.org/Show-888.html

“Ward 9” is set to an all-Beethoven score.  It is an exhilarating, tragicomical story told entirely through dance. Committed to this mythic asylum are history's most notoriously insane artists and intellectuals, including: Vincent van Gogh, Howard Hughes, Vivien Leigh, Bobby Fischer, Sylvia Plath, Ludwig Van Beethoven and Vaslav Nijinsky! See what happens when they clash with the Head Nurse as she attempts to "cure" them of their creative madness. But will she do more harm than good? Is their madness the key to their genius? Straitjackets, padded rooms, and electric shock treatment are the orders of the day. Strap yourself in and get committed, because it's medication time on WARD 9!

Matt Williams received the 2007 NYMF Award for Best choreography for “Platforms”. He is the resident choreographer for the New England Tour of Circus Smirkus, and is also a resident co-producer for the Broadway choreographic showcase “Dancebreak”. Matt’s choreography debuted at the Tony-Award winning Alley Theatre in Scott Schwartz’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing.”  On Broadway, Matt interned for and assisted Jerry Mitchell on the revival of “Gypsy”. His choreography has also appeared at Lincoln Center, Irish Reparatory Theatre, La Mama, The Rubicon Theatre, and the Stamford Center for the Arts. Matt also holds the title of “Big Piano Choreographer” at FAO Schwarz Toy Store in NYC where he continually recreates and reinvents the world famous piano dancing scene from the hit film “Big.”

Greg Victor is an historian, a dramaturge, and a stage manager; who studied dance working at the Joffrey Ballet as assistant to Gerald Arpino. On Broadway and on tour he has stage managed; “Movin’ Out”, “Footloose”, “Swing!”, “The Music Man”, “A Chorus Line”, “Aida”, and “Monty Python's Spamalot.” He was also the dramaturge for the Twyla Tharp/Billy Joel musical “Movin’ Out”, as well a casting associate for the Broadway and National Touring productions. He is also an artistic associate for Rasta Thomas' dance company, The Bad Boys of Dance. He is currently working on a project for the Jerome Robbins Foundation, which will be a published reference Catalogue detailing the entirety of Mr. Robbins’ creative output.

Mark Robinson for Disney Theatricals, directed the world premiere of “Aida - School Edition.” Some other musicals include the midwest premiere of “Zombies from the Beyond,” the first licensed production of the new Irving Berlin musical “I Love A Piano!” (Best Director: Arizona Theatre Award), TheatreMemphis' season-opening productions of “Hello, Dolly!” and “A Little Night Music”, as well as numerous regional shows such as:  “The Pajama Game”, “Camelot”, “The Last 5 Years,” “The Cripple of Inishman,” and others. He also directed “Jitter,” “Heroes,” “Big Kids,” and “Don't Ask” (Winner Best Director - NY Fringe Festival 2006). He is an associate artist with Florida's Seaside Rep. Mark serves as an Associate Producer of DanceBreak. He is a founding member of the First Look Theatre Company, Outrageous Fortune Theatre Workshop (formerly Circle Rep.), and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s Artists’ Action Committee advisory panel.

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