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IN THIS ISSUE:
Amas Musical Theatre - Hip-Hop Cinderella
Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music - 5 x 15: Five World Premiere Fifteen-Minute Musicals
Broadway On Demand - Anna Karenina, Xcalibur and The Pirates of Penzance
Broadway Rose - The Story of My Life (Fest '07)
Cardinal Stage - Ordinary Days (Fest '08)
Michael Cooper - Marguerite Cast Album
New York Theatre Barn - Nothing to See Here and The Lesson
Porchlight Music Theatre - Sondheim @ 90 Roundtable
Theatre Under the Stars - Spotlight Webcast: Jennifer Holliday
Uptown Players - Application Pending
Spencer Williams - Musicals With Impact Podcast
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AMAS MUSICAL THEATRE'S HIP-HOP CINDERELLA NOW EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 28TH
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Beamed directly from the planet Centra, the new intergalactic musical, Hip Hop Cinderella: A New Musical has been extended a SECOND time, and will be available to stream through February 28th. Watch for a rapping robot who can open quantum portals, an interplanetary rap competition, family squabbles, and a hyper-partying Prince. Our space-age Cinderella certainly has her work cut out for her!
Propelled with music and lyrics by Rona Siddiqui, book by Scott Elmegreen, and based on a treatment by Linda Chichester and NAMT Associate Member David Coffman (Fest '98, Blackbirds of Broadway.) Click here for more information.
*NEW: NAMT members can enjoy $10 off their ticket price with promo code "amas10" (all lower case.)
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BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC PREMIERES FIVE MUSICALS FROM NAMT'S 15-MINUTE MUSICAL CHALLENGE
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The tenth collaborative partnership of Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre Program and Beck Center for the Arts brings you the winners of National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s 15-Minute Musical Challenge in 5 x 15: Five World Premiere Fifteen-Minute Musicals, a virtual production.
In the press release for project, NAMT Executive Director, Betsy King Militello shared: “In all times, but especially challenging times, we believe that musical theatre has the power to elevate the human experience and uplift each other. The 15-Minute Musical Challenge, inspired and supported by the Alhadaff Family Charitable Foundation, was developed to inspire creativity during the early days of social distancing. We are thrilled to see five of the winning musicals see further development with Beck Center for the Arts and Baldwin Wallace University."
Submissions of completed 15-minute musicals or 15 minutes of a new full-length project were submitted to NAMT in May 2020. The winning submissions received a cash prize through the generous and enthusiastic support of the Alhadeff Family Charitable Foundation. These five winning 15-minute brand new musical pieces were produced by Beck Center for the Arts, in collaboration with Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre Program
The production will include performances of rock-musical White Man’s Burden by Eric Jones and Joshua S. Davis, imaginative thriller Monster on the Lawn by Obed De La Cruz, country-musical Rodeo Clowns by Dale Sampson, futuristic sci-fi story Holo by Nico Juber and the women-centric Perpetual Sunshine and the Ghost Girls by Lynne Shankel and Sara Cooper. The video will be available to rent Friday, February 12, 2021 12:00 AM - Sunday, February 28, 2021 8:00 PM EST on ShowTix4U.com. For more information on the production see BeckCenter.com.
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EXCITING TITLES AVAILABLE ON BROADWAY ON DEMAND THIS MONTH
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Anna Karenina
Book & Lyrics by Leo Tolstoy and Yuliy Kim, Music by Roman Ignatyev
Produced by Vladimir Tartakovskiy and Alexei Bolonin
Beautiful Anna Karenina lives with her husband and loving son. She meets the dashing Count Vronsky among Moscow's high society and their attraction for each other forever changes the landscape of Anna's perfect world. Experience Tolstoy's classic like never before with Anna Karenina the Musical.
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Xcalibur
Directed by Stephen Rayne with music by Frank Wildhorn, book by Ivan Menchell, and lyrics by Robin Lerner
Produced by NAMT Member EMK International
The musical scene thrives in South Korea with Xcalibur. The production showcases the journey of King Arthur, exploring his discovery of new-found responsibility as a young leader and getting married to the love of his life, Guinevere only to experience a reality far from what was expected. **Due to Licensing restrictions, this production is NOT AVAILABLE for streaming in Korea, Japan, and Greater China.**
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The Pirates of Penzance
Sasha Regan’s All Male Company of pirates and their winsome lasses are set to bring audiences one night of joy and laughter with their inventive new take on Gilbert & Sullivan's much loved The Pirates of Penzance. Features a shipshape cast singing songs including: “I am a Pirate King,” “Oh, happy day, with joyous glee” and "A rollicking band of pirates we." They are sure to raise the roof off the Palace Theatre! Expect plenty of onboard japes from the swashbuckling crew who are braving the high seas with rum and hand-sanitisers to bring you a socially distanced, Covid-secure show.
A much-needed escape for families and friends who are looking for some festive spirit to banish lockdown blues. The production was first staged at The Union Theatre in the heart of Southwark over a decade ago where it was a runaway success winning Best Off-West End Production at The Whats On Stage Awards in 2009. Pirates transferred to Wilton’s Music Hall for a 6-week run and on to The Rose Theatre, Kingston before the All Male Company set sail on a tour of Australia culminating in a month-long run at Cate Blanchett’s prestigious Sydney Theatre. There was a subsequent UK Tour in 2015 and another critically acclaimed run at the beautiful Wilton’s Music Hall last year.
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BROADWAY ROSE STREAMS THE STORY OF MY LIFE
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The Story of My Life (Fest '07)
Directed by Sharon Maroney
Music Director Jeffrey Childs
Music and lyrics by Neil Bartram and book by Brian Hill
Best-selling author Thomas finds himself at a loss for words when faced with the task of eulogizing his lifelong friend, Alvin, after his mysterious death. As Thomas struggles to compose his thoughts, he is drawn into the library of his mind by the embodied memory of his friend. Through music and song these two friends recount their humorous adventures, quibble about their past, and ultimately discover what is at the base of every strong friendship... love.
Content Advisories: The Story of My Life is recommended for ages 13 and older. The show contains mild profanity and themes of death and suicide. The production stars Alec Cameron Lugo and Andrew Wade, and streams February 5 - 28 via BroadwayRose.org.
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OFFERING A BREAK FROM "UNPRECEDENTED TIMES," CARDINAL STAGE BRINGS US ORDINARY DAYS
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Ordinary Days (Fest '08)
Adam Gwon's (Fest '08, Ordinary Days; Fest '11, Bernice Bobs Her Hair; Fest '14, String) Ordinary Days is a sweet and funny musical that celebrates the big impact of life’s small moments. A couple faces new challenges when they decide to move in together and a pair of strangers take trepidatious steps towards friendship when their paths cross unexpectedly. Their lives collide in surprising ways in this sort-of-fairy tale set in the chaos of New York City.
Cardinal Stage's production of Ordinary Days is directed by Artistic Director and NAMT Board member Kate Galvin. The show will be available on-demand via Showtix4u from February 11 through February 21.
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FEST ALUM MICHAEL COOPER RELEASES NEW RECORDING OF MARGUERITE
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Broadway Records has announced the release of Marguerite, a new musical written by Anton Dudley (book and lyrics) with music by Michael Cooper (Fest '06, Sunfish; Fest '09, It Shoulda Been You.)
You've never met anyone like her. A death-defying journey of a fearless pioneer, Marguerite is a new musical based on the life of Canada's first female saint, Marguerite Bourgeoys, and will inspire with a tale of love, inclusion, and living life without walls. Her ever-present faith combined with solid determination helped her bring liberated women to the New World and to build the city of Montreal.
Pre-orders for the CD of Marguerite are available on BroadwayRecords.com and other major music retailers ahead of a March 5th release. The digital album is now available wherever digital music is sold and on BroadwayRecords.com. For more information about Marguerite, visit TheMargueriteMusical.com or on social media @MargueriteShow.
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NEW YORK THEATRE BARN'S NEW WORKS SERIES SPOTLIGHTS NOTHING TO SEE HERE AND THE LESSON
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Now in its 13th season, New York Theatre Barn's New Works Series presents exclusive “pre-premieres” of new musicals in the early stages of development. New York Theatre Barn is keeping original live theatre alive during this unprecedented time. From our homes to yours, we are excited to share and experience the magic of live theatre in development.
The latest installment (streaming TONIGHT) will be a 1-hour virtual live stream which will include excerpts from two new musicals:
- Nothing To See Here (by Bryan Blaskie and Laurie Hochman) is set in the summer of 1925. The struggling town of Dayton, Tennessee hosted a trial that claimed national headlines and divided the country — the Scopes Monkey Trial, the first major anti-Evolution court case. Nothing to See Here is the story of Frank Robinson, the man who built the trial as a publicity stunt for his town, and May Robinson, his wife who longs to save her family from falling apart in a seemingly Godless town. Of course, notorious reporter H.L. Mencken is there to spin their story — and to uncover what the truth behind the trial really is.
- The Lesson (by Avi Amon, Ty Defoe and Nolan Doran) is a fantastical reimagining of a chance encounter between a revolutionary Beethoven and a more-established Mozart, whose worlds - and hearts - collide in Vienna in 1787. The show is set in an alternate universe that melds the future and past into an entirely new, queer, fun, and political space. A hybrid of theater, film, concert, and dance party, THE LESSON is a meditation on the purpose of artistic expression, the influence of family on who we are, and the control of information and ideas by the government.
Produced by Joe Barros and Jen Sandler, the event streams live on New York Theatre Barn's YouTube channel on Wednesday, February 3rd at 7pm ET. The New Works Series has received support in part by NAMT's Innovation & Expoloration Fund.
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PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE CONCLUDES SONDHEIM @ 90 ROUNDTABLE SERIES WITH COMPANY
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Each week, Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber joins 3 special guests to discuss the many works of Stephen Sondheim. After 18 episodes, Sondheim @ 90 Roundtable concludes this Saturday (2/6) at 7pm CT with Company! Michael Weber is joined by Raúl Esparza, Robert Falls and Lonny Price to discuss this Stephen Sondheim classic.
Check out Porchlight's YouTube and Facebook pages for episode premieres and to view previous episodes.
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THEATRE UNDER THE STARS HIGHLIGHTS JENNIFER HOLLIDAY IN NEW EPISODE OF SPOTLIGHT WEBCAST
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TUTS Artistic Director, Dan Knechtges talks with Grammy and Tony award-winner, Jennifer Holliday in the newest episode of the organization's Spotlight Webcast on February 10 at 7pm (CST.)
Jennifer Holliday catapulted to stardom nearly 40 years ago in her iconic role as the original Effie White in the smash Broadway production of Dreamgirls. Her show-stopping performance of “And I Am Telling, I’m Not Going” garnered her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and her first Grammy Award for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance. Beyond Dreamgirls, Ms. Holliday has enjoyed a successful recording career winning her second Grammy Award for her rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday” for Best Inspirational Vocal Performance along with several R&B Top Ten Hit Records and two Number One Dance Hit Records and two Number One Dance Hit Records. Her latest CD “The Song Is You” received critical acclaim and lander her back in the Top Twenty on Billboard’s R&B Music Chart (2014). As an actress, Ms. Holliday made a triumphant return to Broadway starring as Shug Avery in the Tony Award-winning musical revival production of The Color Purple (2016-2017).
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UPTOWN PLAYERS BRINGS US APPLICATION PENDING
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By Greg Edwards and Andy Sandberg
B.J. Cleveland stars as Chris Evans, a kindergarten assistant at Edgely Prep, an elite Manhattan private school with an acceptance rate that puts Harvard’s to shame. On the day applications are due, Edgely’s Head of Admissions is ousted in a scandal, and Chris is unexpectedly thrust into the job. With phones ringing off the hook, Chris must balance beleaguered applicants, venal administrators, and an army of parents who will stop at nothing to get their kids into this exclusive school. B.J. Cleveland plays all 44 characters in this non-stop comedy.
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SPENCER WILLIAMS HOSTS MUSICALS WITH IMPACT PODCAST AS PART OF BROADWAY REFOCUSED PROJECT
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Hosted by NAMT Associate Member Spencer Williams, Musicals with Impact is a new a podcast that is part of the Broadway ReFocused Project, exploring Broadway’s past with a goal to reshape its future. In each episode, we learn about a new and innovative musical that encompasses BIPOC, transgender, queer, women, disabled, and other under-represented voices. The podcast celebrates a culture-shifting musical as it begins its journey to the Broadway stage. Musicals with Impact is developed in partnership with New York Theatre Barn, a not-for-profit theatre company that incubates original musicals that tell untold stories, produced by Fashion Consort and part of the FC Podcasts network. Creator and host, Spencer Williams, is a musical theatre educator, composer and playwright.
The first season will include these new musicals for you to learn about:
- Frankie, the musical
- Wonder Boy, the musical
- Treeson, the musical
- Salem, the musical
- Half the Sky
- La Suenos, an American musical
- Savage, the Musical
- Eastbound (Fest '20)
- Our New Town
- Islander
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DON'T FORGET TO TUNE IN TO MUSE: DISCOVER MUSICALS PODCAST SERIES
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Spotlighting a wide range of new musicals and bringing their stories, songs and characters to life with the help of the shows’ writers, Muse is a behind-the-scenes showcase of some of musical theatre’s most compelling and daring new voices. Each episode features in-studio performances of original songs, table reads and interviews. The first season of Muse has just been released and features five episodes, each highlighting a new musical that was developed through NAMT’s Festival of New Musicals. All five episodes are now available for free to listeners on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Stitcher. Listeners can also visit the podcast website at discoverthemuse.com to listen to the episodes and to find more information about the individual shows and authors. Season two of Muse is currently in preproduction with plans to be released later this year.
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