Alex Gemignani, Cass Morgan, Krysta Rodriguez and More Set for York's NEO Reading of SAINT EX

The York Theatre Company will present the first reading of new works in the new program NEO Reading Series: Saint Ex, with Book & Lyrics by Sean Berry and Music by Jenny Giering. Directed by Kent Nicholson with music direction by Matt Castle, the cast will feature Alex Gemignani (Assassins) in the title role, with Haley Bond (York's Pietro D'Amore), Charlie Brady (Les Misérables), Amy Justman (Company), Carl Kimbrough (A Christmas Story, tour), Omar Lopez-Ceparo (American Idiot), Cass Morgan (Memphis) and Krysta Rodriguez (The Addams Family). Composer Maury Yeston (Dreamgirls) acted as mentor; John Arthur Pinkard is the producing mentor. One night only performance set for Monday, December 17th at 7:00 p.m at The York Theatre at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

The reading is free and open to the public.

Best known for his classic of children's literature, The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) lived a life of romance and high-flying adventure. Saint-Ex tells the story of this famed aviator's struggle between his love for his fiery Salvadorean wife, Consuelo de Carillo, and his dedication to the men with whom he shared a lifelong passion for the plane. A heartfelt, original musical, Saint-Ex soars with the thrill of flight and captivates with the mystery of the private grief that would drive Saint-Exupéry to craft one of the world's best-loved and most enduring books.

NEO (an acronym for "New, Emerging, Outstanding") celebrates songwriters primed to pen the next generation of musicals. (Since the first NEO concert 7 years ago -- recorded by England's JAY Records-- musical theatre fans and York supporters eagerly anticipate each incarnation.) The York Theatre Company has recently embarked on a new yearlong mentoring program that brings together established writers and upcoming producing partners to help encourage the growth of new works.