Ben Davis, David Perlman and Charlie Brady Lead THE PIGEON BOYS at NYMF

Ben Davis, David Perlman and Charlie Brady will be featured in a developmental reading of the new dramatic musical The Pigeon Boys, by Anne Berlin & Andrew Bleckner, directed by Valentina Fratti as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, September 30th at TBG.

The Pigeon Boys tells the story of the forgotten pigeoneers of World War II and explores the lives of three soldiers -- an American, a Brit, and a German. As the boys face the harsh realities of war and one life-or-death mission, they reveal the mysteries of the 50,000 pigeons used to save the lives of soldiers and airmen. Their intertwined stories of love, hope and fear look at the struggles of becoming a man.

Ben Davis (of Broadway's A Little Night Music, Les Miserables, La Boheme, & Thoroughly Modern Millie and most recently Goodspeed's Show Boat), David Perlman (of Broadway's Baby It's You! and Off-Broadway's Yank!) and Charlie Brady of Lincoln Center's Revival of South Pacific, Playwright's Horizon's The Burnt Boys and most recently Saint Ex, will read the parts of three pigeoneers, which will be directed by Valentina Fratti, former artistic director of the Miranda Theatre. The Pigeon Boys is free and open to the public and will sing out twice on September 30th at 1pm & 4:30pm.

It was recently announced that the collaborating team of Anne Berlin, Andrew Bleckner and Valentina Fratti will be presenting another musical, Howling Hilda, a solo musical about the Brooklyn Dodger's greatest fan Hilda Chester, which will star two-time Tony Award nominee Mary Testa in November at Joe's Pub.

Now in its eighth year, the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) is the largest annual musical theatre event in America and is widely regarded as the essential source for new material and talent discovery. NYMF provides a launching pad for the next generation of musicals and their creators to ensure the continued vitality of one of America's greatest art forms. Hailed as the "Sundance of Musical Theatre," NYMF discovers, nurtures, and promotes promising musical theatre artists and producers at all stages of development, and inspires a diverse audience through vibrant, accessible, powerful new work.

NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF 2011 is presented in association with BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group, and TheaterMania.com, and is supported by American Eagle Outfitters, Back Stage, BroadwayBox.com, BroadwayInsider.com, Clear Channel Spectacolor, Disney Store Times Square, Fox 5/ WNYW-TV, King Displays, NASDAQ OMX, New World Stages, Next Magazine, PMD Promotions, The Port Authority of NY & NJ, Queerty.com, Season of Savings, Terra Fossil Wines, Thomson Reuters, TheMenEvent.com, Times Square Squared, and Yelp. Major supporters include The ASCAP Foundation, BMI Foundation, Inc., The BWF Foundation, Con Edison, The Nathan Cummings Foundation with the support and encouragement of Jamie Ariel Phinney, Cameron Mackintosh Foundation, The New Musical Development Foundation, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Theater League. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council and from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

NYMF Memberships, which combine charitable contributions with valuable, flexible ticket packages and perks like early seating, and tickets to individual events are currently available for purchase at (212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org. Single tickets for Festival events will go on sale September 1.