Pace University’s Pace New Musicals program, dedicated to the discovery of new theater works, has selected Zoe Sarnak’s A Lasting Impression from over 50 submissions as its 2012 most promising show.
Amy Rogers, Associate Professor of Musical Theater and creator of the BFA Musical Degree program at the Dyson School of Arts & Science at Pace University, and Robert Meffe, Musical Director, are collaborating with Sarnak on a staged reading of her musical. A Lasting Impression will be presented at Pace’s Schaeberle Studio, 41 Park Row, 10th Floor from January 18-22, 2012. For reservations call (212) 346-1352 or email performingarts@pace.edu
In A Lasting Impression, each of the three lead characters chose their own artistic medium - book, music or visual design – to express one shared story. Josh Blanche, a once guarded journalist, acts as the play’s narrator, using old taped interviews and pictures to guide us through his 
memory of his two sisters. Kali Blanche, a manic musician, is the piece’s composer, moving in and out of “her” band as the story unfolds. Simone Blanche, a young painter, controls the evolution of what begins as a blank set, and comes to life through the addition of her visual art. A Lasting Impression is about impressions that we make through love, on those close to us, and through art, on those we may never meet.
The eight Pace Musical Theater students who will be bringing A Lasting Impression to life without costumes or scenery are (in alphabetical order, with hometown and their character roles):
- Adam Albert (Los Angelos, CA) as Josh Weinstein
- Bethany Jeffery (Cincinnati, OH) as Mother
- Taylor Noble (Glastonbury, CT) as Kali Blanche
- Danny Quadrino (East Rockaway, NY) as Josh Understudy
- Krista Pioppi (Succasunna, NY) as Kali’s Band
- Cailan Rose (Sarasota, FL) as Simone Blanche
- Kevin Shotwell (Wilmington, DE) as Franklin
- Emily Thomas (Pittsburgh, PA) as Kali’s Band
The actors will be supported by Alex James (Schwenksville, PA) as Stage Manager and Dylan Bustamante (Babylon, NY) as Assistant Director.
The Pace New Musicals Program was developed in 2007 to nurture the creation of new musical theater in New York City, while at the same time providing an invaluable educational opportunity for students to work directly with top professionals in the field. Perhaps most importantly, the program allows students to experiment with new, untested works without precedent-setting productions, a rare opportunity in theater education.
The BFA Musical Theater Program at Pace University began with six majors in 2002, and has grown to more than 90 majors. In 2006, Pace became only the second school in New York City to offer a BFA in Musical Theater.
Past works in the Pace New Musicals Program include staged workshops of Factory Girls by Creighton Irons, Sean Mahoney, and Maggie-Kate Coleman; Quanah by Larry Gatlin, Anthony Dodge, Marcia Milgrom Dodge; Darling by Ryan Scott Oliver and B.T. Ryback’s; Luck!, by Mark Waldrop and Brad Ross; and College: The Musical, which was later selected for a production with the New York Musical Theatre Festival where the authors, Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola, won the NYMF award for Excellence In Writing (Lyrics).
