NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL and Kim Vasquez/Gray Lady Entertainment are pleased to announce THERAPY ROCKS, a new modern musical with book by Karen Bishko, Kaethe Fine and Nat Bennett, music and lyrics by Karen Bishko and directed by Thomas Caruso, as part of their 2010 showcase. Performances will run September 27th at 8 pm, September 29th at 1 pm, October 1st at 8 pm, October 2nd and 3rd at 4:30 pm, October 5th at 8 pm and October 6th at 1 pm at Urban Stages. Tickets on sale September 1st and can be purchased by calling (212) 352-3101 or by going to www.nymf.org.
THERAPY ROCKS tells the story of Leah, a talented, obsessed, loyal, sometimes inappropriate and habitually unrequited-in-love songwriter who can't stop eating cake! When her best friend suggests she seek help from a handsome therapist, Leah discovers that she's been looking for love in all the wrong places. THERAPY ROCKS is one woman's hilarious and heartbreaking journey into her dysfunctional past in an attempt to find herself and finally find true romance.
The cast of THERAPY ROCKS includes Joshua Davis, Adam Halpin, Dee Roscioli (WICKED), Allie Schulz (Grease: You're the One that I Want!) and Rachel Stern.
Karen Bishko (Book, Music and Lyrics) formerly worked as a portrait artist when Gary Kemp and Jess Bailey from Spandau Ballet, played some songs she had written. They loved her heartfelt honesty and encouraged her to spend some time in the studio and focus on her music. With humor, her songs tell of her adventures with the men in her life and they talk about what it is to be a modern day woman. In 2007 she opened for British band Take That at Britain's largest Arena, the O2. She has now come to New York to focus on her musical, THERAPY ROCKS.
Kaethe Fine (Book) is a native New Yorker who has lived in London since 2002 has an MA in Writing for Performance from Goldsmiths College, London, and a BFA in Filmmaking from SUNY Purchase. She has made 8 short films. Her plays include MOTIVATION FOR THE MEAT OF LIFE at HERE's American Living Room Series; A FACTOR OF 2 at The LAByrinth Theater Co.'s Barn Series; EVERYWHERE & CONSTANT at RADA Cafe Series, and WOLLSTONECRAFT LIVE! for Fragments & Monuments (www.wollstonecraftlive.com). At 15, Kaethe appeared in THE CHOSEN, with Rod Steiger and it's true, he stayed in character on and off camera.
Nat Bennett (Book) is co-writer of the stage play HAM LAKE (SoHo Playhouse) and the feature film "Stuck Between Stations" (currently in post-production). His essay "Halfway or In Between or Something Else" appears in the anthology Freud's Blind Spot: Writers on Siblings (Free Press). He teaches writing at New York University.
Thomas Caruso (Director) Most recently, Thomas directed the critically acclaimed productions AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (Penguin Rep), THE CHALKS (Bay Street Theatre), OVER THE TAVERN (Penguin Rep) and the film version of "Zombie", based on the novella by Joyce Carol Oates. Other directing credits include ZOMBIE (Off-Broadway), the musical WOOD (NYMF), 10 PERCENT OF MOLLY SNYDER (Penguin Rep), DON'T TALK TO THE ACTORS (Studio Arena Theatre), DIAGNOSIS (The Play Company), THE ETERNAL ANNIVERSARY (Summer Shorts 3 - 59E59), MIMI LE DUCK, starring Eartha Kitt (Off-Broadway), THE BUTCHERHOUSE CHRONICLES (SPF), THE MIDDLE EAST - IN PIECES (Cherry Lane), BINGO (Off-Broadway), EARTH TO BUCKY (Bay Street Theatre) and the premiere of Terrence McNally and Israel Horovitz's OFF SEASON-A DUET (Gloucester Stage). He directed the! National Tour of MASTER CLASS by Terrence McNally, starring Charlotte Cornwell of the RSC. Other New York credits include plays at EST, Rattlestick, HB Playwrights, TNC and Juilliard. He received the Kenneth Frankel Memorial Directing Fellowship from Manhattan Theatre Club. He was the Resident Director of MAMMA MIA! in Las Vegas. On Broadway, Thomas was the Associate Director for BOMBAY DREAMS and FOLLIES. He has assisted on numerous Broadway productions including LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!, MASTER CLASS, STANLEY, PARADE (Toronto), and LES MISERABLES (10th Anniversary). www.ThomasCaruso.com
Kim Vasquez (Executive Producer/General Manager) is a theatrical producing and consulting company which brings to the stage, adaptations of classical drama and literature along with original plays and musicals. New musicals in development include: THERAPY ROCKS, SPEARGROVE, PLAGUED - A LOVE STORY, SUCH GOOD FRIENDS AND EMERALD MAN which was chosen for the 2007 ASCAP/Disney workshops in Los Angeles. Gray Lady also co-produced MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY starring Andre De Shields with Theatre Workshop of Nantucket (Artistic Director John Shea), FOOLS AND LOVERS (an original Shakespeare musical comedy) and the widely-praised JULIUS CAESAR both with Moonwork Theatre Company (Artistic Director Gregory Wolfe). Her latest directing credits include:! the first-female version of FULLY COMMITTED by Becky Mode with the role of "Sam" played by Amy Stiller and Alan Bowne's BEIRUT. Kim received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Minnesota, is a graduate from The National Shakespeare Conservatory (aka The Stella Adler Conservatory) and The Commercial Theatre Institute. She is a founding producer for the New York Musical Theatre Festival, an adjunct member of The Broadway League and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women.
The design team includes Sets and Props by Ray Wetmore, Costumes by Lisa Zinni, Lighting by Jim Milkey , Sound by Nick Borisjuk and Casting by Joy Dewing - Dave Clemmons Casting. Andrea Wales is the Production Stage Manager.
NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF 2010 is presented in association with BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group,TheaterMania.com, and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and is supported by AP-Red.com, Back Stage, Barnes and Noble, BroadwayBox.com, BroadwayInsider.com, Broadway.TV, Clear Channel Spectacolor, DFD-TV, King Displays, NASDAQ OMX, New World Stages, Next Magazine, PMD Promotions, The Port Authority of NY & NJ, Queerty.com, Season of Savings, Tekserve, Terra Fossil, Thomson Reuters, TheMenEvent.com, Times Square Squared, and Yelp. Major supporters include The ASCAP Foundation, BMI Foundation, Inc., The Broadway League, The BWF! Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation with the support and encouragement of Jamie Ariel Phinney, The Charlie & Jane Fink Charitable Fund, Cameron Mackintosh Foundation, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Spiritus Gladius 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 and from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
Photo Credit: Doug Barron
Rachel Stern
