Ruthie Ann Miles & More Set for THE ONE BEFORE as Part of New York City Center's Lobby Project

Prior to their breakthrough musicals, many writers had extraordinary early-career shows hit the stage that you may not have heard of. From Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty's Lucky Stiff to Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart's Poor Little Ritz Girl to William Finn's In Trousers, these pieces of work represent our best Broadway writers.... before Broadway knew their names. Join us to hear auspicious songs from the influential shows that shaped careers and lives, just as Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater shaped the futures of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

The concert is produced by Jennifer Ashley Tepper, director of programming at Feinstein's/54 Below and author of The Untold Stories of Broadway book series. It will feature performances from Etai Benson (Wicked, Fortress of Solitude), John-Michael Lyles (Brooklynite, Jasper In Deadland), Julia Mattison (Godspell, Brooklyn Sound), Ruthie Ann Miles (Here Lies Love, The King And I), and musical director Noel Carey (Murder For Two, Million Dollar Quartet).

The Lobby Project, a series of free pre-show events presented in conjunction with New York City Center's Encores! Off-Center series, takes place in July at City Center. The events place the Off-Center musicals in the context of their legacies and provide insightful explorations of the work the audience is about to experience.

The One Before will be presented at 6:30pm, immediately before the Thursday July 28 performance of Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.

Led by Artistic Director Jeanine Tesori, the critically acclaimed Encores! Off-Center series returns to City Center for a fourth season of landmark Off-Broadway musicals. The season includes two shows: Runaways by Elizabeth Swados (July 6-9) and Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (July 27-30), and a one-night-only concert: Off-Center Jamboree! (July 16). The Lobby Project events will take place in City Center's beautiful Grand Tier lobby one hour before curtain and are free for that evening's ticket holders. Each Lobby Project event will be 30 minutes long.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. It was Manhattan's first performing arts center, dedicated by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia with a mission to make the best in music, theater, and dance accessible to all audiences. Today, City Center is home to many distinguished companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center's Principal Dance Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club; a roster of renowned national and international visiting artists; and its own critically acclaimed and popular programs. The Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series has been hailed as "one of the very best reasons to be alive in New York." In summer 2013, City Center launched Encores! Off-Center, a series that features landmark Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists. Dance has been integral to the theater's mission from the start - and dance programs, including the annual Fall for Dance Festival, remain central to City Center's identity. Vital partnerships with arts organizations including Jazz at Lincoln Center and London's Sadler's Wells Theatre enhance City Center's programmatic offerings. City Center is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to New York City students and teachers through programs such as Encores! In Schools and the Young People's Dance Series. Special workshops cater to families, seniors, and other groups, while events such as the Fall for Dance DanceTalk series offer learning opportunities to the general public. In October 2011, City Center completed an extensive renovation project to revitalize and modernize its historic theater.

Tickets for Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater can be purchased online at www.NYCityCenter.org, by calling CityTix at 212.581.1212, or at the City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues).