Waterwell Summer Theater Lab Offers Sneak Peek of Sallid & Jones' New Steampunk Musical HAMELIN Today

Waterwell will provide a sneak preview of Otis Sallid and AaRon Jones' new musical, Hamelin, as the culmination of its inaugural Summer Theater Lab today, August 3 at 5pm at The Ailey Studios, 405 W 55th Street. Tickets can be purchased at: waterwellstl.brownpapertickets.com.

Hamelin is a mechanical, musical steampunk world where the people work hard and play harder. Maya, a young girl, is a light that burns through the grit and the grime, the machinations and deceit, only to find that the trail she's blazed ends in the belly of the beast - the Fatcats. Based on the classic fairy tale, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, it's co-directed by STL Director Victor Maog, co-directed and choreographed by Otis Sallid, music directed by Jordon Cunningham, and associated directed by Casey McClellan. It features the Year One class of the Waterwell Summer Theater Lab.

The Waterwell Summer Theater Lab, in NYC's fabled Theater District, offers the dedicated high school student the opportunity to engage in a three-week training program with world class practitioners whose credits include film & television, Broadway, Off-Broadway, London's West End, International tours, major regional theatres and universities. Through ensemble-work, intense collaboration and individual guidance some of the nation's most promising young artists explore the classic and ever-changing worlds of live theater.

Otis Sallid's accomplishments as a director and choreographer in theater, television and film are known throughout the entertainment industry including choreographing Swing Kids and several films for director Spike Lee. He recently completed shooting Fox Searchlight's feature film, Black Nativity, starring Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson and Mary J. Blige. AaRon Jones is a graduate of the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program and performs with the band Luscious Jackson.

"Otis, Aaron, and the entire Year One company are - in three weeks - boldly defining and redefining how musical stories can be told. The transformations in the script are astonishing, but also inspiring are the young artists' dedication to growing the show and their own potential," said Victor Maog, Director of Summer Theater Lab.

Waterwell artistic director Tom Ridgely added, "The growth we've seen in just ten work days has been incredible, and we simply couldn't be prouder of this inaugural class. Not only are they forging a tightknit and caring community, they are working courageously outside their comfort zones and taking their craft to places they never knew were possible. It's been a thrilling collaboration."

Waterwell, one of the Village Voice's Best Arguments for Devised Theater and creators of GOODBAR and #9, launched its Summer Theater Lab in 2013 under the leadership of Victor Maog, with world-class faculty and guest artists including Beau Willimon, Julie Schubert, Stephen Adly Guirgis and Lin-Manuel Miranda. For more information about the program, visit http://www.waterwell.org/summer.