Wicked Stars and More to Headline 'Hear and Now' Composer Series May 2

Lonely Sky Theatre Company (LSTC), a new-to-the-scene theatre company in New York is kicking off it's inaugural season of events with "Hear and Now" – a contemporary composer series.

The first installment of the series takes place at 9 pm on May 2nd at OPIA and will feature the music of composers Jeff Blumenkrantz, Neil Bartram, Steven Jamail, and writing team, Peter Foley and Kate Chisholm.

Performers scheduled to appear include Jeffrey Kuhn (Wicked, Assassins, Ragtime), Megan Hilty (Wicked), Manoel Felciano (Brooklyn the Musical, Cabaret, Superstar), Nikki Renee Daniels (Nine, Aida, Little Shop of Horrors, The Look of Love), Jeff Blumenkrantz (How to Succeed…, Class Act, Damn Yankees, Into the Woods), Danette Holden (Laughing Room Only, Flight of the Lawnchair Man), John Sloman (The Music Man, Big, West Side Story), Danielle Huben (Into the Woods), Brian Hill (Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard) and several others to be announced soon.

Jeff Blumenkrantz received a Tony® nomination for his contributions to the score of Urban Cowboy, the musical. His songs have been recorded by Audra McDonald ("I Won't Mind") and Megan Mullally ("Lament"). He is currently collaborating with Tina Howe on an original musical, Hush.

Composer / lyricist Neil Bartram is the recipient of a Dramatists Guild Jonathan Larson Fellowship and a 2005 Jonathan Larson Foundation Award. Of the projects Neil is currently developing, one, Not Wanted On The Voyage has been optioned by Toronto's CanStage under the direction of Susan H. Schulman (Little Women, The Secret Garden), and another, The Story Of My Life is receiving a reading at Manhattan Theatre Club in June.

Under the guidance of Tony Award-winning producer Stuart Ostrow, composer Steven Jamail recently premiered two new musicals at Houston's Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Both productions, Nicholas and Alexandra and The Lovely Bones, opened to enthusiastic responses from both critics and audiences alike. Regionally, Steven has worked across the country with companies such as the Reprise! Series, Theater Under the Stars and the record label, Fynsworth Alley.

Peter Foley and Kate Chisholm are the creators of The Hidden Sky, which premiered at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia, where it was nominated for seven Barrymore Awards including Outstanding Production, and Outstanding Original Score. Their work on the show earned them an NEA grant, the Richard Rodgers Award, the Stephen Sondheim Award, and the Jonathan Larson Foundation Award. Other stage works include, The Bear (Golden Fleece, Triangle Theater Co., Opera Unlimited), Whitechapel, and scores for several plays.

Opia is located at 130 East 57th Street at Lexington Avenue. Tickets for the event are $15 with a two-drink minimum, and are available at lonelysky.org or by calling the theatre box office at 212-696-7282.

Also, on May 30th, Lonely Sky Theatre Company will host "An Evening with Ricky Ian Gordon" featuring Michael Arden, Rosena Hill, Scott Murphree, and Diane Sutherland. The evening will feature music by the composer of My Life With Albertine, Only Heaven, and Dream True.

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