Midwest New Musicals Presents MORALITY PLAY 2/19, 2/20

Midwest New Musicals continues Words and Music, its concert reading series of original musicals, with MORALITY PLAY by Janet Burroway and Matthew M. Kiedrowski on Sunday February 19, at 7:00 PM at the Athenaeum Theatre at 2936 North Southport Avenue, Chicago, and on Monday, February 20, at 7:30 P.M. at the Light Opera Works Second Stage at 1420 Maple (at Lake) in Evanston.

Tickets are $15, available at Light Opera Works box office: (847) 920-5360 or at the door.

MORALITY PLAY is a musical adaptation of Barry Unsworth's novel, set in England in the 14th century, in a bitter winter during a time of plague. A traveling troupe of actors comes to a town where a young boy has been murdered. When Martin, leader of the troupe, sees the young woman who has been sentenced to die for the crime, he falls hard, and determines to save her. In the process of making up a "docudrama," the troupe uncovers the truth of a plot that mixes procurement, abuse, plague, a Monk confessor, and a powerful Duke. The musical is directed by Allan Chambers. The stage manager is Dylan S. Roberts. Midwest New Musicals is lead by workshop director John Sparks.

Janet Burroway (book, lyrics) is the author of plays, poetry, children's books, and eight novels including The Buzzards, Raw Silk (runner-up for the National Book Award), Opening Nights, Cutting Stone, and the 2009 Bridge of Sand. Her Writing Fiction is the most widely used creative writing text in America, and Imaginative Writing is in its third edition. Her children's book The Giant Jam Sandwich has been translated into 20 languages and scored for orchestra. Recent works include the plays Sweepstakes, Medea With Child, and Parts of Speech, which have received readings and productions in Chicago, New York, London, San Francisco, Hollywood, and various regional theatres; and a collection of essays, Embalming Mom. She is Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Emerita at the Florida State University.

Matthew M. Kiedrowski (music) studied music composition and theory at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music under private instruction from the program head, Dr. Dennis Kam. Recent music theater performances include Oh, Doggerell! and Shot From The Cannon at Theater Building Chicago's 2009 "School Daze" Cabaret, Hard Times in Theater Building Chicago's 2009 Mini Musicals, original sound design for Sherlock Holmes; The Final Adventure for Parkway Playhouse in 2008, and The Wild Party performed as part of a collaborative project with Catawba College in 2008. Matthew has also worked as a music director and accompanist in both Florida and North Carolina for shows including Hair, The Wild Party, The Sound of Music, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and She Loves Me.

The Midwest New Musicals writers workshop and the new Words and Music series are funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, The ASCAP Foundation and The Dramatist Guild Fund. Most of the new musicals in the Words and Music series are written by members of the Midwest New Musicals writers workshop and have been developed in the workshop Core Curriculum and development process.

Midwest New Musicals is an ongoing forum where lyricists, composers and book writers create and discuss their work. Divided into three levels, workshop members meet 10 times per year for intensive weekend sessions. Since 2009, Midwest New Musicals has been a resident arm of Light Opera Works, Chicago's specialists in operetta and musical theater. With the Midwest New Musicals, Light Opera Works is able to expand its programming and service to the field by providing an outlet for writers and for new works of musical theater.

What
Words and Music, a concert reading series of new musicals in progress, presents MORALITY PLAY by Janet Burroway and Matthew M. Kiedrowski

When
Sunday, February 19, 2012, at 7:00 pm
Athenaeum Theatre
2936 North Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL

Monday, February 20, 2012, at 7:30 pm
Light Opera Works Second Stage at
1420 Maple (at Lake), Evanston, IL

Information/Tickets (847) 920-5360

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