Concert production of The White Rose to be produced at The Tank in conjunction with The New York Musical Theatre Festival
A concert version of The White Rose, a new musical based on the true story of a group of college students who launched a resistance movement in Nazi Germany, will be presented in partnership with the New York Musical Theatre Festival at The Tank. This will be the first concert of the piece, which features music by Alan Cancelino and book and lyrics by Jenne Wason.
The story of The White Rose resistance movement is actually well known in Germany and a lot of Europe, but not in the United States. Led by brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl, students at the University of Munich in1942-43 distributed leaflets throughout Germany trying to encourage their fellow countrymen to turn against Hitler.
"Working on this piece has been incredibly rewarding for us", said White Rose author Jenne Wason. "Especially with everything going on today in our country, it's inspiring to learn about people who really did risk everything for their beliefs - and to bring their story to life on the stage."
The musical of The White Rose focuses on nine months in the life of Sophie Scholl, who will be sung in concert by Sara Inbar. Time shifts back and forth cinematically between events like Sophie's arrival at University on her 21st birthday to scenes of her arrest and interrogation. Joining Inbar in the cast are
Benjamin Eakeley (Hans), Dan Maceyak (Alex), Jeffrey Correia (Christoph), Marie France Arcilla (Traute), and Tom Picasso (Willi). Christopher Hamblin will be taking on the role of Musical Director.
Cancelino and Wason originally met and started writing The White Rose in the prestigious BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop in New York City. The piece had its initial reading at the legendary Public Theater. It was also presented in a workshop production this past January at Wright State University, which has been making a name for itself in the world of new musicals - including a recent workshop of Ricky Ian Gordon and Tina Landau's States of Independence.
"Over the years," said Cancelino, "we've written, rewritten, and cut so many songs, and reworked so many drafts, that we cherish every chance we get to see the piece as a whole." Wason agreed, "We are grateful to NYMF for giving us this opportunity, and to our amazing casts over the years who taught us more about the story and characters with every rehearsal."
The White Rose will play 3 concerts during the New York Musical Theatre
Festival: September 30th and October 1st at 7:00PM, and October 3rd at 11:30 AM. All tickets are $5 and are available online at
http://www.smarttix.com and at the door of The Tank, 432 West 42nd Street. For further information go to
http://www.whiterosemusical.com.
