A SCYTHE OF TIME is 2016 Recipient of the Stage Rights/NYMF Publishing Award

Stage Rights announced this week that "A Scythe of Time" is the recipient of the 2016 Stage Rights/NYMF Publishing Award. Stage Rights presented the award to book writer Alan Harris and composer/lyricist Mark Swanson at Sunday night's star-studded gala. Stage Rights and The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) created the publishing award in 2013, and it is presented annually to one or more of the musicals taking part in the festival. Performance rights for "A Scythe of Time" will be available through Stage Rights in 2017.

Inspired by two stories from Edgar Allan Poe, "A Scythe of Time" takes place in London, 1881 where the public can't get enough of the infamously sensational Blackwood Articles, in which writers take their own lives and, in the process of dying, record their experience with death. A bizarre tale of power, love, poetic justice, and bloody revenge, "A Scythe of Time" shows just how far one goes for fame and recognition in an absurd world. The New York Times coined the musical a "dark and delectable little comedy," while Theater Mania called the production "good, deadly fun." Furthermore, the Times Square Chronicles projects "A Scythe of Time" will be "picked up and at a theater near you with a much longer run."

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) exists to revitalize musical theatre culture by discovering and promoting new musical theatre artists, producers, and projects; nurturing a vibrant and innovative artistic community; and connecting one of America's greatest art forms with a diverse, contemporary audience. Now in its fourteenth year, the festival is the largest musical theatre event in America and the preeminent site for launching new musicals and discovering new talent, the festival provides an affordable platform for artists to mount professional productions that reach their peers, industry leaders, and musical theatre fans. Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize, and in 2013 NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition for its cultivation of new musicals.

NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. For more information, please visit www.nymf.org.

Based in Los Angeles and founded in 2000, Stage Rights is one of the foremost independent theatrical publishers in the United States, providing stage performance rights for a wide range of plays and musicals to theater companies across the country and internationally. Their guiding principle as a licensing agent is to combine high-quality rehearsal materials with top-notch customer service in an ongoing effort to provide each producer the tools they need for financial and artistic success. Stage Rights maintains a dedication to the future of live theatre through their special programs that champion new theatrical works.

Joining "A Scythe of Time" in the 2017 Stage Rights catalog are: "A Version of Events" by Matthew Ivan Bennett; "Fabulous! The Queen of Musical Comedies," Book & Lyrics by Dan Derby, Music by Michael Rheault; "Gigantic," Book by Randy Blair & Tim Drucker, Music by Matthew roi Berger, Lyrics by Randy Blair; "Himself and Nora," Book, Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Brielle; "Julia" by Vince Melocchi; "The Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On," Created by Roger Bean; "Past Time" by Padriac Duffy; "Rio Hondo" by Bill Robens; "Scary Musical: The Musical," Book by Richard Hochberg, Music & Lyrics by Richard Hochberg and Michael Paternostro; and "UMW: University of Mostly Whites" by Rob Urbinati amongst other new plays and musicals.

For more information on these and other titles published by Stage Rights, to order scripts, or apply for performance rights, please visit www.stagerights.com or call 323-739-0413.