Additional Casting Announced for FINDING MADAME CURIE at MusiCoLab's Spotlight Series

MusiCoLab “Spotlight Series: A Closer Look” will present songs and scenes from the new musical FINDING MADAME CURIE, one of three 30-minute excerpts of new musicals by Philly regional artists, part of Philly Theatre Week, Sunday, April 14 at 3pm and Monday, April 15, at 7pm, at the Louis Bluver Theater at the Drake.

Winner of the Jackie White Memorial National Playwriting Contest, FINDING MADAME CURIE, Book by Melissa Bell (LADY CAPULET), Music & Lyrics by David Kurkowski (SEWING THE DREAM) is about the scientist everybody knows and the woman nobody knows. It follows the journey of Marie from Russian-occupied Poland to the Sorbonne in Paris in search of scientific discovery. She discovers Radium, she discovers love and betrayal, and faces outright misogyny. When the Nobel Prize for physics was announced, it was offered to Pierre, not Marie. But she prevailed and won 2 Nobel Prizes.

Kerry Conte (WHITE CHRISTMAS and MARY POPPINS National Tours) leads the cast as Marie, the unstoppable immigrant woman who becomes the iconic French physicist. Popular Philadelphia actor Ben Dibble (nominated for 15 Barrymore's and Arden Theatre Company mainstay) plays Pierre Curie, Marie's partner in life and science. David Edwards (THE PRODUCERS and BY JEEVES Broadway & National Tours) and Baltimore-based Vince Gover (HELLO DOLLY/Ohio Light Opera and ANASTASIA/Regional Theatre of the Palouse) play the roles of Dean of the Sorbonne and Science department Chairman Rambeau, respectively.

The concert presentation is directed by Amy Dugas Brown, program head of Directing, Playwriting and Production at University of the Arts and former Associate Artistic Director at the award-winning regional theater company Arden Theatre Company for 10 seasons. Musical Direction by Linda Henderson.

FINDING MADAME CURIE is a big Broadway-style musical for general audiences, 10 and up, perfect for high schools and universities where Arts, History and Science live side by side. In writing FINDING MADAME CURIE, the writers hope to encourage the wonder of discovery, the pursuit of persistence, and the study of math and science, especially for girls who tend to shy away from STEM.

MusiCoLab is dedicated to improving the climate for developing and showcasing new musical theatre work, and to cultivating a supportive community of musical theatre creators for networking, professional and artistic development in the Philadelphia region. Composer-Lyricist Kurkowski resides in Philadelphia while book writer Bell lives in NEPA on the Delaware River.

“Philadelphia is exploding with creative talent, and we can't wait to highlight the exciting, inventive new work being created in our backyard,” said Charlie Gilbert, director of MusiCoLab, and a writer, composer, and director. “A Closer Look” concludes MusiCoLab's “Curtain Up Philly! A Celebration of New Musicals” – a two-month celebration of the creation of new works for the musical stage. Gilbert added, “This initiative is intended to create greater interest in new musicals in Philadelphia and demonstrate what a vibrant scene there is for new musicals here.”

More Information

MusiCoLab Spotlight Series “A Closer Look” presents excerpts from 3 new musicals: Far From The Tree, Finding Madame Curie, and Red & Black. Louis Bluver Theater at the Drake, 302 S. Hicks Street, Philadelphia, PA, Sunday April 14 at 3pm and Monday April 15 at 7pm Tickets $20 + fees.

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