Anneliese Van Der Pol and Jeanna De Waal to Lead COOKIES at NYMF

Anneliese Van Der Pol* ("That's So Raven"), Jeanna de Waal* (Kinky Boots, American Idiot), Brynn Williams* (13, Bye Bye Birdie), and Trent Armand Kendall* (Into The Woods, Bat Boy) will star in The New York Musical Festival's (NYMF) upcoming reading of COOKIES, a new musical with book, music, and lyrics by Michael Shapiro and David Christensen.

Jeff Whiting directs a cast of 9, which also includes Jenny Rose Baker*, Melanie Brook*, Stefanie Brown*, Katie Emerson*, and Santina Umbach*. COOKIES is being presented at 416 West 42nd Street, Playwrights Horizons Rehearsal Studios for three presentations from Thursday, July 14 through Thursday, July 21, 2016. *Member, Actors' Equity Association.

New-Pine-Cone-Scout Katie arrives during Cookie Season with the hopes of continuing her legacy as overachiever and perpetual do-gooder. Chaos ensues under the helm of Troop Leader Q'Diva as Katie, her wide-eyed new best friend Jenny, and the other adorably-sailor-tongued Scouts do whatever it takes to sell the most cookies...Whatever. It. Takes. COOKIES is a side-splitting razor-sharp-witted musical comedy that will make you ask yourself: How far are you willing to go to do what's best - or be the best?

Executive Producer/General Manager: Simpson & Longthorne Theatricals; Music Director: Dan Green; Additional Orchestrations: Luke Holloway.

COOKIES plays for three presentations on the following schedule: Thursday, July 14, 2016 at 1:30 pm; Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 11:30 am; Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 3:30 pm. Tickets are free with purchase of NYMF Pass and can be found online at nymf.org or by calling 212-352-3101. For more information, visit nymf.org. The runtime for COOKIES is two hours, which includes one 15-minute intermission.

David Christensen and Michael Shapiro (Book, Music, Lyrics) David Christensen and Michael Shapiro were born on the border of Florida and Connecticut. They finally met in their freshman year at the Boston Conservatory and from that point on, they knew each other. Michael thought that David was pretty cool, and David had no opinion of Michael whatsoever, in fact, for a while, he thought Michael was a Centaur but realized his mistake upon discovering that Michael was Jewish; American centaurs are rarely Jewish. After two years as classmates and another year where they were attempting to murder each other because of an argument about who really deserved to win the 2007 National Dog Show Presented by Purina, they realized that it was their destiny to build the greatest henge the world has ever seen! That failed, so now they write musicals. In addition to graduating from the Boston Conservatory with their BFAs in musical theatre, they are also proud members of the BMI Lehman Engel Advanced Musical Theatre Writers Workshop where they began developing several shows, including their musical COOKIES which has had multiple readings in NYC and beyond. Most recently they were seen at 54 Below with a night of original songs and/or Dutch fisherman's tales, depending on whom you ask. Both David and Michael have been sorted into Ravenclaw.

Jeff Whiting (Director) RECENT: Loch Lomond (New 42), Chasing Rainbows (World Premiere), James Taylor Live (Carnegie Hall), Big Fish (Milwaukee), Single Wide (NYMF), Faustus (NYFA), To Dance (TRU), The Baker's Wife (upcoming). NATIONAL TOURS: Bullets Over Broadway, Young Frankenstein. REGIONAL: The Scottsboro Boys (Philadelphia), Big (Milwaukee). ASSOCIATE CREDITS - BROADWAY: Bullets Over Broadway, The Scottsboro Boys, Hair, Wicked (5th Anniversary), Young Frankenstein, Big Fish. NATIONAL TOURS: Hairspray, The Producers. Jeff is the creator and founder of Stage Write Software, dubbed the "new standard of documentation for staging and choreography", and is the founder and Artistic Director of Open Jar Institute, dedicated to quality actor training. For more, go to Jeffwhiting.net.

Simpson & Longthorne Theatricals (Executive Producer/General Manager) A boutique producing and general management partnership founded by Benjamin Simpson and Joseph Longthorne. As producers, Waitress on Broadway (Tony Award, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations). As general managers, Mother Jones And The Childrens Crusade (NYMF 2014 Best of Fest Runner Up) & The Calico Buffalo (NYMF 2015 Best of Fest), Screenwriter Dies of His Own Free Will (Davenport Theatre Black Box). Thrilled to be back at NYMF this summer with Breaking The Moon, Cookies, and Icon. Proud graduates of The Boston Conservatory. For more, visit www.SimpsonLongthorneTheatricals.com.

The New York Musical Festival nurtures the creation, production, and public presentation of stylistically, thematically, and culturally diverse new musicals to ensure the future vitality of musical theater.

Now in its thirteenth year, the Festival is the premier musical theater event in the world. 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 theater fans. More than 90 Festival shows have gone on to productions on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters in all 50 states, and in more than 24 countries worldwide. Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work "creating and nurturing new musical theatre, ensuring the future of this essential art form."

NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF 2015 is sponsored by The City of New York Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Fuzzrocket, PRG, TheaterMania, and Clear Channel Spectacolor, and 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.

The NYMF PASS is a great way to experience The New York Musical Festival. With a NYMF PASS, you can get into the theater before individual ticket holders. Passes also offer the exclusive ability to book tickets before they go on sale to the public. Individual tickets are now on sale!

The 2016 New York Musical Festival will take place July 11 - August 7. For more information, visit www.nymf.org.