FREILICH & BENSON SPLIT THE KEYS Concert Set for NYMF, 7/22

The New York Musical Theatre Festival will present a one-night-only concert of new music by up-and-coming composers Josh Freilich and Nikko Benson on Monday, July 22nd at 9:00pm at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre. Previously presented in a sold-out weekend at Mr. (William) Finn's Cabaret at Barrington Stage Company, this evening of new, irreverent tunes will showcase the talents of two promising young alumni of the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program.

The event, produced and directed by Shakina Nayfack (Barrington's Bashir Lazhar), will feature new lyrics by William Finn (Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Nikko Benson, Jake Brandman, Sam Chanse, Seth Christenfeld, Thirza Defoe, Ben Halstead, Sean Patterson, Jason Purdy, Janine Robledo, Liz Suggs, and Sarah Underwood. The cast includes Ali Ewoldt (Les Miserables, The Fantasticks), Remy Zaken (Spring Awakening), Barrett Wilbert Weed (Lysistrata Jones, Bare), Ben Roseberry (The Lion King), Mykal Kilgore (Book of Mormon national tour), Luke Wygodny (American Idiot national tour), Mary Kate Morrissey (Hair national tour), Mike Longo (Hair national tour), Danyel Fulton (Hair national tour), Elisabeth Cernadas (Gilbert and Sullivan Players, Les Bandits), Amanda Savan (Fancy Nancy), Rachel Lee (Joe Iconis and Family), and Sammi Leigh Kramer.

Freilich and Benson Split the Keys is an official selection of the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival. Tickets are available for $25 at www.nymf.org. The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre is located at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street.

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 tenth year, the Festival is the largest musical theatre event in America. 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 85 festival shows have gone on to productions on and off-Broadway, in 48 states, and more than 20 countries worldwide, and Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work "creating and nurturing new musical theater, 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 2013 is presented in association with Dunkin' Donuts,BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group, TheaterMania.com, New World Stages, Fox 5 New York, Tilson Consulting, The Out NYC, King Displays, Times Square Squared, Thomson Reuters, Nasdaq OMX, Backstage, Next Magazine, Ironpaper,

BroadwayInsider.com, TheMenEvent.com, and Yelp. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and 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. Major supporters include The ASCAP Foundation, BMI Foundation, Inc., The BWF Foundation, Con Edison, The Nathan Cummings Foundation with the support and encouragement of Jamie Mayer Phinney, The New Musical Development Foundation, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Theater League.

NYMF Memberships, which combine charitable contributions with valuable, flexible ticket packages and perks like early seating are currently on sale. To purchase memberships or single tickets for Festival events, call (212) 352-3101 or visit www.nymf.org.