Gallery Players Presents EMMA as Part of OVERTURES Series

"Hear it here first!" After an overwhelmingly successful inaugural season, The Gallery Players continues OVERTURES, their series of new musical theatre readings. Helmed by theatre director and scholar, Barrie Gelles, OVERTURES was created in order to foster the creation of new musical theatre and support the talented composers and writers as they develop their work. OVERTURES gives its audiences an opportunity to hear and experience a variety of exciting new musicals before they have their first full production.

Season 2 continues with Emma, music by Sarah Taylor Ellis with book and lyrics by Meghan Brown. In this musical retelling of Jane Austen's novel, Emma Woodhouse amuses herself by matchmaking her friends - until she discovers that the path to love is rarely simple. Blending witty dialogue with an impassioned, lush score, Brown and Ellis's "timeless contemporary" adaptation of Emma imbues these beloved characters with surprising depth. In a profound exploration of several love stories, this fresh new musical promises that love - however complicated - is an entirely worthwhile pursuit.

The cast of Emma will feature Ito Aghayere*, Ben Diskant*, Andrew Keltz*, Christopher Michaels, Adrian Rifat, Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld*, Briana Silvie, Grace Wall*, Dwayne Washington, and Sarah Ziegler.* Emma will be directed by Barrie Gelles.

*Denotes member of Actors' Equity Association.

Emma is the second project that Sarah Taylor Ellis has workshopped with OVERTURES. Ellis shares her experience of OVERTURES: "It was clear from my very first encounter with director Barrie Gelles: Gallery Players truly loves theater artists. I was honored to receive a reading in the inaugural year of Overtures, and I am thrilled to be back with Emma this fall. Gallery Players deftly handles all the logistics so the writers can focus on the work. A generosity of spirit abounds, from the directors to the cast, and I am immensely grateful for the time, talent, space, and support to develop this new musical; it is a rare gift."

Ben Diskant, who plays George Knightley in Emma, wrote 20/35, the musical that kicked off the 2015-16 season of OVERTURES. Diskant says: "Having the chance to workshop 20/35 through the Overtures series at the Gallery Players was an incredibly productive experience. Overtures provided an encouraging space to grow and shape the musical with the opportunity to showcase the piece at the end. I am so grateful to have been a part of the history of this series."

Each reading will run for two nights. Individual show tickets are $10.00, or you can see all six for $50.00. Individual tickets or passes may be purchased through Ovation by calling 212-352-3101. All shows begin at 7pm and take place at The Gallery Players.

The 2015/2016 Season includes:

20/35
Music, Lyrics and Book by Benjamin Diskant
Directed by Jesse Marchese
Monday, September 21 and Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Emma
Music by Sarah Taylor Ellis
Book and Lyrics by Meghan Brown
Monday, November 2 and Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Deployed
Music and Lyrics by Natalie Lovejoy
Monday, December 14 and Tuesday, December 15, 2015

'Till Death Do Us Part
Music and Lyrics by Bobby Cronin
Book by Caroline Prugh
Monday, February 8 and Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Lobsters Live Forever
Book and Lyrics by Sam Chanse
Music by Bob Kelly
Monday, March 21 and Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Standby
Book and Lyrics by Mark-Eugene Garcia and Alfred Solis
Music by Amy Baer and Keith Robinson
Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3, 2016

ABOUT THE GALLERY PLAYERS

A New York institution since 1967-nearly 50 years-The Gallery Players' season comprises three plays and three musicals from both the classic and contemporary repertoire; the season finale is the annual Black Box New Play Festival, which workshops and presents world premier productions of works by emerging playwrights. Gallery has received the Off-Off Broadway Review's 2000 Award for Lifetime Achievement, as well as New York Innovative Theater (IT) awards for outstanding musical for Urinetown, Yank, and Like You Like It, and has earned the reputation of "New York's Best Kept Secret."

The Gallery Players is located at 199 14th Street, between 4th and 5th Avenues, in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Take the F or G Train to 4th Avenue or the R train to 9th Street. By car: the BQE to Hamilton Avenue, to 14th Street. Website: http://galleryplayers.com.