HAMILTON's Sydney James Harcourt Leads NYC Reading of POPSTAR Musical Today

An invitation-only reading of the new musical PopStar will take place today, October 21 (11am) at Pearl Studios (500 Eighth Avenue, Studio #1204). PopStar features a book by Martin Casella, music and lyrics by Jay Levine and Sophie Dupin and is conceived and directed by Sharon Rosen.

The cast of the reading of PopStar is led by Sydney James Harcourt (Hamilton) with Dan DeLuca (Newsies national tour), Linedy Genao (On Your Feet!), Judy McLane (Mamma Mia!), L. Steven Taylor (The Lion King), Alysha Umphress (On the Town), Kalyn West (Gigantic) and Perry Young (In the Heights national tour). The PopStar ensemble includesErik J. Christensen, Erin Clemons, JarEd Dixon, Kathrina Feigh, Kelvin Moon Loh, Carolyn Miller, Susanna Rizzo and Levin Valayil.

Fallen Hollywood record label executive "Buzz" Michaelson needs to find the next big thing in pop music. Driven by the multi-platinum careers of his previous discoveries, a deep passion for the recording industry and the quest for fame, he seeks out a teenage prodigy in the wilds of Idaho. As Buzz pledges to mentor the boy and support the teen's grandmother, he soon learns the price of developing a new musical sensation might cost him more than his heart can handle.

With a dynamic original score - infused with dance and pop music - written by one of the industry's leading songwriting teams, PopStar is an emotionally uplifting new musical for audiences of all ages.

Music Direction for PopStar is by Dominick Amendum. Casting by Geoff Josselson, CSA. General Manager is Alchemy Production Group.

POPSTAR CREATIVE TEAM

Martin Casella (Playwright). Theatrical credits include THE REPORT (FringeNYC 2015 Overall Excellence Award for Playwriting); The Irish Curse (Off-Broadway, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Prague; published by Samuel French; GLAAD nomination for Outstanding New LA Play; FringeNYC 2005 Overall Excellence for Playwriting Award); Directions for Restoring the Apparently Dead; Scituate; Mates (Dramalogue and LA Weekly Outstanding Play Awards); Paydirt; Desert Fire; Beautiful Dreamer; Grand Junction; Mary Modern; Play It Cool (Off-Broadway; New York Outer Critics Circle nomination Best New Off-Broadway Musical; GLAAD nomination Best New Off-Broadway Musical); Paper Moon; Happy Holidays; Taking Care of Mrs. Carroll; Saint Heaven; DOO-DAH! In film and on television, Casella has collaborated on One Night Stand, Daddy's Girl (HBO) and "One Life to Live" (ABC), and with Steven Spielberg, Kerry Washington, Anthony Edwards, John Badham, John Milius, Dan Petrie Jr., Disney, Universal, Warner Bros and Paulist Productions. He is currently at work onTom's Dad, directed by Lasse Hallstrom and starring Will Ferrell, as well as the British animated feature The Land of Sometimes. Casella taught playwriting at his alma mater Cal Arts and for eight years at NYC's Harvey Milk School. Member The Dramatists Guild/WGA.

JAY LEVINE (Music and Lyrics) is a music producer and song writer whose passion is helping artists find their voice through song writing and development. He has discovered and produced and written for multi-platinum artists such as Fefe Dobson, Susan Cagle, Catey Shaw Prozzak and The Philosopher Kings. Jay has written and produced songs for over 20 feature films, and has written singles for Miranda Cosgove ("iCarly") and ElizaBeth Gillies ("Victorious"). His latest project, Today Kid, has been featured in Reebok, Best Buy, Match.com, Verizon and Benjamin Moore and Chase commercials. In 2013, Levine was the head music producer at the Orchard's sync department and also taught songwriting workshops at NYU. Jay has consulted for Lyor Cohen (WMG) and his label Lefthook Entertainment has been supported by Columbia Records, Island Def Jam and Sony/ATV. Currently Jay is supervisor for a feature film called Manhattan Nocturnestarring Adrian Brody. Levine's band Prozzak is currently playing sold out shows across Canada and developing a TV show for the project. He is in the process of recording an album for Catey Shaw who he discovered in the Subway in NYC and who now has over 30 million plays on Spotify.

SOPHIE DUPIN (Music and Lyrics) grew up in Northern Michigan and moved to NYC at the age of 18 to pursue her songwriting career while attending Pratt Institute for graphic design. Playing clubs on the lower east side of Manhattan, Sophie learned the art of artist development while co-founding a successful graphic design company. Dupin combines these worlds as she is the head art director and main songwriter for Break Entertainment, an artistic development and creative company. Sophie Dupin has written songs for major label artists, as well as TV commercials with brands such as Fisher Price, Crayola, Febreeze and Pandora Jewelry. You can also hear her songs in the feature film Manhattan Nocturne starring Adrien Brody. In 2015 Break artist Loren, was labeled 5 Artists to Watch in September 2015 by SPIN MAGAZINE. Dupin is also the co-writer of viral sensation Kimberly Henderson's "Tiny Hearts" that received national press and was performed on the StEve Harvey show. Dupin has worked as a Judge for X-factor, scout for America's Got Talent and sang with the band Passion Pit on Saturday Night Live. Sophie is currently recording her debut solo album under the name BRIX. Brix vocals and songwriting are featured on Hollywood Records' artist Cole Plante's song "Before I'm Yours" which topped the Billboard Dance Charts.

Sharon Rosen (Director). Ms. Rosen's production of Play It Cool received an Outer Critics Circle nomination Off-Broadway, and an Off-Off-Broadway GLADD nomination for the NYMF production. In Los Angeles, Play It Cool received numerous award nominations, including the Los Angeles GLADD Award nomination for Outstanding New LA Play. Sharon is preparing to direct the revival of Oh What A Lovely War. She was a producer for Vanities The Musical at Second Stage Theatre, consulting producer on the Off-Broadway production of The Irish Curse - now published at Samuel French, and with Fremont Associates, she worked on Broadway's Ring of Fireand the Pasadena Playhouse production of Mask. She has worked closely with Academy Award nominee Anna Hamilton Phelan and Grammy Award winners Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and director Tony Winner Richard Maltby, Jr. Sharon co-produced The Tricky Part, Off-Broadway, which received an Obie Award and both Drama Desk and Outer Critics' Circle nominations. She was one of the original producers of They Wrote That? The Music of Mann/Well. Also in New York, she produced and directed the world premiere of Drowning in Euphoria at the McGinn-Cazale Theatre. Sharon produced and directed the West Coast premiere of Always...Patsy Cline, starring Sally Struthers, playing at both The Coronet and The Laguna Playhouse and Las Vegas. The show received best production honors in Las Vegas in 2000. Her American premiere production of Slow Love earned her seven Drama-Logue Awards (including Critic's Choice and Best Production) and her LA premiere of David Budbill's Judevine brought her three more. Sharon produced the production of RUMI with Paul Sills, founder of Second City and creator of the Tony Award-winning Story Theater. Since 1990, Sharon has been Executive Director of the Silk Rd. Theatre Company. Other productions that have received critical praise include Still Photos, The Portrait Norman Rockwell Forgot to Paint, Waterworks, Echoes, Triplet and All I Want For Christmas. Sharon has been on the Board and served as a consultant for Celebration Theatre for five years. She has worked extensively teaching theatre to both adults and children, and has taught Acting and Directing at various schools including NYU and The National Theatre Workshop for the Handicapped, Step One Talent, as well as communications at Brooklyn College.