I AM, A Play With Music, To Hold Its Premier Showcase At La MaMa

I AM is a coming of age musical theatre piece with music by Lauren Stamm, book by Ben Gouldthorpe, and story by Stamm, Gouldthorpe, and Ted Watts Jr. The premier reading for this show will be held on June 30 and will be directed by Watts. The show will feature a seven-piece orchestra with arrangements and orchestrations by Jacinta Clusellas.

I AM will be performed at The Downstairs at La MaMa Theatre (66 East 4th Street, New York, NY), and will feature a stellar cast of seasoned veterans and exciting newcomers. The cast includes DeMarius R. Copes ( Mean Girls , Broadway), Emily Jewell ( Disney's Beauty and the Beast , National Tour), Jenna Rubaii ( Groundhog Day , Broadway), Tristan J. Shuler ( Cruel Intentions , Off-Broadway), Fredi Bernstein ( The Hard Problem , Quantum Theatre), Emily Lynne Miller ( Savage , West End), Nick Martinez ( In the Heights , The John W. Engeman Theatre), Leland Gantt ( Malcolm X , film), Justin Michael Duval ( Happy Days , National Tour), and Allie Dobyns (singer-songwriter, Dobyns ).

This full-length play with music explores the parallel stories of a gay high school senior and a lesbian guidance counselor struggling to coordinate their sexualities with the social norms of a late-90s conservative town in Eastern Pennsylvania. A love interest has Eli Whitaker conflicted as he prepares to accept a sports scholarship to a religious conservative college. Addison Baker is attempting to adopt her drug-addicted niece's infant daughter but facing adversity due to her relationship with a woman.

"At first glance, you might look at this musical and say, 'Oh, the two main characters are gay; This is just another gay musical.' It's not. It's really for anyone who has ever felt discriminated against, oppressed, put in a box that they didn't feel like they fit or belonged in. It is for the oppressed, and it is also for the oppressors." says Stamm.

For tickets and more information, please visit www.iamthemusical.com .
* Summer Shares at La MaMa makes theatre spaces available to artists for non-curated productions