Jennifer Fouche, Angela Grovey & More Set for MADAME WALKER AND THE DIVINE DREAM at NYMF, 7/10 & 13

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) presents Madam Walker and the Divine Dream. Performances will take place on July 10th at 3:00PM & 7:00PM and July 13th at 8:00PM at The Studio at Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street). Starring Jennifer Fouche* (Off-Broadway's Sistas), Angela Grovey* (Broadway's Leap of Faith), two time Audelco Award Winner Juson Williams*, Kenya Lee*, Cheryl Gadsden, Annie Lee Moffett*, Carrie Compere* (Broadway bound Holler If You Hear Me, National tourShrek the Musical), Audelco nominated Chandra Thomas*, and Michael Roberts* (National and International tour West Side Story, Dreamgirls) . The book and lyrics are written by Steve Mackes and music by Joseph-Vernon Banks. Kevin Ray serves as music director and Bayo is stage manager.

On the eve of their 1921 company convention, the associates of America's first black millionaire businesswoman gather to pay tribute to their deceased leader. As they re-enact the supposed divine dream that led to Madame Walker's miracle hair formula, it remains to be seen whether or not her own daughter, Leila, will put their financial differences in the past and show up to pay her respects.

Steve Mackes co-conceived and wrote the musical comedy revue, Boobs, the World According to Ruth Wallis, which ran 10 months Off-Broadway at the Triad and Dillon's and had subsequent productions in New Orleans and Kansas City. He co-wrote a new, original book for Cole Porter's Nymph Errant that was workshopped at The Village Theatre outside Seattle, produced at the Chichester Festival Theatre in England, and published by Samuel French. He was bookwriter and co-lyricist for the rock n' roll musical comedy, Wild Women of Planet Wongo, which was workshopped at the University of Michigan's New Works Festival, had a reading at Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York; won Northern Kentucky University's 2005 YES Festival, was a Next Link Selection for the 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival, and won the 2005 National Music Theatre Network's Director's Choice Award. In 2008, Wongo was produced at the Red Barn Theatre in Key West and, in 2011, was part of the West Village Musical Theatre Festival. Steve wrote the book and co-wrote lyrics to Hell Hole Honeys, which was selected for development at the Eugene O'Neill Music Theater Conference in 2004. Theatre Resources Unlimited made HHH part of their 2006 Musical Reading Series, and the show was produced in 2009 at the Alleyway Theatre in Buffalo. From 2004-2006, Steve was an Artist in Residence at New York's Tribeca Performing Arts Center, working with Joseph Vernon Banks on Madam Walker and the Divine Dream. Steve is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Joseph-Vernon Banks has been a resident composer for The Theater for the New City (TNC) since 2000. His works with lyricist and director Crystal Field include: 99% Reduced Fat or You Can Bank On Us,Bamboozled or the Real Reality Show, Gone Fission, Buckle My Shoe,Tapdance, Social Insecurity, On the M15: Code Orange, State of the Union, Access Upheaval, The Patients are Running the Asylum,Biotech. He composed the music for Life's Too Short to Cry (book & lyrics by Michael Vazquez). In addition, as part of TNC's 35th anniversary of Street Theater, Joe produced the cast recording ofBamboozled or the Real Reality Show, available on iTunes, CD Baby and Amazon.com. He received an MFA Degree from the Tisch Graduate Theater Writing Program at New York University on a Dean's Fellowship. He wrote the music, book and lyrics for the musical, Girlfriends!, which was produced as a staged reading at the Goodspeed Opera House, and his musical, The Sugar Hill Sisters (with book and lyrics by Bil Wright), was featured in NYMF's 2012 Developmental Reading Series. Awards have included: Meet The Composer Grant (2000, 2001), The ASCAP Special Awards Program. He is a member of the Dramatist Guild, The American Society of Composers and Authors (ASCAP).

Jade King Carroll: Next season Jade is excited to be directing Alice Childress' Trouble in Mind at Two River and August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at Portland Stage and Piano Lesson at Cape Fear and serving as Dramaturg for NYPR August Wilson's American Century Cycle. Past credits include: A Raisin In The Sun(Juilliard & Perseverance); Seven Guitars (People's Light and Theatre & Point Park University); King Hedley (Portland Playhouse); The Etymology of Bird (CitiParks Summer Stages); Alondra was Here (The Wild Project); Cherry Smoke (Theatre Row); Sex on Sunday (BE Company @ Urban Stages); The Basset Table (Adelphi); Black Girl, You've Been Gentrified (Joe's Pub); Radio Golf ( Penn State); The History of Light, Samuel J&K, The Summer House ( Passage Theatre); The Persians, Splittin' the Raft (People's Light & Theatre); Spit (Intar); Associate Director for A Streetcar Named Desire (Broadway). Readings & Workshops: New York Theatre Workshop, McCarter Theatre, Two River Theatre, New Dramatists, Second Stage Theatre, The Lark, Primary Stages, Time Warner New Play Festival, PlayPenn, Joe's Pub, Goethe Institute, Dramatist's Guild, Premeire Stages, The New Black Fest, New Jersey Rep, Luna Stage, Playwright's Realm, Naked Angels, NYMF, Classical Theatre of Harlem and many others. Jade was a TCG New Generations Future Leader Award recipient, through which she was the Artistic Associate at Second Stage Theatre. In 2010 Jade was presented with the Paul Green Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Professional from The National Theatre Conference and The Estate of August Wilson. Past Fellowships: New York Theatre Workshop, Van Lier, Second Stage Theatre and McCarter Theatre.

Kevin Ray is a composer/lyricist living in New York City. His musical, Central Avenue Breakdown received 6 awards at the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival, including Excellence in Music and Orchestration. It had a full production in July at the Daegu International Music Festival and a return engagement at NYMF 2012. He is currently working on a new project called Maquiladora about factory workers in the Mexican border town of Juarez. As a solo artist, Kevin has recorded seven albums and is working on his new CD Radio Silence. Kevin's music was featured in the 2010 independent film Zerophilia, and his most current releases, Speak Now (2009) Karaoketown (2004), and Radio Friendly (2002) can be found on iTunes and CDBABY. In 2006 he produced, wrote and recorded Seasoned Greetings - a CD with 12 Original Holiday Songs performed by the wait staff at Ellen's Stardust Diner. That record went onto receive critical acclaim including a MAC nomination for the song Fat Christmas. He currently is in the studio working on three separate original recording projects. His unique style of piano-based pop-rock mixes elements of theater, jazz, and soul music. For more information on Kevin and his music, check out www.kevinray.net as well as iTunes and CDBaby.com.

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."

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