John Tartaglia-Helmed CLAUDIO QUEST and Five Other Shows Get Extensions at NYMF

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) is proud to announced extensions for six NYMF productions - CLAUDIO QUEST, SPOT ON THE WALL, WEARING BLACK, HELD MOMENTARILY, SONGS FOR THE FALLEN and TONYA AND NANCY: A ROCK OPERA. Additional extensions may be announced at a later date.

CLAUDIO QUEST is a new musical comedy that follows a very super hero, his less super little brother, and one butt-kicking princess, as the three embark on a mission to overcome killer eggplants, a love-starved platypus, and their own 8-bit existential crisis. CLAUDIO QUEST features a book, music and lyrics by Drew Fornarola and Marshall Pailet and is directed by Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia (Avenue Q), with choreography by Shannon Lewis.

CLAUDIO QUEST will play the following performance schedule: July 10 at 1pm, July 12 at 8pm, July 13 at 1pm, July 14th at 5pm, and July 14 at 9pm.

SPOT ON THE WALL tells the story of one family's search for expression and empathy inside a museum. Paul Hunter, a talented photographer, is about to have an exhibition of his work at the museum - but when his artwork focuses on his mother's recent lost battle with cancer, his family finds out how difficult it can be to face your pain and your past. SPOT ON THE WALL features music by Alex Mitchell and book and lyrics by Kevin Jaeger, and is directed by Devin Dunne Cannon (The Woodsman at 59E59), with Music Direction by Mike Rosengarten and choreography by Allicia Lawson.

SPOT ON THE WALL will play the following performance schedule: July 10 at 5pm, July 11 at 9pm, July 12 at 12pm, July 14 at 5pm, and July 14 at 9pm.

WEARING BLACK features music, lyrics and a book by Riley Thomas and is directed by J. Scott Lapp. When his twin brother Charlie suddenly passes away, all Evan wants to do is forget their complicated relationship and move on, but the tangled relationships Charlie left behind keep Evan from truly letting go. As he slips into a spiral of self-destruction, Evan must make a stark decision: either accept and forgive his dead twin brother, or become him.

WEARING BLACK will play the following performance schedule: July 9 at 8pm, July 10 at 9pm, July 11 at 1pm, July 13 at 5pm, July 13 at 9pm, and July 15 at 1pm.

HELD MOMENTARILY features a book, music and lyrics by Oliver Houser, with additional material by James Zebooker. Trapped on a stalled subway car, six strangers discover it's not just the train that's stuck. A poignant musical comedy about making connections, living in the moment, and moving on in life. Oh, and one more thing: a woman just went into labor.

HELD MOMENTARILY will play the following performance schedule: July 20 at 8pm, July 21 at 1pm, July 23 at 1pm, July 25 at 5pm, July 26 at 8pm, and July 27 at 12pm.

Paris,1847. SONGS FOR THE FALLEN takes you through the extraordinary life of Marie Duplessis - courtesan, party girl, liar, and legend - from desperate poverty to her meteoric rise as the most notorious woman in France. Part vaudeville, part cabaret, part MTV-goes-Baroque, it is the wild and hilarious tale of a woman who knew one thing: good girls don't make history. The unbelievable tale that inspired The Lady of the Camellias, La traviata, and Moulin Rouge!, SONGS FOR THE FALLEN is an invitation to the decadent final party of the real-life woman. SONGS FOR THE FALLEN features a book by Sheridan Harbridge,and music and lyrics by Sheridan Harbridge and Basil Hogios.

SONGS FOR THE FALLEN will play the following performance schedule: July 21 at 8pm, July 23 at 9pm, July 24 at 12pm, July 25 at 1pm, July 26 at 9pm, and July 27 at 12pm.

Based on the Olympic skating "knee whack" scandal, TONYA & NANCY: THE ROCK OPERA is the story of two girls going for the gold. Produced in Boston, LA, and Portland, OR, it's drawn strong reviews ("Brilliant and touching"; "Absurdly funny...surprisingly poignant"; "Black Swan on ice"). The show has inspired its own media madness on Good Morning America, ESPN Hollywood, NPR, CBS, the AP, and more. It's a dark comedy done with heart. TONYA & NANCY: THE ROCK OPERA features a book and lyrics by Elizabeth Searle and music by Michael Teoli, and is directed by David Alpert, with choreography by Marc Kimelman.

TONYA & NANCY will play the following performance schedule: July 9 at 8pm, July 11 at 5pm, July 12 at 8pm, July 14 at 5pm, July 14 at 9pm, and July 16 at 1pm.

Individual tickets and NYMF Passes are available now. Visit nymf.org/tickets for more information.

The lineup for NYMF 2015 includes over twenty new musicals: 210 Amlent Avenue, Acappella, Claudio Quest, Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera, Foolerie, HeadVoice, Held Momentarily, Manuel versus The Statue of Liberty, Moses Man, Napoleon, Passing By, Pope! An Epic Musical, Real Men, a musical for guys and the women who put up with them; Single Wide, Songs for the Fallen, Spot on the Wall, Summer Valley Fair, The Calico Buffalo, The Cobalteans, Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera, Wearing Black, and What Do Critics Know? In addition, NYMF 2015 will feature staged readings and the debut of brand new concerts from July 7, 2015 to July 27, 2015.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival nurtures the creation, production, and public presentation of stylistically, thematically, and culturally diverse new musicals to ensure the future vitality of musical theatre.

Now in its twelfth year, the Festival is the premier musical theatre event in the world. 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 theatre fans. More than 90 Festival shows have gone on to productions on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters in all 50 states, and in more than 20 countries worldwide. Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work "creating and nurturing new musical theatre, 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 2015 is sponsored by Fuzzrocket, PRG, TheaterMania, Clear Channel Spectacolor, and The Village Voice, and is supported, in part, 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.

The NYMF PASS is a great way to experience The New York Musical Theatre Festival. With a NYMF PASS, you can get into the theater before individual ticket holders. Passes also offer the exclusive ability to book tickets before they go on sale to the public. NYMF Passholder ticket booking begins June 1. Individual tickets go on sale June 15.

The 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival will take place July 7-27. For more information, visit: www.nymf.org.