Jose Llana and Enrico Rodriguez Star in NYTB's COSTS OF LIVING Reading, 11/7 & 8

New York Theatre Barn will present a free private reading of the new musical Costs of Living November 7 and 8 in the Theatre District. Jose Llana (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and EnRico Rodriguez (Zanna, Don't!, Rent) will star. Costs of Living, with book, music and lyrics by Timothy Huang, was a selection of Stephen Schwartz's 2012 ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop and a 2012 American Harmony Prize finalist.

Inspired by a 2009 New York Times article, Costs of Living follows two Chinese immigrants who have come to New York in pursuit of the American dream. Sharing a taxi and a bed to make ends meet, their lives diverge, ending in tragedy. Joining Llana and Rodriguez in the reading are actors Sarah Corey (Summer Shorts), David Foley Jr., Kathryn Holktamp, Brian Jose, Austin Ku, and Jaygee Macapugay (The Rockae). Marlo Hunter directs. Music direction is by Mark T. Evans and stage management is by John Michael Crotty.

Email info@nytheatrebarn.org for more information and reservations. Seating is limited.

Timothy Huang is a composer, lyricist, and Asian dude. His full-length musicals include Costs of Living (2012 American Harmony Prize finalist), And the Earth Moved (Finalist, NMTN's New Voices Prize), Death and Lucky (MacDowell fellowship), LINES: A Song Cycle (NYMF 2008). Timothy is also the composer/lyricist of the award winning one-person musical The View From Here (cast album featuring Shonn Wiley and available on iTunes). Other works include: Timothy Huang: Chinese or Crazy? (NYTB at the D-Lounge), Crossing Over (National Asian Artists' Project "Discover: New Musicals"), 2 to Wakefield (York 4@15 with UC Irvine), Short Story Long: The Songs of Timothy Huang (York Theater, NEO Spotlight Series), Changing Times (York 4@15 with NYU Steinhardt), Missing Karma (Prospect Theater Co.), and A Relative Relationship (BMI Musical Theater Workshop). Timothy has been a regular participant in TNT Music Productions' Are You Working On Something New concert series at Don't Tell Mama and his song "Everything I Do You Do" (with co-lyricist Sara Wordsworth) was recorded by Sutton Foster and Stephanie Bast for the album Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project (amazon.com, iTunes) Timothy is a 2013 Dramatist Guild Fellow in Musical Theater, holds an MFA in Musical Theater Writing from NYU/Tisch GMTWP, is a member of the Musical Theater lab at BMI, and a proud fellow of the MacDowell Artist Colony. For more information about Tim, visit www.timothyhuang.net.

Marlo Hunter is a director and choreographer based in Manhattan. She currently serves as the Director of Script Development for WET Productions. In 2008, looking to push the boundaries of site-specific and full-sensory theater, she founded Eating Their Words through which she pairs prominent playwrights and seasoned chefs for an unprecedented artistic collaboration, resulting in an evening of three world-premiere plays and an original menu, each inspired by the other. Through ETW Marlo has commissioned and directed new plays by Neil LaBute, Douglas Carter Beane, Theresa Rebeck, David Grimm, Annie Baker, Brooke Berman, Amy Herzog, Keith Reddin, Beau Willimon, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Sam Forman, Rob Ackerman, Sarah Treem and Steven Levenson. Upcoming: Marlo will direct a developmental concert of Island Song, a new musical she's been developing with Sam Carner & Derek Gregor. Marlo was recently granted the first Alec Baldwin Singers Forum Directing Fellowship, through which she will be working with playwriting fellow Jenny Lane on her new play, Harlowe. Marlo's direction and choreography credits include work at Long Wharf Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Vineyard, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Ars Nova. She holds a B.A. from Princeton University. www.MarloHunter.com.

Under the direction of Joe Barros (Artistic Director), Jason Najjoum (Producing Director), and Barry Levine (Managing Director), New York Theatre Barn is a non-profit theatre company founded in 2007 and dedicated to the investigation, development, and advancement of new works. Productions include the all-female musical I Married Wyatt Earp (59E59 Theatres/Prospect Theater Co.) with Heather Mac Rae and Carolyn Mignini, Hot Mess in Manhattan: The Musical (The Araca Project), the musical Wood (New York Musical Theatre Festival/Emily Miller) with Cady Huffman, and Bridget Bailey's award-winning solo play Child of Hungry Times. New York Theatre Barn has been instrumental in the development of Adam Gwon's Ordinary Days, the musical parody Hey, You Know What Movie Would Make A Good Musical?, and Katie Thompson's R.R.R.E.D. The company's monthly platform for new work, NYTB in the D-Lounge (now in its 6th year), provides a community and a home for artists to discover and grow within their art form. In Development: Speargrove Presents (Book & Lyrics by Sammy Buck, Music & Lyrics by Brandon James Gwinn). New York Theatre Barn is a proud member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre.

Photo Credit: Monica Simoes