Krystina Alabado, Joél Pérez, And Luke Smith Lead Casts Of BORDERS And INSIDE MY HEAD For New York Theatre Barn's New Works Series

The eleventh season of New York Theatre Barn's New Works Series continues on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 with pre-premieres of two new musicals: Borders and Inside My Head.

The new musical Borders has book, music and lyrics by Janine McGuire and Arri Lawton Simon. Borders tells the story of two men, one Israeli and one Palestinian, who fall in love during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. Based upon the motion picture The Bubble written by Eytan Fox and Gal Uchovsky, directed by Eytan Fox, this daring new musical examines the borders we construct within society and within ourselves. Romantic and provocative, Borders pulses with energy, urgency, and hope for a more peaceful world. The presentation is directed by Laura Brandel (Hit the Wall), and the cast includes Krystina Alabado (American Psycho, This Ain't No Disco), ?Netanel Bellaishe (Aladdin), Kayley Anne Collins, John Charles McLaughlin, Kevin Necciai, Joél Pérez (Fun Home), Omer Shaish (VOCA PEOPLE), and Robbie Torres (The Teacher from the Black Lagoon and Other Stories). Borders is currently in development at the Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellowship program.

Inside My Head, with book, music, and lyrics by Zak Sandler, takes us inside the brain of aspiring musician Marc, as the various guiding voices we all have in our heads help him navigate life. When a new voice appears and sends Marc spiraling out of control, he must decide whether to push it away or embrace it as part of who he is. This original musical takes an unprecedented look at mental conditions, creativity, and how we learn to accept the most vulnerable parts of ourselves. The presentation is directed by Matt Cowart (associate director of Sunset Boulevard and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill), with music direction and orchestrations by Casey Reed (Miss Saigon), dramaturgy by Alexa Clint, stage management by Willy Kinch, and the cast includes Aaron Albert, Keith Broughton, JoAnna Geffert, Mason Hensley, Chris Renalds (Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical), Mikki Sodergren, Luke Smith (Significant Other), and Samantha Williams.

The September 4 installment includes presentations of both new musicals at 7PM and 9PM at The Cell, located at 338 West 23rd Street in New York City. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, and can be purchased on New York Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org. The line producers are Sam Strumm and Heather DiPietro, and casting is by Eisenberg/Beans Casting? (Daryl Eisenberg,CSA?; Ally Beans, CSA).

Through an education initiative sponsored by Theatre Barn's board of directors, a limited amount of complimentary tickets are available to high school students. To request a student ticket, email Education Director Tim Aumiller: tim@nytheatrebarn.org. To sponsor a student ticket, visit Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org.

Under the artistic direction of Joe Barros, New York Theatre Barn is a Manhattan-based non-profit theatre company, founded in 2007, dedicated to incubating and producing new musicals that tell untold stories. Our stories are inspired by the lives of real people and actual events that challenge our preconceived ideas, and promote inclusion and positive social change. Theatre Barn's core program is the New Works Series which presents bi-monthly "pre-premieres" of new musicals in the early stages of development. With each installment, two new musicals are showcased before a live audience and a worldwide virtual audience. Since the series' inception, we have presented more than 400 writers in 100 pre-premieres, and have amassed a catalogue of nearly 2,000 videos with a million views. For more information: www.nytheatrebarn.org.