NICKEL MINES to Play NYMF

Nickel Mines, a new musical, will begin performances on July 27th (8 pm) at the Duke on 42nd Street (229 West 42nd Street). Performance times vary, check the schedule on www.nymf.org.

Nickel Mines is described as a non-traditional musical combining spoken dialogue with interpretive movement and an original score by composer Dan Dyer. Built on the assertion that history offers us more relevant drama than fiction, the book which is co-written by Andrew Palermo and Shannon Stocke prioritizes allegiance to the facts of the actual case, utilizing transcripts of the crime and its aftermath and allowing the story to emerge through dramatic interpretation. At its core, Nickel Mines is an exploration of the power of forgiveness, and the ways in which choosing forgiveness over retribution mitigate the sensationalism and cyclical escalation born of revenge. It is also an examination of the stories of lives spoken in their own words, a rethinking of the notion of victim-hood and a survey of the public's preconceptions of the Amish religion and culture

The cast features Dashiell Eaves (Corum Boy), Morgan Hollinsworth, Jason Reiff, Timothy J. Alex, Hannah Schwartz, Josephine Rose Roberts, Sophie Hearn-Barbara, Cailen Fu, Marisha Castle, Liliana Rose, Emma Hearn, Emma DeLancy, Maci Bass and Cassie Austin. Andrew Palermo (choreographer Allegiance) directs and choreographs. Book by Andrew Palermo and Shannon Stoeke with music and lyrics by Dan Dyer. Lighting design by Howell Binkley; costumes by Sera Borgeau and sound design by Nevin Steinberg. Musical arrangements and direction by David Gardos with musical orchestrations by Ryan Shirar. Samantha Jo Palermo serves as Associate Choreographer.

Andrew Palermo is a director, choreographer and creator of theatrical works. Highlights include Allegiance on Broadway starring George Takei and Lea Salonga, The Other Josh Cohen (Papermill, SoHo Playhouse), Kristin Chenoweth/Carnegie Hall, The Frank Loesser Songbook/NY Philharmonic, The Mikado/Carnegie Hall, ACE (The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse). Andrew is the Founding Artistic Director of The Spring Space: Broadband Theatre Lab, dre dance (with Taye Diggs) and is an Assistant Professor of Drama at UC Irvine.

Shannon Stoeke is a writer and musical theater actor who has appeared in numerous tours and regional productions. Shannon works in project development with collaborator/production partner Taye Diggs. With Diggs, he has developed projects with BET and WE Networks. He is a graduate of the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music.

Dan Dyer is a singer/songwriter who rose to prominence in Austin, TX as frontman of the much heralded blues-rock outfit, Breedlove. Dyer has toured the US in support of his own releases and alongside artists such as Lenny Kraits, Rufus Wainwright and others. He has performed at major festivals such as Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits and New Orleans Jazz Fest's Piano Night at the House of Blues.