NYMF Announces 2008 Lineup; Foster Pens Book

 The New York Musical Theatre Festival (Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Executive Director and Producer) announces a 14 new musicals to be presented as part of the 5th annual Festival from September 15 through October 5, 2008 in New York City.  The New York Musical Theatre Festival is the enormously popular three-week celebration that features the works of the newest generation of musical theatre writers.  The 14 musicals listed below are joining the ten new musicals previously announced, which were chosen from NYMF's open-submission writer service program, The Next Link Project.
 
"While there's no other city on the planet outside New York where NYMF could have the success and impact we've been able to achieve in just four years, musical theater is, in fact, alive and well beyond New York," said NYMF Executive Director and Producer Isaac Robert Hurwitz.  "Certainly shows launched by NYMF have made their way not only to various off-Broadway productions but now Broadway -- with the opening in July of the 2004 NYMF hit [title of show].  But NYMF shows are also receiving productions in nearly every state in the country as well as in both English and non-English-speaking nations around the world. Given that, it's only natural that this year's festival features both homegrown New York musicals and projects from as far away as Australia, encompassing a broad diversity of styles from bluegrass to jazz, grunge rock to chamber opera, satiric comedy to suspense and drama.  For our fifth anniversary season, I'm thrilled to have a group of shows that so reflects the breadth of contemporary musical theatre."
 
The 14 new musicals announced for the 2008 New York Musical Theatre Festival are:
 
Bonnie & Clyde
Book by Hunter Foster; Music and Lyrics by Rick Crom
Bonnie & Clyde is a toe-tappin', gun-slingin', cross-dressin' romp through the Depression-era Southwest, where America's most famous criminal duo find themselves runnin' from J. Edgar Hoover and straight into each other's arms…as long as they don't kill each other first.
 
The Bubble: A Musical Dot-Comedy
Book by Karen J. Paull, Music by David Pack; Lyrics by Karen J. Paull and David Pack
 Welcome to Silicon Valley, circa 1991, a magical place packed with scooter parks, massage parlors…and "options"…in something called…THE DOT COM.  Nobody knows what it is but everybody wants a piece, including Matt.  Will his greed get the better of him?  Or will he flush his future down the toilet to join hottie hippie Harmony's quest to save the oh-so-rare yellow-bellied hoo-doo?
 
College: The Musical
Book, Music and Lyrics by Drew Fornarola & Scott Elmegreen
Endless parties.  Skipping classes.  Wii bowling.  And…um…finding yourself?  Welcome to College: The Musical, a slice of contemporary dorm life and one hook-up you WILL remember the next morning.
 
Fancy Boys Follies
Book and Lyrics by David Pevsner, Music by Michael Skloff, Jamie Forsyth, Michael Orland, Mark Hummel, Chris Lavely & David Pevsner
Down and dirty meets brains and heart as five sexy men sing, dance and strip in this funny, filthy, fabulous low-rent Ziegfeld Follies from one of the creators of Naked Boys Singing!  You'll have a GAY OLD TIME…
 
The Hatpin
Book and Lyrics by James Millar, Music by Peter Rutherford
When impoverished single Australian mother Amber Murray finds herself with no choice but to board her ailing son with a kindly rich couple, she unknowingly embarks on a journey that will change the lives of women everywhere.  Uncover the grim secret behind The Hatpin in this gut-wrenching musical drama inspired by a true story from the late 19th century.
 
Heaven in Your Pocket
Book by Mark Houston, Francis J. Cullinan & Dianne Sposito, Music and Lyrics by Mark Houston
What's a broad to do when her no-good ex-husband dies and leaves their daughter his run-down Kansas City juke joint in his will?  Tap your toes and clap along as you watch the incorrigible Arlene Davis pack the other two members of the "Heavenly Belles" singing trio – her daughter Kay Lee and her best friend Celeste – into the pickup and high-tail it to Kansas City for a fresh start!
 
I Come For Love
Book, Music and Lyrics by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal
A jaded reporter in search of a story.  An adorable alien looking for love.  A small town diner in need of a waitress.  Intergalactic sparks and saucers fly in this screwball comedy that might just turn out to be the story of the century.
 
Idaho!
Book, Music and Lyrics by Morris T. Sheffield
Yee-haw!  Whip Masters, Jed Strunk, Manny Meany, Aunt Pearlie and the rest of the gang are rarin' to introduce you to potato country's simplest pleasures -- square-dancin', spud-peelin'…and devirginizin' – in this razor-sharp spoof of one of Broadway's most beloved classics.
 
Max and the Truffle Pig
Book by Suzanne Bradbeer, Music by Bert Draesel and Lyrics by Nancy Leeds
Based on the story by Judith Gwyn Brown
A 9-year-old aspiring chef and his beloved pig Suzette head deep into the French woods in search of the legendary…the elusive…the absolutely positively most delicious of all delicious foods…the truffle.  Will they find it in time for the Countess's royal dinner?  The answer lies in this oinkingly delightful new musical based on the book by the author of "The Mask of the Dancing Princess."
 
Play It Cool
Book by Larry Dean Harris and Martin Casella, Lyrics by Mark Winkler, Music by Phillip Swann, with additional musical contributions by David Benoit, Michael Cruz, Marilyn Harris, Robert Kraft, Emilio Palame, Joe Pasquale and Dan Siegel.
Directed by Sharon Rosen
It's 1953 and there's only one jazz club in town for boys seeking boys and girls seeking girls: Mary's Hideaway.  Welcome to Hollywood, a steamy almost-fairyland where everyone you meet wants to be a star and a few of 'em might damn well make it…just as long as they PLAY IT COOL.
 
She Can't Believe She Said That!
Book, Music and Lyrics by Matt Prager
The original Kathie Lee-sical.  Watch as our plucky heroine converts, cajoles and connives her way through churches, recording studios and one very special long-running talk show to national fame...and international infamy.  Take two cups of EVITA, add a gooey pound of cheese and take a big bite of VELVEVITA goodness with this loony satire from one of the writers of SOUTH PARK!
 
That Other Woman's Child
Book, Music and Lyrics by Sherry Landrum & George S. Clinton
When the Hanovers hear their long-lost big city half-sister – "that other woman's child" – is coming to claim her share of the farm, all heck breaks loose!  Little do they know that she's actually coming to connect with the family she never knew.  That Other Woman's Child is a look at the trials and tribulations of the ties that bind, with a joyful blue-grass score co-written by the Grammy-nominated film composer of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and 3000 Miles to Graceland.
 
The Road to Ruin
Book, Music and Lyrics by William Zeffiro
Welcome to The Road To Ruin (The 1928 Exploitation Musical)…where sex, bad mommies, worse daddies, bottled water and Christians conspire to bring down Little Sally Canfield, 'The Nicest Girl at Central High.'
 
Villa Diodati
Book by Collette Inez & Mira J. Spektor, Music & Additional Lyrics by Mira J. Spektor, Lyrics by Colette Inez, Additional Lyrics by Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Wordsworth
Switzerland, 1816.  Two of literature's most romantic and haunted couples -- Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley and their friends Lord Byron and his mistress Claire – spend a summer writing, sailing, telling ghost stories and discovering the joys and tragedies of love in this new chamber musical.
 
2008 NYMF Membership packages, priced from $100 - $300, are available now by calling 212-352-3101 or visiting www.nymf.org.  Single tickets are available to members on August 1 and to the general public on September 1.
 
The venues selected for the 2008 NYMF musicals include:  American Theater of Actors -Chernuchin Theatre (314 W. 54th Street), The Barrow Group Theater (312 W. 36th Street), The 45th Street Theatre (354 W. 45th Street), 37 Arts (450 W. 37th Street), and The Zipper Factory (337 W. 37th Street).
 
The ten previously announced musicals selected for the 2008 Festival from NYMF's writer service program, The Next Link Project, are: • About Face • Bedbugs! The Musical • Castronauts • Cyclone And The Pig Faced Lady • Jason And Ben • The Jerusalem Syndrome • Love Jerry • To Paint The Earth • Twilight In Manchego • Wood.
 
In addition to the 24 musicals announced to receive full productions, the 2008 Festival will include a series of panels and seminars featuring industry leaders; numerous readings, concerts, dance and cabaret performances; as well as an array of umbrella events co-presented with other musical theater organizations around the city.
 
Memberships for the 2008 Festival provide the best way for audiences to guarantee access to the hottest productions and their choice of performances.  Memberships combine charitable contributions to the Festival with valuable, flexible subscription packages. Members receive complimentary tickets and can book their seats a month before the general public; they also receive priority seating at the theater, as well as insider information, exclusive programming, and other benefits.
 
NYMF Platinum Membership $300 (includes a $104 tax-deductible donation) includes 12 complimentary tickets with guaranteed access to the shows you want, priority seating at NYMF shows before doors open for general admission, and 2 complimentary tickets to a private reading during the festival.  Platinum members receive exclusive access to purchase additional tickets during the members-only period for only $20 per ticket, and other exclusive benefits including: Invitation for 2 to the NYMF Opening Night Celebration, 25% Discount on all "NYMF @ Night" events, Member Discounts for Partner Events and Restaurants, and Invitation to select members-only events.  Platinum members receive acknowledgement on the NYMF website.
 
NYMF Gold Membership $200 (includes a $60 tax-deductible donation) includes EIGHT complimentary tickets with guaranteed access to the shows you want, and priority seating at NYMF shows before doors open for general admission.  Gold Member benefits also include: Invitation for 2 to the NYMF Opening Night Celebration, 25% Discount on all "NYMF @ Night" events, Member Discounts for Partner Events and Restaurants, and Invitation to select members-only events.  Gold members receive acknowledgement on the NYMF website.
 
NYMF Silver Membership $100 (includes a $40 tax-deductible donation) includes FOUR complimentary tickets with guaranteed access to the shows you want, and priority seating at NYMF shows before doors open for general admission.  Silver Members also receive an Invitation for 2 to the NYMF Opening Night Celebration, and Member Discounts for Partner Events and Restaurants.  Silver members receive Acknowledgement on the NYMF website.
 
Hailed as "the Sundance of Musical Theatre," The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) exists to revitalize one of America's greatest art forms by discovering, supporting and promoting new musical theater artists, producers, and projects, and by introducing a diverse audience to the vibrancy of contemporary musical theater.
 
NYMF's enormously popular fall festival takes over midtown Manhattan for three weeks each fall, with a slate of full productions and some 100 workshops, readings, concerts, parties, seminars, and other special events celebrating the newest generation of musical theater artists.  Providing a launching pad for the newest generation of musical theater artists and a powerful engine for new work, the festival has premiered more than 130 new musicals since 2004—many of which have gone on to award-winning productions in New York, in regional theaters and on tour in 38 states, and nine countries worldwide.  NYMF 2004 hit Altar Boyz has played well over 1,000 performances off-Broadway and is now in its fourth year at New World Stages; fellow NYMF alum [title of show], which received an OBIE-winning run off-Broadway in 2006, opens at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway this summer.
 
Widely regarded as the essential source for new material and talent discovery, NYMF is the flagship program of The National Music Theater Network, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and 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.
 
WWW.NYMF.ORG