NYMF Continues ASCAP Foundation Education Series 10/8 & 10/15

The New York Musical Theatre Festival continues its partnership with ASCAP to present the its annual Educational Series at Barnes and Noble Booksellers at Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway at 66th Street. The remaining two educational seminars are FREE with seating based on space and availability. 

The educational seminars will also feature live musical performances. Other Partner Events going on throughout this year's festival also include a multimedia performance-art piece titled ARGENTINA passionate!, the highly popular Jim Caruso's Cast Party, the comedy show Mel & El: Gay Married, and a screening series of Musicals on Television including The Bachelor ("The Sunday Spectacular," 1956), Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates ("HallMark Hall of Fame," 1958), AlIce Through the Looking Glass (1966), and Carousel ("Armstrong Circle Theatre," 1967).

The New York Musical Theatre Festival's Educational series is made possible through the generous support of The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Trust. All seminars will be held at Barnes and Noble Booksellers at Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway at 66th Street. 

This year's topics include:

Showtunes in Translation: The Global Appeal of Musicals

Moderator: Michael A. Kerker (Director of Musical Theatre, ASCAP)
Guests: Joe DiPietro, Mark Hollmann, Will Aronson and Kyoung-Ae Kang (My Scary Girl, NYMF '09), and Eric Wainaina (Mo Faya, NYMF '09)

It's the 21st Century and it seems to be a small world after all. People on every continent are connected by the World Wide Web, cell phones, film, television, and...musical theatre? From Avenue Q in Sweden to Dreamgirls in Seoul, Broadway isn't limited to Broadway anymore. Come learn about the differences and similarities between various productions around the globe, NYMF's own international shows, and why people from all over the world share a universal love for the musical. October 8 at 5pm

Next to Normal: A Journey from NYMF to Broadway

Moderator: Isaac Robert Hurwitz (Executive Director & Producer, NYMF)
Guests: Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal)

The hit musical Next To Normal has taken Broadway by storm, but the road to success has not always been easy for creators Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. After numerous revisions and workshops, Next To Normal has evolved into the heart-wrenching story of a dysfunctional suburban family struggling in the face of psychological illness, love and loss. Join the Tony-award winning team in an exclusive interview discussing Next To Normal's journey from a bold idea to a Broadway smash.
October 15 at 5pm

NYMF Partner Events:

ARGENTINA passionate!
Created and Directed by Roi "Bubi" Escudero
Performed and Choreographed by Rubén Celiberti

ARGENTINA passionate! is an intrinsic, sensual and passionate musical spectacle embodied in a multimedia performance-art piece interpreting Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel and other Argentinean legends and featuring David Ponce, Jennifer Loryn, and La Banda Argentina. It reflects the Argentine idiosyncrasy through its culture, music, dance and its zest of life. Through a series of tableaux and connected musical vignettes, the audience will discover and explore an Argentina beyond Tango.
WHERE: ATA - Beckmann Theatre, 314 West 54th Street
WHEN: October 5, 6, and 7; please see www.nymf.org for times
TICKETS: please see www.nymf.org for details

Jim Caruso's Cast Party

Jim Caruso's Cast Party, the wildly popular weekly soiree, brings a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and glamour to the legendary Birdland in New York City. Every Monday night showbiz superstars hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, creating an impromptu variety show with jaw-dropping music and general razzle-dazzle. The buoyant, sharp and charming Caruso guides the entire affair, and the audience is invited to participate in the musical fun. It's the party that would happen if somehow David Letterman and Ed Sullivan threw a hip house party around a nine-foot concert grand piano. CBS-TV called it "Extreme Open Mic!" For more information, go to www.CastPartyNYC.com.
WHERE: Birdland, 315 West 44th Street
WHEN: October 5, 12, and 19 at 9:30pm
TICKETS: $10 cover plus a 1-drink minimum

MEL & EL: GAY MARRIED
Created and performed by Melanie Adelman and Ellie Dvorkin

MEL & EL are about to make a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. to march for LGBT equality, but first they gotta do a show! MEL & EL: GAY MARRIED is a musical Laverne & Shirley meets Sex & the City with a lower shoe budget and a higher ratio of in-your-crotch comedy. Hailed as "outrageous" by The New York Times and "hilariously squirm-inducing" by the Village Voice, real life best friends and award-winning NYC cult phenomenon MEL & EL have brought down the house at Ars Nova, Gotham Comedy Club, The Box, The Zipper, Birdland, The Stonewall Inn, Therapy, and The PIT. Join the girls at Comix as they ponder the fashion choices of their teens, the feasability of having George Michael as a neighbor, and the likelihood of getting gay married.
WHERE: Comix (353 West 14th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues)
WHEN: October 8, 7:30
TICKETS: $15 in advance, $20 at the door

Musicals on Television:

As part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, The Paley Center for Media will screen a sampler of musicals written exclusively for television including The Bachelor (1956), starring Hal March, Jayne Mansfield, Julie Wilson, and Carol Haney, with music and lyrics by Steve Allen (plus additional songs by Ervin Drake); Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates (1958), starring Tab Hunter, Dick Button, Carmen Mathews, and Peggy King, with music and lyrics by Hugh Martin; and AlIce Through the Looking Glass (1966), with an all-star cast including Jimmy Durante, Nanette Fabray, Jack Palance, Ricardo Montalban, Tom & Dick Smothers, and Agnes Moorehead, and music by Moose Charlap and lyrics by Elsie Simmons. In addition, the Paley Center will also screen the 1967 television adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel, starring Robert Goulet, Pernell Roberts, and Patricia Neway.

The October 10 Hans Brinker screening will include a special seminar with stars Dick Button and Peggy King, moderated by Bill Rudman (Sirius XM, On Broadway).

SCHEDULE:

Saturday, October 10 at 1 p.m. The Bachelor ("The Sunday Spectacular," 1956)

Saturday, October 10 at 3 p.m. Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates ("HallMark Hall of Fame," 1958)

Sunday, October 11 at 1 p.m. AlIce Through the Looking Glass (1966)

Sunday, October 11 at 3 p.m. Carousel ("Armstrong Circle Theatre," 1967)

WHERE: The Paley Center for Media, 25 W. 52nd Street

TICKETS: Suggested donation: $10, $8 for seniors and students, $5 for children under 14

(212) 621-6600; www.paleycenter.org

The New York Musical Theatre Festival, now in its sixth year, has premiered more than 175 new musicals since 2004. The largest musical theatre event in America, NYMF has been hailed as "the Sundance of Musical Theatre," and is widely regarded as the key source for new material and talent discovery. NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF 2009 is presented in association with BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group and TheaterMania.com, and is supported by Back Stage, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, BroadwayBox.com, BroadwayInsider.com, Broadway.TV, Clear Channel Spectacolor, DFD-TV, Frank & Camille's Fine Pianos, King Displays, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, New World Stages, NASDAQ OMX, Next Magazine, PMD Promotions, Queerty.com, Reuters, Sweet Caroline's, Tekserve, TheMenEvent.com, The Tank, and Times Square Squared. Major supporters include The ASCAP Foundation, BMI Foundation, Inc., The Broadway League, The BWF Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation with the support and encouragement of Jaimie Mayer, The Charlie & Jane Fink Charitable Fund, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Theater League. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. NYMF's programs are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Tickets to all shows and festival events are now on sale. NYMF Memberships, which combine charitable contributions with valuable, flexible ticket packages and perks like early seating, and tickets to individual events are available for purchase at (212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org