NYMF's THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA Adds July 17 Performance

Due to popular demand and sold-out houses (the first two performances are completely sold out), the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival and Angel Wings NYC production of THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA has added a performance on Wednesday, July 17 at 5:00pm. THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA, an official selection of the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival, is an original new musical set against the backdrop of a Depression era family circus. Presented at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street) in Manhattan!

THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA is the romantic story of a trapeze duo whose lives take a turn after a tragic fall. Meeting again years later, they struggle to come to terms with the memories of their past. Set in a 1930s circus and featuring stars of both Broadway and the Big Top, this original new musical tells an incredible love story through the beauty of live trapeze. This spectacle with amazing circus acts will remind you why the human spirit is undefeatable and love is worth every risk.

"To recreate the dangerous trapeze tricks called for in the script the production brought on internationally renowned trapeze stars Tanya Gagne and Aiden O'Shea," stated director West Hyler. "Tanya came to rehearsals straight from a tour of England and after the production closes will immediately board a plane to Australia where she'll tour for several months. In the show she performs unbelievable feats that took her decades to learn, like hanging mid-air by only her toes or throwing a somersault into a fall where she's caught right before she hits the ground, and all are performed without a safety cable or net. While she and Aiden are in the air representing the living memories of the trapeze duo, Michael Thomas Holmes and Patty Nieman (both Musical Theater veterans) are on the stage bringing the older version of the characters to life with scenes and music. It is a perfect synthesis of theater and circus that allows the audience to participate in the theatrical experience, for the danger is real and the viewer complicit simply by being a live observer of it. This is an incredibly rare opportunity to see world-renowned trapeze acts happening only a few feet above the audiences heads and this breathtaking, heart-stopping show will have theatre-goers talking about it long after summer has ended and the chance to see it has passed."

The creative and design team behind THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA is: West Hyler (Director), Larry Pressgrove (Musical Director, Orchestrations),Judylynn Schmidt (Book & Lyrics), Lee Ellis (Music & Lyrics), Kate Griffler (Choreography), Jess Glover (Music Supervisor, Arranger), Jason Quinn (Stage Manager), Kacie Hultgren (Set Design), Andrew Keister (Sound Design), Lee J. Austin (Costume Design) and Zach Blane (Lighting Design).

The cast of THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA will feature Michael Thomas Holmes (Broadway: "Oklahoma!"), Paul C. Kelly, Zal Owen (National Tour: "Fiddler on the Roof"), Nicholas Kohn (Broadway/Current: "Avenue Q"), Matt Baker (Guthrie: "Roman Holiday"), trapeze star and half of the world-famous "Wau Wau Sisters" Tanya Gagne, Aidan O'Shea ("Humor Abuse"), Amy Rebecca Shure (current member "2 Ring Circus"), Jena VanElslander ("Zelda: An American Love Story"), Matt Wilson ("One Life to Live"), and featuring Patty Nieman in the title role of "Angel DeLuna."

West Hyler (Director) Broadway: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Jersey Boys" (both Associate Director). As Associate Director of "Jersey Boys" he set up international productions of the show over 5 continents. New York: NYMF ("Flambé Dreams"), The Big Apple Circus ("Legendarium"), Ars Nova, The York Theater Company, Primary Stages, Playwrights Horizons. Regional: Colony Theater, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Upstate Shakespeare Festival, Warehouse Theater and the O'Neill Conference as the director of Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford's "I'm Still Getting My Act Together."

The Pershing Square Signature Center is the official hub of The New York Musical Theatre Festival.

The performance schedule for THE AWAKENING OF ANGEL DELUNA is as follows: Friday, July 12 at 8pm; Saturday, July 13 at 9pm; Tuesday, July 16 at 5pm; Tuesday, July 16 at 9pm; Wednesday, July 17 at 1pm and Wednesday, July 17 at 5pm at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street).

Tickets are general admission and can be purchased at www.NYMF.org. Membership packages to purchase tickets for multiple shows are also available.