New York Musical Theatre Festival and Reggie Hill Present TUT

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) and Reggie Hill present TUT a world premiere musical by Grammy® Award-winning songwriter Marcus Hummon and featuring Forces of Nature Dance Theatre. Abdel Salaam will direct and choreograph a cast of 12 including Sean MacLaughlin (Phantom, Lestat, Woman in White, Bombay Dreams), N'Kenge (Sondheim on Sondheim), Kris Coleman (Jersey Boys), Curtis Wiley (Nat. Tour: The Lion King), Jesse Means, Charlene Ibrahim, Charmain Wells, Courtney J. Lewis, Karama Butler, Georgey Souchette, Johari Mayfield, and Ryan Rankine. Performances for TUT will be held at The Theater at St. Clements, 423 West 46th Street (bet. 9th & 10th Avenues) in NYC for six performances from Wednesday, October 12 through Saturday, October 15, 2011.

Crossing thousands of years, TUT is a mesmerizing and entirely unique dance theatre piece depicting the lives of two men: Tutankhamen, the mysterious boy king pharaoh, and Howard Carter, the British archaeologist desperate to salvage his career with one great discovery. Featuring an exhilarating score and stunning choreography, TUT gives audiences a fascinating look into the world of the boy king who would become world renowned and the man who discovered his tomb.

TUT is presented by The New York Musical Theatre Festival. Producer: Reggie Hill; Director and Choreographer: Abdel Salaam; Music Director: Jodie Moore; Lighting Designer: Temishia S. Johnson; Scenic Consultant: Ken Larson; Sound Designer: David Margolin Lawson; Casting Director: Stephanie Klapper; Production Stage Manager: Patrick Clayton; General Manager: Lisa Dozier; Marketing: HHC Marketing/Hugh Hysell; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.

TUT plays for six performances on the following schedule: Wednesday, Oct 12th, 2011 at 8:00 pm; Thursday, Oct 13th, 2011 at 9:00pm; Friday, Oct 14th, 2011 at 5:00pm; Friday, Oct 14th, 2011 at 9:00pm; Saturday, Oct 15th, 2011 at 1:00pm; Saturday, Oct 15th, 2011 at 5:00pm.

Abdel R. Salaam (Director/Choreographer) has been the Artistic Director/Choreographer of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre for the past thirty years. He is a critically acclaimed choreographer/director who has also received recognition on four continents for his dance theatre work on the African Diaspora and the environment . Mr. Salaam received Choreographers Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and New York Foundation of the Arts , as well as commissions from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the National Committee for Young Audiences, the Bronx Council on the Arts, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Council on the Arts. Additionally, Mr. Salaam's awards and fellowships include: the Monarch Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance from the National Council for Arts & Culture; the Silver Anniversary Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography, Teaching and Performance from Lehman College of the City University of New York; Carla Sayrce Alumni Award in Dance Arts, Lehman College of the City University of New York; Morani Shujaa Award in Black Studies, Lehman College of the City University of New York; Dance Africa Award in Choreography, Brooklyn Academy Of Music; American Choreographer of the Year nomination; and Better Family Life Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts. Mr. Salaam and Forces of Nature Dance Theatre's "Rhythm Legacy: The Living Books" and "Eclipse: Visions of the Crescent and the Cross" which toured nationally and internationally from 2002-present was created through grants awarded by The New England Foundation of the Arts.

Mr. Salaam's theatrical credits as a choreographer include: "Sundiata, the Lion King of Mali" directed by David Schecter at Theaterworks USA; "Measure for Measure" directed by Michael Rudman at the New York Shakespeare Festival's Delacorte Theater; and "Pecong" directed Dennis Zacek at the Newark Symphony Hall. As a director/choreographer, Mr. Salaam's credits include: "Ju-Ju Man" at the Billie Holiday Theater in New York; "Ancestral Earths" at the Apollo Theater in New York; "The Life and Legend of Marie Laveau" at the Aaronow Theater in New York; the national tour of "Sweet Saturday Night", Gordon Crowe Productions; and "American Griot" at the Triplex Theater in New York.

In television, Mr. Salaam served as choreographer for: "The Creative Spirit", WNET Channel Thirteen; "Expressions in Black: Story of a People", WABC; "The Caribbean Music Awards", BET Global Syndication; "St. Francis Celebration" at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, WNET Channel Thirteen; "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters," WNET Channel Thirteen; "Great Performances: Forces of Nature", Telemundo, Mexico City; "Critics Choice: Abdel Salaam", Galavision, Mexico City; WPIX Talk of the Town; PBS Great Performances "Free to Dance"; and Busch Garden's "Katonga," which won the 2004 "Best Theme Park Show in the World." Abdel is also currently the Artistic Director of Black Dance USA and an Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, St. Martin's Episcopal Church, and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Abdel gives thanks to his ancestors, company and family for their support.

Marcus Hummon (Music, Book & Lyrics) has been called Nashville's Renaissance Man. He has enjoyed a successful career as a songwriter, recording artist, producer and studio musician, playwright and author. His songs have been recorded in Pop, R and B, gospel...and most notably in country music. His country discography reads like a 'who's who' list of country notables over the last 15 years...Rascal Flatts, Garth Brooks, The Dixie Chicks, Brooks and Dunn, Tim McGRaw, Wynona, Sara Evans, Alabama, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, BrIan White, Leann Womack, Patty Lovelace...to name a few. Six of his songs have charted #1 on Billboard, Radio and Records or Cashbox. BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD (Rascal Flatts), COWBOY TAKE ME AWAY,READY TO RUN (The Dixie Chicks), BORN TO FLY (Sara Evans), ONE OF THESE DAYS (Tim McGRaw), and ONLY LOVE (Wynona). Several of his songs have been nominated for Grammys, ACMs and CMAs. In 2005 BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD won the Grammy for Best Country Song. Along the way he has garnered numerous BMI awards and been named Nashville's Best Local Songwriter 5 times by The Nashville Scene. As a recording artist and multi-instrumentalist Marcus released a critically acclaimed country record for Columbia Records in 1995 (ALLIN GOOD TIME); also, in 1997 Marcus and Scottish BIG COUNTRY front-man, Stuart Adamson, released their duo album SUPERNATURAL, as The Raphaels, with Track Records out of London. Turning to theatre, Hummon has written 5 musicals and 2 operas. His work has been produced at regionals, universities, festivals and at the Eugene O'Neill Summer Conference. In literature, Hummon's children's book, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE was published in '09 by Athenium Press.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at nymf.org or by calling 212-352-3101. For more information, please visit nymf.org.

The runtime for TUT is 1:30, with no intermission.