New York Theatre Barn Awards 2016 IMPACT Award to New Musical SAM'S ROOM

New York Theatre Barn has awarded the writers of the new musical Sam's Room the annual IMPACT Award. 2016 marked the first year of the award.

Sam's Room has a book by Dale Sampson with Trey Coates-Mitchell (who also serves as the director), and music and lyrics by Caitlin Marie Bell (of the folk band Bell) and Marc Campbell (of the pop band Misterwives).

The annual IMPACT award recognizes a pre-premiere from Theatre Barn's New Works Series that had the greatest impact on the world, our theatre community and society. Sam's Room beautifully tells the story of Sam, a nonverbal, mentally handicapped young man, trapped in his own body, and yearning for a voice. Sam's Room invites audiences inside the imagination of one young man's struggle to communicate.

"New York Theatre Barn chose Sam's Room for heightening our awareness about the world of the disabled and nonverbal. While we see them only in silence, Sam teaches us that in his mind there may be a world that is anything but silent," said Joe Barros, Artistic Director, New York Theatre Barn. "The company will continue to incubate and develop the musical throughout the year."

New York Theatre Barn, a Manhattan based non-profit theatre company founded in 2007, incubates, develops, and produces new musicals that tell untold stories. Our stories are inspired by the lives of real people and actual events. These stories are challenging, diverse, and alternative. Theatre Barn's core programming is the New Works Series, which presents bi-monthly "pre-premieres" of new musicals in the Early Stages of development. With each installment, two new musicals are showcased before a live audience and a worldwide virtual audience. Since the series' inception, the company has presented more than 350 writers in more than 80 pre-premieres. For more information: www.nytheatrebarn.org.