New York Theatre Barn in the D-Lounge Features Michael Dexter, Joel B. New in October

On Monday, October 10, 2011, New York Theatre Barn will present NYTB in the D-Lounge, a monthly platform for emerging musical theatre writers (now in its 4th year), at the Daryl Roth Theatre.

The October 2011 installment of NYTB in the D-Lounge features two eclectic songwriters and their authentic aural vocabularies.  Newcomer Michael Dexter charms us with his afro-centric, calypso-inspired rhythms and vibrant imagination, while Jonathan Larson Award winner Joel B. New presents handpicked songs from his soul-searching catalog.  Featured between sets will be singer/songwriter and recording artists Phil Putnam and a sneak peak of The Gallery Players' upcoming production of Little Shop of Horrors performed by Babs Rubenstein (Fat Camp) and Philip Jackson Smith (NYTB's Artistic Director, Joe Barros, is the show's director/choreographer). Executive Producers for NYTB in the D-Lounge are Laura Brandel and Jason Najjoum.

The first set of the evening, The Songs of Michael Dexter:  Two Musical Excerpts, will feature selections from the new musicals The Sad Sweet Story of Sugar Lips Shinehot and J & the Beanstalk: A New Urban Musical Fairytale. Featured writer Michael Dexter is the composer of Sugar Lips Shinehot which has book and lyrics by Patrick Gallagher, and is the lyricist of J & the Beanstalk which has a book by Eric H. Weinberger (Wanda's World). Dexter's musical adaptation of Sugar Lips Shinehot tells the story of a talented church musician's rise to become the greatest saxophonist Harlem ever heard, and his fall from the highest heights. Additionally, J & the Beanstalk takes the classic fairytale and drops it in modern day New York City which includes a dynamic score that ranges from pop to calypso. The presentation features Joseph Anthony Byrd (White Noise), Erin McGrath (White Noise), Erica Dorfler (Memphis, Baby It's You), Cedric Leiba (Yellow Brick Road), Nikki Stephenson (Hairspray nat'l tour), and Frank Viveros (Yellow Brick Road).

The second set of the evening is called Life is a Bar: The Songs of Joel B. New and features music & Lyrics by Joel B. New. Join award-winning songwriter Joel B. New as he tears up the D-Lounge stage with an ensemble of incredible singers, stellar musicians, and heart-pounding songs from his pieces To Hell and Back, Standalone, and more!  Based on the myth of "Orpheus and Eurydice", To Hell and Back is the story of a songwriting Nebraskan named Jack and his taxicab ride to the Underworld. He has until midnight to reclaim his guitar and girlfriend from the cold clutches of his biggest fan-Death herself. Assuming a more intimate tone, Standalone is a song cycle about isolation: solitude, loneliness, and, surprisingly most often, one masquerading as the other. The presentation features Michael Di Liberto, Melissa McKamie, Ariela Morgenstern (I Married Wyatt Earp), Marita Stryker (Sweeney Todd nat'l tour), Lindsie VanWinkle (The Magdalene), and Matt Wilson (PBS' Cyber Chase), with Joel B. New on piano, Lorenzo Wolff on bass, and Tim Lykins on drums.

The October 2011 installment of NYTB in the D-Lounge will take place on Monday, October 10, 2011 at 7:30pm at the D-Lounge, located at the Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 East 15th St. (just east of Union Square). There is a $10 cover plus a 2-drink minimum. For more information and to learn more about New York Theatre Barn, visit: www.NYTheatreBarn.org.

Under the direction of Joe Barros (Producing Artistic Director) and Joy Lanceta (Managing Diretcor), New York Theatre Barn is a non-profit theatre company founded in 2007 and is dedicated to the investigation, development, and advancement of new works. Productions include the all-female musical I Married Wyatt Earp (59E59 Theaters/in partnership with Prospect Theater Co.) with Heather Mac Rae and Carolyn Mignini, the musical Wood (New York Musical Theatre Festival/Emily Miller) with Cady Huffman, and Bridget Bailey's award winning solo play Child of Hungry Times. New York Theatre Barn has been instrumental in the development of Ordinary Days, I Married Wyatt Earp, the musical parody Hey, You Know What Movie Would Make A Good Musical?, Hot Mess in Manhattan, R.R.R.E.D., and Welcome to My Life. NYTB is currently developing Speargrove Presents, a new musical conceived by the company. New York Theatre Barn is a proud member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre.