No Boundaries Begins Performances Sept 15 At NYMF

By: BWW News Desk Aug. 30, 2005

New York Musical Theatre Festival presents No Boundaries beginning September 15th at Theatre at St. Clements. Written and directed by Liz Oliver, this gritty urban musical is driven by a score of songs ranging from hip hop to soul and rock to gospel. These songs have been written for the production by six acclaimed songwriting and performing artists: Sam Bisbee, Pamela Laws, Laura Love, Marcus Miller, Speech, and The Spooks. The production features music direction by Jim Abbott (Tarzan, Bombay Dreams), music development by Barry Cole, choreography by Tony nominee AC Ciulla (Footloose), costumes by Bobby Frederick Tilley, sets by Obie winner Lauren Helpern (Bug), sound by Jeremy J Lee and lighting by Traci Klainer.

No Boundaries will be presented on the following schedule:
- Thursday, Sept. 15 at 8pm
- Friday, Sept. .16 at 1pm & 5pm
- Saturday, Sept. 17 at 9pm
- Sunday, Sept. 18 at 2pm
- Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 2pm
The Theatre at St. Clements is located at 423 West 46th Street, between 9th & 10th Aves (accessible from the C,E trains at 50th St.). Tickets are $15, available by calling 212-352-3101 or www.TheaterMania.com.

No Boundaries centers around Ali, an idealistic and free-spirited young white girl who is set to attend Juilliard in the Fall. When Ali auditions for an up-and-coming all-black rap group, it triggers a series of events rife with racial tension. It also strains her relationship with her best friend Joshua-- 18, black, and with his own ambitions. As they passionately pursue their dreams, Joshua and Ali are forced to confront painful issues of identity, loyalty and race that threaten to alter their friendship forever.

The cast includes Meredith Akins (Mamma Mia!, Footloose), Erica Ash, Justis Bolding, Kai Chapman, Rodrick Covington, Rogelio Douglas, Jr., Omar Evans, Austin Eyer (The Secret Garden), Perri Gaffney, Dean Irby, Jonathan Lee, Greta Lee, Melina Lizette, Scott Lupi, Darren Matthias, Chelsea McKinnies, Duane McLaughlin, Tyler Moschler, Taharqa Patterson, Aileen Payumo, Gayle Turner (Spunk), and Dana Vance.

Liz Oliver began her career at WNET/13 in the acquisitions department focused on the independent documentary and feature film community. As a theater producer, her credits include Buried Child (five Tony nominations), The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Tony Award for Best Play) and the revival of Wait Until Dark with Quentin Tarantino and Marisa Tomei. In 1998 Oliver received the Commercial Theater Institute's Robert Whitehead Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Theatrical Producing. No Boundaries is her first foray into creating a musical.

Sam Bisbee released his debut album Vehicle in 2001 and Live at Arlene's Grocery in 2002. The later album was chosen by The Boston Globe as one of the top live releases of the year. HIGH, his third album, was finished and released in 2003, and a new album is imminent in 2005. He regularly performs with his band at a variety of clubs including Mercury Lounge and The Living Room.

Pamela Laws started her career singing background vocals with Counting Crows. Her band Seven Day Diary, was signed to Warner Brothers Records and toured internationally. She appeared in the film Mad City starring John Travolta and Dustin Hoffman an activist singer (singing Lou Reed's "Is Anybody Listening?" set against a beat by Dr. Dre). She recently signed with No Mayo Records to make her solo debut, masters & gardeners.

Laura Love is an Afro-funk bassist and vocalist. She recently released her eighth cd, Welcome To Pagan Place, on KOCH Records. Her recording also appear on the Mercury Records and Zoe labels. Billboard Magazine continually includes her cds on their annual top ten lists. Hyperion Books recently published her memoir, You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes.

Marcus Miller is a 2001 Grammy winner for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Miller is a premier jazz bassist who's produced, performed and collaborated with such music legends as Mi Les Davis, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Eric Clapton and Macy Gray. He has written film scores for House Party and Head of State, and composed the club smash hit "Da Butt", featured in Spike Lee's School Daze. He has a Fender guitar named after him.

Speech, the musical and political force behind the multi-platinum hip-hop group Arrested Development, is the recipient of two Grammy Awards, two MTV Awards and an NAACP Award. His most recent solo album, entitled Love, Life, Music, is a celebration of his ten years as a solo artist.

Spooks (Mista Booka T, Hypno, JD Reven, and Ming-Xia) released their critically acclaimed debut album S.I.O.S.O.S., Vol. 1. in 2001. It reached the Top Ten in nearly a dozen countries including Germany, UK, The Netherlands, Turkey and Israel. Their "Things I've Seen" video was nominated for a Billboard Video Award. Their sophomore album, Faster Than You Know..., was released in 2003 by KOCH Entertainment.

Jim Abbott (music director) is in pre-production as music director of Disney's Tarzan, opening on Broadway in Spring '06. Abbott is a veteran of many Broadway musicals, including, most recently as music director for Bombay Dreams. He also provided dance arrangements for the productions of Wicked, Aida, Rent and Footloose, among others.

Barry Cole (music development) has served as music supervisor and music consultant on over 50 films including Sling Blade, All The Pretty Horses, American Psycho, Drumline, Super Troopers and Brown Sugar. He has also produced 20 soundtrack albums. His DJ skills can be heard on recordings of a wide range of artists from Killah Priest to Norah Jones.

AC Ciulla (choreographer) won the 2003 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Choreography of a Television Special" for Stars on Ice, was nominated for the Tony and Outer Circle Critics Award for Footloose and a 2001 Lucille Lortel Award nomination for "Outstanding Choreography" for The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds her Chameleon Skin.

Valentina Fratti (producer) recently assisted Doug Hughes on Rebecca Gilman's adaptation of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter at the ALLIANCE THEATRE in Atlanta. She was the Artistic and Producing Director of the Miranda Theater Company, where she developed and produced over 30 full length plays. With Jane Harmon Associates, she was part of the team that brought Sam Shepard's Buried Child to Broadway and was the Associate Producer for Alfred Uhry's Tony Award winning play The Last Night of Ballyhoo.

Dedicated to discovering new work and new artists, The New York Musical Theatre Festival celebrates the diversity, creativity, and future of musical theatre. NYMF is a flagship program of the National Music Theater Network, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and is America's largest annual musical theatre event. NYMF is produced in association with Virgin Megastores and proudly supported by amNewYork, Village Voice, WB11, Receptasign, King Displays, Rosco, Scharff Weissberg, TheaterMania.com, BroadwayWorld.com and Manhattan Living. For more information, visit www.nymf.org.

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No Boundaries Begins Performances Sept 15 At NYMF

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