POSTCARD AMERICAN TOWN And RAMONA Launch New York Theatre Barn 12th Season

New York Theatre Barn's 12th season begins with its signature New Works Series on Monday, February 4th, 2019 with exclusive pre-premieres of the new musicals Postcard American Town and Ramona.

Postcard American Town has a book by Crystal Skillman (Mary and Max), music and lyrics by Lynne Shankel (bare: the musical, Altar Boyz), and a story by Crystal Skillman and Lynne Shankel. In Postcard American Town, the town of Westville prepares for its biggest annual event - the Settler's Picnic. Emma Reed, whose family were original settlers, is excited to be finally taking her place in a big job as the Head Picnic Coordinator. But when the event is accused of exclusion by Dylan Bakshi, a newcomer to town, tensions rise and values are challenged in surprising ways. A new musical about a young woman's awakening to white privilege and activism in a small town, and a small town that has to choose its future. The cast includes Nehal Joshi (School of Rock), Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels), and Zachary Noah Piser (Sweeney Todd, Wicked). Joe Barros (The Evolution of Mann, Bastard Jones) directs.

With music and lyrics by Nevada Lozano and based on the celebrated novel by Helen Hunt Jackson, Ramona tells the story of an orphan girl growing up in Southern California in the 1850s. She elopes with a Native American ranchero and travels across the new U.S. state in search of her true identity, and a place she can call home. With a blend of American, Native American and Mexican musical styles, Ramona is an epic love story set during one of the most violent, tumultuous points in American history. Produced in association with John Albert Harris, the presentation is directed by Joe Barros, with music direction by Adrian Ries, and a cast that includes Joy Del Valle (West Side Story tour), Justin Duval (Happy Days tour), Peter Gosik (The Wizard of Oz tour), Alba Ponce de Leon, Amanda Robles, and Josy Soriano.

The line producers are Sam Strumm and Heather DiPietro, and casting is by Eisenberg/Beans Casting (Daryl Eisenberg,CSA ; Ally Beans, CSA). Additional casting will be announced soon.

The 70-minute presentation will begin at 7PM at the D-Lounge, located at the Daryl Roth Theatre (101 East 15th Street) in New York City. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, and can be purchased on New York Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org. Seating is limited.

Now in its 12th season, New York Theatre Barn is a Manhattan-based non-profit theatre company dedicated to incubating, investigating, and producing new musicals that tell untold stories. Theatre Barn's core programs include the New Works Series - exclusive pre-premieres incubating new musicals, the Choreography Lab - the only platform where choreographers and writers collaborate on movement for new musicals during incubation, and unique residency opportunities which recently resulted in a developmental production of the musical Sam's Room, and a reading of the musical Eastbound which is performed in English and Mandarin. For more information: www.nytheatrebarn.org.