Quanah is the musical journey of Comanche chief Quanah Parker and his mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped as a girl and raised by the Comanches as one of their own. It is about Christians, Comanches and Texas Rangers; killing and heartbreak and heroes; and how Quanah came to lead his people from the prairie to The White Man's Road.
Pace University's Musical Theater Program, a part of the Performing Arts Department, began with six majors in 2002 and has grown to 100 majors in just six years. In 2006, Pace became only the second school in New York City to offer a BFA in Musical Theater. Pace New Musicals was developed in 2007 to nurture the creation of new musical theater in New York City, while at the same time providing an invaluable educational opportunity for students to work directly with top professionals in the field. Most importantly, the program allows students to experiment with new, untested works without precedent-setting productions, a rare opportunity in theater education.
Past works of Pace New Musicals include a staged workshop of
Mark Waldrop and
Brad Ross' musical, Luck!,
Jonathan Larson award winner
Ryan Scott Oliver's and B.T. Ryback's Darling, and College: The Musical, which was subsequently chosen for production with the New York Musical Theatre Festival where the authors, Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola, won the NYMF award for Excellence In Writing Lyrics).
Directed by the head of the Musical Theater program,
Amy Rogers, with music direction by
Robert Meffe, the program's resident musical director, the workshop will feature 20 of Pace's BFA musical theater students including Brandon Contreras as Quanah Parker and Holly Dalton as Cynthia Ann, as well as Gina Naomi Baez, Ally Bo, Taylor Collins, Jace Craft, Matthew Curiano, Maura Daly, Matt Farcher, Keelay Gipson, Ryan Goodale, Emma Jane, Bethany Xan Jeffrey, Jon Karsky, David Kuelz, Purvi Parmer, Jeffrey T. Perri Jr., Rebeca Radosz, Krystina Salcedo, Britton Smith, Brian Walters, Andy White and Whitney Winfield.
Quanah will be presented in Pace University's Schaeberle Studio Theater, 41 Park Row, 10th Floor from January 19-24, 2010; Wednesday - Saturday 8pm; Saturday and Sunday 2pm. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors/students. Reservations can be made by email to: pacenewmusicals@gmail.com
A special reception and talk back session featuring
Larry Gatlin will take place after the 2pm show on Saturday January 23. Tickets for this performance will be $20. Reservations for this performance can also be made by email to: pacenewmusicals@gmail.com
Larry Gatlin (Story, Music and Lyrics) was born in 1948 in Seminole, Texas, as the son of an oil driller. The oldest of the three Gatlin brothers, by age seven he was already accompanying his younger brothers Steve and Rudy in singing at family and church events. After high school, Larry went to the University of Houston on a football scholarship. Larry majored in English and developed "a love affair with the English Language" that later served him in his songwriting. On the strength of his songwriting talents,
Larry Gatlin became known throughout Nashville music industry. While Steve and Rudy were finishing college, Larry was already touring the small club and listening room circuit as a solo act, looking forward to the time when he could afford to expand his live show to include his brothers. December 1992 marked a farewell to concert touring for the Gatlin brothers. Then came a major turning point in his career: Larry took the lead role in the Tony Award-winning best musical The
Will Rogers Follies. The Gatlin Brothers continue to tour the country with the release of their new album Pilgrimage. Larry is a family man, who shares with his wife Janis, a home in Austin, Texas. They are the proud parents of two children, Josh and Kristin. Josh lives in Nashville and serves as Larry's Manager and Kristin lives in Austin with her husband Scott, who is on the coaching staff at THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS...HOOK ‘EM HORNS! Larry is also a "Papa" to Kristin's daughters Parker and Campbell.
Anthony Dodge &
Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Book/Dramaturgy) Their first play, Sherlock Holmes & The West End Horror, premiered at the
Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY and has been produced several times in regional theatres around the country. It received a 2002 Edgar Award nomination and is published by Smith & Kraus in New Playwrights/Best New Plays of 2002 and is available for licensing through Playscripts, Inc. Tony is also an actor and a member of the Dramatist's Guild and Marcia is a longtime member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Their first show with
Larry Gatlin, Look Homeward Honky Tonk Angel, premiered at
Lyric Stage in Texas in 2007. The Dodge's newest plays are Venus Flytrap-A Femme Noir Mystery and Free
Burt Lancaster. Married for over 29 years - and they said it would never last! - Marcia and Tony are the proud parents of their sweet Natasha, who attends public school in Manhattan. When not writing, Tony happily spoils Natasha while Marcia continues her busy directing and choreographing career. For more, visit www.marciamilgromdodge.com
Amy Rogers (Director) is a tenured associate professor of musical theatre at Pace University where she created the BFA Musical Theatre degree program. Originally from Canada, Amy holds a degree in musical theatre from Arizona State University, and an MFA from San Diego State University. NYC directing credits include: Darling, City of Angels, Carousel, College: The Musical, Ragtime, The Wild Party (Lippa), Little Women and Violet. Amy has assisted director
Lonny Price on Can-Can and Kismet at Encores at
City Center, Candide with the
New York Philharmonic and the Emmy Award-winning Passion for Live at Lincoln Center.
Robert Meffe (Music Director) is a professional music director, pianist, orchestrator, and vocal coach. On Broadway he was the Associate Conductor of Little Women as well as Les Miserables for the last six years of its run. Off-Broadway: Violet, The Prince and the Pauper, and Gutenberg! The Musical!. He was the Music Director for the National Tour of The Phantom of the Opera and has played keyboards for Mamma Mia, Hairspray, Avenue Q, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Grey Gardens, and Bombay Dreams. Mr. Meffe is the Director of Music for the Music Theater Program at Pace University.
About Pace University: For 103 years Pace University has produced thinking professionals by providing high quality education for the professions on a firm base of liberal learning amid the advantages of the New York metropolitan area. A private university, Pace has campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, enrolling nearly 13,000 students in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs in its Lubin School of Business, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lienhard School of Nursing, School of Education, School of Law, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. Visit Pace on the web at www.pace.edu| Facebook | Twitter (@PaceUNews) | Flickr | YouTube
Photo: Performing Arts Assistant Professor Robert Meffe, student Brandon Contreras, and Larry Gatlin rehearse ‘Quanah'.
