Pace New Musicals Stages LITTLE MISS FIX-IT, CONFIRMED Readings, Now thru 1/27

Pace University's Pace New Musicals (PNM) program (est. 2007 by Program Head Amy Rogers), dedicated to the discovery of new theater works, and Ryan Scott Oliver, composer- lyricist and producer, will present a staged reading of Little Miss Fix-It (book and lyrics by Kirsten A. Guenther and music by Joy Son) today, January 23-27, 2014.

In addition, the second Pace New Musicals Lab will present work by Pace student writers, including a concert reading of Confirmed, book by Will Sasso and music and lyrics by Kailey Marshall; as well as a table reading of Oasis, book by Jen Littlefield and music and lyrics by David Gomez and John Michael Lyles.

These winter PNM selections are part of a full year offering reading of brand new musical theatre. In fall 2013, PNM presented a developmental staged reading of Oliver's We Foxes and in spring 2014, a to-be-announced workshop with Pace University Artist-in-Residence John Doyle, as well as additional PNM Labs of readings of brand new faculty and student-written works.

ABOUT LITTLE MISS FIX-IT:
Little Miss Fix It tells the story of Nan, a gloriously precocious and imaginative 11-year-old free spirit who drinks black coffee for breakfast, and tries to bend spoons with her mind. The one thing Nan fears most: disorder. With her parent's marriage crumbling, Nan dedicates herself to "fixing" her friends problems. When Nan meets David, a 12 year-old Impressionist in the park, she is even more overwhelmed by the highly unorganized feelings that come with first love. As she tries to save her parent's marriage and the problems of everyone around her, Nan embarks on a hilarious and heartwarming journey, discovering that you can't always control what happens in life; but that sometimes great things happen when you let go, simply trust your instincts, and take a step not knowing where you're going to land. The show was conceived at NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, and through a grant from The Collaborative Arts Project in New York.

Kirsten Guenther (book and lyrics) appeared on the cover of Insight for Playwrights Magazine, and was named one of "50 writers to watch" by The Dramatist Magazine. She was recently featured as a guest expert on NBC's "The Apprentice" alongside Little Miss Fix-It. She wrote the book for Mrs. Sharp (music and lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver), which won the 2008 Richard Rodgers Award (workshopped at Playwrights Horizons starring Jane Krakowski, directed by Michael Greif ). Other current projects include book for Benny and Joon (with Mindi Dickstein and Nolan Gasser), Measure of Success (with Julian Fleisher); and The Perfect Mate (with Dan Lipton and David Rossmer).

Joy Son is the recipient of the Jerry Harrington Award (with Steve Routman) and the Shelley Pinz Prize from the BMI Foundation. She was also a Jerry Bock Award nominee. Her songs have been heard in a variety of notable venues, including Lincoln Center, York Theater, Goodspeed Opera, Laurie Beechman, Barrington Stage (showcased by William Finn), the Manhattan Theatre Club, Birdland, Duplex, Golden Fleece Ltd. Composers' Chamber Theatre, Raw Impressions, Dixon Place, Triad, Zipper, ArsNova, Donnell Library Songbook Series, TADA! Youth Theatre, and in numerous New York City cabarets and theaters. Little Miss Fix-It received a concert reading at CAP 21 and was the subject of a workshop with Jerry Mitchell at Emerson College. The Fisher King (book and lyrics by Steve Routman) received a master class with Stephen Schwartz presented by BMI Lehman Engel Musical Workshop.

Amy Rogers, Associate Professor of Musical Theater and creator of the BFA Musical Degree program at the Dyson School of Arts & Science at Pace University and music director Joel Waggoner are collaborating with the authors to develop the new work.

The cast for the staged reading will feature Sarah Hollands, Ethan Carlson, Katy Rea, Kevin Shotwell, Andrea Ross, Ragan Pharris, Bethany Perkins, Melanie Wildman, Claire Charland, Samantha Grossman, Hannah Grace Forsley, Jacob Pincus, Nick Zients, Spencer Clark, Jimmy Larkin, Lexi Rabadi, and Michael Hughes.

The show has production stage management by Connor Santos, and lighting designed by David Shocket.

Little Miss Fix-It will play Wednesday, Jan. 29th at 7:30PM; Thursday, Jan. 30th at 7:30PM; Friday, Jan. 31st at 7:30PM; Saturday, Feb. 1st at 2:00PM and 7:30PM at Schaeberle Studio Theatre (41 Park Row, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10038). Tickets are FREE. For reservations, call (212) 346-1352 or email performingarts@pace.edu.

PNM will also present an undisclosed work featuring the work of one of Broadway's most influential composer- lyricists, Stephen Schwartz. The cast will include Aaron Albert, Chandler Reeves, Cory Jeacoma, Marissa O'Donnell, Tony Clements, Kerri George, and covers Devin Lewis and Aury Krebs. This project will be closed to the public.

ABOUT CONFIRMED:
Confirmed is described as a pop-rock, teen spiritual journey. "When Lana, a rebellious, but misguided teen, finally goes too far with a sexy end of summer bash, she issent to Catholic school to change her ways. While there, she will struggle to find love, redemption, and raise some hell while she's at it! This off beat story tells of adolescents grappling to find what to believe in, who to believe in, and most importantly, how to find faith in oneself.

Willy J. Sasso (Book) is a senior at Columbia College Chicago, where he is double majoring in Comedy and Musical Theatre. He recently spent a semester with Second City's Comedy Studies program, and is now in their Conservatory Program.

Kailey Marshall (Music and lyrics) is a junior BFA Musical Theatre major at Pace University. She has been working on writing her first musical, Confirmed, for a year now. Her work has been featured at Joe's Pub, 54 Below, NYMF's Mint'd concert, and The Music Box: An Evening of Lady Composers.

The cast for the concert reading will feature Carly Grayson, Adam Levy, Paige Mobley, Amanda Braun, Tatiana Lofton, Mary Claire Miskell, Mike Egan, Adam Salazar, Toren Nakamura, Billy Goldstein and Liana Wright-Mark.

Directed by Rebeca Radoszkowicz, music directed by Marshall, stage managed by Jennifer McMahon.

Confirmed will play January 25th at 7:00PM and then a revised presentation on Feb. 1 at 11:00AM at Pace University's Schaeberle Studios, 41 Park Row, NY, NY 10038, 10th Floor. Tickets are FREE for the PNM Lab. Runtime is 2 hours and 30 minutes (estimate).

ABOUT OASIS:
Oasis, a musical creation myth, tells the story of Adam, a man living in an Edenic place without crime or despair and also without love. Adam falls into a forbidden love with Helen who rejects him when her own life is put at risk. Adam embarks on a journey to discover the dark truth of this seemingly perfect place, risking his life to save Helen, and eventually the people. This musical begs the question: is it better to live in ignorant bliss or to face our own violent humanity?

Jen Littlefield (book) is a choreographer, teacher, writer, and director. She is an adjunct professor at Pace University where she teaches dance and choreographs for the department musicals. She has choreographed for NYMF, the NY Fringe, The Magnet Theater, Theater for a New City, and Quisisana Summer Theater. She is the

resident choreographer and musical theater instructor at Concordia Conservatory in Westchester and is the Associate Artistic Director for The Hive Theatre. Her recent writing projects include Snowflake Has Its Day (commissioned by Concordia Conservatory), You Wish (Joe's Pub reading), and the in-progress Oasis and The Violet Hour.

John-Michael Lyles and David Gomez (music and lyrics) are senior BFA Musical Theatre major's at Pace University. Other Concerts include: NYMF's "Part Of it All," "The Rehearsal Room" at Sidewalk Cafe & Urban Stages, and "Hatched" at Joe's Pub & 54 Below. Much love to their teacher RSO and their librettist and dear friend Jen Littlefield.

The cast for the table reading will include Joe Ogren, Emily Rogers, Ian Fairlee, Sarah Hamaty, Jamen Nanthakumar, Emily Hughes, and Chris Nolan. Sean Potter serves as dramaturge and assistant director.

In consideration of the developmental process, Oasis will be closed to the public.

ABOUT THE PACE NEW MUSICALS PROGRAM: The Pace New Musicals Program 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. Perhaps most importantly, the program allows students to experiment with new, untested works without precedent-setting productions, a rare opportunity in theater education.

Past works in the Pace New Musicals Program include staged workshops of I Capture the Castle by Cara Reichel, Marion Adler, and Peter Foley; A Lasting Impression by Zoe Sarnak; Factory Girls by Creighton Irons, Sean Mahoney, and Maggie-Kate Coleman; Quanah by Larry Gatlin, Anthony Dodge, Marcia Milgrom Dodge; Luck!, by Mark Waldrop and Brad Ross; College: The Musical (which was later selected for a 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); as well as the works by Ryan Scott Oliver, We Foxes, Jasper in Deadland and Darling (with B.T. Ryback).

The BFA Musical Theater Program at Pace University began with six majors in 2002, and has grown to more than 90 majors. In 2006, Pace became only the second school in New York City to offer a BFA in Musical Theater.