Prospect Theater Company's IGNITE Series to Feature VOTE FOR ME: A MUSICAL DEBATE, 6/25

Prospect Theater Company, under the leadership of Cara Reichel, Producing Artistic Director and Melissa Huber, Managing Director, in partnership with producer Alexander Baron, continues its 2016 IGNITE Series at The TimesCenter (242 W 41st Street), with a one-night concert of Vote For Me: A Musical Debate, by Drew Fornarola and Scott Elmegreen, authors of the recent Off-Broadway hit, Straight. Vote For Me is an irreverent, 90-minute one-act musical that pits two fictional Presidential candidates against each other, singing their way through the three-ring circus of American politics and hot-button issues, with the outcome of the debate -- and finale of the show -- determined by audience vote. The concert will take place on Saturday, June 25 at 8pm at The TimesCenter (242 West 41st Street, NYC).

Vote For Me premiered at the 2010 New York Musical Theater Festival, played a sold out run Off-Broadway at Roy Arias Stages in the summer of 2014, and opened to rave reviews in London in summer 2015 with the London Theatre Workshop. This one-night concert will be directed by Amy Rogers. Casting will be announced shortly.

Launched in 2015, Prospect's IGNITE Series is an ongoing concert initiative at The TimesCenter, featuring today's new voices shaping tomorrow's musical theater. Reflecting Prospect's dedication to fostering and producing work by emerging artists, IGNITE Series programming will include premieres of original material by award-winning songwriters; cutting-edge creations straight from Prospect's annual Musical Theater Lab; and concert presentations of new musicals.

Single tickets are $20, $30 and $40, and may be obtained through online purchase at www.ProspectTheater.org or by calling 212-352-3101. Tickets may also be purchased at the door, beginning at 7pm on the night of the concert.

The TimesCenter (www.TheTimesCenter.com) is located at 242 West 41st Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in the heart of NYC's Times Square District. The venue features a 378-seat auditorium with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and video capability, and a Steinway Concert Grand Piano.

About the Authors
Scott Elmegreen is a playwright, songwriter, and author. His shows include Straight (Off-Broadway; NYT Critics' Pick; pub. Dramatic Publishing), Tiananmen (Feinstein's/54 Below; NY Theatre Barn's New Works Series), Vote For Me: A Musical Debate (Off-Broadway; London Theatre Workshop), COLLEGE: The Musical (Hippodrome State Theatre; pub. Dramatic Publishing), Thucydides (Samuel French OOB Festival winner; pub. Samuel French), Ivy & Bean: The Musical (Atlantic Theater Company; South Coast Repertory; national tour; pub. Theatrical Rights Worldwide), Magic School Bus, Live! (national tour), Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy: The Musical (Bay Area Children's Theatre; national tour), and Awesome Allie, First Kid Astronaut (Vital Theatre; pub. Theatrical Rights Worldwide). Elmegreen also writes music for plays and film, including the Drama Desk and Emmy Award-nominated Colin Quinn: Long Story Short, directed by Jerry Seinfeld (Broadway; Off-Broadway; HBO; national tour). He is the author of four novels, and a graduate of Princeton University. www.ScottElmegreen.com.

Drew Fornarola is a songwriter and playwright from New York. He is currently developing a stage musical for DreamWorks. Other theater projects include Straight, (2016 New York Times Critics' Pick); Claudio Quest (dir. John Tartaglia, winner of six 2015 NYMF Awards for Excellence), optioned by Dramatic Forces); Molly Shannon's Tilly The Trickster (Atlantic Theater Company, collaboration with Saturday Night Live's Molly Shannon); Thucydides (Winner of Samuel French Play Festival); Vote (for Me!): A Musical Debate (London Theatre Workshop); COLLEGE: The Musical (MTVu Award, Hippodrome State Theatre); and 2 musicals for children. Film projects include Veggie Tales Noah's Ark (DreamWorks, 2015) starring Wayne Brady. He has received a NYMF Award for Excellence in Lyrics, the John Wallowitch Award for Songwriting, was a Finalist for the 2014 Kleban Award and 2009 Richard Rodgers Award, and is a four-time MAC Award nominee. He has a B.A. from Princeton University, and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, and is an Alumnus of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop.

About Prospect Theater CompanyProspect Theater Company (founded in 1998) is dedicated to fostering and showcasing today's new voices shaping tomorrow's musicals. Since 2000, the company has fully produced more than 30 premiere musicals in New York City, in addition to new plays and numerous re-inventions of classic works. Reflecting its investment in the future of the field, Prospect leads a variety of developmental initiatives, including an annual Musical Theater Lab for emerging writers, and a Summer Intensive training program for teenagers. In recognition of its enterprising and risk-taking new musical theater, the company received a 2016 OBIE Award grant. Their work as a community anchor for emerging artists that strengthens the quality, diversity, and dynamism of American theater was also honored with a 2013 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing. Notable productions include: the Drama Desk Award-winning Working (2012), Jasper in Deadland (2014), the Drama-Desk nominated Tamar of the River (2013), Unlock'd (2013), Iron Curtain (2006, 2011), Myths and Hymns (2012), With Glee (2010), The Blue Flower (2008), Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge (2009), The Hidden Sky (2010), Illyria (2002, 2008), and the Drama-Desk nominated The Pursuit of Persephone (2005)