Schwartz & ASCAP Develop New Musicals with PCLO & Mellon

Pittsburgh CLO and Carnegie Mellon School of Drama are proud to announce a new partnership with The ASCAP Foundation and composer/lyricist and Carnegie Mellon alumnus Stephen Schwartz to develop new musicals as part of the Pittsburgh CLO/Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama New Works Program.  The ASCAP Foundation and Mr. Schwartz will select musicals for this initiative from participants in the prestigious ASCAP Foundation/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop.

The first musical selected for further development through the partnership will be Alive at Ten by Ryan Scott Oliver and Kirsten A. Guenther. The workshop will take place October 15-20, 2007, and will culminate in a staged reading for invited guests at 3PM on Saturday, October 20 in the Helen Wayne Rauh Studio Theater at Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh CLO's Associate Artistic Director and Carnegie Mellon alumnus, Jason Coll, will serve as music director, and Ryan MeKenian will direct.

Alive at Ten was conceived in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and inspired by the true story of the Pamela Smart teacher-student sex scandal.  The musical explores the life of Kimberly "Kimmie" Sharp who dreams that she will one day become America's next beloved media personality, but there's one problem. She's stuck in a dead end job teaching at the local high school, and her discouraging, undermining husband would prefer she stay that way. But once Kimmie sets her mind to something, you can bet her husband's life it will happen. This is the story of a woman, her dream, and her sheer determination to make it come true at all costs-- even if it means manipulation, seduction, and eventually murder.

The ASCAP Foundation/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop occurs twice a year in New York and Los Angeles and is sponsored by The ASCAP Foundation as part of an ongoing commitment to nurture new American musicals.  The Workshop is directed by Academy and Grammy Award-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, Pocahontas, The Prince of Egypt).  The selected musical theatre writers have the opportunity to make short presentations from their original works-in-progress for professional critique by a panel of the most prominent theatre producers, directors, lyricists and composers.  Alive at Ten was presented at the New York workshop held in May 2007.

A collaborative effort established in 2001, the Pittsburgh CLO/Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama New Works Project encourages the development and refinement of new works of the American musical theater. By utilizing the resources of both Pittsburgh CLO and Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama, this program offers a unique opportunity for writers, lyricists, composers, directors and actors from both the academic and professional worlds to collaborate on new musicals.

Since 1946, the Pittsburgh CLO has been the driving force behind live musical theater in Pittsburgh and the entire Southwestern Pennsylvania region.  Pittsburgh CLO is a not-for-profit arts organization that appreciates the support of nearly 200,000 patrons each year.  Its dedication to the musical theater art form extends beyond the summer season, with such programs as the CLO Academy, the CLO Mini Stars, the Gene Kelly Awards, the Construction Center for the Arts and the CLO Cabaret

Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org

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