Steps Beyond Foundation Hosts First Artist Talk of 2019 with Key Broadway Creative

The Steps Beyond Foundation, Steps on Broadway's non-profit arm which connects artists and community through dialogue, performance, and artistic collaboration, invites four musical theater visionaries to discuss The Creative Process Unraveled: Creating a New Musical, February 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Steps Studio Theater on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Moderated by NY1 theater correspondent and host of On Stage, Frank DiLella, the Steps Beyond Foundation will welcome Tony Award winning musical duo Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Anastasia, Seussical, Once on This Island, Rocky, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life), prominent director of stage and film and Tony Award winning choreographer, Susan Stroman (The Producers, Contact, Oklahoma!, The Music Man) and Karen Ziemba, a Tony Award winning actress, singer, and dancer (Contact, Curtains, Prince of Broadway, Steel Pier, Never Gonna Dance, Crazy For You). While separately influential in the development and success of many musical theater projects, this panel comes straight from the re-development table of the Broadway bound musical, Marie, Dancing Still. Making its original debut in 2014 at the Kennedy Center as Little Dancer, the creative team has done significant work on the material and will speak candidly about the process from concept to stage with its sights set on opening at Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre next month.

"What makes this artist talk unique is that we have been able to engage an entire creative team from a project that we have been watching for the last five years," explains Diane Grumet, Artistic Director of Steps Beyond Foundation. "It will be wonderful for the audience to hear about the creative process and the art of collaboration directly from these legendary artists."

Dedicated to expanding and bridging the dance community, the Artist Talk Series is a dynamic opportunity for artists and audiences to share ideas and information on a wide range of topics. The Foundation also champions the creation of new works through their Performance Lab series, engaging dance makers to present completed works, works in process, of experimental concepts in a studio theater setting. With the next Lab scheduled for Saturday, April 27, the deadline for interested choreographers to apply is Friday, March 1.

Artists Talk: The Creative Process Unraveled: Creating a New Musical will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 23, at 7:30 p.m., in the Steps Studio Theater, on the 3rd floor. Tickets are $18, $15 for students, with a reception to follow. Tickets are on sale at https://stepsnyc.com/steps-beyond/special-events/artists-talks-series/artist-talk-tickets/

Steps on Broadway is located at 2121 Broadway at 74th Street and is accessible by the 1,2, and 3 trains.