THE GUNFIGHTER MEETS HIS MATCH At NYMF to Hold Special Family Performance

On Friday, August 3rd, immediately following the 1pm performance of The Gunfighter Meets His Match at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues), there will be a special meet and greet event with the cast. Audience members of all ages (recommended for ages 7 and up) are welcome to come and meet the actors behind Abby Payne's new Wild West musical at the 2018 New York Musical Festival. This opportunity is coupled with a family ticket discount so everyone can enjoy live theater and experience the whimsical music of The Gunfighter Meets His Match! For more information on the special family matinee and to purchase discount tickets, with the code FAMFRI22, please visit www.nymf.org/festival/2018-events/gunfighter-meets-his-match.

The Gunfighter Meets His Match is a Wild West musical conceived and written by singer-songwriter Abby Payne. This original story, inspired by the New York City music scene and the short stories of Louis L'Amour, is full of love, loss, and hope. Come along for the wild ride as a rugged gunfighter battles for his truest love. With the creative direction and highly entertaining choreography of Jeff Davis, The Gunfighter will transport you to another world with a few familiar echoes of our own. The performance will run approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The cast features Kristen DiMercurio* (Fun Home at Portland Center Stage), Michael Hunsaker* (Mama Mia! at The Rep), Craig Winberry* (Mama Mia! at The Rep), Amanda Higgins* (The Imbible: Day Drinking at New World Stages), Ryan Lanning* (Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe with The Edge Theater in Chicago), Emily Vetsch (Glitter Kitty Productions), Abby Payne, Marc Andrew Nunez* (Rihanna "Disturbia" music video), Joelle Lurie*, Phil Pineno, Chelsea Retzloff (Shen Wei Dance Arts), Desira Barnes, Randy Burd, Constance Nicola, Alice Pucheu, and Shara Radin. The creative team includes Sound Design by Kurt Bradley, Set Design by Jeff Davis, Costume Design by Emily Vetsch, and Lighting Design by Christina Watanabe (Tania in the Getaway Van at The Flea; Whiskey Pants: The Mayor of Williamsburg at HERE).

*Member of the Actors' Equity Association

The World Premiere of The Gunfighter Meets His Match (Abby Payne and Chelsea Retzloff, Producers) with music, lyrics & book by Abby Payne (Musical Theatre Factory's series at Joe's Pub), directed and choreographed by Jeff Davis of Glitter Kitty Productions (One for the Ages!), will run July 30th-August 4th at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Performances will take place on Monday, July 30th at 8pm, Thursday, August 2nd at 5pm, Friday, August 3rd at 1pm, and Saturday, August 4th at 5pm & 9pm. Tickets ($29.50) are available for advance purchase at www.nymf.org or by calling 212-352-3101. The Gunfighter Meets His Match is an official selection of the 2018 New York Musical Festival.

The New York Musical Festival nurtures the creation, production, and public presentation of stylistically, thematically, and culturally diverse new musicals to ensure the future vitality of musical theater. Now in its fifteenth year, the Festival is the premier musical theater event in the world. The preeminent site for launching new musicals and discovering new talent, the Festival provides an affordable platform for artists to mount professional productions that reach their peers, industry leaders, and musical theater fans. More than 90 Festival shows have gone on to productions on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters in all 50 states, and in more than 24 countries worldwide. Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work "creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form." NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. 2018 NYMF is sponsored by The City of New York Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, PRG, TheaterMania, Clear Channel Outdoor, Tinc Productions and Fox Stage Productions and is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The NYMF PASS is a great way to experience The New York Musical Festival. With a NYMF PASS, you can get into the theater before individual ticket holders. Passes also offer the exclusive ability to book tickets before they go on sale to the public. Individual tickets on sale now. The 2018 New York Musical Festival will take place July 9th - August 5th. For more information, please visit: www.nymf.org