Tickets On Sale Now for SOUND BITES 4.0 Festival of 10-minute Musicals

Tickets are now on sale for Theatre Now New York's 4th Annual SOUND BITES Festival of 10-Minute Musicals to be performed on Monday, May 29th, at 7:00PM at THE IRENE DIAMOND STAGE, The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street, New York, NY in Midtown Manhattan. Tickets can be purchased at www.tnny.org or 855-254-7469 and start at just $25.

The ten 10-minute musicals to be presented at this year's SOUND BITES span the genre and feature diverse talent from Broadway veterans to recent college graduates. A panel of industry judges will present awards including Best Musical, Best Music, Best Director, and Best Actors. The audience will vote for their favorite musical to receive the coveted Audience Choice Award.

Sponsors for the event include Disney Theatrical Productions and Music Theatre International with additional funding support from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.

Theatre Now New York is a non-profit organization that facilitates the creation and development of new theatrical works as well as the re-imagining of previously produced known titles and the reinterpretation of classic works through productions, readings, workshops and work-in-progress presentations. SOUND BITES is a chance for artists of all theatrical disciplines, at any point in their careers, to get their work seen and possibly developed further, or even produced.

The ten musicals that will be performed at this year's SOUND BITES are...

CONNECTED (book, music & lyrics by Alanya Bridge) is a poignant through-composed musical that deals with love and loss, heartache and heartbreak.

Express (book, music & lyrics by Janine McGuire and Arri Lawton Simon) is a musical in three parts, each of which takes place on an NYC subway car in a different time period (1946, 1964, and 1992). The show tells the story of one woman's life in New York, with each segment depicting a chance encounter that transforms her. For Sound Bites 4.0, the first segment (1946) will be performed in which our protagonist, Kitty, meets her future husband, Joe.

The Facebook Fighter (book, music & lyrics by Chris Kerrigan) is a darkly funny one-act musical about a bitter 30-year-old misanthrope who makes continuous attempts at human connection the only way he knows how: by antagonizing people on Facebook. After he alienates his "friends" one by one with incendiary political rants, snobbish pop culture opinions, and flat-out viciousness, he realizes too late that his brash and frank online persona has pushed everybody away and left him all alone in a void of existential loneliness and social media silence.

Franklin Pierce: Dragon Slayer (The Untold Story of America's Debatably Least Effective President) (book & lyrics by Rebekah M. Allen, music by Will Buck) When eighth-grader Jennifer is assigned Franklin Pierce for her class's President's Day project, she's bummed to have gotten one of the history's most forgettable presidents. However, late that night Franklin himself visits Jennifer to tell her the truth behind his presidency: he wasn't boring, he was actually fighting dragons the entire time and had to keep it a secret. In the end, Franklin's story teaches Jennifer a valuable lesson about self-acceptance, whether he actually meant to or not.

Happenstance (book by Caitlin Gallo, choreography by Jimmy Burgio) is based on missed connections from Craigslist. Romantic, funny, sad and exhilarating this dance play uses contemporary modern dance set to popular music to tell a story that will enchant and captivate old and young audiences alike.

The Medium...The Music...and Me (book, music & lyrics by DonnaD Lipari, creative direction by John DiGiorgio) is an autobiographical musical about learning to love and accept oneself and the extraordinary gift of mediumship. It is about the many struggles and "voice" lessons one must face to find the courage to free one's voice...the inner and the outer. Hopefully, it will inspire others to do the same!

A Most Average Musical (stage adaptation & lyrics by Jonathan Keebler, music by Bob Kelly, based on a screenplay by Talia Berger) follows freshman Jenny as she spends her first Friday night at college alone. Unlike her three roommates, Jenny does not have extraordinary plans for the evening. But when upstairs neighbor Charlie knocks on the door, asking for a spare toothbrush, Jenny learns that an average night is just what she needs to fit in.

The Pound: A Musical for the Dogs (book, music & lyrics by Phil Darg & Julie Ana Rayne) is the journey of a collection of colorful animal shelter dogs in their quest to find a home.

Superhots! (book & music by Joel Esher, book & lyrics by Blair Bodine) takes place in a fictional town in Texas where the sun is hot, but the salsa's hotter. This comedic 10-minute musical looks at the politics of competitive hot pepper growing in a small town. The organic farmer, Taylor, wants to win the heart of the local restaurant owner, (and hot tamale) Carlotta, but the villainous Pepper Pete has other plans.

The Wild & Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (book & lyrics by Justin Anthony Long, music by Garrit Guadan) Shoot-outs, robberies, gas-huffing, drug dealing, pill popping, murders, and tap dancing - what do these all have in common? These are just a few of the parts of being a member of the Wild and Wonderful White Family. The legendary family is as known for their wild, excessive criminal ways as they are for their famous mountain dancing members, including Jesco White, the star of the cult classic documentary, "Dancing Outlaw". Exploring both the comic and tragic sides of life on the other side of the law, this stylish, fast-paced family portrait exposes the powerful forces of corruption, poverty, and West Virginia's environmentally and culturally devastating coal mining culture that helped shape the White family, a dying breed of outlaws preserving a dying form of dance.

Theatre Now New York Artistic Director, Thomas Morrissey, has helped develop and produce new plays and musicals including the East Coast Premiere of KINGDOM, the world premiere of THE LAST SUNDAY IN JUNE, and the East Coast Premiere of THE BREAK-UP NOTEBOOK. Stephen Bishop Seely, Literary Manager of Theatre Now New York and Producer of SOUND BITES, has helped develop several Off-Broadway and Broadway shows including Disney's TARZAN, Rock WILK'S BROKE WIDE OPEN, and 8 MILLION PROTAGONISTS.

Theatre Now New York is a professional theatre company whose history originates with two established companies - the Genesius Theatre Guild in New York City and ReVision Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ. Theatre Now New York brings together the founding principles of both these companies; developmental work and main stage theatrical productions. The mission of Theatre Now New York is to facilitate the creation and development of new theatrical works, the re-imagining of previously produced known titles and the reinterpretation of classic works through readings, productions, workshops and work-in-progress presentations and to promote the understanding and appreciation of live theatre and its process by the general public and provides opportunities for emerging, mid-career and established theatre professional in their ongoing creative process. In keeping with this mission, SOUND BITES' goal is to seek out and cultivate new writers and composers and develop new musicals. For more information on Theatre Now New York and to join their mailing list visit their website at www.tnny.org.

For more information about SOUND BITES, visit www.tnny.org.