Work by URINETOWN Creators and More Slated for Goodspeed's 2017 Festival of New Musicals, Starting Today

The 12th Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, produced by Goodspeed Musicals' Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre, kicks off its much-anticipated three-day festival of brand-new works today, January 13, 2017 at The Goodspeed with a staged reading of the intriguing new musical Picnic at Hanging Rock by Daniel Zaitchik based on the cherished novel by Joan Lindsay.

On Saturday, January 14, attend the debut of the musical satire ZM by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, creators of the Tony Award-winning Urinetown.

The final day of the festival features Row, Daniel Goldstein and Dawn Landes' inspiring new musical based on "A Pearl in the Storm" by Tori Murden McClure.

Several events featuring special guests Cirque Theatricals, award-winning designer Ken Billington, Broadway producer and author Jack Viertel, and many others will round out this exciting weekend.

Tickets are $25 each for one show, $15 each for students. Tickets are ON SALE NOW. Single tickets and festival packages will be available at the Goodspeed Box Office or by calling 860.873.8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org. This year's Festival is sponsored in part by lead corporate sponsor RisCassi & Davis, P.C. with support from the Burry Fredrik Foundation and the Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation.

This year, Goodspeed's ever-popular FestivAl Gold Package offers a weekend full of special events. The $139 package includes admission to all three staged readings; the New Musical Preview, a short preview of three new musicals planned for 2017; three Festival seminar sessions; a Saturdayevening pre-show dinner at either the Gelston House or La Vita; and a Meet the Writers Q&A, which will complete the weekend's festivities. Also included in the FestivAl Gold Package is admittance to either the Friday Night or Saturday Night Cabarets - informal gatherings showcasing new songs by new and established artists. A special SILVER Package highlighting the three staged readings, the new musical preview and the Meet the Writers Q&A, is also available for only $80. A Goodspeed Opera House tour will be offered on Saturday afternoon for both Festival Package and single ticket holders.

"This winter we are thrilled to celebrate the 12th Anniversary of our Festival of New Musicals - one of the cornerstones of Goodspeed's new works development program and the source of countless hours of discovery and entertainment for our new works audience," said Goodspeed's Executive Director Michael Gennaro. "The village of East Haddam will be filled with energy and excitement as hundreds of musical theatre fans from across the country come together to celebrate Goodspeed and the best and brightest writers and performers in musical theatre," he added.

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Productions from the three writing teams included in the Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals and the schedule of Special Events for Festival Package ticket holders include:

Friday, January 13

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK

7:30 p.m., The Goodspeed

Book, Music & Lyrics by Daniel Zaitchik
Adapted from the novel by Joan Lindsay

Valentine's Day, 1900. Victoria, Australia. The girls from the prestigious Appleyard College are released from their studies to take a day trip to Hanging Rock, an ancient geological rock formation. The wilderness is seductive. The girls are enraptured. The mystery begins... Daniel Zaitchik's Picnic at Hanging Rock is a haunting musical adaptation of one of Australia's most treasured and evocative novels.

Festival Cabaret

10:00 p.m., Gelston House

Matthew Lee Robinson was a writer in residence at the 2016 Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed. His new musical Atlantis had an exclusive reading in New York City helmed by Tony-winning Newsies choreographer and Goodspeed alumni Christopher Gattelli earlier this year. His musical Happy People was recently workshopped by the Village Theatre in Washington. Robinson's music has been heard in concert at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center Broadway's Future Songbook Series, Ars Nova NYC Uncharted series, Seattle's New Voices series and with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House.

Saturday, January 14

Seminars

10:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., Gelston House / La Vita at Goodspeed Landing

Cirque Goes Broadway: Jayna Neagle, Executive Director, and Elizabeth Shumate, Associate Producer, at Cirque Theatricals, a new division of Cirque du Soleil, will share the process of expanding the world famous Cirque brand to Broadway audiences with Paramour.

In Conversation: Broadway producer and the author of the New York Times bestselling book "Secret Life of the American Musical" Jack Viertel will discuss his book and the business of musical theatre with journalist Frank Rizzo. Book-signing to follow.

Places! A Broadway Stage Manager's Life: Chris Zaccardi, who began his career as a production assistant at Goodspeed, will share stories and insight on one of the most important jobs in the theater as he prepares to begin rehearsals for the much anticipated Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!

You Saw It Here First: Theatrical developer and producer Michael Rubinoff will update us on the journey of Broadway- bound Come from Away which got its start at Goodspeed's Festival of New Musicals in 2013.

How Do They Do That?: Acclaimed accent and dialect coach Gillian Lane-Plescia demonstrates the crucial techniques she uses when coaching actors looking to bring authenticity to their performance.

Licensing 101: Sean Cercone, Senior Vice President of New Musical Development for licensing organization Theatrical Rights Worldwide, will speak about the fascinating process of acquiring performance rights for all mediums, bringing stories from the big screen to the stage and beyond!

Spotlight On: Ken Billington: An illuminating interview with Ken Billington, Tony-Award winning lighting designer for almost 100 Broadway shows including Chicago, Amazing Grace and The Scottsboro Boys, multiple Goodspeed productions and much more.

Tour of The Goodspeed

1:30 p.m. - The Goodspeed Lobby

Go behind the scenes of our award-winning theatre on the Goodspeed Opera House tour and learn about its vibrant history

New Musical Preview

3:30 p.m., The Goodspeed

Attend a preview of three exciting new musicals headed to Goodspeed's Terris Theatre in 2017.

Festival Dinner

5:30 p.m., Gelston House - OR - La Vita

Enjoy a three course meal with fellow festival goers.

ZM

7:30 p.m., The Goodspeed

Music by Mark Hollmann
Book by Greg Kotis
Lyrics by Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis

Can a sandwich turn people into zombies? ZM follows two teenaged fast-food workers as they struggle to live, and love, during a food-borne catastrophe that might well destroy Humanity. The creators of the Tony Award-winning Urinetown serve up a humorous new musical satire that will make you think twice before rolling up to the drive-thru of your favorite fast food restaurant.

Festival Cabaret

10:00 p.m., Gelston House

Mark Sonnenblick a 2016 and 2017 participant in the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony has been a Dramatists Guild fellow and a librettist for the Kennedy Center's American Opera Initiative. He has developed work with the Duffy Institute at the Virginia Arts Festival, The Yale Institute for Music Theatre, The Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, and Prospect's Music Theater Lab.

Sunday, January 15

ROW

1:00 p.m., The Goodspeed

Book by Daniel Goldstein
Music & Lyrics by Dawn Landes
Based on "A Pearl in the Storm" by Tori Murden McClure

In June, 1998, Tori Murden left her job as a project manager in Louisville, Kentucky, and embarked on what no woman had ever done: row across the Atlantic. She set out with her homemade vessel, covered over 1,000 miles and rowed over 200,000 strokes. She made videos to track her journey, even when she lost all radio connection with the outside world. But she unknowingly rowed into the heart of Hurricane Danielle. Row tells a heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting story of finding your heart in the middle of the ocean.

Meet the Writers Reception

3:30 p.m., The Goodspeed

Gain insight into the inspirations and processes of the writers during this lively festival wrap-up discussion.

Lodging and dining information for Festival attendees as well as up-to-date information on the weekend's events can be found at www.goodspeed.org.

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The Festival of New Musicals is produced by Goodspeed Musicals' Max Showalter for Education in Musical Theatre. Created in 2002, Goodspeed's Showalter Center inspires and nurtures musical theatre artists and students by providing a unique and comprehensive range of training and educational programs to serve both the national and local academic communities. The Goodspeed Festival program offers new and emerging artists the rare opportunity to thoroughly work on their projects with the help of Goodspeed's renowned resources and artistic environment. At the same time, the Festival affords senior students from prominent conservatory programs real-world experience in new musical development and performing new musicals.

Preparations for the Festival begin the first week of January. The three teams of writers and composers dedicate their time to further writing and composing their musicals in development. They are joined by senior musical theater students from The Hartt School and Boston Conservatory, who take part in rehearsals and continued development of the material. The intensive retreat culminates with Goodspeed's Festival of New Musicals, which showcases staged readings of the new musicals developed during the two-week long program,one of the Showalter Center's major endeavors.

Under the leadership of Executive Director, Michael Gennaro, Goodspeed Musicals is dedicated to the preservation, development and advancement of musical theatre and is the first theatre in the nation to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement). Goodspeed produces three musicals each season at The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn., and additional productions at The Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support from the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts.