York Theatre Company Will Present Ryan Scott Oliver's JASPER IN DEADLAND as Part of NEO Reading Series

The York Theatre Company will continue its winter NEO Reading Series with the new pop-rock musical, Jasper in Deadland with Book, Lyrics, & Music by Ryan Scott Oliver. Directed by Daniel Goldstein and music direction by Joe Kinosian, the cast features Nick Choski, Trista Dollison, Marisa Devetta, Ben Fankhauser, F. Michael Haynie, Julia Mattison, Lexi Rabadi, George Salazar, and Wesley Taylor.

The solo performance is set for Friday, February 8 at 3:00PM is FREE and open to the public with a reservation at The York Theatre Company in Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

Jasper in Deadland is a pop-rock musical following 16-year-old Jasper as he travels through the Afterlife on a mission to save his best friend, Agnes. In this hybrid underworld, Jasper encounters demons, gods, mortals and monsters from Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Norse, and Judeo-Christian mythology, learning what it means to die and questioning what it means to live. Jasper in Deadland was commissioned in by the Pasadena Musical Theatre Program where it received a premiere workshop presentation in August 2011.

The creative team include band members Micah Burgess (Guitar), Eric Day (Bass), Jessie Reagen Mann (Cello), and Jeremy Yaddaw (Drums) with Jen Littlefield (Assistant Director), Addison O'Donnell (Assistant Music Director), Kristina Vnook (Production Stage Manager) and Coleman Annison (Assistant Stage Manager). Patrick Catullo is the producing mentor on this NEO reading. The program is designed to match a producing mentor with a show so the writer receives valuable feedback on how the show can progress to the next step.

NEO (an acronym for "New, Emerging, Outstanding") is a yearly York benefit which celebrates songwriters primed to pen the next generation of musicals. (Since the first NEO concert 7 years ago -- recorded by England's JAY Records-- musical theatre fans and York supporters eagerly anticipate each incarnation.) The York Theatre Company has recently embarked on a new reading series which focuses on full length works by that year's NEO writers; it also includes a yearlong mentoring program that brings together established writers and upcoming producing partners to help encourage the growth of new works.

For additional information on the Series and to make your free reservation, please visit the readings page at www.yorktheatre.org.

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