Bobby Cronin, Amanda Green and More Set for INSPIRED 2 Benefit Concert Today

KEVIN CARTER, Bobby Cronin, Scott Evan Davis, Drew Gasparini, Julia Meinwald, Blake Pfeil, Jeff Thomson, and Amanda Green star in INSPIRED 2: A Benefit Concert for the Humane Society of NYC and The Last Resort Rescue of NJ, today, Monday November 18th, 7pm at Stage 72/Triad.

Produced and created by award-winning composer/writer Bobby Cronin, INSPIRED invites you into the hearts and minds of some of today's exciting musical theatre writers in a casual and intimate setting as they sit behind the piano and, unlike traditional concerts of their material, perform songs by other writers that have inspired their work.

INSPIRED is a benefit concert series that will play every other month, with a rotating line-up of composer/lyricists and Broadway actors crossing over into the singer/songwriter world.

The line up for the 11/18 7pm concert features a wide array of artists including:

KEVIN CARTER a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, started composing in the 80's with his a cappella group, The Flips, who opened for The Righteous Brothers, Chris Isaak and others. Their album, "What's In The Bright Pink Box", will be re-released soon on iTunes. He was a working actor then honed his writing craft at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. He most recently had an 8-month run of Newsadoozies (Book/Lyrics: Brian Glidewell and Marcy Jarreau, Music: Carter) at the UCB Theatre, NYC. Other musicals include: The Awful Fate Of Melpomenus Jones (music: Carter, lyrics: Kim Lindsay, book: Carter/Lindsay); Gemini (music/lyrics: Carter, book by Albert Innaurato and Carter); and That's Andy (music/additional lyrics: Carter, Book/Lyrics: Crystal Skillman, Conceived and additional material: Bobby Cronin). Current projects: Summer Schlock (book/music/lyrics: Carter) with Tony-winner, Andy Sandberg. Kevin's music has been performed in numerous New Composer showcases in NYC and A BC/EFA benefit concert of his music, "Picking Up Where We Left Off", starred Beth Leavel and Kelli Sawyer at the 45th Street Theatre.

Bobby Cronin is an award-winning composer/writer whose current projects include: SUNSET CITY with bookwriter Wade Dooley & co-lyricist Brett Teresa (2013 Running Deer Theatre Lab); THE CONCRETE JUNGLE with bookwriter Crystal Skillman, which goes into workshop March 2014 and was commissioned in 2012 for London's esteemed ArtsEd School (President: Andrew Lloyd Webber) which opened in June 2012. WELCOME TO MY LIFE (W2ML) currently under a Broadway option; 'TIL DEATH DO US PART with bookwriter Allen Mogol (2012 Alec Baldwin Fellowship Winner, UK's S&S Award Finalist). DAYBREAK (add'l material by Brett Teresa) which won the 2011 New Jersey Playwrights Contest and premiered in Wayne, NJ & London's Tristan Bates Theatre June 2012. Currently writing MARY & MAX with Crystal Skillman and Stafford Arima, ALONE IN THE US for CAP21 with Terry Berliner, and a short musical film for NYFA. Other: 54 Below, Lincoln Center Songbook Series, Birdland, Symphony Space, London's The Players Theatre & St. James Theatre, and more. "Reach The Sky: Live at The Beechman" and "The Concrete Jungle International Studio Cast Recording" both on iTunes. Yale graduate, Member of ASCAP, Dramatists Guild, and MMD (UK). www.bobbycronin.com

Scott Evan Davis is an actor turned composer/lyricist. He started composing in 2010, and since then has gained a lot of recognition in the musical theatre/cabaret world. He has performed concerts of his music at Don't Tell Mama's, as well as a concert at Birdland featuring Liz Callaway and other Broadway stars. Scott has performed concerts of his music in Boston, Alabama, NJ, London, and Dublin and his music's been featured at Feinsteins, Metropolitan Room, Birdland, Don't Tell Mama's and The Duplex. Scott's debut album "Cautiously Optimistic" features a wealth of Broadway talent such as Liz Callaway, Faith Prince, Lisa Howard, Daniel Reichard, Nikki Renee Daniels and Jason Graae. His musical Powerful Day which was written with and for autistic children on the Lower East Side of Manhattan won the MTI Courage In Theatre Award. He recently won the Broadway World award for Best Original Song for "If We Say Goodbye" His staged revue Picture Perfect, directed by Lennie Watts, had a sold out run in NYC in 2012, as well as LA this summer. He is currently working on his first book musical called Indigo, about an autistic child who discovers she is a brilliant painter, which helps her communicate with the people around her. www.scottevandavis.com

Drew Gasparini is the winner of the 2006 John Lennon Songwriter's award and has written the book, music, & lyrics for his musical Crazy, Just Like Me (winner: "Best Of Fest" and runner up for "Best Book" in the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2011), and music & lyrics for Make Me Bad (winner: PACE new musicals; book by Alex Brightman), Turn Of The Screw (2012 workshop at Lincoln Center; book by Michael Kimmel), and #UntitledPopMusical (book by Michael Kimmel) to name a few. Drew was a contributing composer to the television series SMASH (season 2) on NBC- he was also seen and heard on Oxygen's The Next Big Thing for which he also wrote music. Drew's work was presented at the Kennedy Center in June of 2012 and his musical theatre album "I Could Use A Drink: The Songs Of Drew Gasparini" was released by Broadway Records in 2013 and spent 5 weeks on the top 100 iTunes charts.

Amanda Green is an award-winning Broadway composer-lyricist and performer. Last season, she was nominated for two Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards for writing two different Broadway musicals: BRING IT ON, for which she co-wrote the lyrics, and HANDS ON A HARDBODY, for which she wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music, collaborating with Trey Anastasio. Mr. Anastasio also performs their songs with his bands Phish and TAB in arena concerts around the country. Also on Broadway, she wrote the lyrics for HIGH FIDELITY (music Tom Kitt; 2006). Tapped by the legendary Arthur Laurent, she wrote additional lyrics for Hallelujah Baby! (Arena Stage, dir. by Arthur Laurents). She contributed an original song to the new show Stars Of David, which premiered in 2012 at The Philadelphia Theater Company. As a performer she has won two MAC Awards and a Bistro Award, and performs her songs everywhere from Birdland to Carnegie Hall to the Bluebird Café in Nashville. She is the winner of The Jonathan Larson Award for Excellence in Songwriting, and Songwriter's Hall Of Fame Scholarship Award. Other musicals: For The Love Of Tiffany (NY Fringe Festival; also co-starred); Up The Week Without A Paddle (LA Drama Critics Circle Nomination, Best Score). On TV she has written episodes of the popular Nick, Jr. animated musical series "The Wonder Pets." She has also been a regular contributor of comic essays for Playboy Magazine. Put A Little Love In Your Mouth! The Songs Of Amanda Green is available on CD at www.greenpiecemusic.com.

Julia Meinwald musicals include Pregnancy Pact with Gordon Leary (Dramatists Guild Fellowship, Yale Institute for Musical Theatre, NAMT, Weston Playhouse full-production), Disappeared with Gordon Leary (Prospect Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Directors Lab), and Jack Perry is Alive and Dating with Harrison Rivers and Daniella Shoshan (NYMF, Ars Nova ANT Fest). She holds a BA in Music from Yale and an MFA from NYU's GMTWP, and is currently part of the Uncharted writers group at Ars Nova. www.juliameinwald.com.

Blake Pfeil is an actor and songwriter. NY concert credits: Joe's Pub, Highline Ballroom, 54 Below, (le) poisson rouge, Time Out Lounge, among others. Blake served as resident composer of the ESL children's theatre company at the Gyeonggi English Village in South Korea from 2010-2011. As a member of AEA, Blake has worked regionally with the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, the Huntington, New Repertory Theatre, among others. His debut EP Lavender will hit iTunes in January. He received his BFA from Emerson College.

Jeff Thomson is a recipient of the Jonathan Larson Award, as well as the Dramatist Guild Musical Theatre Writing Fellowship. His original musical, TRAILS was performed at the 2010 Los Angeles and New York Musical Theatre Festivals winning him the NYMF award for excellence in music, as well as the Stage Entertainment Development Award. Other projects include VIRTUALLY ME! for TheatreworksUSA, JAWBREAKER and PUMP UP THE VOLUME. Most recently, he was commissioned by Broadway Across America to compose the music for MADLIBS LIVE. He is a proud member of the ASPCA, Humane Society and Berkshire Greyhound Rescue.

THE HUMANE SOCIETY of NYC For over 100 years, the Humane Society of New York has been a presence in New York City, caring for animals in need when illness, injury or homelessness strikes. In 1904 we were founded to protect the city's horses against abuse. Members fought for laws to punish negligent owners and place watering troughs in streets and parks. As funds allowed the Society expanded to include a free medical clinic and a small adoption center for cats and dogs. Today our hospital and our Vladimir Horowitz and Wanda Toscanini Horowitz Adoption Center help more than 36,000 dogs and cats annually, and their numbers continue to grow. http://www.humanesocietyny.org/donations/

The Last Resort Rescue is a 501c3 foster based no-kill rescue located in Northern NJ. We rescue mostly dogs from kill shelters down south where the methods of euthanasia are extremely inhumane, for example, the gas chamber and heartstick. We also try and help the dogs locally where the economy is a huge factor and many more people are sadly, having to give up their pets. Since we started our rescue in the latter of 2008, we have saved over to 1500 animals. www.thelastresortrescue.com or to donate directly visit: http://www.thelastresortrescue.com/apps/donations/

WHERE: Stage 72/The Triad - 158 W72nd Street, 2nd Floor

(1/4 block east of the 1/2/3 72nd Street station)

WHEN: Monday November 18, 7pm

TICKETS: credit card purchases at www.stage72.com OR www.bobbycronin.com

COST: $15 + 2 drinks CASH ONLY

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