Discovering Magenta makes its NYC debut tonight

Discovering Magenta, a new musical, makes its New York City debut tonight at the Hudson Guild Theater as part of the Thespis Theatre Festival. The psychological musical has book and lyrics by James C. Kaufman and music by Michael Bitterman. The show is directed by Valeria Cossu.

Discovering Magenta tells the story of a mental health worker, Henry (James Parks), trying to help a catatonic patient, Katrina (Joy McKay). Henry struggles to figure out how to best help her, supported by his best friend Eliot (Aaron Lind), new friend Cole (Daniel Karp), and the mysterious Rose (Holly Knowles), and his colleague Rachel (Jenny Singer). Katrina has her own demons, as Henry will discover -- is someone from her past trying to track her down? Or is it all in her mind? Henry and Katrina strive to find life's happiness amidst the challenges of the day and the sorrows of the past.

Lyricist/bookwriter James C. Kaufman, a Professor of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, drew on personal experience. "I worked as a mental health worker over two years when I was in college. I saw a lot of dedicated people struggling to help people within the constraints of a broken system. But that doesn't stop people from trying to help other people. Human goodness will always try to find a way."

The psychological theme of the musical extends beyond the story. "By providing the characters with music that spoke undertones with what they were singing, I was able to show two sides of them," says the composer, Michael Bitterman (Five after Eight). "The lyrical side of what they were actually saying, and the musical side that showed what they were actually feeling."

"I have always been fascinated by how the brain works", says Valeria Cossu. "The material spoke to me at a personal level. It has been a beautiful moment to bring my passion for art to this project and work with the actors to bring the characters to life. This process of creation has been one of the most interesting things I have done".

Cossu is joined by a creative team featuring Alex Tenenbaum (stage manager), David Rosenberg (music director), Solomon Hoffman (orchestrations), Sarah S. Parks (stage combat choreographer), Yaya Zeevi (scenic designer), Patrick Bakalli (lighting designer) and Taylor Garcia (production assistant). Discovering Magenta plays at the Hudson Guild Theater at 441 W 26th Street in NYC as part of the Thespis Theater Festival for three performances: September 1 (Tuesday, 6:15 PM), September 5 (Saturday, 8:30 PM), and September 6 (Sunday, 1 PM).

For more information on the show, go to www.discoveringmagenta.com. You can get tickets at the door or at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1697182