NY Theatre Barn New Work Series to Feature Deaf Composer, 11/17

On November 17th, patrons have one chance to see a New York Theatre Barn (The Barn) exclusive Pre-­Premiere* of the new musicals, ROBOTICUS and SOMETHING BLUE at the Daryl Roth Theatre's D-Lounge. The Barn is the only 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company whose sole mission is "to give theatre a chance." For the first time in the series' seven-year history, both presentations will include wireless captions for the deaf/HOH audience members, which can be accessed on personal cellular devices.

Directed and choreographed by Katharine Pettit with musical direction by Ted Arthur and wireless captions by Matt Kaplan of Globetitles, ROBOTICUS is a new musical about rebuilding yourself - a show in which machines play the music and people play machines, and a young man tries to "upgrade" himself with prosthetic parts until he becomes a robot. And that's just act one! Think WICKED for geeks. Plus robots. Lots of robots. Plus humans. A few humans. The cast features David Errigo Jr., KC Comeaux, Alexa Green (WICKED), Eddy Lee, Hansel Tan, and James Wordsworth.

Jay Alan Zimmerman, who is deaf, wrote the book, music, and lyrics for ROBOTICUS. He integrates assistive technology into his work including spectacular visuals through media design, also a first for the The Barn's New Works Series. The show is a reflection of his journey as a man who became deaf, considered a cochlear implant, but ultimately decided to wait until the technology can convey music better. Jay is also a tech-dependent person relying daily on captions, texting, amplifying apps, frequency-analysis software and other visual music aids to create compositions.

SOMETHING BLUE, with book and lyrics by Gordon Leary and music by Julie Meinwald, is a new musical about three people who are forced to confront what it means to love each other. After moving back to his hometown, Casey is getting married to his childhood friend Joelle. When Casey's ex-boyfriend Geoff shows up for the wedding. Ethan Heard directs with musical direction by Rich Silverstein. The cast includes Jeremy Morse (BLOODSONG OF LOVE), Blake Segal (MARY POPPINS), and Phoebe Strole (SPRING AWAKENING).

SOMETHING BLUE is from the creators of PREGNANCY PACT. Julia Meinwald and Gordon Leary's musical PREGNANCY PACT received its world premiere in 2012 at the Weston Playhouse after being featured in the 2011 NAMT Festival of New Musicals and the 2011 Yale Institute for Music Theatre. Their other musicals include PIED! (2014 Ars Nova OutLoud reading series), DISAPPEARED (2009 Lincoln Center Directors Lab), ONE-MAN SHOW (2010 DanceNOW [NYC] Dancemopolitan at Joe's Pub), and the short film GALAXY COMICS (2012 NYTF MTV Comedy Development Deal.) Each are graduates of NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, were 2009 Dramatists Guild Fellows, and are currently inaugural members of Ars Nova's Uncharted writers group.

Monday November 17th marks your single chance to give these new works, emerging writers, directors, and actors a chance. And it is your chance to see untold stories that can ignite and insight the soul. If you were not one of the first to see The Barn's initial reading or workshop of breakthrough works like Adam Gwon's, ORDINARY DAYS, and Brian Feinstein/Robin Moyer Chung's BIG FAT CAT starring Bruce Vilanch, you missed the only chance.

A Pre-Premiere is the moment before the beginning, the ultimate in theatre-in-the-raw. Before the formulas are figured out, you can formulate your own opinions. By attending New York Theatre Barn's monthly NEW WORKS SERIES, now in its 7th season, you increase your chances of being able to say, "I was there when...". Every musical has a beginning, and only a select few are part of each inaugural audience. The chance of being there only comes once.

The Daryl Roth Theatre is located at 101 East 15th Street at Union Square East (D-Lounge, basement level) in New York City. Tickets are $20 at the door, or visit OvationTix for advanced ticket sales: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/9964763. Students/BMI members are $15. All tickets require a 2-drink minimum.

About New York Theatre Barn

Founded in 2007, New York Theatre Barn (The Barn) is the only 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company whose sole mission is to give theatre a chance. Under the direction of Artistic Director (Joe Barros) and Managing Director (Brian Swasey), The Barn develops and produces new musicals, and the works of emerging writers that tell untold stories while practicing artistic process. A core platform is the company's monthly Pre-Premieres* of new musicals through its NEW WORK SERIES. The company is primarily drawn to stories that challenge traditional musical theatre subject matters, often themes that are rooted in current events and history that reflect our diverse world, and that forge new forms through experimentation. The Barn is a proud member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and the Alliance of Resident Theatres / New York. For more information, visit: www.nytheatrebarn.org

*Pre-Premiere is an exclusive service mark of the New York Theatre Barn, all rights reserved.

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