Northwestern's American Music Theatre Project to Host WELL WORN WORDS Reading, 6/2

The American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University will present a reading of "Well Worn Words" by the Discount Ghost Stories Collective, June 2nd at the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts in Evanston, Illinois.

Book, Music and Additional Lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen

Book/Archival Research/Text by Jessica Kahkoska

The event is the culmination of a two-week residency for Discount Ghost Stories through AMTP. Lindsay Maron will direct.

"Well Worn Words" explores the legend of Clifford Griffin and the Colorado Silver Rush as a rock concert. "Well Worn Words" is conceived by the Discount Ghost Stories Collective, which imagines dark American legends as theatrical concert pieces, repurposing text and melodies from historical archives and the American folk canon into lyrics and music.

Alexander Sage Oyen is the recipient of the 2014 ASCAP Foundation's Lucille and Jack Yellen award for lyricists. His musicals include OUTLAWS (Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals- book by James Presson, dir. Noah Himmelstein), ARCHIE'S FINAL PROJECT (Book by James Presson and David Lee Miller), DIVA (book by Sean Patrick Monahan), A NIGHT LIKE THIS (book, music, lyrics, directed by Blayze Teicher, 54 Below) and MOMENT BY MOMENT (directed by Brandon Ivie, 54 Below. Production at Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand). He and collaborator James Presson were awarded the 2013-2014 Dramatist Guild Fellowship and their musical, OUTLAWS, was the recipient of the 2014 ASCAP Workshop. He was named one of Playbill's "Contemporary Musical Theatre Writers You Should Know," and he was selected for the 2014 Johnny Mercer Songwriter's Project. His music has been heard at Lincoln Center, Goodspeed Opera House, Symphony Space, 54 Below, Joe's Pub, Playwrights Horizons, The Signature Theatre, New World Stages, The Laurie Beechman Theatre and venues in Thailand, London, The Netherlands and all across the world. The cast album for his song cycle, MOMENT BY MOMENT, is available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon. Proud member of ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild.

In New York, Jessica has been seen in Till Death Do Us Part (Gallery Players Overture Series), Tell Tale (Thespis Theatre Festival), Miles and Me, Vestige (Musical Theatre Factory), At Buffalo (NYMF), The Mapmaker's Opera (NYMF), Pyre Cantata (FGP Playgroup), as well as at Stage 72, 54 Below, and the Bushwick Starr. Regional credits include In the Heights (American Stage Theatre Company), The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It (Notre Dame Shakespeare), Ring of Fire, Broadway Then and Now (Lake Dillon Theatre Company), Call My Name (Smithsonian American Folk Life Festival), Godspell, City of Angels (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center). Graduate of Northwestern University.

Under the artistic direction of David H. Bell, the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University brings together the nation's leading artists in music theatre to work with Northwestern's faculty, staff and students. AMTP's goal is to nourish and invigorate American music theatre by developing and producing new musicals; increasing opportunities for education and training with Northwestern's theatre, music theatre and dance programs; and creating new connections between professional and academic communities.

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