iLLA! A HIP HOP MUSICAL Headed to O'Neill Center's National Music Theater Conference

Following a sold out "Best of Fest!" win at 2017's New York Musical Festival (NYMF), plus sold out runs in Ohio and Atlanta, iLLA! A Hip Hop Musical is headed to the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Music Theater Conference (NMTC) this July.

Founded in 1978 in Waterford, Connecticut, the NMTC has launched the careers of Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda among many other award-winning writers and featured early developmental readings of the Tony-winning Best Musicals Nine, Avenue Q, and Miranda's In The Heights. The O'Neill is the recipient of two Tony Awards and received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama last fall, while, The National Music Theater Conference is helmed by Artistic Director Paulette Haupt. iLLA! was one of only three selections for the NMTC out of 211 applicants.

iLLA! is an award-winning love story set against the 2008 financial crisis that tells the story of Prince, a classically trained dancer, who dreams of becoming a hip hop star. Along the way, he falls hard for his competition's girlfriend and is forced to confront the shattered dreams of his community. iLLA! is a journey of Struggle, Swagger, and Search for Self.

iLLA! first premiered as a reading in NY where it won the 2015 Award for Excellence at the NYMF Developmental Reading and was profiled on PIX11's "Backstage on Broadway." In February 2016, iLLA! played to a sold out run at the Toledo School for the Arts and was profiled on NBC TV. In June 2016, iLLA! was presented in Atlanta at the Cobb County Center for Excellence in Performing Arts and profiled again on FOX TV. iLLA! won the "Best of Fest!" at NYMF in July 2016 and was profiled on PIX11's "Backstage on Broadway."

iLLA! will perform readings at the O'Neill's National Music Theater Conference July 1st at 7PM, July 2nd at 3PM, July 5 at 8PM and July 7th at 7PM. Advance ticket sales are available to O'Neill members May beginning 17. For more information please call (860) 443-1238 or visit www.theoneill.org/summer-conferences/nmtc/2017. The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center is located at 305 Great Neck Road in Waterford, CT. For more information on iLLA! A Hip Hop Musical, visit www.illathemusical.com.

For more information about iLLA! at the O'Neill, visit www.theoneill.org/summer-conferences/nmtc/2017, and for more about the show, go to www.illathemusical.com.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Ronvé O'Daniel (Book, Music and Lyrics) is a New York-based actor, songwriter, rapper, producer, and playwright. As a recording hip-hop artist, he's been featured in XXL Magazine and HipHopDX.com. He was also featured as a performer and writer for Rafael Casal and Daveed Digg's #BARS Workshop at The Public Theater. Most recently, Ronvé produced and starred in a concert version of iLLA at Joe's Pub. His current album "Motivation Music" is available on iTunes and Ronvé.bandcamp.com.

Jevares C. Myrick (Music) is a Producer, Composer, Singer, and Dancer. His regional theater credits include: The Producers, Sophisticated Ladies, Ragtime, Grease, Ain't Misbehavin, Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, All Night Strut, Smokey Joe's Cafe, among many others. Jevares attended Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He has performed all around the world and has produced for many corporate industrials and theme parks. Currently, Jevares can be seen performing in the Broadway Production of The Book of Mormon.

J Kyle Manzay (Director, Co-Writer / Story Consultant) received his MFA at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and a BFA from Howard University. Directing credits include: The Actor's Rap starring Vanessa Simmons (BPAC), The Bootleg Blues starring Chadwick Boseman and Tracie Thoms (Studio Tisch), Hip-Hop Monologues starring Jim Jones (37 Arts), and Toledo/Atlanta workshop productions of iLLA: A Hip-Hop Musical. An Obie Award winner and 5 time AUDELCO Award nominee, J Kyle has been featured on Good Day New York, The Hot 97 Morning Show, The Wendy Williams Radio Show, and featured in the New Yorker Magazine, New York Times and XXL Magazine.

Will Stone (Music Consultant / Co-Vocal Arranger) also known as Will Pailen, has received his Masters of Music Production Technology and Innovation at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain. He also has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Howard University, and is a 2006 graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School where he studied drama. He has been the musical director for iLLA! A Hip Hop Musical since September 2015; the musical director and vocal arranger of For Vixens Who've Considered Homicide When the Video's Too Much; the musical director of Ain't Misbehavin; and the vocal director and vocal arranger of the Off-Broadway hit revival The Great MacDaddy in association with the Negro Ensemble Company.

David Coffman (Producer): David conceived and produced the hit Latino musical 4 Guys Named José, which played in New York. He also conceived and produced Blackbirds of Broadway, which toured the U.S. and Europe. Currently, David is Managing Director for Sundance Productions Inc., the New York office of BB Promotion, the leading provider of high quality live entertainment in Europe. David is the New York representative for Nordiska ApS, Scandinavia's largest theatrical stage rights agency. He has negotiated international licenses for many Broadway musicals including, Flashdance, The Addams Family, Hairspray, Spring Awakening, The Full Monty, Avenue Q, Wicked (Helsinki), Next To Normal, and Cats (Mexico). David speaks regularly at the Commercial Theatre Institute on international licensing of Broadway musicals.

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