Encore Theater Co Presents Developmental Production Of NEXT THING YOU KNOW

Encore Theater Company in association with Sinclair Community College will present a developmental production of the new musical NEXT THING YOU KNOW written by Drama Desk Nominees JOSHUA SALZMAN & RYAN CUNNINGHAM August 12-14, 2010 at Sinclair's Blair Hall Theatre. Joshua Salzman (music) and Ryan Cunningham (book and lyrics) met at the NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Their thesis musical, I Love You Because went on to be professionally produced Off-Broadway, earned a Drama Desk nomination for the team, spawned a cast album on PS Classics and garnered a licensing deal with Theatrical Rights Worldwide, resulting in productions both nationally and internationally including Encore Theater Company's own regional production several seasons ago.

"The opportunity to see our show developed outside of NY, under a dedicated and enthusiastic team of actors and directors, is invaluable", says composer Joshua Salzman, "The nurturing and safe environment ETC provides for musical theater writers to hone their craft is essential to the creative process of developing a new musical".

Salzman & Cunningham spent several days in Dayton developing the show which the creators describe this way: "Real life comes real fast. One day you wake up, and instead of a hangover, you have a job. Instead of a fling, you have a live-in girlfriend. And instead of naïve dreams, you have reality. For four artists in New York City, discovering yourself can take a lot longer than you think. The little joys and compromises that bring us into adulthood are brought to life in this all-new musical".

"This kind of development is what new shows need - a long term commitment to walk a show from one step to the next and allow creators to make changes, additions and deletions along the way," says ETC Artistic Director David Brush, "This gets at the very heart of ETC's mission and we are thrilled to kick off the program with two amazing young, fresh talents like Ryan and Josh."

The cast for the Dayton engagement of NEXT THING YOU KNOW includes: Amy Leigh (Waverly), Matthew D. Curry (Luke), BethAnn Wipprecht (Lisa) and JJ Parkey (Darren). Production staff include David Brush (Director), Shawn Storms (Assistant Director), Jackson Gallagher (Lighting Design), Nathan Dean (Sound Design), and Ally Wetz (Stage Manager).

NEXT THING YOU KNOW is part of Encore Theater Company's New Musicals In Development program which includes a focus on developing new work through podcasts, readings, and development productions. Musicals submissions are accepted by emailing newmusicalsetc@gmail.com. More information and tickets to NEXT THING YOU KNOW can be found by visiting www.encoretheatercompany.com.

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