New Musical BELVA - DON'T GIVE UP BEFORE THE MIRACLE Announces Industry Reading

Tony Award winning producer Michael A. Jenkins will present special by-invitation-only industry reading for the new musical BELVA - Don't Give Up Before the Miracle on Friday June 10th at Pearl Studios (500 Eighth Avenue).

BELVA has book and lyrics by Janine Turner with music by Raina Murnak. Karen Carpenter will direct, with Lance Horne serving as musical director. BELVA will feature a cast of 18, led by Janine Turner.

Belva Lockwood. Never heard of her? This is why Janine Turner is bringing her life to the stage. Belva was more than a suffragette and a fighter for justice. After fighting for the right for five years, Belva became the first woman to be admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court, winning the landmark Trail of Tears reparations case. Belva Lockwood was the first woman to run for President, actually on the ballot, winning thousands of votes - in an era when women couldn't even vote! BELVA, however, is more than a story about accomplishments, it is a love story - a love story between Belva and her daughter, Lura.

Turner explains: "'Don't give up before the miracle.' I heard these words about three decades ago and was profoundly affected by them. Time and time again they prevent me from giving up when I am up against all odds - in show business and in life. I was genuinely awed and inspired when I discovered Belva Lockwood, a little known champion who echoed that same sense of resolve and higher purpose. In 2006 I was researching my book, Holding Her Head High, when she literally jumped off the pages. Now, I am her devoted champion. Belva Lockwood, relatively unknown, was a daughter, wife, single mother, humanitarian and defender of justice for all. She was insatiably curious and unrelentingly determined to never take no for an answer. She didn't just fight for women's rights; she fought for abolition, Native Americans and world peace. She fought for college degrees, law degrees and to be the first woman admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court. She argued the landmark Trail of Tears reparations case at the Supreme Court and won. Belva Lockwood was officially the first woman on the Presidential ballot in 1884, winning thousands of votes. BELVA is a story about not only her indefatigable journey, but the devoted, unconquerable, inseparable love she had for her daughter, Lura. BELVA is a musical that embraces all. It is lively, joyous, deep and meaningful -an evening of fun with a goal that the audience leaves the theater with a pep in their step, a song in their heart and a resolve, no matter what challenges they are facing, to never give up before the miracle."

BIOS

Janine Turner, a three-time Golden Globe and Emmy nominated best actress (who hosted the Golden Globes in 1994), is best known to millions of fans for her role as Maggie O'Connell in the hit CBS Emmy Award-winning television series "Northern Exposure," and in major motion pictures such as Solace with Anthony Hopkins, Cliffhanger with Sylvester Stallone, Dr. T & the Women with Richard Gere, Night of the White Pants with Tom Wilkinson, June Cleaver in the Universal film Leave It to Beaver and a star turn as Miss Merry Christmas in "Steel Magnolias." Janine's additional TV series work includes NBC's "Friday Night Lights," "Law & Order," Lifetime's "Strong Medicine," and for soap opera fans, "General Hospital." She has starred in many movies for CBS, ABC, TBS, Lifetime and Hallmark. As film producer and director, Janine won Best New Director at both the Deep Ellum and Beverly Hills Film Festivals for her short film, "Trip in a Summer Dress." Acting isn't Janine's only passion or accomplishment. She is a four time published author. Her books include Holding Her Head High - 12 Single Mothers Who Championed Their Children and Changes History, Artificial Intelligentsia vs. Primal Sense - 10 Steps to Reclaiming You, and Wisdom for Each Day - Inherited from my Great-Grandfather, among others. Janine has given 600 speeches to approximately 50,000 people. She is a highly acclaimed and sought- after public speaker known for her riveting and inspiring speeches across the country.

Dr. Raina Murnak is Assistant Professor and Head of Contemporary Voice & Performance Artistry department at Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in the Music Media and Entertainment Industries Department. She has served as the Artistic Director of the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Pop Ensembles, co-founder of the renowned Frost Method of Experiential Musicianship, the founder and director of Frost Summer Institute of Contemporary Songwriting and a co-creator of the widely successful MADE program at Frost where she has been innovating in higher education for the last 18 years. She is a sought-after composer, songwriter, vocalist and performance coach with over 20 years of experience on stage, television and in the studio. Her extensive training in both classical and pop/contemporary composition and voice has afforded her the rare ability to fluently perform and write in a vast array of styles and genres from opera to classical avant-garde to theater to rock. Her gift is her ability to unleash performers and help them create compelling honest performances grounded in freedom and expression. Dr. Murnak is a multi-talented artist well versed in not only music, but also in dance and the visual arts. She holds a BM and MA degree in Vocal Performance and Composition from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a DMA in Music Theory and Composition and Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Miami. She remains active as an online educator for Frost Graduate programs and holds a Certificate in Instructional Design from PACE Oregon State.

Karen Carpenter is best known for directing premiere presentations of new plays and musicals for the stage, and her dramaturgical contributions to them. She directed the smash hit Love Loss and What I Wore by Nora Ephron & Delia Ephron, produced by Daryl Roth, which was met with unanimous critical acclaim, broke all existing Off-Broadway box office records, won the Drama Desk Award for Best Unique Theatrical Experience, and ran for a record 3 years in New York, featuring rotating celebrity casts, including over 150 of our most celebrated actresses; among them: Rosie O'Donnell, Jane Lynch, Fran Drescher, Rhea Perlman, Marlo Thomas, Tyne Daly, Natasha Lyonne, Kate Mulgrew, and Janeane Garofolo. Additional companies played on virtually every continent, and the show is now enjoyed world-wide. Most recent stage work includes the premieres of The New Yorker critic's pick Harry Townsend's Last Stand starring Len Cariou and Craig Bierko; the new musical Bulldozer: the Ballad of Robert Moses starring Constantine Maroulis; the New York Times Critic's Pick Handle With Care; Witnessed by the World at 59E59; all Off-Broadway. Regional productions include the premiere of the new musical Boynton Beach Club and The Wizard of Oz at Surflight; The Vagina Monologues at Bucks County Playhouse starring Andrea McArdle, Lea DeLaria, and Adriene Lenox; and the premieres of Wendy Yondorf's Admit One in a sold-out run at New Jersey Rep; Rosemary Loar's fractured fairy tale rock musical Spoolie Girl for the Midtown International Theater Festival (Best of the Fest); and Mary Walsh's Dancing With Rage which toured Canada. Her favorite gig to date: directing Michael Keaton in Lauren Yee's Countville for the Festival del Sole, Napa.

Lance Horne is an Emmy Award-winning composer and music director who has music supervised/arranged or vocal arranged for Reefer Madness, Regina Spektor on Broadway, Little Women, Each and Every Day (HBO), "The Good Fight" (Paramount+), "The Ricki Lake Show" (FOX), Natalie Merchant at Radio City, John Cameron Mitchell, Alan Cumming at Carnegie, Jake Shears/Scissor Sisters, Rufus Wainwright, Pink Martini, Liza Minnelli, Kylie Minogue, the von Trapps, Ben Folds, Neil Gaiman, Kristin Chenoweth, Justin Bond, Sandra Bernhard, Amanda Palmer/Dresden Dolls, Cheyenne Jackson, Taylor Mac, the Gatlin Brothers, Boston Pops, Seoul Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, London/SF/LA/NY Gay Men's Chorus, Sydney Dance Company, Michael Feinstein, Carol Channing, and "Sesame Street;" performed for President Obama, the First Lady, and Queen Elizabeth; multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Lincoln Center, and London's West End. Macy's Parades (NBC), multiple film scores, and composing new musicals in development, Revelations and Murder Most Fab. Mr. Horne is a Steinway Artist, recipient of Jonathan Larson, Bistro, and ASCAP Awards, Interlochen graduate with BM, MM in Composition, The Juilliard School.

Tony Award winning producer Michael A. Jenkins serves as president of Starlight Entertainment, which produces and presents more than 20 productions annually. Jenkins has produced Boeing Boeing (Tony Award), Jay Johnson: The Two and Only (Tony Award ), Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Legally Blonde, Bonnie and Clyde (his 124th production) on Broadway in addition to the national tours of Annie Get Your Gun, Flower Drum Song, The Music Man, South Pacific, My Fair Lady and Brooklyn, among many others. Jenkins has developed the one-woman play All About Bette. Jenkins has served on the NAMT Board and is past president of the organization. In addition, Jenkins is president of LARC, Inc., a design/consulting firm for the entertainment industry.

To reserve seats or for more information, email at Belva@theatrical.AG or visit Theatrical.AG/Belva

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