40 is the New 15 Opens at NoHo Arts Center July 16

The Academy has a community of about 100 composers and lyricists writing musicals for producers all around the country, but now they're becoming producers. Their first full production with live band and scenery opens next month (July 16) for a six week run at the NoHo Arts Center.

It's called 40 is the New 15. at the NoHo Arts Center for a six week run beginning July 16 through August 22nd.

This show was selected by Stephen Schwartz to be part of his ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop in February 2010, and The Academy's workshop presentation of it last summer at the Secret Rose Theatre was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. 40 is the New 15 follows the lives of some fortysomethings who look back to their innocent days in high school, when they all dreamed of becoming successes at 40. A wannabe neurosurgeon, a teen gymnast phenom, a computer geek, an all-too-All-American baseball fan, and a starry-eyed musical theatre fan...all grow up to be...well, 40-year-olds.

"It's touching and funny," says ANMT's Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry, "and speaks powerfully about those critical moments in our lives when either we change...or we stay as we were, for better or for worse. I leave the theatre after a performance of 40 is the New 15 feeling very empowered."

Michele Spears directs this brand-new world premiere production, with scenery and lights by Kevin Traxler (former producer for Disney). Cast members include Tod Macofsky, Dana Meller, Craig Woolson, Karole Foreman, John Allsopp, Peter Welkin, Gretchen Weiss and Lindsey Mixon.

Bookwriter Larry Todd Johnson explains that 'We're examining whether we would make the same decisions, if we knew then what we know now. Cindy and I are fascinated by how inevitable some of our life-choices seem, in retrospect. There are certain moments in our lives which determine who we are, indelibly. We find that wonderful, funny, and a little terrifying all at once. Can understanding this help us get past it? That's what this musical is all about.'

'I love the fact that I get to write music for these characters in two completely different time periods. In Act 1 they're teenagers in the 80's, and the songs have a youthful 80's pop flavor. In Act 2 they're older, life is more complicated, and their songs get more complex and diverse in style. It really reflects what's happened to my generation, and to me, since the 80's.'

The authors are both 40, and knew each other when they were teenagers. 'We didn't start writing together until we were young adults,' says O'Connor, 'but we've been successful writing as a team for twenty years. A lot of silly murder mysteries, yes, but some very serious works as well.' Johnson and O'Connor's All That He Was won the Kennedy Center Kennedy Center National Student Playwriting Award' and the KC/ACTF Musical Theatre Award.'

40 is the New 15 was originally developed in the Academy's workshop, but subsequently caught the eye of Academy staff, who supported it with several presentations at the Academy and in the Concert Reading Series at the Colony Theatre. John Sparks, the Academy's venerable Artistic Director, included it in his Monday Night Reading Series at Theatre Building Chicago.

The Academy is building the scenery on its own premises, and then moving it to the NoHo Arts Center the week before opening.

The Academy touts a "risk-free" approach to producing 40 is the New 15 this summer, citing a combination of pre-sales and benefactor-guarantors. They used a similar method of pre-sales last year to guarantee that production costs were entirely covered, even before they booked a theatre.

'We knew we could not afford to lose money on a production,' says Guy, 'so we went to all our friends and members, and said 'If you'll buy enough tickets in advance, we can commit to this production. If we don't sell enough tickets, we won't produce the show; it's that simple.' Guy's approach worked like gangbusters. The Academy's friends rallied to the cause.

'We're grateful and astonished at the outpouring of support from our friends,' says the Academy's Associate Artistic Director, Elise Dewsberry. 'It shows us that a lot of folks want us to succeed as producers of new musicals. It's very encouraging; we've been producing in concert for a couple of seasons now, and our audience has come to trust our taste and our quality programming. We couldn't have done this without them, obviously.'

Performances begin July 16 at the NoHo Arts Center. Thursday through Saturday evenings, with Saturday and Sunday matinees. $30. www.anmt.org or LINK to reserve tickets.

 

 

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