New Musicals Inc. Announces 2017 New Voices Project Writing Teams

New Musicals Inc. has announced that nine writing teams (with a total of 17 writers and composers) have been selected to participate in the 2017 New Voices Project, a musical theatre development program hosted by New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles (with support from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment), now in its fifth year.

The New Voices Project is offered to a select group young musical theatre playwrights, composers and lyricists under the age of 26, who receive workshops, readings, and concerts of their work.

"We had a record number of submissions this year," explains Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., "and we are excited to be able to offer support to so many of these young and talented artists."

All of the teams will receive workshops and feedback with NMI's resident theatre ensemble, the Academy Repertory Company, and will then have excerpts of their work presented as part of the STAGES Festival of New Musicals this summer.

"Being a part of [the New Voices Project] was an incredibly informative experience." says Chris Bryon Pratt, NVP 2013 winner. "Having my material performed then dissected gave me a very clear picture of what I can improve on as a writer. I think workshops such as the New Voices Project are so monumental to young aspiring writers because the panel gives fabulous critical feedback."

The teams chosen to participate this year are:

Amanda D'Archangelis and Anderson Cook

Ariel Mitchell and Edison Hong

Cristian Guerrero, Andrew Moorhead, and Steven Schmidt

Eliot Rhys and Oscar Jacques

Jackson Teeley

Jonathan Horn and Luke Davidson

Jude Obermüller and David Gomez

Marina Toft, David Lancelle

Oliver Houser

The public can see a selection of works from the New Voices Project as part of the STAGES Festival of New Musicals, currently scheduled to take place at the end of July, 2017.

"New Musicals Inc. offers a great opportunity to get the exposure that all young writers so desperately need." says Santino DeAngelo, 2014 NVP winner. "The New Voices Project was my first chance to have my writing scrutinized by industry professionals and, throughout the course of the project, they really helped to shape the professional standards that I hold myself to today."

For additional information on the New Voices Project, visit NMI's website, www.nmi.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Anderson Cook is a playwright and lyricist currently pursuing an MFA in Dramatic Writing at Carnegie Mellon University. His musicals have appeared at the PIT (NYC), the Reckless Theatre (NYC), the Boston Conservatory, and will appear next season at Dad's Garage and in Stockholm, Sweden.

Amanda D'Archangelis is a New York based actress, composer, and performer currently in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. Her music has been performed by The Boston Gay Men's Chorus, featured in the Musematch series at 54 Below, and in the NYMF song cycle, Outliers.

Ariel Mitchell has a BA in Playwriting (Music minor) from Brigham Young University and an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing NYU. She was awarded the KCACTF Harold and Mimi Steinberg 2013 National Student Playwriting Award, and the 2011 Vera Hinckley Mayhew Award.

Edison Hong, a New York and São Paulo based composer, is a proud recipient of the Richie Jackson Fellowship, and has been chosen for Prospect Theatre's Musical Theatre Lab and the National Asian Artists Project's Discover Series. He received his MFA at the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU.

Cristian Guerrero is an LA based actor and writer who holds his B.F.A in Acting from Chapman University, is currently a teaching artist at Theatre 360 Performing Arts Academy in Pasadena, and Co-Artistic Director of his theatre company founded with Moorhead and Schmidt, play/ground theatre company.

Andrew Moorhead is an LA based writer, actor, and director whose original work has been produced at Berkeley Repertory Theater and The Actor's Company in West Hollywood. He holds a BFA in screen-acting from Chapman University, and is currently the co-artistic director of play/ground theatre company (which he founded with Guerrero and Schmidt).

Steven Schmidt is a writer, musician, and educator from the Los Angeles area who has a BMA in arranging and composition from Azusa Pacific University, is the Music Director of play/ground theatre company in Hollywood, and currently teaches at the Los AngeLes Children's Chorus and Balboa Magnate Elementary.

Eliot Rhys and Oscar Jacques are writing partners working out of Edinburgh known for their short films that have been finalists at festivals such as Edinburgh International Film Festival. Eliot is an award-winning composer, and Oscar is a veteran musical-theatre performer.

Jackson Teeley is a musical theatre writer and performer who currently lives in Brooklyn and is participating in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

Luke Davidson is in his final semester at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY where he is studying to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. He has acted in a variety of roles and performed in numerous venues across Minnesota and areas of New York.

Jonathan Horn is set to graduate in May 2017 with two degrees - one in Theatre, and one in Music - from the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, MN. He has served as an actor, director, musical director, and accompanist for productions in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and has released an album of piano music, including several original pieces.

David Gomez is a NYC based composer/lyricist, and librettist whose first mini-musical debuted at Joe's Pub, and whose second musical was selected for a developmental lab through the Pace New Musicals program. Rumple, his newest musical with Jude, has been selected to debut in Kansas City in 2018 through MTKC.

Jude Obermüller recently won the Menken Remixed competition at City Center and had several works included in NYMF's 2016 season. He is the music director/arranger for Frances Ruffelle and has provided several arrangements for Cynthia Erivo. Bardo, his musical webseries will be filmed and recorded this year in the UK.

Marina Toft is a lyricist and bookwriter who is currently an MFA candidate at NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program. With composer Benji Goldsmith, she was a 2016 New Voices Project finalist with NMI and Walt Disney Imagineering.

David Lancelle is a composer who is currently an MFA candidate at NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program. His 10-minute musical, The Qualms, was produced at Barrington Stage last summer.

Oliver Houser is an actor and musical theatre writer who is a recent graduate of the Macaulay Honors Program at Hunter College and is a member of ASCAP, MTF, and the Advanced BMI musical theater workshop.

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