Stephen Schwartz Collaborates with STG for CY COLEMAN NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL Reading Series, Now thru 11/10

American Theater Group, New Jersey's newest professional theater, in association with The ASCAP Foundation, announces the Cy Coleman NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL READING SERIES taking place today, November 3 and November 10 at 8 pm at Hamilton Stage, the brand new, state-of-the-art theater located at 360 Hamilton St., Rahway, NJ. All readings will be FREE to the public.

Taking place on two separate Saturday evenings, ATG will present a new musical that has been chosen with the advice and counsel of the series' Artistic Advisor, three-time Oscar winner Stephen Schwartz. One of Broadway's most illustrious composers, Schwartz is responsible for such world-wide hits as Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked.

"I am delighted that American Theater Group is using its resources to help nurture new musicals for the theater, says Schwartz. "I look forward to working with them in their efforts to insure the continued health of this vital American art form."

After the presentation of each work, a Q& A session will take place that will allow the audience to give their feedback to the creators, and help shape the work for the next step. Mr. Schwartz will be present to lead these audience discussions.

The first reading today, November 3 will be Single Girls Guide, with a score by Tommy Newman and a book by Gordon Greenberg, and will be directed by Mr. Greenberg. The musical is a fun look at the trials and tribulations of a newspaper that tries to boost circulation by adding an advice column for single women. Mr. Newman's various credits include co-conceiving and creating the musical Band Geeks, and winning the Frederick Loewe Foundation Award for his work on the new musical Tinyard Hill. Mr Goldberg's many credits include Pirates at the Paper Mill Playhouse and the critically acclaimed off-Broadway revival of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at the Zipper Theater.

The second reading, Bubble Boy will take place on November 10 and is written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Based on their movie by the same name, the musical is about a boy who has to live his life in a bubble, and meets the girl-next-door who introduces him to a series of crazy adventures. Paul and Daurio have written numerous films including Despicable Me, and The Lorax. Bubble Boy will be directed by Scott Schwartz, the award winning director whose many credits include the Broadway production of Golda's Balcony, the off-Broadway hit Bat Boy, and the national tour of Godspell.

The readings are made possible in part through the financial support of The ASCAP Foundation Cy Coleman Fund and Bart Howard Fund.

Both readings will be presented by American Theater Group, at the Hamilton Theater, 360 Hamilton Street, Rahway New Jersey today, November 3 and November 10 at 8:00pm. Admission is free but reservations are required. To reserve tickets, call the box office at (732) 499-8226

Founded by New Jersey natives Jim Vagias, Joe Mancuso and Rick Sordelet, and under the Board leadership of former Rahway Mayor Jim Kennedy, American Theater Group is New Jersey's newest professional theater company. Its mission is to produce works by American Playwrights, with an emphasis on the development of new works and undeservedly neglected classics, and to nurture the audiences and artists of tomorrow by strong arts-in-education programming. ATG's inaugural season is taking place in the brand new state of the art facility, Hamilton Stage, an intimate 199 seat theater. Having just completed a successful run of Zero Hour, ATG and The ASCAP Foundation will be presenting The Cy Coleman New American Musical Reading Series. In February ATG will present Crazy Just like Me a new musical by Drew Gasparini. For more information, log on to www.americantheatergroup.org.

Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs for songwriters, composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org

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