Dramatic Publishing Company Nabs Rights to Off-Broadway's STRAIGHT

Dramatic Publishing Company has acquired the professional, stock and amateur theatrical performance rights to the hit Off-Broadway play Straight, co-authored by Scott Elmegreen & Drew Fornarola, and directed by Andy Sandberg.

STRAIGHT, starring Jake Epstein, Jenna Gavigan, and Thomas E. Sullivan, is currently in its final weeks of a limited engagement through May 8, 2016at the Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row (410 W 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036).

"We are grateful to our cast, director, producers, and everyone involved in this beautifully realized world premiere," said the authors in a joint statement. "We are particularly thankful for the way New York audiences have embraced the play during our Off-Broadway run. We look forward to working with Dramatic Publishing and are excited for Straight to reach new audiences and spark new conversations in the years to come."

Meet Ben. Ben is a 26-year old investment banker. Ben likes beer, sports, and Emily. And Chris.STRAIGHT is a provocative new play that deals with fidelity, sexuality, and identity in post-Equality America. Funny, sad, sexy, and surprising, this three-character drama takes a hard look at the moral complex of a generation that prides itself on the pretense of tolerance.

STRAIGHT began previews on February 9, 2016, officially opened February 29, and will run through May 8, 2016 at The Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row (410 W 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036).

The Off-Broadway production features scenic design by Charlie Corcoran, costume design by Michael McDonald, lighting design by Grant Yeager, sound design by Alex Hawthorn, original music by Will Van Dyke, and casting by Matthew Maisto, CSA, with Baseline Theatrical serving as general manager. Straightis produced by Straight Productions LLC, Caiola Productions, Harrison Chad, Peter May, Extra Toasty Productions, Oliver Roth, and SunnySpot Productions.

For more on Straight, visit www.StraightThePlay.com.

DRAMATIC PUBLISHING is one of the leading publishers of plays and musicals, worldwide. We are committed to developing and serving the authors, artists and educators who comprise the world of theatre. We offer musicals, full-length and one-act plays and high-quality theatrical books suitable for high-school theatre, children's theatre, professional theatre and community theatre. Our catalog includes a spectrum of plays for every cast size, skill level and audience representing classic works as well as contemporary comedies, dramas and musicals of distinction.

SCOTT ELMEGREEN (Author) is a playwright and songwriter whose shows include Tiananmen (in development with director Stafford Arima; premiere concerts at Feinstein's/54 Below and with the New York Theatre Barn's New Works Series), Vote For Me: A Musical Debate (Roy Arias Stages; London Theatre Workshop), College: The Musical (Hippodrome State Theatre; pub. Dramatic Publishing Company), Thucydides (Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival winner; pub. Samuel French), Ivy & Bean: The Musical, based on the New York Times bestselling book series (National Tour; Atlantic Theatre Company; Bay Area Children's Theatre; South Coast Repertory; pub. Theatrical Rights Worldwide),Magic School Bus, Live! The Climate Challenge, based on the award-winning books and television series (National Tour; Bay Area Children's Theatre; Oregon Children's Theatre),Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy: The Musical, based on the New York Times bestselling book series (National Tour; Bay Area Children's Theatre), and Awesome Allie: First Kid Astronaut (Vital Theatre; pub. Theatrical Rights Worldwide). Elmegreen has also written scores and soundtracks for numerous plays and films, including the Drama Desk and Emmy Award nominated Colin Quinn: Long Story Short, directed by Jerry Seinfeld (Helen Hayes Theatre; HBO Special; National Tour). He is a graduate of Princeton University and lives in Brooklyn. ScottElmegreen.com

DREW FORNAROLA (Author) is a playwright and songwriter from New York. He is currently developing both a stage musical and an animated movie for DreamWorks. Film: DreamWorks' VeggieTales Noah's Ark (2015), starring Wayne Brady. Theater: Molly Shannon's Tilly The Trickster (Atlantic Theatre Company, collaboration with Saturday Night Live's Molly Shannon, pub. Theatrical Rights Worldwide); Claudio Quest (dir John Tartaglia, winner of six 2015 NYMF Awards for Excellence, optioned by Dramatic Forces); Thucydides (Winner Samuel French Play Festival, pub. Samuel French); Vote for Me: A Musical Debate (London Theatre Workshop (2015), and Roy Arias Theater (2014), commissioned by Aged in Wood Prods.); College: The Musical (MTVu Award, Hippodrome State Theatre, pub. Dramatic Publishing Co.); and two musicals for children. Awards: NYMF Award for Excellence in Lyrics, John Wallowitch Award for Songwriting, Finalist for 2014 Kleban Award and 2009 Richard Rodgers Award, four-time MAC Award nominee. Upcoming: Highlights from Drew's new musical Tiananmen premiered in a 2014 concert starring Tony Award winner Ruthie Ann Miles and Telly Leung. Other: Concerts of Drew's songs have been presented at Lincoln Center, 54 Below, London Theatre Workshop, and Broadway au Carre in Paris, among others. In 2013, Drew provided string arrangements for #1 charting Japanese hip-hop band "Cream." He holds a B.A. from Princeton, a J.D. from Fordham, and is an alumnus of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. DrewFornarola.com