Gerard Canonico and More Set for York Theatre Company's Developmental Reading of A GIRL CALLED VINCENT Today

The York Theatre Company, launches the NEODevelopmental Reading Series with the workshop presentation of the new musical, A Girl Called Vincent, based on the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay, with music written and composed by Carmel Dean, directed by Dick Scanlon and music direction by Charity Wicks. The six-member cast will feature Gerard Canonico, Van Hughes, Tamika Sonja Lawrence, Kelvin Moon Loh, Bonnie Milligan and Dani Shay. A single performance is scheduled for today, August 8, 2013 at 3:00pm.

The reading is FREE and open to the public with a reservation at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

A Girl Called Vincent refers to Edna St. Vincent Millay, whose poetry has been set to music in this lyrical theatre piece written by composer Carmel Dean, music director of the Broadway production of American Idiot. Millay, who predated F. Scott Fitzgerald as the voice of the Jazz Age and the cultural revolution that accompanied it, wrote poetry that was lyrical and licentious, presenting in verse a vision of female sexuality that was decades ahead of its time and paving the way for scores of women writers and artists and thinkers. Millay was catapulted to fame 100 years ago at the age of 20, becoming an international celebrity and living in the limelight for the rest of her life. A century later, Carmel Dean has written a truly contemporary score that allows Millay's language to be heard with fresh ears and an open heart.

NEO (an acronym for "New, Emerging, Outstanding") is a yearly York benefit which celebrates songwriters primed to pen the next generation of musicals. (Since the first NEOconcert 7 years ago -- recorded by England's JAY Records-- musical theatre fans and York supporters eagerly anticipate each incarnation.) The York Theatre Company has recently embarked on a new reading series which focuses on full length works by that year's NEO writers; it also includes a yearlong mentoring program that brings together established writers and upcoming producing partners to help encourage the growth of new works.

For additional information on the NEO Series and to make your free reservation, please visit the readings page at www.yorktheatre.org.

Currently in performance at the York Theatre Company is the New York premiere of Storyville, a New Orleans musical, with book by Ed Bullins, music and lyrics by Mildred Kayden, direction by Bill Castellino, choreography by Mercedes Ellington and music direction by William Foster McDaniel. The cast features two-time Tony Award nominee Ernestine Jackson, with D.C. Anderson, Cory Bretsch, Karen Burthwright, Kyle RoBert Carter, Dameka Hayes, Michael Leonard James, Leajato Robinson, Clifton Samuels, Christopher Spaulding, Carl Wallnau, Debra Walton, NaTasha Yvette Williams, and Zakiya Young. Now in performance through Saturday, August 17, 2013 at York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's.

The York Theatre Company is the only theater in New York City-and one of very few in the world-dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals and preserving neglected, notable shows from the past. For over four decades, York's intimate, imaginative style of producing both original and neglected classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike. Under the guidance of Producing Artistic Director James Morgan since 1997, the York has focused exclusively on new musicals in its Mainstage Series-most of them world, American, or New York premieres-by some of the field's most esteemed creators, and has also helped launch the careers of many talented new writers. Over 35 cast recordings from The York Theatre Company productions are now available on CD, and commercial transfers of such York premieres as The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), Souvenir, Jolson & Company, and its acclaimed revivals of Closer Than Ever (2013 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical Revival), Sweeney Todd and Pacific Overtures have all showcased the importance of the York and its programs.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

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