Jared Zirilli and DJ Bucciarelli Complete Casting for Araca Project's HOT MESS IN MANHATTAN

Jared Zirilli (Lysistrata Jones, Fat Camp) and DJ Bucciarelli (Jesus Christ Superstar, National Tour) will join conceiver/co-librettist Cait Doyle (San Francisco Premiere The Last 5 Years, MAC Award Winner) in The Araca Project's upcoming production of Hot Mess In Manhattan scheduled to play the American Theatre of Actors later this summer.

According to press notes, Hot Mess in Manhattan is billed as a high-heeled, low-brow musical comedy following one 20-something woman trying to conquer the big city the only way she knows how: the Way of Carrie Bradshaw. Armed with a score featuring a dozen of musical theater's hottest new composers and one worn-out pair of Blahniks, she confronts her greatest fear: if 'Sex and the City' lied, then what's to become of a Hot Mess in Manhattan?"

As previously announced, the score of Hot Mess in Manhattan includes contributions from 14 of New York's hottest emerging musical theatre writers, including Adam Gwon (2008 Fred Ebb Award Winner, Ordinary Days, The Boy Detective Fails), Kait Kerrigan & Brian Lowdermilk (Henry & Mudge, The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown), Ryan Scott Oliver (Richard Rodgers Award, Playwrights Horizons' Mrs. Sharp), Julianne Wick Davis (2012 Larson Award Winner; Southern Comfort, Wood), Gaby Alter (Band Geeks, 2008 Larson Award Winner), Nick Blaemire (Glory Days), Sam Carner & Derek Gregor (Richard Rodgers Award, Unlock'd), Ryan Cunningham & Joshua Salzman (I Love You Because), Drew Gasparini (Crazy, Just Like Me), Michael Mahler (How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?), and Keith Varney (I Got Fired!). Oliver, Gwon, & Alter each received MAC Award nominations for Best Song for their contributions to previous incarnations of Hot Mess In Manhattan.

Hot Mess In Manhattan: The Musical has a libretto by Cait & Meggie Doyle, direction by David Ruttura (Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, Follies), choreography by Joe Barros (The Legend of Julie Taymor, I Married Wyatt Earp), and musical direction by James Cunningham (I Love You, You're Perfect). The production is produced by Justin Nichols (The Araca Project's Peter and I) and David Brush in association with Greg Schaffert (Peter & The Starcatcher), New York Theatre Barn (I Married Wyatt Earp, Speargrove Presents) and The Araca Project - a program of the The Araca Group (Wicked, Rock of Ages, Urinetown).

Jared Zirilli credits include the Broadway company of Lysistrata Jones, the first national tour of Wicked), the off-Broadway production of Fat Camp. Other credits include Jacob in Twilight: The Musical (New World Stages), Aida (Drury Lane), Rent (regional premiere at the Hangar), The Light in the Piazza (MSMT), and AltarBoyz (DC Premiere). TV/Film: Costar on Pan Am. Upcoming: Don't Get Excited. Jared is the host of "The Jared Zirilli Blog."

DJ Bucciarelli credits include the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ted Neeley, and regional productions of Altar Boyz, Happy Days, and Saturday Night Fever.

Hot Mess in Manhattan is the fourth of six productions selected out of 90 applicants for the second annual Araca Project, an initiative of The Araca Group (Wicked, Rock of Ages, Urinetown). The Araca Project joins Syracuse University and the University of Michigan in The Araca Group's commitment to early career development and fostering the entrepreneurial spirit in emerging artists. For more information, visit www.aracaproject.com.

For press images, ticket inquiries or more information, visit www.hotmessinmanhattan.com.

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