Joshua Bergasse and Maria Torres To Serve as Mentors for New York Theatre Barn's Choreography Lab

New York Theatre Barn will present its final Choreography Lab of 2020, New Technologies / Endless Possibilities, on Monday, October 26th, at 8PM EDT. Taking inspiration from theatrical television events, this lab will be streamed live from Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Mentored by veteran Tony-nominated director/choreographer Joshua Bergasse (NBC's Smash, On the Town) and director/choreographer Maria Torres (On Your Feet!, the film "Dance With Me"), the company will select two emerging choreographers, who are passionate about the development of new musicals, who will work with an ensemble of dancers to create choreography from two never before staged musicals.

For the first time in the lab's history, this lab will feature a new mentorship component pairing each choreographer with an established mentor choreographer. Bergasse and Torres will meet with both the choreographers and writing teams to discuss an initial approach into the work, and will provide feedback during their rehearsal process. New York Theatre Barn is thrilled to present this educational opportunity during these unprecedented times.

In the New Technologies / Endless Possibilities lab, the company will explore excerpts from the original musicals I Don't Want to Talk About It and Sueños: Our American Musical. Through humor, empathy, and brutal honesty, Ben Caplan's I Don't Want to Talk About It is a rock musical that pushes the boundaries of how society discusses mental health. Jesse Sanchez and Jeff Chambers' Sueños: Our American Musical is a new Latinx musical that follows three generations of a Mexican-American family in their pursuit of the American Dream. Both shows have been featured in New York Theatre Barn's New Works Series.

The choreographers chosen will present new works in two different ways: once as conceived for a traditional proscenium stage, and once as conceived for a live television broadcast. The company will partner with Full Out Creative who will collaborate with the choreographers to discover new ways of presenting dance for the screen, while also working with New York Theatre Barn to evolve its programming and theatrical storytelling systems. Both choreographers will also join lab curator Avital Asuleen for a conversation about creating dance for the stage versus the virtual stage.

Choreographers interested in applying for this lab can visit this link on New York Theatre Barn's website for the lab's application information. Submissions for this lab opportunity must be received by the end of the day on Monday, September 28th, 2020.

The 45-minute live virtual presentation will be available on New York Theatre Barn's YouTube channel and Broadway on Demand. Funded in part by a generous gift from the Amber Foundation, the Choreography Lab was created to elevate and expand the use of dance in musical theatre, and is also the only curated choreography platform where choreographers and writers collaborate to develop movement for new musicals during incubation. For more information, visit: www.nytheatrebarn.org.

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