Lindsay Mendez, Mary Testa, Ali Stroker, and More Join 35MM Concert

Prospect Theater Company continues its 2016 IGNITE Series on Saturday, November 5th at 8pm, with a concert of 35MM: A Musical Exhibition. Music and lyrics for this high-octane, multimedia musical are by Ryan Scott Oliver, inspired by the work of Broadway photographer Matthew Murphy. The performance will be held in the heart of Manhattan's Theatre District, at The TimesCenter (242 West 41st Street, NYC).

The evening will feature 35MM original cast member Lindsay Mendez (Wicked) alongside the talents of Drama Desk Award winner and two-time Tony Award nominee Mary Testa (Queen of the Mist), writer-performers Joe Iconis (Bloodsong of Love) and Lauren Marcus (Broadway BounTy Hunter), and the groundbreaking Ali Stroker (Spring Awakening). Also featured in the evening's line-up are: Andi Alhadeff (Jasper in Deadland), Susan Blackwell ([title of show]), Ally Bonino(Myths & Hymns), Noel Carey (Murder for Two, National Tour), Max Chernin(Bright Star), Dan DeLuca (Newsies), John-Michael Lyles (Jasper in Deadland), Julia Mattison (Godspell), Chris McCarrell (Les Miserables), Andrea Ross (The Sound of Music, National Tour), and more to be announced.

The evening will also feature a mixed choir of collegiate performers from Marymount Manhattan College, the NYUSteinhardt Program in Vocal Performance, Pace University, Rider University, and Wagner College.

The evening will be directed by songwriter Ryan Scott Oliver, with music direction by Joshua Zecher-Ross, who will lead an ensemble of six musicians. Vocal arrangements and orchestrations are by Ryan Scott Oliver, with additional percussion arrangements by Jeremy Yaddaw, and additional guitar arrangements by Matt Hinkley.

In 35MM, each photograph provokes a song: a glimmer of a life unfolding, a glimpse of something happening. Originally premiered at Brooklyn's Galapagos Art Space in 2012, it has since received over 75 productions worldwide, including Australia, Japan, Canada, and the UK. 35mm has been described as "a thought-provoking, soul-searching exploration of two mediums fused together as one," (DC Metro Theatre Arts) and "a series of seriously show-stopping tunes... from tender ballads to infectious disco pop... each melody encompasses the lives of different characters and each seems to exist in a rich universe of its own." (DCTheatreScene). Prospect produced the NYC premiere of Hunter Foster and Ryan Scott Oliver's musical Jasper in Deadland in 2014.

35MM: A Musical Exhibition is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, Inc.

"Prospect looks forward to our second season of IGNITE concerts, and we are thrilled to have the work of company alum Ryan Scott Oliver back on the Prospect stage," said Producing Artistic Director, Cara Reichel. Launched in 2015, the IGNITE Series is an ongoing concert initiative at The TimesCenter. Reflecting Prospect's dedication to fostering and producing work by emerging artists, IGNITE Series programming includes premieres of original material by award-winning songwriters; cutting-edge creations straight from Prospect's annual Musical Theater Lab; concert presentations of new musicals, and more.

Single tickets are $25, $35 and $45, and may be obtained through online purchase at www.ProspectTheater.org or by calling 212-352-3101. Tickets may also be purchased at the door, beginning at 7pm on the night of the concert. The TimesCenter (www.TheTimesCenter.com) is located at 242 West 41st Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in the heart of NYC's Times Square District. The venue features a 378-seat auditorium with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and video capability, and a Steinway Concert Grand Piano.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
35mm: A Musical Exhibition

Ryan Scott Oliver (music / lyrics) was called "the future of Broadway... a major new voice in musical theatre" (Entertainment Weekly) and is "shaking up musical theater with his dark, twisted and genius work ... [Oliver] could very well be musical theater's answer to an auteur filmmaker or a gothic novelist" (Huffington Post). He is the winner of a Larson Grant, Rodgers Award, Lortel Award Nomination, ASCAP Harold Adamson Award, New Musicals Awards from Weston Playhouse, Pace University and more. He wrote the music and lyrics for Jasper in Deadland (premiered off-Broadway by Prospect and remounted at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre), 35MM: A Musical Exhibition (licensed by Samuel French, original cast recording avail. on Ghostlight Records), Darling, Mrs. Sharp, Out of My Head (licensed through Steele Spring Stage Rights), as well as the commission We Foxes (Broadway Across America) among others. He was selected to open Lincoln Center's 2016 American Songbook series. He is currently at work on the new musical Rope, a commission for Grove Entertainment. More info can be found at ryanscottoliver.com, and his morbidly optimistic musings can be followed at @ryanscottoliver.

Matthew Murphy (photography) is a New York City-based photographer specializing in theater and dance. Recent work can be seen in ad campaigns for Broadway's Hamilton, Kinky Boots, The Color Purple, Falsettos, On Your Feet! and Anastasia among others. Additional credits include his feature work for broadway.com ("Gotta Dance" series), Dance Magazine, and The New York Times. He is a former dancer with American Ballet Theatre.

Prospect Theatre Company (founded in 1998) is dedicated to fostering and showcasing today's new voices shaping tomorrow's musicals. Since 2000, the company has fully produced more than 30 premiere musicals in New York City, in addition to new plays and numerous re-inventions of classic works. Reflecting its investment in the future of the field, Prospect leads a variety of developmental initiatives, including an annual Musical Theater Lab for emerging writers, and a Summer Intensive training program for teenagers. In recognition of its enterprising and risk-taking new musical theater, the company received a 2016 OBIE Award grant. Their work as a community anchor for emerging artists that strengthens the quality, diversity, and dynamism of American theater was also honored with a 2013 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing. Notable productions include: the Drama Desk Award-winning Working (2012), Death for Five Voices (2016), Long Story Short (2015), Jasper in Deadland (2014), the Drama-Desk nominated Tamar of the River (2013), Unlock'd (2013), Iron Curtain (2006, 2011), Myths and Hymns (2012), With Glee (2010), The Blue Flower (2008), Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge(2009), The Hidden Sky (2010), Illyria (2002, 2008), and the Drama-Desk nominated The Pursuit of Persephone (2005).

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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