Lorin Latarro, Denis Jones and JoAnn M. Hunter to Serve as Mentors for New York Theatre Barn's Choreography Lab

New York Theatre Barn will present its first Choreography Lab of 2021, 1 Show/3 Choreographers, on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 at 7PM EDT. Three choreographers will be chosen to create conceptual choreography for a new musical in development called The Lesson, and will be mentored by director/choreographers JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock, Harmony), Denis Jones (Tootsie, Honeymoon in Vegas), and Lorin Latarro (Mrs. Doubtfire, Waitress). Now in it's 8th season, the lab is the only platform for choreographers and writers to collaborate on movements for new musicals during development.

Curated by Avital Asuleen, the lab will continue its commitment to a new mentorship component created last season that pairs each choreographer with an established mentor choreographer. Hunter, Jones and Latarro will meet with the three choreographers and writers to discuss an initial approach into the work, and will provide feedback during their rehearsal process. The participating choreographers will be announced in early May.

In the 1 Show/3 Choreographers lab, the company will explore excerpts from the original musical The Lesson, a fantastical reimagining of a chance encounter between a revolutionary Beethoven and a more-established Mozart in Vienna in 1787. With music and lyrics by Avi Amon and Nolan Doran (Head Over Heels) and a book by Ty Defoe (Straight White Men), the show was featured in New York Theatre Barn's award-winning New Works Series and was included in the Choreography Lab (with choreography by Shiloh Goodin) earlier in its development. The company has partnered with Full Out Creative who will collaborate with the choreographers on filming their pieces.

The Lesson is set in an alternate universe that melds the future and past into an entirely new, queer, fun, and political space. A hybrid of theater, film, concert, and dance party, The Lesson is a meditation on the purpose of artistic expression, the influence of family on who we are, and the control of information and ideas by the government. It's a lesson that will change their lives - and the world - forever.

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. For more information, visit New York Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org.