NYMF Tix Now Available; Five Invited Works Shows Added

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) announced today that tickets for the 2007 festival are now available and bookings are open for those who purchased NYMF memberships.  Memberships are affordably priced and are available from $60 to $250.  Single tickets ($20) are available to the general public on September 1 and can be purchased by calling 212-352-3101 or www.nymf.org.  
 
"As in past years, many of the musicals are expected to sell-out prior to single tickets being offered to the general public.  In 2006, NYMF saw attendance exceed 36,000, an increase of more than 65%, and records being set for a single day of ticket sales (with 4,000 seats being sold on the first day). In addition, memberships increased three-fold from 2005 and more than half of the productions played to capacity houses for their entire runs, prompting NYMF to add performances as early as three days into ticket sales," state press materials.
 
In addition, NYMF is proud to announce that "The Angle of the Sun" by NYMF alum Larry Pressgrove ([title of show]) and Rachel Lampert will be the 100th NYMF production, and will kick off the fourth annual festival on Monday, September 17 at 7:30pm at The Sage Theater (711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor).
 
"Having our hundredth production is a crazy, fantastic, almost-unbelievable milestone," said Kris Stewart, founder and Executive Director.  "It is a happy coincidence that someone like Larry, who was such an essential part of [title of show], has written the show that we'll be presenting."
 
Five additional Invited Works musicals join the 12 musicals previously announced as part of the 4th annual Festival from September 17 through October 7, 2007 in New York City .   NYMF's Invited Works Series will feature 16 musicals, joining the 18 new works announced in May that were chosen from NYMF's open submissions Next Link series.
 
Bernice Bobs Her Mullet
Book, Music and Lyrics by Joe Major
"Bernice Bobs Her Mullet is a fun, makeover-musical about a young redneck who leaves her podunk hometown to experience life in the big city ( Little Rock )!  And it isn't long before she discovers the scariest part of urban living... spoiled teenagers!  Soon, Bernice gets swept up in the glamour and politics of popularity and learns the hard way that you shouldn't let it go to your head.  Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's story Bernice Bobs Her Hair.'"
 
The Last Starfighter
Music and Lyrics by Skip Kennon
Book by Fred Landau
Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Betuel
"From Jonathan Betuel's screenplay to the beloved 1984 film comes the story of 18-year-old Alex Rogan, stuck in a tiny trailer park with nothing much to do but master his favorite video game. Little does he know that the video game has been placed on Earth by Centauri, a con man from another galaxy desperate to save his people and (more importantly) make a buck or two in this cosmically-entertaining sci-fi fantasy romance."
 
Platforms
Conceived by Holly-Ann Ruggiero and Delaney Britt Brewer
Written by Delaney Britt Brewer
Music by Brent Lord
"Through a combination of dance, music and dialogue as diverse as the city itself, Platforms unfolds as a Midwestern couple is separated on a crowded New York subway platform. Now, they'll each find new adventures, friends, and perspectives before they find each other."
 
Virtuosa
Book by Diane Seymour
featuring the music of Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms
"Virtuosa captures the extraordinary life of Clara Schumann in a perfect marriage of words and instrumental music. Child prodigy, pianist extraordinaire, composer, muse to the great geniuses of the Romantic era, mother of seven, businesswoman- the original Superwoman. This one woman, one pianist play examines the power of art to sustain us and the sacrifices we are willing to make to create balance in our lives."
 
With Glee
Book, Music and Lyrics by John Gregor
"An old-fashioned, new musical comedy about five maladjusted, eccentric, isolated, awkward, sweet, naive, nerdy little boys, who are sent away to boarding school in Maine, where they ultimately find acceptance, friendship and even some normalcy."
 
"The New York Musical Theatre Festival is," according to press notes, "the enormously popular three-week celebration that features the works of the newest generation of musical theatre writers.  One of the fastest-growing theatre festivals in the country today, the New York Musical Theatre Festival has, in three short years, presented a total of 99 new musicals, many of which have gone on to subsequent productions at Off-Broadway and regional theatres around the country."
 
"Already this past season in New York , two musicals from past Festivals – The Big Voice: God or Merman (NYMF '04) and Gutenberg! The Musical (NYMF '06) – have played successful runs Off-Broadway, joining other transfers [title of show], Captain Louie? The Great American Trailer Park Musical and Shout the Mod Musical.  Two more – Nerds://A Musical Software Satire and Meet John Doe - enjoyed a successful regional runs in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C, Party Come Here (NYMF '06) will be presented this summer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and Tom Kitt's musical Feeling Electric (NYMF '05), now titled Next to Normal will be presented at Second Stage Theatre's upcoming season.  NYMF's 2004 hit Altar Boyz is now in its third year and recently celebrated its 1,000th performance Off-Broadway at New World Stages."
 
Hailed as 'the Sundance of Musical Theatre,' NYMF is widely regarded as the essential source for new material and talent discovery.  NYMF is a flagship program of The National Music Theater Network, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and is presented by BroadwayWorld.com and Microsoft Health Services, in association with amNewYork, Ars Nova, GSD Productions, King Displays, Panasonic Astrovision, Playbill and Verizon Wireless, and is proudly supported by Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Broadway Bullet, BroadwayBox.com, BroadwayInsider.com, Choice Signs, City Theatricals, Frank & Camille's Fine Pianos, HX Magazine, Port Authority of NY and NJ, Seasons of Savings, Tekserve, TheatreMania.com, TheMENevent, Virgin Megastore and Wybron. NYMF is made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Visit www.nymf.org for tickets and more information.