Nikka Graff Lanzarone and More Set for LOVE AND REAL ESTATE Readings for Amas Musical Theatre

Amas Musical Theatre and The Amas Musical Theatre Lab will present staged readings of Love and Real Estate, three one-act musicals with book and lyrics by Sean Hartley and music by Sam Davis.

Directed by Devanand Janki with music direction by Eric Kang, the readings will be held on Tuesday, April 25th at 6pm and Wednesday, April 26th at 3pm & 7pm at Ripley-Greer Studios, 10th Floor (520 Eighth Ave - between 35th & 36th Streets). The readings are free and the seating is limited. For reservations, email boxoffice@amasmusical.org or call 212-563-2565.

Is there poison in the coffee...or in the deviled egg? That date you made over the Internet ­- will it be your last? Is that the ghost of your dead mother telling you she hates your new haircut, or are you finally losing it? Love and Real Estate puts a modern, musical spin on Hamlet, the myth of Persephone and the Three Little Pigs, to tell the stories of three young women trying to figure out who they are, what they want, and how they want to live.

The cast of Love and Real Estate is Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Chicago, Sweet Charity), Veronica Reyes-How (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Miss Saigon), Gilbert Sanchez (Buddy, Godspell), Sally Wilfert (Assassins, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), and Jason Veasey (Beautiful, The Lion King). The Production Stage Manager is Jana Llynn.

The presentations are part of the ongoing Amas Musical Theatre Lab, a development series for writers, lyricists and composers to mount public readings of their new musicals. The Amas Musical Theatre Lab is supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and by the Actors' Equity Association Foundation, the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation, BMI Foundation, the Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, the Lucille Lortel Foundation, the Frederick Loewe Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, the Michael Tuch Foundation, and through the generous support of many individuals.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Sean Hartley (Book and Lyrics) Musicals include Cupid And Psyche (composer Jihwan Kim - Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Lyrics); Little Women(songs by Kim Oler and Alison Hubbard) which has had several regional productions, including Syracuse Stage; Love and Real Estate (with composer Sam Davis); Snow, for which he wrote book, music and lyrics and which won the ASCAP Harold Arlen Award for Best New Musical; Number The Stars (adapted from the book by Lois Lowry), Sunshine (based on a book by Ludwig Bemelmans, music by John O'Neill) and Holy Moses! (book by Bob Kolsby.) His television work includes Disney Channel's The Book of Pooh and Bear In the Big Blue House. He is the director of Theater@Kaufman, the musical theater division of the Kaufman Music Center in New York City, where he curates, produces and hosts the concert series Broadway Close Up and Broadway Playhouse.

Sam Davis (Music) is a composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist. Broadway credits as arranger include An American in Paris, Gigi, Side Show (also musical director), Big Fish, Scandalous, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012), Holiday Inn, and the upcoming Prince of Broadway (additional orchestrations.) Film and television credits as arranger include Beauty and the Beast (2017), Hail Caesar!, and "Good Behavior." Sam is the composer of the Off-Broadway shows Red Eye of Love (Amas Musical Theatre), "Love and Real Estate" (59E59 Theater), and the award-winning children's musical Bunnicula (script by Charles Busch, Daryl Roth Theater.) He also composed music for The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare in the Park). Other theater credits include Little Dancer and The Trumpet of the Swan at the Kennedy Center, and musical supervisor for the 2009 national tour of Dreamgirls. Recordings include his debut album as composer, Love on a Summer Afternoon (P.S. Classics), and the original cast albums of Bunnicula (Yellow Sound) and Red Eye of Love (Ghostlight). He is also arranger for several projects in development for Broadway, including Disney's Frozen. Sam is a winner of the Jonathan Larson Award and a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music.

Devanand Janki (Director) Dev is an award-winning Director/Choreographer. He currently resides in New York City but is originally from Edmonton, Canada. He directed and choreographed the hit Off-Broadway musical Zanna, Don't! which premiered to critical acclaim in New York City at the John Houseman Theater. Other New York credits include: TheatreworksUSA's Junie B. Jones (Lortel Nomination) and Henry & Mudge (Lortel Nomination); the Off-Broadway musical Cupid & Psyche at the John Houseman Studio Theater, Judy Speaks, a one woman show about the life of Judy Garland for ARS Nova Theater. Funny Girl featuring 16 Fanny Brices including Whoopi Goldberg, Bebe Neuwirth, and Jane Krakowski, the Grammy nominated Hair with Jennifer Hudson, and the 20th Anniversary Concert of Dreamgirls (Associate). Most Recently, Annie: The Concert starring Andrea McArdle and Rosie O'donnell as Miss Hannigan on board the R Family Cruise.

Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Performer) Broadway: Chicago (Velma Kelly), Women on the Verge... (Marisa). Off-Broadway/NYC: Sweet Charity (Ursula, New Group) Hello, Again (The Whore, Transport Group), Zorba (Encores!), Seussical (Lucille Lortel Theatre). Las Vegas: Peep Show. Favorite Regional: My Paris(Long Wharf), The Jungle Book (Goodman/Huntington Theatres), A Chorus Line (Bebe, Paper Mill) Into the Woods (Baltimore Centerstage/Westport Country Playhouse), Tommy (Bay Street), Nine (Carla, Chance Theatre). Film: Bandslam. TV: "Unforgettable," "Smash," "Live from Lincoln Center." Recordings: "Women on the Verge...," "Seussical" cast albums. Print: IBM. Proud Member: AEA. BFA: The Boston Conservatory. Podcast: The Ensemblist. Follow: @nikkalanz. More: nikka-graff-lanzarone.com. Be excellent to each other.

Veronica Reyes-How (Performer) is thrilled to be working with AMAS again! She most recently booked a role in an ABC pilot starring and directed by Zach Braff. Some previous credits include the national tours of Rent, Miss Saigon and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and TV shows "The Blacklist," "Blue Bloods" and "Person of Interest." You can see and hear her trying to convince the American public to purchase things like dairy products, furniture, shoes and processed foods. In her spare time, she loves watching the Great British Baking Show and spending time with her husband Bradford and chihuahua Fergus.

Gilbert Sanchez (Performer) is very excited to be working with Amas and celebrating cultural diversity in the arts! Credits include Richie Valens in Buddy at The Bucks County Playhouse. Others include Godspell at Westchester Broadway, Evita at the John W. Engeman and Allegro at Astoria PAC. Gilbert can also be seen as Carlos on this season of Hulu's The Path. Graduate of the University of New Mexico. www.gilbertdsanchez.com

Sally Wilfert (Performer) Broadway: Assassins, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, King David. Nat'l Tour: The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off-B'way: See Rock City, When We Met (co-collaborator), Make Me A Song, The Prince & The Pauper. Regional: Chasing Rainbows, LMNOP (Goodspeed), Damn Yankees, Footloose, Les Miserables, Copacabana (Pittsburgh CLO), Kiss Me Kate (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), The Light in the Piazza (Finger Lakes MTF), Little Miss Sunshine (LaJolla Playhouse), Marry Me A Little (Cincinnati Playhouse), Elegies (Barrington Stage Co.), The Last Five Years (Hartford Theatreworks). www.sallywilfert.com

Jason Veasey (Performer) Broadway: The Lion King. Off-Broadway: For the Last Time, Popesical. Regional: I Now Pronounce (Humana Festival), Broadway Bounty Hunter, Peter and the Starcatcher, Five Guys Named Moe, The Tempest.

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer) now in its 48th year of continuous operation is New York City's award-winning pioneer in diversity and multi-ethnic casting in the performing arts since 1968. Amas ("you love" in Latin) is devoted to the creation, development and professional production of new American musicals through the celebration of diversity and minority perspectives, the emergence of new artistic talent, and the training and encouragement of underserved young people in the New York area. In recent years, Amas has emerged as a leading not-for-profit laboratory for new musicals, the most recent being Broadway and the Bard, starring Len Cariou and Red Eye of Love, which was awarded the Joseph A. Callaway Award for Outstanding Choreography. Its production of The Other Josh Cohen received six 2013 Drama Desk nominations including Outstanding Musical, a 2013 Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Musical, and a 2013 Off-Broadway Alliance nomination for Best New Musical. Other shows that Amas has developed include A Taste of Chocolate, Triassic Parq, The Countess of Storyville, Distant Thunder, Marry Harry, Me and Miss Monroe, Aesop & Company, Signs of Life, Wanda's World, Shout! The Mod Musical, Lone Star Love, From My Hometown, Zanna, Don't!, 4 Guys Named Jose and Stormy Weather: Reimagining Lena Horne. Amas education programs include the Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy, Lens on Live Theatre and in-school theatre arts residencies designed in partnership with elementary, middle, and high schools.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

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