Normal Ave to Relaunch With Film Division, Fundraising Campaign, New Taylor Pearlstein Musical Development & More

Normal Ave is relaunching in 2022 with several exciting new projects. Normal Ave last produced in-person content-Indoor Person by Kayla Martine-in March 2020, shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Normal Ave also produced several virtual developmental labs and readings in 2020 as part of its QuaranStream series.

Newly announced projects include Normal Ave Studios, Off-The-Walls Campaign, NAPseries 2023, and Normal Ave's latest 'In Development' project, Wake You Up.

About the Work

Normal Ave's newest venture, Normal Ave Studios, will bring the company into the world of non-profit filmmaking. Their first film, East Meadowbrook, written by Paige Sciarrino and directed by Amanda Pinto, will begin production later this year. East Meadowbrook follows the chaotic Cori Vitale's ghostly "trip" through her NJ family-run cemetery, where she's just started working again after running away from her life in LA. Cori has returned from LA to work at the family business. East Meadowbrook is being produced in association with Little Fighter Films & Sub/Urban Photography.

In 2019, Normal Ave built walls, turning their former house into a home with some drywall and a prayer. In 2022, they no longer occupy that physical space, and are Off-The-Walls, producing and programming in new locations up and down the east coast! Specifically geared towards new film projects, the Off-The-Walls Campaign is looking to raise $20,000 between now and the end of the year.

Normal Ave's legendary new works festival, NAPseries, returns next Summer with an expanded swath of programming, including 29-hour readings, concerts, events, and more. NAPseries supports Normal Ave's mission of supporting a wide scope of new work, while investing an increased amount of resources to ensure access for artists and audiences alike. All readings will be free and open to the public. New for this year, the 2023 festival will also feature one workshop production. Full details, including submission information and festival dates, will be announced in early 2023.

Wake You Up, a new musical by Taylor Pearlstein (Six, Cruel Intentions) and Shannon Molly Flynn (Normal Ave Producing Artistic Director), continues development with Normal Ave after a successful workshop with The New Musicals Lab at the Ferguson Center in July 2022. Through the friendship of Jordon and Avery, Wake You Up examines the loss we must endure in this life and in what ways we carry each other through. As this season's 'In Development' project, Wake You Up will continue with a combination of public and private labs throughout the season, as Normal Ave spearheads its first foray into the world of new musical development!

"After two and a half years of uncertainty, I am so happy to return Normal Ave to its mission of fostering new work, redefining the scale and scope of what accessible programming looks like after a long hiatus ," said Normal Ave Producing Artistic Director Shannon Molly Flynn, "Adding a film division is the icing on the cake, and I am so thrilled to be starting with a dynamic, wholly original, women-led project like East Meadowbrook."

About the Artists

Shannon Molly Flynn (she/her) is a director, producer, and writer in NYC. Shannon's passion and empathy for the human spirit are what inspired her wild love affair with the theatre. She splits her time between the non-profit sector, currently sitting as the Founding Producing Artistic Director of Normal Ave, and the NYC nightlife, producing concerts and shows at 54 Below, The Cutting Room, Green Room, The West End, and The Duplex. Director of Sons of the Prophet and The Dream of the Burning Boy at Normal Ave, as well as numerous readings and workshops of new plays. Producer of the world premiere of Lily Houghton's of the woman came the beginning of sin and through her we all die and Kayla Martine's Indoor Person. Flynn is book half of writing duo Pearlstein and Flynn. (IG: @shanmofly)

Taylor Pearlstein (she/her) is an actor, singer-songwriter, composer, and storyteller. As actor, she toured the country staring as Kathryn Merteuil in Cruel Intentions, and is currently on tour with the SIX Broadway national tour. As composer, she is the music and lyrics half of writing duo Pearlstein and Flynn. Their current project, Wake You Up recently workshopped with The Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts in Newport News, VA, as a part of their New Musical Lab, and debuted in concert at NYC's The Green Room 42. Taylor and writing partner Shannon Molly Flynn aim to create stories and characters that fit any and all bodies and identities, rooted in experiences universally resonant and made specific and important by what each human brings to each space and role.

Paige Sciarrino (she/her) is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, writer, and producer. Previously, she was the Associate Artistic Director of Normal Ave before stepping away to fully focus on film. Owner of Little Fighter Films, LLC, East Meadowbrook is the 5th project she's written and produced. You can watch her award-winning short film The Blue Light Stays On available on Amazon Prime Video, which also earned her a Best Actress nomination at the NJ Film Awards.

Amanda Pinto (she/her) is a director, actor, and photographer. She has directed for stage and screen, and her most recent work, "Mac & Cheese" garnered multiple awards at the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, including Best Director and Best Film. Amanda is also co-owner of Sub/Urban Photography, specializing in portrait and commercial photography. BFA NYU Tisch. www.amandapintonyc.com

More information about the relaunch and Off-The-Walls campaign can be found at www.normalave.org/relaunch.

Normal Ave believes in redefining normal by nurturing an inclusive community of fresh, diverse voices and inviting collaborative freedom at every stage of the artistic process.

Their accessible programming of new and existing works spark curiosity, challenge perception, and welcome our artists and audiences to think, listen and respond in radical ways.

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