UNDER FIRE Plays The New York Musical Theater Fest The Theater at St. Clement's, Opens 9/30

John Bonanni, Big Fish Big Pond, Ltd and the New York Musical Theater Festival present the world premiere of Under Fire, a new musical set in the late 1970's during the bloody revolution in El Mirado, and based upon the 1983 motion picture of the same title. Directed, book and lyrics by Tony Nominee and Emmy award winner Barry Harman (ROMANCE/ROMANCE, THE Carol Burnett SHOW, ALL IN THE FAMILY) and music by Broadway composer Grant Sturiale (OLYMPUS ON MY MIND). Under Fire will feature choreography by Jonathan Cerullo. This 6 performance, limited Off-Broadway run, part of the 2009 New York Musical Theater Festival will begin performances at The Theater at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street) on Wednesday, September 30 and play through October 12. Tickets can be purchased online at www.theatermania.com or by calling 212-352-3101 or 866-811-4111.

In this new musical, the seemingly peaceful South American country of El Mirador in truth struggles under the bloody heel of a ruthless dictator Tacho; who conceals the unrest with a smoke screen of prosperity and stability. Russell Price, a young American photojournalist, is swept up in the passionate culture of a world in turmoil and is confronted with a decision that will stir his passion, challenge his personal beliefs and professional ideals as he searches for the "One Picture" that will define his career and the future of a country.

Under Fire will feature stage and screen actor Jack Noseworthy (SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, Jerome Robbins BROADWAY) as photojournalist Russell Price other cast members include Tony nominee John Herrera (EDWIN DROOD), James DePaiva (ONE LIFE TO LIVE), Jodi Stevens, Veronica Reyes, Patrick Murney, Caesar Samayoa, Gina Naomi Baez, Enrique Cruz DeJesus, Juan Torres-Falcon, Melvin Bell, Roger DeWitt, Phil Hernandez, Ioana Alfonso & Jessica Diaz; Set and Costumes by Merope Vachliotis, Fight Choreography by Ron Peritti, Sound Design by John Petrafesa and Video Design by B. Jeffrey Madoff.

Under Fire will be performed on the following schedule at The Theater at St. Clements (423 West 46th Street): Wednesday, September 30 @ 8pm, Thursday, October 1 @1pm, Sunday, October 4 @ 8pm, Friday, October 9 @ 9pm, Saturday, October 10 @ 1pm and Monday October 12 5pm. All tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.theatermania.com or by calling 212-352-3101 or 866-811-4111.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Barry Harman (Director, Playwright and Lyricist) Authored and directed Broadway's ROMANCE/ROMANCE, which garnered five Tony nominations (including best Book, Lyrics and Musical), four Outer Critic Awards (Book & Lyrics) and a Drama Desk nod for Best Lyrics. He performed the same duties for the off-Broadway musical OLYMPUS ON MY MIND, receiving an Outer Critics Award (Best Lyrics) and a Drama Desk nomination for Best Direction. He began his career writing for TV, winning Emmys for THE Carol Burnett SHOW and ALL IN THE FAMILY. Other favorite TV gigs include the premiere episode of THE JEFFERSONS, SOME ENCHANTED EVENING: Celebrating Oscar Hammerstein for PBS "Great Performances," and the HBO animated family special HOW DO YOU SPELL GOD?, (prime time Emmy for Best Children's Program). He also served as head writer and lyricist for several classic educational TV shows for children. Author of two musicals for children, STARBLAST and FABLE COUNTRY, he also wrote additional lyrics for the musical CARMELINA, plus the musicals JAMMIN' WITH POPS, LONG ROAD HOME, SUSPECT and TELECAST. He directed productions at such theaters as The Old Globe, The Walnut Street Playhouse, the Loeb Drama Center and NYC'S York and WPA Theaters. His new musical revue AMAZING SEX is scheduled to debut this fall, and he is working on several new projects. A graduate of Harvard, where he was an editor of THE LAMPOON and president and author of HASTY PUDDING THEATRICALS, Barry Harman is a member of The Dramatists Guild, The Writers Guild of America, The Society of Directors and Choreographers, and ASCAP.

Grant Sturiale (Composer) Mr. Sturiale garnered an Outer Critic's Circle Award nomination for his score for the Off-Broadway musical OLYMPUS ON MY MIND, and conducted its New York run and original cast album. His musical KIKI BABY, presented at the O'Neill Theatre Festival in 2006 is scheduled to premiere at the Long Wharf Theatre followed by a production at the Roundabout Theatre in New York. He has written music for ABC TV's ONE LIFE TO LIVE, arranged and conducted music for ALL MY CHILDREN and provided original music for the Children's Television Workshop program BIG BAG. For 8 seasons, Mr. Sturiale was principle conductor and composer for the annual Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. His music was also performed regularly in the Macy's Day Parade and the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony broadcast on NBC. He was Associate Conductor for the Broadway productions of DREAM and JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. He conducted the Off-Broadway revivals of THE ROTHSCHILDS and JUNO, the national tours of BLOOD BROTHERS and THE MUSIC OF Andrew Lloyd Webber, a North American tour of the musicAl DurantE and a European tour of EVITA. An evening of his work as a composer was presented April 27 of this year at Lincoln Center produced by Arts And Artists At St. Paul. He is a grant recipient from the National Endowment For The Arts and has won numerous ASCAP awards

John Bonanni (Executive Producer) John created Big Fish Big Pond, Ltd. to develop and produce new theatrical works. Since the humble days at David Merrick, he has provided theatrical management services as stage manager, production supervisor and executive producer on numerous Broadway productions including ME AND MY GIRL, CITY OF ANGELS and CRAZY FOR YOU, and for over 1000 concerts and events at RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, including the VMA, Grammy, Daytime Emmy and Tony Awards. Executive Producer of the RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR since 2004, John successfully produced the critically acclaimed 75th ANNIVERSARY production in 2007. Presently, in addition to UNDER FIRE, John is currently producing the following new musical properties: THE ROAD TO HOLLYWOOD, an irresistibly engaging tribute to the Lamour-Hope-Crosby "Road" comedies; LOVELESS, TEXAS, a lighthearted adaptation of Shakespeare's Love's Labors Lost; LAWDY, the Working Title of a new musical about the origins of Rock and Roll with the legendary Lloyd Price; and developing new theatrical technology that will enhance the physical capabilities of future productions.

Jonathan Cerullo (Choreographer) Jonathan has choreographed "Orpheus in the Underworld" for, "Evening At Pops," Great Performances, the Big Apple Circus' Carnivale and Picturesque at Lincoln Center and two dances for the Broadway production of Say Goodnight, Gracie starring the late Frank Gorshin. Additional Broadway credits include, Assistant Director/Choreographer for Band In Berlin, Associate Choreographer for Anna Karenina, and as a dancer was featured in Legs Diamond, and CATS. Off Broadway, he choreographed Midsummer Nights for Musical Theatre Works, Wonderful Town at the Equity Library Theatre, and directed Uta Hagen's 50-Year Tribute. His film and television work includes Assistant to the Choreographer on "The First Wives Club," Donny Osmond's "This Is The Moment," and "Natalie Cole's Christmas Special". Jonathan also had the pleasure of working with Bette Midler by creating the Special Effects Movement for her in "The Stepford Wives." Regionally he choreographed Camelot at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, was private dance instructor to Uta Hagen in Six Dance Lessons at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, and appeared at the Tony award winning Goodspeed Opera House. Upcoming projects include: Pre-Broadway musical, Sandstorm (Direction and Choreography) and the New York premiere of Ray Qualey (Direction) by award winning playwright Garry M. White. Jonathan is a proud member of the Stage Director and Choreographers Society. For more info please visit his web site at www.jscproductions.com.

MEROPE VACHLIOTIS (Set and Costume Design) Numerous productions include: Long Road Home @ the Hudson Guild (Barry Harman Writer-Director). Resident designer for Theater By The Blind from 1996 to 2007 productions include : Oedipus, Hamlet, Dial M for Murder, A Midsummer's Night Dream, Missalliance, Ten Little Indians. Ontological Hysteric productions include: Unconscious Motives of the Motion Picture Industry, Speed Freaks (set and costumes), The Sticky Banister. The Mysteries of Eleusis (BAM), Caverns (costumes) @ the Ohio. The Lady From the Sea (Mitzi E. Newhouse) LCT Directors' Lab. For Penobscot Theater : The Crucible, The Smell of A Kill (costumes), Long Days Journey Into Night. The Bakkhai (sets and costumes,Connecticut College). 23 Skidoo (costumes) @ the 78th Street Theater Lab, Electra (set and costumes) @ the NYPL. Narcissus and Echo (Wings Theater Company), Oklahoma (Gallery Players), Confidence Women (Axis Theater). Oleanna (Yale Repertory), The Seagull (Yale Repertory). For the Yale Dramatic Association : Hair, Blood Wedding. With Tony award winner has worked for David Mitchell on : Annie (Martin Charnin Dir), The Big Love, EFX (MGM Grand), Jolson Sings Again (Arthur Laurents Writer), Sleeping Beauty (ABT) Peter Martins Choreo(Metropolitan Opera), The House of Bernarda Alba (design proposal); Ming Cho Lee on Annie II, Long Days Journey Into Night (Arena Stage). Derek McLane on Salome (Canadian Opera), Touch of A Poet (Steppenwolf) , Lion King ,set models.

John Petrafesa (Sound Designer) John is a director of Syntonic Design Group where he focuses on sound system design for theatre, live music and special events. Recent design credits include; the 2010 tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the 2009 FIFA World Congress, the 2009 World Science Festival in NYC, NYSP 09, and numerous corporate and special events throughout the US. John was the production sound engineer for the 2000 Broadway revival of "The Music Man", Associate Sound Designer and Production Sound Engineer for multiple companies of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and sound engineer for the touring productions of "Les Miserables" and "Guys and Dolls".

B. JEFFREY MADOFF (Video Designer) is the director and founder of Madoff Productions in NYC. He is an award winning film/video director with many commercial, stage & television credits. His love of movies, theater, dance and live events fuel his passion for creative collaboration, expression and fun. "It all comes down to telling a story people will want to hear." He tells his stories to his wife and two children who don't always want to hear them, but they love each other anyway.

NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF 2009 is presented in association with BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group and TheaterMania.com, and is supported by Back Stage, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, BroadwayBox.com, BroadwayInsider.com, Broadway.TV, Clear Channel Spectacolor, DFD-TV, Frank & Camille's Fine Pianos, King Displays, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, New World Stages, NASDAQ OMX, Next Magazine, PMD Promotions, Queerty.com, Reuters, Sweet Caroline's, Tekserve, TheMenEvent.com, The Tank, and Times Square Squared. Major supporters include The ASCAP Foundation, BMI Foundation, Inc., The Broadway League, The BWF Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation with the support and encouragement of Jamie Mayer, The Charlie & Jane Fink Charitable Fund, The Rodgers &; Hammerstein Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Theater League. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. This program is supported, in part,

by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. NYMF's programs are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. For more information about Under Fire visit www.nymf.org

 

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