York Theatre Co. to Present Summer Readings of UNEXPECTED JOYS; Capathia Jenkins, Emma Hunton & More to Star!

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Andrew Levine, Executive Director), in association with Jim Kierstead, as part of its acclaimed Developmental Reading Series, continues its summer schedule with the new musical Unexpected Joy, with Book & Lyrics by Bill Russell and Music by Janet Hood. Directed by Tony Award nominee Sheryl Kaller and with music direction by Jodie Moore, the four-member cast will feature Annie Golden, Emma Hunton, Capathia Jenkins and AnnMarie Milazzo.

The staged readings are set for Saturday, June 22 at 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 26 at 4:00 p.m., and Friday, June 28 at 1:00 p.m. at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). All readings are free and open to the public with a reservation

Unexpected Joy is a new musical bursting with contemporary sounds and social currents from Tony Award nominee Bill Russell and his Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens collaborator Janet Hood. Three generations of female singers, long-held family tensions and a week together where change is in the air - Joy, a baby boomer pop star, is visited by her daughter, Rachel and granddaughter Tamara. Rachel is married to a prominent televangelist, so Joy is reluctant to divulge that she's planning to marry Lou, another singer who happens to be a woman. A week with all four together is bound to lead to tension, laughter, discoveries and happiness that really is unexpected. Let the sparks and music fly!

The reading is produced by The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director and Andrew Levine, Executive Director) and Jim Kierstead (2013 Tony Award winner for Kinky Boots, Pippin).

For additional information on the York's Developmental Reading Series, or to make reservations for any of the upcoming free presentations, visit the readings page atwww.yorktheatre.org.

Bill Russell (Book & Lyrics) wrote the book and lyrics for Side Show, receiving a Tony Award nomination for book and sharing a nomination with composer Henry Krieger for score. Mr. Russell co-wrote the book and lyrics for Off-Broadway's long-running musical Pageant (with collaborators Frank Kelly, Albert Evans, and Robert Longbottom), and directed it at the King's Head Theatre in London. The production transferred to the West End, received two Olivier Award nominations, and won that prestigious prize for "Best Supporting Performance in a Musical" for Miles Western's portrayal of Miss West Coast. He authored the book and lyrics for Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens (music by Janet Hood), directing it in New York and in London's Fringe and West End, among many others, including a celebrity benefit in New York which was recorded by Fynsworth Alley. Other credits as bookwriter/lyricist include: Off-Broadway's Fourtune and The Texas Chainsaw Musical(co-author), Family Style (Minneapolis), Everything's Ducky and Lucky Duck (with Henry Krieger and Jeffrey Hatcher), and Kept with Henry Krieger and Steven Chbosky. He adapted the book of Call Me Madam for City Center Encores! and wrote the book and lyrics with composer Peter Melnick for the musical The Last Smoker in America.

Janet Hood (Music) has performed as pianist and singer and has played on many albums, including her own, Jade and Sarsaparilla. She has toured throughout Cape Cod and New England, and performed on local and national television. Janet composed the music for Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens (book/lyrics by Bill Russell), which toured the U.S., London, Tel Aviv, Glasgow, and Sydney, among many locations. Her theater credits include keyboards for Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes, A Chorus Line, The Women and Big River. She has also performed with the Boston Pops. Janet was musical director of Elegies... at the King's Head Theatre, London; the Off-Broadway show Fourtune; Nightriders in Portsmouth, N.H. She has toured with Ronnie Gilbert and Holly Near and has accompanied Ronnie Gilbert in her one-woman show American Agitator.

Sheryl Kaller (Director). Recent credits include the world premiere of the new Terrence McNally play, Mothers and Sons at the Buck's County Playhouse and the LCT3 production of Mr. Joy by Daniel Beaty. Ms. Kaller received a Tony Nomination for Best Director for the critically acclaimed Broadway production of Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts. She has directed at many theaters including Primary Stages, Williamstown Theater Festival, A.C.T., New York Stage and Film, The New Group, The Geffen, Naked Angels, Philadelphia Theater Company and Pasadena Playhouse. She has directed and developed a plethora of new plays and musicals with writers including Christopher Durang, Geoffrey Nauffts, David Henry Hwang, AnnMarie Milazzo, Nick Blaemire, Dick Beebe, Theresa Rebeck and Alan Menken.

The York Theatre Company is the only theater in New York City-and one of very few in the world-dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals and preserving neglected, notable shows from the past. For over four decades, York's intimate, imaginative style of producing both original and neglected classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike. Under the guidance of Producing Artistic Director James Morgan since 1997, the York has focused exclusively on new musicals in its Mainstage Series-most of them world, American, or New York premieres-by some of the field's most esteemed creators, and has also helped launch the careers of many talented new writers. Over 35 cast recordings from The York Theatre Company productions are now available on CD, and commercial transfers of such York premieres as The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), Souvenir, Jolson & Company, and its acclaimed revivals of Closer Than Ever (2013 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Revival), Sweeney Todd and Pacific Overtures have all showcased the importance of the York and its programs.

Photos by Walter McBride

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