Fordham Alumni Theater Company Presents TURN OF THE SCREW Concert, Now thru 8/30

Fordham Alumni Theater Company presents a three-performance concert of the new musical, Turn Of The Screw, which plays tonight, July 28 – July 30, 2012, as a part of its summer festival of works-in-progress. The concerts will be performed in Pope Auditorium at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, 113 West 60th Street at Columbus Ave.

This exciting, visceral piece of musical theater, based on Henry James' classic novella, is conceived and written by Fordham Theater alumnus Michael Kimmel (The Last Goodbye), with music and lyrics by Drew Gasparini (Crazy, Just Like Me). The concerts will feature Andrew Kober (Hair), as well as Fordham alumni Meg McCrossen (TV's Gossip Girl), Carrie McCrossen (Careless Love)and Sean Patrick Monahan (Times Square Angel).

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door or at www.smartix.com. All proceeds go to support The Fordham Alumni Theater Company (FATC).

This gripping story tells a gothic tale of suspense, apparitions…and even death. A Governess is hired by a mysterious gentleman to look after two parentless children sequestered in a Hampton's estate over the winter. As she takes on the endeavor, eerie events transpire that start to unnerve the Governess – are the spirits she begins to see a danger to her and the children? Are they just figments of her imagination? As the threat increases, the Governess will have to confront a brutal truth that will challenge not only her safety and sanity, but also the fate of the children under her charge. Turn Of The Screw, written by Henry James and published in 1898, has been heralded as a classic work of fiction, and served as the inspiration for many visual adaptations, from opera to TV and film.

Rounding out the cast are Jake Ahlquist, Rachel Buethe, Leslie Gauthier, Lani Harms, Nadia Hulett, Maria McConville, and Sarah Stuhl. The concert will be stage managed by Ana Mari DeQuesada and assistant directed by James Presson.

MICHAEL KIMMEL (Creator, Writer) - Michael Kimmel is the Creator/Adaptor of The Last Goodbye, a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, with music and lyrics by recording artist Jeff Buckley. The Last Goodbye has had concert readings at The Wild Project, Joe's Pub at The Public Theater and The Westside Theater (produced by The Public Theater). Williamstown Theater Festival produced the world premiere of TLG in 2010, where its sold out run became the highest grossing production ever on the Nikos Stage. A commercial production is expected in 2013. His next collaboration with Drew Gasparini, Untitled Pop Musical, is expected to debut late this year. As a director, Michael has overseen numerous productions, including the inaugural production of The Last Goodbye at WTF, as well as the Off-Broadway premieres of Matthew Maguire's Instinct and Colin Mckenna's The Secret Agenda of Trees. Michael is a graduate and adjunct faculty member of Fordham University at Lincoln Center.

Drew Gasparini (Music and Lyrics) - Drew Gasparini is the recipient of the John Lennon Songwriters Award (2006). As a musical theatre composer Drew has contributed music and lyrics to the popular one-woman Off-Broadway show, "Hot Mess In Manhattan", Andrew Kober's one man show "Koberet" presented at NYMF (2012), as well as benefits for charity galas such as Broadway In South Africa.

Drew is an alum of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and has written the music, lyrics and book for his shows Crazy, Just Like Me (winner of "Best Of Fest" and runner up for "Best Book" in the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2011), Above My Pay Grade (commissioned by Pfizer & Holt Learning), Circles (NY reading this coming fall), as well as his very own serial killer love story: Make Me Bad and Inappropriate Stories Told At A Bar. Right now Drew can be seen on the TV show on the Oxygen Network called "The Next Big Thing" for which he also wrote songs. Drew has been the featured composer for the National Alliance of Musical Theatre, and has twice been featured by Contemporary Classics New Voices in Seattle, Scott Alan's New Voices and The New York Theatre Barn in NYC, as well as Cutting-Edge Composers III (NYMF 2012). The Music & Lyrics of Drew Gasparini was presented at the Kennedy Center on the Millennium Stage in June of 2012. For more information, visit www.DrewGaspariniMusic.com.

The Fordham Alumni Theater Company brings together graduates from across all disciplines to create an annual summer production. The company focuses on the development of new work that highlights Fordham's legacy of creating engaging, innovative theatre, while providing an opportunity for alumni actors, directors, writers, designers, technicians, stage managers and administrative professionals to practice and hone their craft. Other alumni shows in this year's festival include A Crucible by Brian Bauman, and Slim Dancing Joy by Isaac Oliver, as well as a gallery installation by called </scape> by Erik Zambrano.

 

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