Paige Simunovich, Zachary Sayle, et al. Star in THE FAIRY HOAX at Workshop Theater Company Today, 5/20

Susanna Fazer (The Nerd) will direct a cast starring Paige Simunovich (Finian's Rainbow, Mary Poppins) and Zachary Sayle (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, A Christmas Story, The Musical) with Justin Luciano, Stacey Scotte, Doug Shapiro, and Sean Patrick Folster in a reading of Jay D'Amico (last Piano-in-Residence at Windows of the World) and Pulitzer- nominated Tom Diggs' new musical THE FAIRY HOAX in midtown Manhattan one day only today May 20, 2012 at 6 pm at Workshop Theater Company.

The Fairy Hoax is a family musical about Dulcie, a thirteen-year-old girl in Yorkshire, England, who fakes the taking of photographs of fairies in order to save her relationship with her mother, which has been torn apart by the First World War. With the help of Francis, an eccentric male friend, Dulcie manages to create a series of photographs that not only cheer up her mother, but also enchant a nation. With the help of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and The Strand magazine, the children's celebrity around the faked photos goes too far as Dulcie's life becomes unbearable watching her mother go "round the bend." And when Dulcie feels betrayed by Francis, she decides to stop all talk of fairies and give up her celebrity status in order to preserve what's left of her family.

The Fairy Hoax was originally developed at the Kennedy Center where it became the straight play A Yorkshire Fairy Tale which won the Aurand Harris Award at NETC in 2006 It was nominated for the Arnold Weissberger Award, a Princess Grace Finalist and produced Off-Off Broadway at the Michael Weller Theater by Off The Leesh productions. The Fairy Hoax was part of the 2008 TRU Voices New Musicals Reading Series under the title Once Upon a Wind produced by Sheila McDevitt at The Players Theatre. It was also given a reading in 2010 by Mind the Entertainment in addition to a prior reading at the Workshop Theatre in 2011.

Tom Diggs writes, "The advances in technology during World War One have very clear parallels to the present. We've seen it in many recent theatre pieces from War Horse to Journey's End. I wanted to write a piece about how a grieving nation of intelligent people can be led to believe just about anything. The horrors of war lead many of us to reach out for spirituality. Wherever hope points us."

The reading is produced by WorkShop Theater Company. WorkShop Theater Company's mission is to provide a creative home for our diverse group of playwrights, directors and actors, to hone their talents and cultivate projects, from inspiration through finished production, while encouraging our audience to partner with us in developing new works. We are located on the 4th Floor of 312 West 36th St., between 8th and 9th Avenues in New York City.

The show runs one day only, May, 20 2012 @ 6 pm at WorkShop Theater Company and is free.

Pictured: Paige Simunovich (top) and Zachary Sayle

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