Urban Stages Premieres FOUR At WINTER RHYTHMS, December 16

What do you get when you combine four talented women on stage to sing about life in 2021? FOUR!, a new cabaret performance that will debut on the stages of Urban Stages as a part of their Winter Rhythms series. The four ladies are scheduled to sing a variety of popular tunes on December 16th at 9PM. Tickets available at Urbanstages.org.

Kea Chan (54 Below and Green Room 42), Mollie Downes (National tour Chicago) Jennifer Noble (Broadway's King Kong) and Sarah Parnicky (Award winning Desperate Measures) bring the show to the stage with their accompanist John DiPinto. Vincent Scott (Urban Stages A Charmed Life) will direct the show which was conceived by Urban Stages Board member Craig Horsley.

"I have either known or seen the talents of these wonderful performers over the years and I am grateful to Urban Stages for giving me the stage I wanted to spotlight them in a fun and timely show," Horsley says. "The past twenty months have been particularly hard on the theater community and the artists. I tried to take some of these singers' experiences over that time period and present them with heart and humor and especially with hope for a better 2022. What better way to do that than through song?"

Kea Chan won the Philippine Child Performer of the Year at the age of 13 and has been performing on stage and film and in front of presidents and ambassadors from Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Whether on stage at The Green Room 42, Feinstein's 54 Below or virtually on Metropolitan Zoom, or as a featured performer for the Actors Fund benefit, Kea has been called "breathtaking" by Broadwayworld.com.

Mollie Downes most recently starred as Roxie Hart in the Broadway National Tour of Chicago. Other credits include Brooke Wyndham in the International Tour of Legally Blonde, Fastrada in Pippin, and Lola in Damn Yankees, amongst other regional and Off-Broadway productions. Mollie was born and raised in Queens, New York, and attended LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts as a dance major. Her website is www.molliedownes.com and you can follow her on Instagram at @mollierosedownes.

Jennifer Noble is an actor, singer, dancer and writer most recently seen on Broadway in King Kong, understudying the role of Ann Darrow and shares the Chita Rivera Award with her cast mates for Best Ensemble. After appearing on Broadway in Ghost: The Musical, Jen toured the country with first national tours of We Will Rock You and Kinky Boots and has been seen in numerous regional productions. Follow her on Instagram @thejennoble.

Sarah Parnicky was recently seen off Broadway in the award winning Desperate Measures where she created the role of the heroine. She made her TV debut in The Marvelous Mrs Maizel and Billy on the Street, and has been the lead in several short films. Sarah holds undergrad and grad degrees from the U of Southern Cal, and developed in opera, theatre, and dance apprenticeships at leading companies worldwide before her NYC screen & stage debuts. Follow her at @sarahparnicky

John DiPinto is a musician, singer, songwriter, actor, musical director and arranger. He has worked extensively in the NY theatre and cabaret scenes. In 2011 he was musical director for I'm Getting My Act Together And Taking it On The Road as part of the York Theatre's' MUFTI series. He has conducted on Broadway, Footloose, and Off-Broadway; Langston In Harlem, Altar Boyz. He and his singing partner Mary Foster Conklin have performed their shows Maybe It's Because Of Love and Down For Double at various cabaret venues, to rave reviews. John was the house pianist/ bandleader for the long-running Metrojam open mike at the Metropolitan Room and has served as musical director for many of New York's finest singers.

Vincent Scott (Director) most recently directed the world premiere of Lori Brown Mirabal's Charmed Life from Soul Singing to Opera Star at Urban Stages. Previously he directed the premieres of What Happen to The Dollar and Good Corporate Citizen both by Sam Garber, and Accentuate the Positive (The Johnny Mercer Story) by Calvin Ramsey. He has assistant directed Death Of A Driver by Will Snider (directed by Kim T. Sharp) and Bars and Measures by Idris Goodman (directed by Kristian Seemel). Based in New York he has directed in Los Angeles, Chicago, London and Dublin.

With current Director of Musical Theatre Tom Toce at the helm, along with his co-producer for Winter Rhythms, Sue Matsuki, Urban Stages is a home for musical artists. Every December since 2008 (excepting Dec. 2020), the annual festival has seen over 100 artists take the stage. From stars to newcomers, Winter Rhythms focuses on an eclectic line-up, from tribute shows to jazz jams to new musicals to any genre you can imagine. Better still, all proceeds go directly to spreading free and affordable art, theater and education throughout NYC via Urban Stages Outreach Program (learn more here).

Winter Rhythms' growth has been astounding. The festival has received the 2015 Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Series Award, the 2016 Bistro Award for Best Benefit Series, a Time Out Critic's Pick, a feature in Cabaret Scenes and other recognitions of excellence.

The production team for Winter Rhythms 2021 will be led by Kim T Sharp, with lighting design by Madeleine Burrow and sound design by Jaime Terrazzino. Graphic design is by Roman Petrov.

WINTER RHYTHMS won the Bistro Award for Outstanding Series and the Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Series MAC Award. Proceeds from WINTER RHYTHMS benefit Urban Stages' acclaimed Outreach Program, which brings over 200 free "arts in education" presentations to libraries and schools throughout the five boroughs.

Tickets for shows are on sale at urbanstages.org.

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