Tickets On Sale Sat May 19 For Florida Festival Of New Musicals

Tickets for the second annual Florida Festival of New Musicals go on sale Saturday May 19, 2018. The popular festival produced by The Winter Park Playhouse is set for August 23 - 26, 2018.

The Festival has been created to advance and elevate the original American art form of musical theatre by fostering the development of new musicals and the artistic growth of writers and composers. The 4-day event will showcase six brand new, never-before-produced musical works and connect writers and composers with professional producers and directors. One act of each selected musical will be fully read and sung concert-style, without staging, by varying casts of professional actors and musicians. Audiences will have the unique and exciting opportunity to see musicals in the early stages of development.

The six featured musicals will be:

EXTENDED STAY

Book by Jenny Stafford / Lyrics by Jenny Stafford and Scotty Arnold / Music by Scotty Arnold (New York, NY)

Extended Stay takes place at an Extended Stay Hotel in Indiana and revolves around two polar-opposite friends and the woman they both fall for. Owen is on his way to California to take over property he inherited, stops at the Extended Stay, and hasn't left yet after 3 years. Plagued by both fear and ennui, Owen finds himself stuck and unable to move forward with his life. When the new front desk clerk, Emma, arrives, she is desperate to pull herself out of her own "stuckness." Ethan, Owen's childhood friend, arrives and is everything Owen isn't. Ethan notices Emma and offers her a new life. Each in the newly-formed triangle struggles to figure out who can best help them move forward.

MISS ISABELLA RAINSONG AND HER TRAVELING COMPANION

Book, Lyrics & Music by Ross D. Martin (Fulton, MD)

While waiting out a storm in an Amtrak train station, a disheveled Traveler shares the story of his three-year journey as the traveling companion of Miss Isabella Rainsong - a captivatingly beautiful guitar. Sharing songs and stories from their journey, Traveler tells how he discovers Miss Rainsong and an Amtrak ticket while contemplating suicide. As they ride the rails, the Amtrak conductors keep Traveler clean and fed while he takes care of Miss Rainsong, learning to play and channeling songs about the journey. Rehabilitated and restored through music, Traveler tearfully leaves Miss Rainsong behind for another lost soul to find her...

HOW TO MARRY A DIVORCED MAN

Book & Lyrics by Bryan D. Leys / Music by Clare Cooper (New York, NY)

Layla Diamond, a rock and roll reporter in her late 30's, decides it's time to settle down. Following the advice of her daffy mother she adopts what she thinks is her best option, a divorced man. She sets her sights on a charming sports agent with a needy ex and two obnoxious children. Frustrated, she tries setting up the needy wife with a new boyfriend, which backfires. While trying to fix her Divorced Man's problems, Layla makes one miscalculation after another, adopting false identities, causing multiple mix-ups, and turning her marital quest into a hilarious farce.

THE STRANGER FROM SEVILLE

Book & Lyrics by Victor Kazan / Music by Kevin Purcell (Melbourne, Australia)

Set in the Yucatán on the eve of the Mexican Revolution, in a world of both unimaginable wealth and abject slavery, The Stranger from Seville tells the poignant story of star-crossed lovers - a free-spirited young Mexican woman and a gifted young artist newly arrived from Spain - whose blossoming romance is thwarted at every turn by the self-seeking actions of those around them. Inspired by the setting, elements of gypsy rumba, flamenco and regional 'trova yucateca' music styles contribute to the fabric of the show's classic Broadway score.

DIAMOND AND THE NORTH WIND

Book by Jeffrey Haddow / Lyrics by Jeffrey Haddow & Thomas Tierney / Music by Thomas Tierney (New York, NY)

In Diamond and the North Wind the beautiful and mysterious North Wind befriends a poor stable boy and takes him on flying adventures, teaching Diamond valuable life lessons that help him prevent the greedy real estate tycoon, Tobias Blunt from destroying the last livery stables in New York City and turning its horses into glue.

SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN

Book, Lyrics & Music by Alan Becker (Vashon Island, WA)

Somewhere In Between is about blazing your own trail in life - and dodging the path your loved ones try to put you on. This intimate two-act chamber musical tells a modern coming-of-age story with humor and some surprising twists, in a small American town like the one where the author grew up, focusing on the characters' lives, loves and the lessons they learn. The magic is in the music, as the audience is swept into the story by the memorable tunes and clever evocative lyrics, from heartfelt solos to intricate ensemble counterpoint and lush jazz harmonies with a style of "Sondheim meets Manhattan Transfer."

The Festival Of New Musicals will be held at The Winter Park Playhouse August 23-26, 2018. Ticket price is $10 per show and a six show "Festival Fun Pack" is $50. The address is 711 Orange Avenue Winter Park, FL 32789.

All tickets will go on sale May 19. Purchase tickets and get more information by calling the box office 407-645-0145 or by visiting online at www.winterparkplayhouse.org.

The Winter Park Playhouse is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and a professional theatre proudly affiliated with Actors' Equity Association and The National Alliance For Musical Theatre.

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