Winners for Florida Festival of New Musicals Announced

The Winter Park Playhouse launches it's new Florida Festival of New Musicals August 24 - 27 of this year, and has just confirmed
the winning selections for 2017.

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. The first 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:

GIGOLO - A Cole Porter Revue
Conceived by Paul Gilger

A musical revue featuring the music of Cole Porter that is juxtaposed to tell the tale of a handsome playboy and his affairs with four beautiful women. Featuring 25 Cole Porter classics including, "You're The Top," "Let's Do It," "It's De-Lovely," "Night and Day" and many more.

THE IMPOSSIBLE CLUB
Book, Music & Lyrics by Ned Wilkinson

When Versailles Middle School institutes a "no bullying" policy, small bookish Birch finds that he's still targeted by the larger, more athletic, and more violent Rhine. Aspiring popular girl, Cherry castigates the social efforts of the more awkward and bohemian Trillium. Sensing rising conflict, Birch and Trillium form an alliance, immediately countered by Rhine and Cherry, despite their prepubescent distaste for the opposite gender. After all, four students are guilty of the offense of bullying, and will all be expelled and suffer juvenile detention if they report on each other. They calm down and discuss the issues which were bothering them in the first place. They realize their only hope of staying in school comes from simply refusing to fight any longer - a task that seems impossible given their differences. But with nothing to lose, they dissolve their previous alliances and form a new club dedicated to the idea that no one has to fight. A bit worse for wear, all four students head for home, having averted disasters - this time.

LOVE ON ICE - A Cryogenic Love Story
Book by Bill Nabel & William Squier / Music by Jeffrey Lodin / Lyrics by William Squier & Bill Nabel

Love on Ice is a different kind of love story. Dr. Charles Martin is madly in love with his new bride, Marie. However, on their wedding night, Charles has a "mid-life crisis" moment. Fearing that, if he dies prematurely, they won't have their full share of time together, Charles asks Marie to promise him to have him cryogenically frozen. Marie is cold to the idea and fends off Charles' creative efforts at persuasion. But, after a mortal accident, she changes her mind and asks Charles to freeze her so they can love happily ever after. This results in Charles having to protect Marie's frozen body from the French government, an ex-lover and his own human frailty - plagued by the question, "Can we fall in love...again?" Assisted by the cryogenic spirits of Ted Williams, Walt Disney and Michael Jackson, love prevails, souls unite, and love burns forever...at minus 270 degrees Centigrade.

SECTION 60: The New Ghosts of Arlington
Music by Waldo John Wittenmyer / Lyrics by Waldo John Wittenmyer & Todd Olson / Book by Todd Olson

It's another day in Section 60, the plot of land in Arlington Cemetery recently dedicated to the incoming dead from the Iraq and Afghanistan. 30 soldiers a day are buried there. Section 60 follows the arrival of Marine Private first class L.E. Nott, he is greeted by the other ghosts of Section 60 who share their stories of how they got there. As with the thousand other funerals in Arlington every month, the day ends, the living leave, and the ghosts are left there with each other. Bound at sunset by a unique brotherhood that binds them together forever. Ready for the new dead who will arrive in the morning.

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE - An American Romance
Based upon the novel by Edith Wharton / Music by Ted Kociolek / Book & Lyrics by Walter Holland & Ted Kociolek /
From an idea by Walter Holland

Set in 1870s New York society, The Age of Innocence tells the story of Newland Archer, a young attorney engaged to the loving, but conventional May Welland. When he encounters her European cousin, the beautiful and mysterious Countess Olenska, his life is forever transformed. Torn between duty and desire, Newland confronts implacable social forces and his own contradictory nature in his quest for a true, authentic life.

PROPAGANDA! THE MUSICAL
Book, Music & Lyrics by Taylor Ferrera & Matt Webster

While our trusted politicians lead our nation, there is one secret government bureau devoted entirely to covering up their gaffes, blunders, and occasional light to heavy treason. Propaganda! The Musical follows young, naïve Rookie as he takes over this bureau from his Grandfather. On his first day, the biggest scandal in the bureau's history falls into Rookie's untrained hands. Aided by his devoted-to-a-fault assistant and his new surrogate Grandpa, Rookie must pull off the most innovative (and musical) cover up the bureau has ever attempted - all while avoiding traps set up by an enemy from within: the scorned Agent X. Navigating the world of scandals and lies, Rookie discovers ignorance may not always be blissed.

The Festival Of New Musicals will be held at The Winter Park Playhouse August 24-27, 2017. 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 June 6. 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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