Josh Halloway and Will Van Dyke's New Musical WRITING KEVIN TAYLOR to Run at Village Theatre

Writing Kevin Taylor takes the stage as the second production in Village Theatre's brand new program, The Beta Series, which began this year as an unprecedented expansion to the theatre's renowned Village Originals program which supports the development of new works.

Writing Kevin Taylor explores the story of a novelist in New York City who is stuck in a rut. With two successful books to his name and a much-anticipated third book overdue, he has lost his inspiration - and now, focused entirely on his work, he has lost his wife as well. After his façade cracks on public television, he resigns himself to life as a washed-up bachelor - that is, until an enthusiastic teenage fan arrives on his doorstep offering to be his intern. Before he knows it, his imaginative new employee hatches a scheme to reunite the writer with his wife in this high-energy, hilarious story about finding friendship and inspiration in unexpected places.

Previously seen as a reading at the 2016 Festival of New Musicals, authors Josh Halloway and Will Van Dyke will use this run as a testing ground for ideas, music, and script. "To be able to see a show on its feet in a safe environment is very rare," Halloway explains. "And that's what Village Originals is all about." "It's such an individual, lonely thing to be writing a musical by yourself," Van Dyke adds. "The thing that's most helpful is seeing how people react to it."

The authors met as college roommates at New York University and started working on Writing Kevin Taylor when they developed a single song. 10 years later, both authors have succeeded in creating dynamic careers for themselves, Van Dyke in the Broadway theatre scene, and Halloway in television as an Emmy-nominated writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live. These incredible experiences have helped them to create a unique approach while honing in on what reads well with an audience. "The great part about working on a comedy, and Josh knows this from working on Jimmy Kimmel Live," says Van Dyke, "is jokes have to be rewritten because people react to them differently. How people respond will help us know what lyrics and songs work."

Since The Beta Series thrives on the value of audience involvement, feedback surveys will be distributed to all attendees and select shows during the first five performances of the run will include talkbacks with the writers. Director, Brandon Ivie, Village Theatre's new Associate Artistic Director, expresses, "comedies are tricky because the relationship between the writer and the audience is more connected than in any other style of show. Having an audience present to respond and laugh, or not laugh, is paramount to getting a comedy right. Village Theatre's audience is truly going to have a huge hand in shaping this show." Changes will be made during the first week of the run. After that week, the show officially opens, giving audience members the opportunity to see the full results of this exciting development process.

The show features a cast of just three actors. Village Theatre vet, Joshua Carter, will bring the role of Kevin Taylor to life while Andi Alhadeff, previously seen at Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals, will portray Kevin's ex-wife, Julia. Rounding out the cast, is Caden Brauch as Tyler - Kevin's off-beat employee. Joining the creative team are Christopher Mumaw as Scenic Designer, David Mackie as Lighting Designer, Brynne McKeen as Costume Designer, Natalie Kinsaul as Sound Designer, and music direction by R.J. Tancioco.

Writing Kevin Taylor is on stage at Village Theatre's First Stage Theatre in Issaquah February 17 - March 5, 2017. For tickets, visit www.VillageTheatre.org or call the Box Office at (425) 392-2202.

Village Theatre's mission stipulates a dedication to the development of new musicals that achieve national exposure. The Village Originals program of readings, workshops, and developmental productions represents one of the strongest commitments to new musicals in the nation, developing such musicals as Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal, Tony Award-winning Million Dollar Quartet, Drama Desk Award-winner Cupid & Psyche, Stephen Schwartz's Snapshots, and the Drama Desk Award-nominated It Shoulda Been You, After the Fair, and Making Tracks. Village Theatre is one of the few resident theatres to provide regular opportunities at every step of musical development, from first table reading to full-scale premiere production. Each season, new works are included as part of Village Theatre's Mainstage five-show lineup alongside the classics. Anchored by the Annual Festival of New Musicals and The Beta Series, the Village Originals program is dedicated to the continued growth and evolution of musical theatre, and a determination that the form will remain vibrant and relevant for generations to come.

Based in Issaquah, WA, with operations in Everett, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. Producing entertaining, quality productions for the entire family since 1979, Village Theatre has grown into one of the region's best-attended Equity theatres, with nearly 20,000 Subscribers and 200,000 projected total attendance each season. Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre is nationally recognized for its contribution to the development of new musicals, having launched over 150 new works to date. Village Theatre also takes pride in nurturing tomorrow's audiences through its youth education programs, Pied Piper and KIDSTAGE, serving over 60,000 young people, families, and schools annually.

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