The Central Heating Lab At ACT Presents New Voices 7 On 8/3

Over the years New Voices has quietly and steadily been selling out the smaller theatre houses around Seattle. On Monday, August 3 at 8:00 p.m., in partnership with ACT's Central Heating Lab, New Voices 7 will take a huge leap forward by moving into the largest theatre space to date. Audiences will delight in hearing brand new music from this country's most innovative composers and lyricists, sung by this city's best musical theatre talent, right inside ACT's Allen Theatre.

In the spirit of hot Broadway musicals like Spring Awakening and Next to Normal (which premiered at New Voices 4 in 2006 and went on to receive three Tony Awards), these are the young, fresh writers who combine modern pop/rock music with a contemporary musical theatre style. Their sound is distinct and their lyrics deal with issues facing people today. Now in its seventh incarnation, the New Voices series is often described as "Sondheim meets pop/rock." It's the next generation of composers turning Broadway on its ear with musicals about grunge bands, electroshock therapy, road trips, and Anna Nicole Smith.

While theatre savvy New Yorkers may be familiar with some of these up-and-coming writers, New Voices dishes up a first taste of these talented artists' work to theatre-hungry Seattleites. In fact, many of these composers and lyricists are putting these songs on paper just for this concert. Since its conception, New Voices has introduced more than 40 new writers to Seattle audiences.

Traditionally New Voices has been a cabaret style production with simple piano accompaniment. However, because New Voices 7 will be in the Allen Theatre, and has the support of ACT's Central Heating Lab, the producers are pushing their own limits and introducing more instruments, an elaborate stage set, and back-up singers.

The New Voices 7 cast features returning favorites and a bevy of "New Voice Virgins" including: Nick Garrison (Hedwig..., 5th Ave's Cabaret), Brandon O'Neill (Village's TOMMY), Beth DeVries (SCT's The Wizard of Oz), Mo Brady (5th Ave's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Catch Me If You Can), and Troy Wageman (Village's Beauty and the Beast) will be inducted into the New Voices family. They'll let loose on tunes like Lost Boy by Ryan Scott Oliver, a jazz-and-sin take on the Peter Pan stories; Starbucks by Michael Mahler, a tribute to every actor's favorite job; and that bedroom stalker classic To Excess by Michael Kooman and Chris Dimond.

Additional cast members make up a "who's who" of Seattle's busiest, and most talented, working musical theatre artists: Krystle Armstrong (5th Ave's Hello, Dolly!), Sarah Davis (Zanna, Don't!), Nick DeSantis (5th Ave's Sunday in the Park...), Ashley FitzSimmons (Village's Show Boat and Beauty and the Beast), Diana Huey (5th Ave's MAME), Cayman Ilika (Centerstage's Always... Patsy Cline, Village's Show Boat), Kate Jaeger (Reefer Madness, Centerstage's Always... Patsy Cline), Naomi Morgan (5th Ave's West Side Story), Kat Ramsburg (5th Ave's MAME), Don Darryl Rivera (SCT's I Was A Rat!), Tanesha Ross (Village's Saint Heaven), and Billie Wildrick (ACT's Das Barbecu, 5th Ave's Sunday in the Park...).

The show does contain adult content. Tickets are $20 and are available through ACT Theatre's ticket office at 700 Union Street, Downtown Seattle, (206) 292-7676, or online at www.acttheatre.org.

Contemporary Classics is a new Production Company dedicated to producing Seattle premieres of contemporary musicals and the development of the future's composers, lyricists, and librettists, all while using the best up-and-coming talent Seattle has to offer. Contemporary Classics produced the Seattle premieres of john & jen, The Last Five Years, A New Brain, and the recent Zanna, Don't! as well as The Songs of David A. Austin concert.

For the past 44 seasons, ACT's mission has been to inspire our diverse community through theatre that advances our understanding of human life. To dare, excite, and enrich artists and audiences. To steward our many resources. Through The Central Heating Lab, ACT seeks to heat things up and create a conversation with its season that reaches for an even deeper impact.

 

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