SUNFISH Takes Top Jury Honor at Daegu International Musical Festival

SUNFISH, an American musical by the songwriting team of Michael Cooper and Hyeyoung Kim was awarded the top Jury Honor for Music Theater Production at the Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) on July 8, 2013. DIMF is the largest international Musical Theatre Festival in the world. SUNFISH was invited to open the Festival on June 17, 2013, and was one of over fifteen Official Invitational productions from all over the world. It was previously presented at the NAMT Festival, TRU Musical Series, and Disney/ASCAP Workshop with Stephen Schwartz.

Heyoung Kim (music) and Michael Cooper (lyrics) are seen as one of the most exciting up-and-coming New York-based songwriting teams. They are winners of the prestigious Jonathan Larson Award, Daryl Roth Award, and are Mac Award-nominated. Kim is the composer of CAFÉ-IN (CAFFEINE) currently running in Tokyo, Japan at Amuse Musical Theatre. Cooper penned additional lyrics for the Broadway-bound IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU (director, David Hyde Pierce, starring Tyne Daly).

SUNFISH is based on the Korean folk tale, "SIM-CHUNG," which follows the journey of a devoted daughter trying to help her blind father regain his eyesight-and the valiant sacrifices she is willing to make for love. The team of Cooper/Kim infused the timeless folktale with a fresh contemporary sensibility. Larger than life-size hand crafted puppets coupled with an imaginative use of fabric gave the entire production a mystical atmosphere and a heightened theatricality.

The DIMF production stars Joanna Carpenter (Aheh), Eric B. Turner (Father), Jamie Kolnick (Madame Omi), Ryan Stutz (King/Storyteller) and Jeremy Gaston (Monk/Storyteller) and features Lizette Cruz, Rasheem Ford, Timothy Fuchs, Amber Hurst-Martin, Sarah Rolleston and Sai Somboon as Storytellers. Under the direction of award-winning Director/Choreographer Will Pomerantz, Sunfish's creative team includes: Oran Bumroongchart (Scenery), Sarah Cubbage (Costumes), Allen Hahn (Lights), Tae Jong Park (Sound), Kathleen Doyle (Puppets & Masks), Brendan McMahon (Puppet Consultant), Yan Li (Music Director), Aaron Jodoin (Co-Orchestrator), Will Kellogg (Props), J&R Creative - Robin Carus and Jennifer Peralta-Ajemian (Casting Directors), Benjamin Harper (Production Stage Manager), Corey Pearlstein (General Manager), and NeAl Wilkinson (Production Manager).