Orange County is Alive with New Musicals!

Something exciting happened in Orange County this weekend – and the world of new musical theatre is all the better for it!

Over the weekend of Sept. 18-20, the UC/Irvine Department of Drama presented what is planned to be the first annual New Musical Theatre Festival, with two performances each of the new musicals Aging Out (book and lyrics by Tara Redepenning and Hillary Rollins, music by Darin Goulet) and E-$cape (book & lyrics by Scott Guy, music by Nick DeGregorio).

The Festival, under the helm of Artistic Director Gary Busby, is the result of a partnership between UC/Irvine and the Academy for New Musical Theatre in Los Angeles. The Academy’s professional bookwriters, lyricists, and composers are hard at work on a series of new musicals created specifically for the talents of the UC/Irvine students.




Eli Simon, Chair of UCI’s Drama Department, feels that this partnership is a win-win situation – the UCI students get a chance to create new roles that no one else has ever performed, and get an inside view of how a new musical is created – and the ANMT writers get developmental resources that are almost unheard of in the professional world.

Check out the pictures below – and then watch for one (or both!) of these shows to wind up as full productions in an upcoming UCI season! And keep an eye out for next year's Festival.




















The writing teams (Left: Aging Out; Right: E-$cape) in post-show talk-back sessions with the casts.




UCI Department Chair Eli Simon, ANMT Associate Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry and Executive Director Scott Guy, and UCI Festival Artistic Director Gary Busby

The Making of THE COFFEE QUINTET

A 5-part Internet Musical coming to ANMT.TV soon!

Guerrilla Musicals at the LA Zoo!

ANMT is creating unexpected musicals again! Summer intern Greta Miersma blogs about the latest shoot - at the Los Angeles Zoo!

Performers' Workshop Feedback: The Chow and Bow Broadway Buffet

Hi Everyone:

Performers' Workshop creator Joshua Finkel here. Here is some wonderful candid footage from the recent historic evening at the ANMT Performers' Workshop, where for the first time all THREE levels of the workshop performed under the same roof to ANMT writers, Industry members, family and friends. The Fall Showcase and Potluck for the Performers' Workshop--The Chow and Bow Broadway Buffet held on Wednesday November 12 was a smash! Members from Adult Level 1, Adult Advanced Level 2 and the new PW Teen level strutted their stuff to a packed house. Listen to the wonderful words and feelings of both performers and audience alike. Full evening's show video is forthcoming! Don't miss the NEXT showcase of the Performers' Workshop at the M Bar in Hollywood on Wednesday February 25 at 8 p.m. where members of the Cabaret and Specialty Material Class will perform the 8 minute cabaret set they create themselves over the winter session! Further info: http://www.anmt.org/arc/pwdefault.asp



Warmly,

Joshua Finkel

The ANMT Performers' Workshop

Creative Combustion Acting Studio (http://www.ccactingstudio.com/)

Performers' Workshop Cabaret Series Now Enrolling

Hi!
Joshua Finkel here. I am the creator and director of the ANMT Perfomers' Workshop. The next round of classes will be starting up soon, featuring the annual Performers' Workshop Cabaret event at the M Bar in Hollywood. This performance is the culmination of the winter session Level 1 class entitled GETTING YOUR ACT TOGETHER which concentrates on Cabaret and Specialty Material Performance Technique.

I hope you'll have a look at the video below, which is from my introduction to last year's M Bar event.

Auditions for the next round of sessions for adults and teens will take place on November 2, 2008 from 2-6pm.

For more information about the Performers' Workshop, and a link to sign up for auditions, please go to:

http://anmt.org/arc/PWdefault.asp

2008-09 Season of New Producer-Driven Musicals!

We're just starting our 2008-09 season of developing musicals from scratch for producers. This year is jam-packed with eleven musicals, for four producers. Here's a first look at the very beginning of the process.

An invitation for September

Video blog:

Past members tell you why should you consider joining us in September, and Associate Artistic Director Elise Dewberry invites you to audit the September sessions on Sept. 9, 10, and 11 from 6:45 to 10:30pm.