"Now And Then A Hero" Launches Dark Night Series

Now for the first time, a new Dark Night Series of musicals "not quite ready for the limelight" will launch on one Wednesday evening a month at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood. Starting Wednesday, Feburary 10, it will be a unique opportunity for audience members to snag a privileged glimpse into some brand-new musicals before producers even take a look- before costumes, before lights, and even before rewrites.

The first musical in the series will be "Now and Then a Hero" by Larry Todd Johnson and Jake Anthony. This musical includes a series of short musical-monologues and scenes based on the thousands of interviews WPA conducted from 1939 to 1944 documenting the memories of ordinary Americans, many of which had actually accomplished extraordinary or "heroic" deeds in their time. Each one of these musical-monologues is paired with a second musical-monologue inspired by the parallel life of a modern American, taken from contemporary headlines. The two parallel characters are linked primarily by their profession, and by some perceived act of heroism, however big or small. This musical explores essential questions about the definition of heroism, its transformation from the early 20th century to the present, and the potential for heroism in all of us.

The cast for the upcoming reading of "Now and Then a Hero" features Jimmer Bolden, Jennifer Chu, Elise Dewsberry, David Holmes, and Selah Victor.

It will take place on Wednesday, February 10th at 8:30pm at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood. Admission is $10. For more info and to make a reservation, visit ANMT's website at anmt.org.

2009 Search for New Musicals winner Greenbrier Ghost in ANMT's Concert Reading Series at The Colony Theatre

The winner of the Academy for New Musical Theatre’s 2009 Search for New Musicals, Greenbrier Ghost will be presented at the Colony Theatre in Burbank as the second installment of ANMT's 2009/2010 Concert Reading Series.

Based on actual events, Greenbrier Ghost is believed to be the only case in America in which a murderer was convicted based on testimony from a ghost.

With book by Susan Murray and music & lyrics by Clay Zambo, Greenbrier Ghost will be directed by Douglas Clayton with musical direction by Ed Martel and will feature members of ANMT's Academy Repertory Company.

Greenbrier Ghost will be performed in concert at the Colony Theater, 555 N. 3rd Street in Burbank on Monday evening February 22nd at 7:30. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10.00 or online via the ANMT website at www.anmt.org.

Gordon Firemark Elected President of ANMT

Gordon Firemark has been elected to a two-year term as President of the Board of Directors of the Academy for New Musical Theatre in North Hollywood.

Firemark has been serving on the Board for the past two years, with an eye towards becoming President this year. He has been spurring the Board and the staff to create strategic plans, and revenue-generating programming, and most recently has been preparing the organization for its imminent transformation from an organization which develops musicals to one which also produces them.

"I’m very proud to step into the presidency in this time of growth," says Firemark. "This is a non-profit organization with which I’ve been involved for a number of years I hope you’ll investigate ANMT if you’re writing, developing or producing a theatre project."

Gordon is an entertainment attorney and a producer. He helped the Academy produce the new musical 40 is the New 15 at the Secret Rose Theatre last summer, leading the production to a 157% profit in just six weeks.

Firemark's private law practice is devoted to the representation of artists, writers, producers and directors in the fields of theater, film, television, and music. He is also the publisher of Entertainment Law Update., a newsletter for artists and professionals in the entertainment industries. His practice also includes intellectual property, cyberspace, new media and business/corporate matters for clients in the entertainment industry.

"We've been talking about this moment for a couple of years," says Scott Guy, The Academy's Executive Director. "When Gordon and I had our first discussion back in 2005 about various business models which might be useful to our writers and producers, I thought, 'This guy might make a good President one day!' We've been steadily marching towards this moment ever since. I'm very excited about the leadership which Gordon brings to us. We're already talking about big, big dreams and plans."

In the past, Mr. Firemark has served on the Boards of Governors of The Los Angeles Stage Alliance , (the organization responsible for the annual Ovation Awards for excellence in Theater) and the Board of Governors of the Beverly Hills Bar Association , where he served as liaison to the Association’s Entertainment Law Section (of which he is a former chairman).

Mr. Firemark holds a B.A. in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Oregon, and earned his law degree at Southwestern University School of Law. Before opening The Law Offices of Gordon P. Firemark, Mr. Firemark was a partner with the Business Affairs Group, a boutique entertainment law firm in Los Angeles. He has also worked in the legal and business affairs departments at Hanna Barbera Productions and the MGM/UA Worldwide Television Group, and started his legal career as an associate at Neville L. Johnson & Associates, a West L.A. firm specializing in entertainment litigation.

ANMT WRITERS RECEIVE GLAAD NOMINATION

The Academy for New Musical Theatre is proud to announce that 40 is the New 15, a new musical by Larry Todd Johnson and Cindy O’Connor, has received a 2010 GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Los Angeles Theatre.
Nominations for the awards were announced in Los Angeles at a press conference and on the GLAAD website.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.

40 is the New 15 explores five characters who are turning 40, and looks back on their lives when they met as high-school freshman at 15. Two of these characters, K.P. (Tod Macofsky) and Robby (Ed Martin) face coming-of-age sexuality issues at 15 that shape their view of the world for the rest of their lives. The ups-and-downs of Robby and K.P.’s relationship is the heart and soul of 40 is the New 15.

40 is the New 15 recently completed a successful developmental run at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood, produced by the Academy for New Musical Theatre. The production enjoyed sold-out houses throughout its run. There were raves about the "tuneful, clever songs, (and) engrossing storyline,” and critics called it "a diamond in the rough," "sweetly entertaining," and “something to sing about."

"We are proud that this success has come to a new musical that was born in our Full Length Curriculum program and nurtured with a spot in our Concert Reading Series," says ANMT Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. "40 is the New 15 was a natural to be our first developmental production, and we congratulate Larry and Cindy for having their work honored with a GLAAD Media Award nomination."

For a full list of GLAAD Media Award nominations, visit GLAAD.org at:
http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/21/nominees

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!