The 2012 National Music Theater Conference, which launched June 20, has revealed casting for the final two musicals in development in Waterford, CT. The O'Neill unites professional actors, directors, and music directors to present the work of new writers, in reading form, to the general public.
A Good Man, featuring book and lyrics by Philip S. Goodman and music by Ray Leslee, will feature Terence Archie, Gilbert L. Bailey II, Ta'rea Campbell, Tina Fabrique, Antwuan Holley, Anastasia McClesky, Jacob Ming-Trent, Andrew Samonsky, Don Lee Sparks and Dennis Stowe. It will be presented June 30, July 1, 3, and 6 under the direction of Jerry Dixon.
Here's how its billed: "Just after World War II in rural Mississippi, Albert Clayton, a black sharecropper, decides to paint his tenant house white, and his world turns upside down. He struggles with a desperate wife, a frightened landlord, a sexy sister-in-law and a furious, closed-minded town."
The ToyMaker, which has book, lyrics and music by Bryan Putnam, will feature Joan Barber, Joe Cassidy, Merwin Goldsmith, Olli Haaskivi, Zachary James, Lucia Roderique, Alison Walla, Lynne Wintersteller and Betsy Wolfe. It is presented July 7, 8, 11, and 13 under the direction of Joe Calarco.
According to the O'Neill, "An 'uncommonly powerful' tale of enduring passion and hope, The ToyMaker tells the story of Sarah Meeks, a young woman who is struggling in her marriage after two failed pregnancies. Rumors of a childless toy maker of the past set her on a desperate search for the last toy made by this man. Thus begins a journey that spans the globe and time itself. Sarah's quest to find the 'childless toy' and solve the mysteries of a village destroyed by war lead her to a destiny of fulfillment she once thought impossible." Phone (860) 443-1238 or visit www.theoneill.org.
The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center was founded in 1964 and is based in Waterford, CT. Programs at the Center include the Puppetry Conference, Playwrights Conference, Critics Institute, Music Theater Conference and the National Theater Institute. The Monte Cristo Cottage, O'Neill's childhood home, is also owned and operated by the group.
