Two musicals (from more than 100 entries) were selected from the submissions received by the Waterford, Connecticut company. The two musical writer-composer teams will work for two weeks, developing their respective works with actors, directors and dramaturgs, before they are presented in readings.
The O'Neill 2006 National Music Theatre Conference selections are:
Book by Lonny Price, music by Grant Sturiale, lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh
Directed by Matt Cowart; Stan Tucker, Music Director
"A four-and-a-half year old child prodigy becomes the breadwinner for her destitute family and greedy neighbors, resulting in hilarious yet scathing results. A cautionary tale about people who incrementally give up their values for fame and fortune."
Book by Joshua V. Scher, music by Curtis Moore, lyrics by Thomas Mizer
Directed by Robert Longbottom; Dale Rieling, Music Director
"The present resurrects the past and the past rescues the present in two New York stories — one set in 1911 and the other in 2001. Two people in love struggle to discover what freedom truly means in these volatile landscapes when their worlds collide."
Longbottom's Broadway credits include Side Show, The Scarlet Pimpernel and the 2002 revival of The Flower Drum Song. Rieling's has worked on the Broadway productions of Miss Saigon and Les Miserables. Cowart (The Salacious Uncle Baldrick) serves as artistic director of the Offbeat Theatre Company and Tucker has worked on the Broadway productions of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Cats and Aida. Tickets go on sale June 15 through the O'Neill Box Office at (860) 443-1238. Outdoor performances are moved indoors in the event of rain.
The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center was founded in 1964 and 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.
For more information, call (860) 443-5378 or visit the website at www.theoneill.org.
