The 2008 National Music Theater Conference is the first O'Neill conference to get under way this summer, running June 29-July 18 in Waterford, CT.

Jeremy Dobrish directs Myth, featuring book, music and lyrics by John Mercurio. The cast includes John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys), Pamela Myers (Company), William Parry (Passion), Brandon Espinoza (Gypsy), Dylan Collins, Dane DeHaan, Marva Hicks (Caroline, Or Change), Deborah Lew (Threepenny Opera), Maureen Silliman (I Remember Mama), Paul Oakley Stovall (Dessa Rose) and Wes Taylor.

Joe Calarco will stage In Transit, penned by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russell M. Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth. The musical will feature Ryan Thomas Dunn, Hannah Laird, Adam Matta, Adam Overett (The Light in the Piazza), Ann Sanders (Avenue Q), Graham Stevens and Denise Summerford (Taboo).

Max Understood, with book by Nancy Carlin, lyrics by Nancy Carlin and Michael Rasbury and music by Michael Rasbury, will be directed by Jack Cummings III. The cast comprises Matthew Gumley (Mary Poppins), Jonathan Hammond, Hannah Laird, Lauren Marcus (The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks), Kerry O'Malley (The Gershwins' An American in Paris), Ben Roseberry and Paul Oakley Stovall (Dessa Rose).

Iron Curtain, with a book by Susan DiLallo, lyrics by Peter Mills and music by Stephen Weiner, will be staged by Cara Reichel. The company includes Stephen Bogardus (Love! Valour! Compassion!), Jessica Snow Wilson (Putnam County Spelling Bee), David Abeles (Henry and Mudge), Alison Briner, Monique French, David Gregory (The Golem), Daniel C. Levine (Rocky Horror Show), Anne Torsiglieri (Parade), Dan Sharkey (The Music Man), Robby Sharpe, Lucy Sorensen and Gordon Stanley (Cabaret). Selections and casting for the Playwrights Conference, running July 3-27, include:

Alex Lewin's The Near East, directed by Lisa Peterson, will feature Scott Drummond, Daoud Heidami, Marjan Neshat (The Seagull), Joseph Parks (Eurydice), Jon Norman Schneider (Queens Boulevard), Matt Seidman and Karim Sioud.

Jackson Gay directs Box Americana: a dream of WalMart, by Jason Grote. Set for the cast are Quincy Tyler Bernstine (The Misanthrope), Ross Bickell (Noises Off), Matteo Eckerle, Don Guillory, Angela Lewis (Sand), David Ross and Makela Spielman (Apparition).

Rachel Axler's Smudge will feature Maria Dizzia (Eurydice), Mike Doyle (The New Century) and Jonathan Walker (Fran's Bed), under the direction of Daniel Aukin.

Playwright Regina Taylor will direct her drama Magnolia that will include Tyla Abercrumbie, Tory Davis, Ted Deasy, Harriett D. Foy (Mamma Mia!), Mattie Hawkinson, Stephen Henderson (Drowning Crow), Brandon Miller, Caitlin O’Connell, Tim Rhoze, David Ross, Stephen Schnetzer (The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?) and Makela Spielman (Apparition).

Thunder Above, Deeps Below, penned by A. Rey Pamatmat and directed by Jesse Berger, includes cast members Rey Lucas (The Rainmaker), Curtis McClaren, Stephen Conrad Moore, Jon Norman Schneider (Queens Boulevard), Maureen Sebastian and Heather Alicia Simms (Gem of the Ocean).

O'Neill artistic director Wendy C. Goldberg stages Tony Award winner Craig Wright's Mistakes Were Made, that stars Maggie Lacey (Inherit the Wind) and Michael Shannon (Bug).

Passing Strange director Annie Dorsen will helm The Legend of Minnie Willet from playwright Ann Marie Healy. The cast is comprised of Mary Bacon (Rock 'n' Roll), Ross Bickell (Noises Off), Charlotte Booker (Born Yesterday), Johanna Day (Peter and Jerry), Kevin Geer (Side Man), John Jellison (Passion), Ryan King (Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow) and Laura Leigh.

Ursula Rani Sarma's Without You, will include Jeremy Bobb (Is He Dead?), Maggie Lacey (Inherit the Wind), Annie Parisse (Prelude to a Kiss) and Paul Sparks (Take Me Out).

For scheduling and ticket information 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.