The weekend will feature the workshops of the two aborning musicals as well as an original musical created and produced by The Human Race Summer Stock TEENS, under the guidance of the Lovewell Institute.
"We are committed to establishing relationships with writers as well as showcasing new works," Human Race executive director Kevin Moore said in a statement. "The future of musical theatre exists in regional theatres like The Human Race – not on Broadway."
Among the musicals that have seen developmental stagings at the Dayton, OH, theatre are Convenience, Moby Dick, Snapshots, Green Gables and Nefertiti.
Tinyard Hill will be the first musical presented on July 11. With book and lyrics by Thomas M. Newman and music by Mark Allen, the Georgia-set musical "involves blacksmiths trying to stave off becoming a theme park oddity, pie baking, and the intrusion of a world where the Vietnam War is looming larger."
Human Race executive director Kevin Moore directs a cast comprising Christine Dwyer (Rent), Katie Pees, Scott Stoney and J.J. Tiemeyer. Tinyard Hill will also be presented July 12 at 3 PM. Also "Under Construction" will be The Black Crook Project, with music by Joseph Thalken (Harold & Maude, Was), book by Michael Slade and lyrics by Mark Campbell (Songs from an Unmade Bed).
The production traces the evolution of the musical, with one of its very first accidental stage works, the 1866 composite The Black Crook. "When the New York producer of a German melodrama called The Black Crook invited a contingent of touring French ballerinas whose Manhattan venue had been destroyed by fire to take part in his production, the result was a hit so big that despite initially running 5½ hours, the show toured into the 1930s."
Moore also stages The Black Crook Project, which features Katie Pees, Scott Stoney, J.J. Tiemeyer, Bruce Cromer, Patricia Linhart, Jamie Cordes, Marya Spring, Aaron Vega, Jake Lockwood and Claire Kennedy.
The Black Crook Project will be presented at 11 AM on July 12, and at 7 PM on July 13.
The final presentation will be a unique musical event created by The Human Race Summer Stock TEENS. Under the tutelage of the Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts, participants have learned the process of making a musical, from concept and creation to production and performance. The project will be presented at 8 PM on July 12 and at 2 PM on July 13.
Tickets are available by phoning (888) 228-3630 or in person at the Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton.
For further information visit www.humanracetheatre.org.
