For those planning to attend one or more of the eight shows, the line-up is as follows:
Sunday, Sept. 25 (evening program):
6-7 PM: NAMT Songwriter Showcase
8-8:45 PM: A Little Princess
8-8:45 PM: The Funkentine Rapture
9:15-10 PM: Meet John Doe
9:15-10 PM: I Love You Because
Monday, Sept. 26 (morning-afternoon program)
10-10:45 AM: River's End
10-10:45 AM: Caraboo, Princess Of Javasu
11:15-12 PM: Party Come Here
11:15-12 PM: Ace
12:30-1:15 PM: Meet John Doe
12:30-1:15 PM: I Love You Because
2:30-3:15 PM: Party Come Here
2:30-3:15 PM: The Funkentine Rapture
3:45-4:30 PM: River's End
3:45-4:30 PM: Caraboo, Princess Of Javasu
5-5:45 PM: A Little Princess
5-5:45 PM: Ace
Among the Broadway and Off-Broadway-bred talent to be featured are actors Fyvush Finkel, Hunter Foster, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Celia Keenan-Bolger Terrence Mann, Will Chase, Julia Murney, Christiane Noll, Donna Lynne Champlin, Billy Porter, Michael Rupert, Matt Farnsworth and Jodie Langel.
The directors trusted with piloting the lucky octet of shows are Lonny Price, Susan H. Schulman, Will Frears, Joe Calarco, Steve Minning, Lee Summers, Daniel Kutner and Lee Sankowich. The eight selections for this year’s festival, with casting, are:
Book and Lyrics by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker
Music by Richard Oberacker
With Christiane Noll, Adam Monley
Directed by Steve Minning
Book by Marsha Norman
Lyrics by Beth Blatt
Music by Jenny Giering
With Celia Keenan Bolger, Andrew Lippa
Directed by Will Frears
Book by Lee Summers and Ben Blake
Music and Lyrics by Lee Summers
With Billy Porter, Marva Hicks
Directed by Lee Summers
Book and Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham
Music by Joshua Salzman
With Stephanie D'Abruzzo Directed by Daniel Kutner
Book and Lyrics by Brian Crawley
Music by Andrew Lippa
With Will Chase, Julia Murney
Directed by Susan H. Schulman
Book by Andrew Gerle and Eddie Sugarman
Lyrics by Eddie Sugarman
Music by Andrew Gerle
With Donna Lynne Champlin, Michael Rupert
Directed by Joe Calarco
Book by Daniel Goldfarb
Music and Lyrics by David Kirshenbaum
With Fyvush Finkel, Hunter Foster, Terrence Mann
Directed by Lonny Price
Book and Lyrics by Cheri Coons
Music by Chuck Larkin
With Matt Farnsworth and Jodie Langel
Directed by Lee Sankowich According to an festival spokesperson, last year's event directly led to five of the eight shows securing productions. They were: The Drowsy Chaperone (to be done at the Ahmanson Theatre, November 2005), The Flight of the Lawnchair Man (Goodspeed Musicals, May 2005), The Girl in the Frame (Goodspeed Musicals, November 2005), Striking 12 (TheatreWorks Palo Alto, December 2004) and Winesburg, OH (The Arden Theatre Company, October 2005).
The festival is funded by contributions to NAMT, a not-for-profit organization, and is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, and by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.
A Sept. 25 Songwriter Showcase will be hosted by Rachel Sheinkin, Tony Award winner for Best Book of a Musical for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and a writer of Striking 12.
