The free series, part of NYFA's musical theatre department, was designed to "promote relationships between our students and emerging composers, writers, and directors."
Sarnak's Lasting Impression, directed by DJ Salisbury with musical direction by Daniel Lincoln, will be offered Aug. 9 at 8 PM.
A Lasting Impression, according to press notes, "is the story of sisters Kali, a composer, and Simone, a painter, as told through the eyes of a jaded young journalist, Josh. Struggling to find purpose in his writing, Josh stumbles upon the sister artists living in modern-day Brooklyn with their mother. As he recounts his interviews, he uncovers the secrets of a crumbling family. The sisters' artwork is woven into Josh's narrative through musical and visual elements. Three versions of the same story, (book, set, and score) A Lasting Impression is about impressions that we make through love, on those close to us, and through art, on those we may never meet."
A Lasting Impression, winner of Pace New Musicals 2012 and performed Off-Broadway at the 4th Street Theatre at NYTW in August 2012, won the 2013 NJ Playwright's contest. Read more about Sarnak's work in Playbill.com's Contemporary Musical Theatre Songwriters You Should Know.
Also in the series is Lori McKelvey's Camila, which will be presented Aug. 8 at 8 PM and is directed by Chad Larabee with musical direction by Kevin David Thomas. Camila, according to NYFA, "is the true story of a love so strong, that it sparked a revolution in Argentina and changed the course of history. Framed within turbulent 1850's Buenos Aires, Camila O'Gorman questions why General Rosas' soldiers execute booksellers and innocent gauchos. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with Padre Ladislao Gutierrez, a young Jesuit Priest who shares her concern for the terror striking their nation. As romance blooms, they find themselves hunted by Rosas and Padre Gannon for crimes against the nation and the church. Although the government banned the story from being told for a hundred and fifty years, it was whispered from generation to generation. Now, you can hear the story in full at the New York Film Academy."
Readings will be held at NYFA Union Square's 4th floor Screening Room at 100 E. 17th Street. For more information, visit NYFA.edu.
