The cast for the 7:30 PM concert includes Jenn Colella (Beebo Brinker Chronicles), Tony Yazbeck (Gypsy), Judith Moore (Sunday in the Park with George), Tituss Burgess (The Little Mermaid) and Kirsten Wyatt (Grease). Bartley directs the evening with musical direction by Chris Tilley. The NEO series, according to press notes, offers writers "the chance to showcase a variety of songs from different shows, as well as stand-alone songs that were not written with any particular show in mind."
In a previous statement York artistic director James Morgan said, "The concept for this new series came out of York's NEO Benefit Concerts—which celebrate New, Emerging and Outstanding musical theatre writers. We've presented three of these concerts since 2003—and are currently planning our fourth—and we wanted to find a way to expand on that idea, by providing a forum for new writers to present works in progress, songs they have in their trunks or songs from shows that haven’t gotten the attention they deserve."
Songwriters Robert Bartley and Danny Whitman are the duo behind the annual Broadway Backwards fundraiser. Their musical Dance With Me was a 2007 NAMT finalist. Whitman's children's musical, Tales of Custard the Dragon, was produced at The Kennedy Center, on tour and is currently at The Algonquin Theatre in New York City with direction by Bartley.
The Theatre at Saint Peter's is located at 619 Lexington Avenue (on 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). Tickets, priced $20, are available by visiting www.yorktheatre.org.