York Theatre Company announces six new titles for its July Reading Series

York Theatre Company has announced five new titles as the next offerings in its acclaimed Developmental Reading Series. As always, these readings are open to the general public and admission is free, but reservations are required.

Luck
Based on a story by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Book and Lyrics by Mark Waldrop
Music by Bradford Ross
Synopsis: In this fractured folktale, Mazil and Shlimazel, the spirits of Good Luck and Bad Luck, make a bet to determine who is the most powerful. Along the way, matters become complicated by a hapless young man, the princess he loves, a crafty prime minister, a superstitious nurse and a lion on the loose.
Cast: Renee Allen, Stanley Bahorek, Jane Blass, Scott Davidson, Jeff Essex, John Herrera, Christine Pedi, Faith Prince, Christina Sivrich, Gordon Stanley, Stephanie Umoh and Darryl Winslow.
Date: 9 Jul 2009

Spirits
Book by Reyn Guyer and Jeff Harrington
Music by Jeff Harrington
Lyrics by Reyn Guyer
Synopsis: A violent crime affects more than just the victim in the original musical drama Spirits, where six people are drawn together one night to try and break a cycle of violence and revenge.
Date: 14 Jul 2009

Breath And Imagination
Book by Daniel Beaty (play with music)
Synopsis: Before there was Marian Anderson, there was Roland Hayes --the first world-renowned African-American classical vocalist. The play, with music, chronicles the inspirational journey of how this pioneer started by singing spirituals in church and ended up singing before kings and queens in Europe.
Date: 16 Jul 2009

Exit Music
Music by James Merillat
Lyrics by Dick Pasqual
Book by Dick Pasqual & James Merillat.
Synopsis: In the years before World War II, a fictional song-and-dance troupe, 'George Banks and the Bombshells,' toured throughout Western Europe. George reflects upon his time with the group and with his one long-term lover while staying at a hospice in the Alps. Based on one of the only Coward stories to feature an openly gay protagonist, Exit Music examines the complicated life of a performer.
Date: 23 Jul 2009

One Of Us
A musical based on the Life of Post-impressionist Artist, Suzanne Valadon.
Book by C.F. Balducci, with music and lyrics by Carmel Owen
Synopsis: Tempered by the melancholy of a young woman�s heartbreak and her struggle to achieve recognition in a highly competitive man's world. The story explores how Marie-Clementine Valadon beat all odds and transformed herself into the internationally acclaimed artist now known as Suzanne Valadon.
Date: 27 Jul 2009


Each year, York�s Developmental Reading Series presents between 30 to 40 readings and workshops of new musicals by emerging and established authors, all free of charge and open to the public.

Producing Artistic Director James Morgan says, �These readings give writers a unique opportunity to get audience feedback while a show is still in progress and gives audiences an active role in the creative process.� York�s productions of 'Souvenir' and 'The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)' were first developed in the Developmental Reading Series, where the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit 'Avenue Q' also made early appearances. The Developmental Reading Series is made possible in part through a generous donation from The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation.