PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: January 16, 2006
Media Contacts: Jacquelyn Rardin, Public Relations Manager
(425) 392-1942 x124
Frank Stilwagner, Director of Marketing
(425) 392-1942 x129
www.villagetheatre.org
“MONDAYS AT SEVEN” CONTINUES WITH TWO NEW READINGS
Village Original Members Catch First Glance of New Musicals in Development
What: Mondays at Seven
Sacagawea, 1/23/06
Book and Lyrics by Mary Bracken Phillips
Music by Craig Bohmler
Cold Turkey, 2/6/06
Book, Lyrics, and Music by Rich Gray
Where: First Stage Theatre
120 Front Street North
Issaquah, WA 98027
Tickets: “Mondays at Seven” is a FREE member benefit and
available ONLY to Village Originals Members
Memberships start at $100
To become a member, call our Box Office at (425) 392-2202
Tuesday-Saturday, 11:00 AM-7:00 PM
www.villagetheatre.org
Issaquah, WA – Continuing with its commitment to the development of new musicals, Village Theatre is delighted to announce two new readings have been added to Village Originals’ “Mondays at Seven” program, an exclusive Member benefit for Village Originals Members. On selected Monday evenings throughout the season, Members will be invited to an intimate reading of a new musical. Each reading will be followed by a post show discussion and a reception. New readings include:
Sacagawea, Monday, January 23, 2006, 7:00 PM
The famed journey of Lewis and Clark is seen a brand new way--through the eyes of their guide, the fascinating Sacagawea--in this sweeping, romantic new musical.
Cold Turkey, Monday, February 6, 2006, 7:00 PM
A Festival favorite returns with new songs, new scenes, and more! From the MGM Film starring Dick Van Dyke comes this quite timely tale of a town that resolves to quit smoking--with hilarious results.
-more-
Page Two…”Mondays at Seven” Continues with Two New Readings
Readings, in which actors perform the musical, scripts in hands, with piano accompaniment and minimal staging, provide Members an exciting first look at a musical. They are also a vital step in a musical’s development. Readings are a way to put a new musical “on its feet,” to hear how it plays on stage—to experience a new show for the first time.
“Mondays at Seven” is an exclusive Village Originals Member benefit. Anyone can become a Member by calling Village Theatre’s Box Office at (425) 392-2202. Memberships start at $100 and include admission to readings, workshops, developmental productions and the annual Festival of New Musicals. Additional benefits include invitations to discussions of new musicals with Village Theatre’s artistic team, local and national directors, authors and performers, meet-the-artists events and parties, as well as the opportunity for private parties and receipt of a bound script signed by its creators. All memberships are 100% tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Additional readings will be announced throughout the season.
About Village Originals:
Village Theatre’s nationally-recognized Village Originals program is dedicated to every aspect of new musical development: workshops, readings, seminars and full productions. To date, over 55 new musicals have been developed, many of which have gone on to stages throughout the world, including The Ark (opened off-Broadway November 2005), After the Fair, Play It By Heart, Making Tracks, The Wedding Banquet, and Eleanor. Village Theatre is highly respected on a national level for its significant contribution to the world of musical theatre--only a handful of theatre companies throughout the country commission and develop new musicals!
About Village Theatre
Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. What began in 1979 with the vision of a small group of dedicated theatre artists has grown into one of the region's best-attended resident theatres, with over 16,500 subscribers to the current season and 165,000 projected total attendance, performances on seven stages in the Puget Sound area, youth education programs serving over 53,000 young people, families, and schools annually, and a nationally recognized program that has enabled the development of over 55 new musicals. Serving a still-growing, ever more diverse community, Village Theatre has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years with the start of our contract as the resident performing and management company at the Everett Performing Arts Center in 1998.
Mission of Village Theatre:
· To be a regionally recognized and nationally influential center of excellence in family theatre
· To promote a season of top quality productions
· To commission and produce new musicals that achieve national exposure
· To train young people in theatre skills for career opportunities and enriched lives
· To develop a broad based appreciation for live theatre
· To promote positive values through art
Village Originals is sponsored by Rhino Studio & Gallery.
Village Originals is funded in part by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax Revenue, ArtsFund, The Boeing Company, Continental Airlines, City of Issaquah-Issaquah Arts Commission, FINS Bistro, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, National Endowment for the Arts, Shubert Foundation, Washington State Arts Commission, Libby Dunkin, Geoff Dahl, Dan M. Hennessee, Beth Moursund, James & Patsy Nelson, Bob & Cathy O’Rear, and Dick & Lin Wurdack.
Village Theatre is funded, in part, by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax Revenue, ArtsFund, ArtsUnited, Bellevue Arts Commission, City of Everett, City of Issaquah, Continental Airlines, Lombardi's, The National Endowment for the Arts, Northwest Suites, PONCHO, The Seattle Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Snohomish County Hotel/Motel Tax Fund, Standing Ovation, and the Washington State Arts Commission.
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