Cast member is finalist in Next Broadway Sensation competition
September 24, 2009 (New York) - Academy has sold out its fourth night of shows and added a show Oct. 5 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF). Also, Academy cast member Lyle Colby Mackston is in the final two in the competition for the title of NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation.
Academy, seen at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in October 2008, was conceived and developed by Andrew Kato, the theatre’s Artistic Director, with book, music and lyrics by John Mercurio.
“Clearly, from the interest that we’re receiving in ticket sales for this contemporary telling of Faust, this show has a bright future,” Kato said. “The Maltz is proud to have helped develop this work by John Mercurio.”
The story takes place at St. Edward's Academy, where two senior boys make a harmless bet on whether they can influence an unsuspecting freshman to break a few rules in order to succeed. However, when the deal goes recklessly out of control, the boys become entangled in a fight for their own academic and personal survival. Inspired by Goethe's Faust, Academy is a pop chamber musical about boys learning to become men and remaining true to themselves.
Academy performances are Oct. 6-17 at The Barrow Group Theatre Company, 312 West 36th Street. An additional performance has been added at 5 p.m. Oct. 8. On the Web: www.academythemusical.com or www.nymf.org.
In other news, Academy cast member Lyle Colby Mackston has edged out eight other performers to join the final two of NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation competition. Grand prize of the event: The winner gets to perform a solo concert. Celebrity judges at this year’s Next Broadway Sensation include Orfeh and Bailey Hanks (Legally Blonde),Marc Kudish (9 to 5), Donna Lynne Champlin and Alexander Gemignani (Sweeney Todd), composer/ lyricist Paul Scott Goodman (Rooms), hosted by Kate Shindle (Legally Blonde), Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening and new film Taking Woodstock), Kacie Sheik and Allison Case (Hair) and record producer Noah Corman of Sh-K-Boom Records. Hosts include Diana DeGarmo (Hairspray, Toxic Avenger), Kate Shindle (Legally Blonde) and Susan Blackwell (title of show).
The final round of Next Broadway Sensation, with Lyle competing against Cassie Woolley, is at 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street.
Lyle, who appears as Phil in Academy, is a sophomore at Pace University in New York City. Recent theater credits include Darling, The Smoking Gun, Spider Man: The Musical (reading) and My Favorite Year. Recent film/TV credits include: Michael & Michael Have Issues, The Naked Brothers Band, The Guiding Light and The Picture of Dorian Gray. He also has appeared in numerous commercials.
The New York Musical Theatre Festival, now in its sixth year, has premiered more than 175 new musicals since 2004. The largest musical theatre event in America, NYMF has been hailed as "the Sundance of Musical Theatre," and is widely regarded as the key source for new material and talent discovery. NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF 2009 is presented in association with BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group and TheaterMania.com, and is supported by Back Stage, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, BroadwayBox.com, BroadwayInsider.com, Broadway.TV, Clear Channel Spectacolor, DFD-TV, Frank & Camille's Fine Pianos, King Displays, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, New World Stages, NASDAQ OMX, Next Magazine, PMD Promotions, Queerty.com, Reuters, Sweet Caroline's, Tekserve, TheMenEvent.com, The Tank, and Times Square Squared. Major supporters include The ASCAP Foundation, BMI Foundation Inc., The Broadway League, The BWF Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation with the support and encouragement of Jamie Mayer, The Charlie & Jane Fink Charitable Fund, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Theater League. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. NYMF's programs are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. NYMF Memberships, which combine charitable contributions with valuable, flexible ticket packages and perks like early seating, and tickets to individual events are available for purchase at (212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org.
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