“Your Name on My Lips,” a musical written and composed by Eric Sirota and directed by Katharine Pettit, explores the way love can inspire and sustain us. The musical centers on Sam, a young idealistic artist. Sam learned to love by loving Suzanna. Their childhood friendship turned to romance, and the two are determined to stay together no matter what obstacles are put in their way. While their bond has strong roots, but for Sam it goes even deeper. Now he must fight to hold on to her, as the materialistic world tries to tug her away. Its world premiere will be presented August 30 to September 18 in Theater for the New City’s Dream Up Festival.
“Your Name on My Lips” looks at the way we crave love and just how hard we will work to sustain it. The show appeals to all ages, acting as a mirror for what we feel, or at least remember feeling, when love was earnest, feelings deep, and romance unabashedly unapologetic. (www.YouNameOnMyLips.com)
The music, described as “a driving contemporary score with classical influences,” is written and composed by Eric Sirota. Sirota is an established and highly published research scientist, as well as a fellow of the American Physical Society. He is also an emerging playwright and composer whose musical theater works have captured the attention of the New York theater community over the last few years. His musical “Day of Wrath” (based on Frankenstein) was just performed as an official selection of the 2015 NYMF Reading Series in July of 2015.
The show is directed by Katharine Pettit, who was Susan Stroman’s SDC Observer on “Bullets Over Broadway” on Broadway. Recent works include “Angel in My Heart” (Dir., The Wild Project, York Theater Developmental Reading), “Pumped!” (Dir. TRU Voices Reading Series), “Supersoldier” by Jim Rado (Assoc. Dir, Fundamental Theater), “Thoroughly Modern Milly, Top of the Heap” (Choreo., The Gallery Players) and “Merrily We Roll Along” (Assist. Dir/Choreo., APAC). She also directed Sirota’s NYMF reading of “Day of Wrath.” (katharinepettit.com)
Musical director is Ted Arthur. The show will include cellist Temi Hason.The scenery will feature artist Cara London’s paintings, whose artwork is also on display in the TNC Art Gallery (www.CaraLondon.com). Set design is by Tina Pfefferkorn. Lighting design is by Christopher Weston. Costume design is by Derek Robertson assisted by Samantha LaScala. Cellist is Temi Hason.
The actors are Alec Lee, Rebbekah Alson, Maggie Spicer, Michael Jones, Joshua Dobkins, Jody Hinkley and Jade Genga.
The sixth Dream Up Festival (www.dreamupfestival.org) will be presented by Theater for the New City (TNC) from August 30 to September 20, 2015, offering a lineup of wide-ranging and original theatrical visions embracing drama, poetry, music and dance. This year, owing to growing popularity, the festival has expanded beyond its primary venue. For the festival’s first five years, all productions were presented at Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. This year, 19 productions will be presented at TNC and seven will be presented at an outside venue, The Producrs Club Theaters at 358 West 44th Street.
The festival is dedicated to new works and opens up TNC to the country at large and to artists from overseas. Its founders feel this is especially needed now in a time of declining donations to the arts, grants not being awarded due to market conditions and arts funding cuts all across the country and abroad. The festival does not seek out traditional theater presented in a traditional way, but rather pushes ideas to the forefront through imaginative presentations so as to challenge audience expectations and make us question our understanding of the way art illuminates the world around.
The show is presented by Theater for the New City (Crystal Field, Artistic Director) as part of the Dream Up Festival 2015 from August 30 to September 18. Performances are August 30 at 5:00 PM, September 2 at 9:00 PM, September 5 at 2:00 PM, September 7 at 6:30 PM, September 8 at 6:30 PM, September 9 at 9:00 PM, September 12 at 5:00 PM, September 16 at 9:00 PM, September 17 at 9:00 PM, September 18 at 6:30 PM at Theater for the New City (Johnson Theater), 155 First Ave. Tickets are $20. Box office is (212) 254-1109. You can find more information and purchase tickets at www.dreamupfestival.org.
