Broadway’s next generation showcased in New Voices 9 concert presented August 2 at ACT Theatre

Seattle, WA—Now in it’s ninth incarnation, the New Voices has become a Seattle tradition. New Voices is a concert series showcasing the best of today’s most promising young musical theatre composers. An exciting blend of Sondheim and pop/rock, this next generation of composers is turning Broadway on its ear with musicals about grunge bands, electroshock therapy, road trips, and Ritalin. Performed by some of Seattle’s hottest talent, join us for a break from the holidays for an evening of brand new musical theatre songs. The latest installment will perform August 2 at ACT Theatre in association with the Central Heating Lab program.

The showcase features an exciting mix of up-and-coming local talent as well as more established Seattle artists. Leading the concert will be Stranger Genius Award winner Sarah Rudinoff (5th Avenue’s On the Town, Footlight Award winner Billie Wildrick (5th Avenue’s Sunday in the Park with George, Candide), and Gregory Award winner Don Darryl Rivera (Taproot’s current Man of La Mancha, INTIMAN’s upcoming A Doctor in Spite Of Himself), among others. The music director for the evening is R.J. Tancioco (Joseph… at 5th Ave, Gypsy King at Village) and the host/curator is Contemporary Classics artistic director Brandon Ivie (The Yellow Wood, Zanna, Don’t!).

Going from a small concert in a basement theatre with just piano, NEW VOICES now features a cast of over 20, a full band (including piano, bass, drums, guitar and cello) and backup singers. This edition features songs about unrequited love (“Blow Me (A Kiss From Across The Room)”), deranged prom queens (“The Ballad of Sara Berry”), frustrated housewives (“Almost There”) eavesdropping (“Wall Lovin”).

“I’m so pleased with our collaboration with ACT Theatre and the Central Heating Lab,” artistic director Brandon Ivie says. “The venue is perfect for an evening of music like this, and their commitment to showcasing new work is a natural fit for this concert.” Many of these songs are being performed on the West coast for the first time, and these composers are thrilled that their work is being heard outside of New York. There will even be a world premiere!” Some shows have already had a prominent life in New York and regionally. Of most note, Brian Yorkey’s Next to Normal, wich received the Pulitzer Prize, was showcased in an early edition of NV4. Ordinary Days, which ran Off-Broadway last season at Roundabout Theatre Company, was previewed in NV5, and writing team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will have their new musical A Christmas Story, The Musical! be premiered at The 5th Avenue Theatre this winter. Contemporary Classics’ current musical, The Yellow Wood, was in the sixth installment of NEW VOICES.

New Voices 8 brings together young, fresh writers who combine modern pop/rock music with a contemporary musical theatre style. Their sound is distinct and their lyrics deal with issues facing people today. It’s an opportunity to witness the next generation of composers getting scrappy and strutting their stuff with an irreverent attitude. Composers in this edition include Seattle composer/lyricists Richard Gray and Christian Duhamel as well as writers from around the country like Ryan Scott Oliver, Andrew Lippa, Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, Joe Iconis, Sam Carner & Derek Gregor,Steven Jamail, Ryann Ferguson & Aimee Postell, among others. The young composers featured in New Voices have won such prestigious awards as the Jonathan Larson Foundation Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, Fred Ebb Award, Ed Kleban Award and have had readings, workshops, productions and concerts of the work at Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub, The York Theatre, TheatreWorks, Second Stage, National Alliance of Musical Theatre and locally at Village Originals.