GrooveLily

Brendan and I are emerging from under moving boxes in Glendale, CA…Gene is about to pack up his now-larger family and move to Montclair, NJ…and our spin on all of this is: GrooveLily HQ is now bicoastal! We are excited for all the music we are still planning to make as a band (see our latest release SLEEPING BEAUTY WAKES for what we are mostly up to concert-wise these days): every time the three of us get together to play, it is more special and fun than it’s ever been. Also, there is a heck of a lot going on for us separately, which we’ll tell you all about in the coming weeks.

Right now, I’m prepping for the first-ever readings of my solo show – the one-woman fever-dream musical that Bren and I are writing with bookwriter Joe DiPietro (MEMPHIS/ALL SHOOK UP/I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE/THE TOXIC AVENGER…). If you’re anywhere near Palo Alto, CA in August, please come join us for these very early-stage workshop performances! The TheatreWorks New Works Festival is an amazing hotbed of creativity, and I am honored to be part of it. Details below.

Hello friends!

Welcome to TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival, greatly expanded this year to include our whole community in the fun! Six staged readings, four panels and two concerts, framed around our World Premiere production of Tinyard Hill – it’s a time of irresistible creativity at the intimate Lucie Stern Theatre. I hope you’ll join us!

See you at the theatre,

Meredith McDonough
Director of New Works

meredith@theatreworks.org
direct line: 650.463.7120

NEW WORKS FESTIVAL ’09 SCHEDULE

WORLD PREMIERE MAINSTAGE MUSICAL

TINYARD HILL
A New Country Musical
By Tommy Newman and Mark Allen
Directed by Robert Kelley
July 15–August 16, 2009
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Tinyard Hill, Georgia is a small town partial to old-time music and new-forged dreams, especially for a handsome young blacksmith hammering out a living at the historic smithy his family has owned for generations. When an out-of-this-world beauty and an out-of-the-blue draft notice arrive within days, his life is turned upside down. Set in the ’60s to a foot-stompin’ country-pop score, this feisty new musical tells of romance, rebellion, and patriotism in an era of irresistible change.

STAGED READINGS OF THREE NEW PLAYS

THE SPARROW AND THE BIRDMAN
A Play that Sings
By Raquel Bitton and Chris Smith
Directed by Chris Smith
August 3, 7:30pm
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In a song-filled drama, sensuous chanteuse Edith Piaf encounters quirky genius Jean Cocteau in 1930s Paris. The mysterious star’s unforgettable voice, recreated by recording artist Bitton, proves irresistible to the eccentric writer and filmmaker, played by acclaimed Bay Area actor James Carpenter.
Read more about Bitton on her website.

AUCTIONING THE AINSLEYS
A Play for People and the Objects that Own Them
By Laura Schellhardt
Directed by Meredith McDonough
August 18, 7:30pm / August 21, 8:00pm
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I’m hearing a bid of five dollars—would you give me ten? Do I hear twenty? For the last remnants of my father? Piece by piece, a family of auctioneers is selling off their heritage, their Victorian, and their secrets along with it. With a brilliant flair for language, this humorous, mysterious drama explores what happens if what we own becomes more important than who we are. Contains mature language.

THE NORTH POOL
A Psychological Thriller
By Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Giovanna Sardelli
August 15, 2:00pm / August 17, 7:30pm
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Khadim enrolled from Saudi Arabia. Vice Principal Danielson grew up here in town. But secrets haunt them both at suburban Sheffield High, tucked in hidden lockers, concealed on high-tech phones, awaiting revelation on this semester’s last day. As the sands of truth shift ominously beneath them, this cat-and-mouse thriller traverses the minefields of ethnic and sexual profiling in a community strung-out on political correctness. Contains mature language.

STAGED READINGS OF THREE NEW MUSICALS

MAKEOVER
An Alluring Musical Comedy
Book and Lyrics by Darrah Cloud / Music by Kim D. Sherman
Directed by Tom Lindblade
August 5, 7:30pm / August 9, 7:00pm
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Abandoned after World War II, a feisty mom parleys her gift for glamour and gab into an empire catering to the dreams of women across the country. Told with insight and humor, her journey to the heights reflects a changing vision of women in our times, proving that beauty, love, and life are inevitably more than skin deep. Authors Cloud and Sherman created TW musical hits O Pioneers! and Heartland.

ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME
A Fever Dream Musical
Book by Joe DiPietro
Music by Brendan Milburn
Lyric by Valerie Vigoda
Directed by Kent Nicholson
August 8, 2:00pm / August 11, 7:30pm / August 15, 8:00pm
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Sleep-deprived Kat writes great music. Okay, it’s for video games—but great. And so is her baby, even if her boyfriend split and an explorer named Shackleton keeps phoning from beyond time. Inspired by Kat’s music, he shares his Antarctic journeys with her as both struggle toward new horizons. Broadway’s Joe DiPietro (Memphis) wrote the funny script, and GrooveLily violinist Valerie Vigoda stars in this solo of a lifetime, co-written with Striking 12’s Brendan Milburn. Contains mature language.

TALES FROM THE BAD YEARS
A Song Cycle for a New Generation
By Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk
Directed by Josh Prince
August 19, 7:30pm / August 22, 8:00pm / August 23, 7:00pm
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Remember the roller coaster called your 20s? This funny, fascinating musical focuses on the lives and loves of five twenty-somethings adrift in a world of insecurity, insincerity, and downright insanity! Charting the passage years from college to adulthood with insightful satire, hot tunes, and brilliant harmonies, it reveals the challenges of finding your place, losing your edge, partying down, and finally stepping up to embrace the rest of your life. Contains mature language.

CONCERTS—MUSIC AS THEATRE

MAUREEN MCGOVERN
A Long and Winding Road: The Concert
August 6, 8:00pm
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The Grammy-winning, Broadway and pop star in a thrilling, introspective concert with songs by James Taylor, Carole King, Bob Dylan, and more!

VIENNA TENG
In Concert
August 14, 8:00pm
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The nationally-acclaimed singer/composer returns to her local roots for a concert of greatest hits and brand new songs from her new musical!

EXTRAS—AN INSIDER’S LOOK

THE BIG FOUR O: HURWITT & KELLEY
July 27, 7:30pm
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A special 40th Anniversary “Coffee Talk with Kelley”—San Francisco Chronicle Critic Robert Hurwitt explores 40 years of growth and change with TheatreWorks’ Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley.

YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS SHOWCASE
August 9, 2:00pm
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Fresh voices from local teens test the limits and seek the heights in an evening of new play readings of the best from our Young Playwrights Initiative.

MEET THE FESTIVAL ARTISTS
August 10, 7:30pm
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BAY AREA PLAYWRIGHTS TAKE STAGE
August 20, 8:00pm
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Theatre Bay Area hosts an intriguing, innovative evening of mini-readings of new work by the best of the Bay Area¹s outstanding playwrights.

TheatreWorks | The Nationally-Acclaimed Theatre of Silicon Valley
PO Box 50458, Palo Alto, CA 94301