Theatre Building Chicago
presents Stages 2007:
the 14th annual festival of new musicals in progress
STAGES 2007 - download the brochure (includes schedule & order form)
What is Stages? (click here to learn how to submit your new musical for consideration)
(For complete details on Stages, download the What is Stages PDF )
Each summer, Theatre Building Chicago presents Stages, a weekend festival of new musicals. The 14th annual festival of new musicals in progress will be presented August 10, 11 & 12, 2007. Aficionados of new musicals will thrill to eight new works, plus two special events! We'll even throw in a Sunday brunch for fun! Stages takes place in the three-theatre complex of Theatre Building Chicago (1225 W Belmont) in Chicago. Festival attendees include producers, directors, writers, composers, and musical theatre aficionados from all over the country. One audience member called it "a religious retreat for musical theatre lovers." Stages is an opportunity for authors and composers to see and hear their work interpreted by a production team and performed for an audience.
• A three-day festival, celebrating the great American art form of musical theatre.
• Eight New Musicals written by veterans and newcomers alike
• Concert and staged readings of new musicals in progress, with focus on the craft of writing and the talent of the performers
• A creative gathering of hundreds of authors, actors, artists, theatre producers and music lovers
A Festival of New Musicals In Progress
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
August 10, 11, 12, 2007
Theatre Building Chicago is an incubator for developing and emerging creative talent in theatre.
"...regarded as a major regional showcase for new musicals — a must-see for fans and industry folk alike."
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“At TBC's STAGES, I learned more about what makes a show work in one weekend than I did in years.”
- Denise Wright, composer (Jason & the Golden Fleece– Stages 2001)
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"At STAGES, T.B.C. clearly stands for The Best Circumstances."
- Jon Steinhagen, composer (Emma & Company – Stages 2001 & The Arresting Dilemma of Mr. K – Stages 2004)
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"STAGES 2007" SCHEDULE OF NEW MUSICALS IN PROGRESS:
STAGES PASS (Sat. & Sun. shows only): Click here & save!!
Save $25 & see all eight shows for just $95!!
FRIDAY NIGHT KICK-OFF OPENING
6pm reception; 7:30pm performance of the musical, Rex - Enjoy a pre-show hors d’oeuvres buffet plus a champagne and dessert party after the show!
Children of the Night (Book, Music and Lyrics by Scott Martin)
(South Theatre ·1pm, Aug. 11 · 4pm, Aug. 12)
The true story behind the creation of Dracula and author Bram Stoker's desire for the infamous actor Sir Henry Irving to portray the literary villain on stage.
Despairadise (Book & Lyrics by Pat Byrnes*; Music by Rich Prezioso)
(North Theatre · 7:30pm, Aug. 11 · 9am, Aug. 12)
Nihilist European art film makers descend to the depths of despair when their director discovers love and happiness.
Downtown (Book by Barbara Georgans*, Music by Philip Seward*, Lyrics by Charlie Mehler*)
(South Theatre · 7:30pm, Aug. 11 · 9am, Aug. 12)
A roman à clef about the founding of a 1950's magazine for men, complete with centerfolds! The romance between the originators is thwarted by blackmail, plagiarism and lace panties.
Moon Shine! (Book by Mary Willard, Music and Lyrics by Marty Stuart)
(South Theatre · 9am, Aug. 11 · 1:15pm, Aug. 12)
A Texan has only a few weeks to find a wife before losing his inheritance – the family pet food business. Tumbleweeds and hairballs combine to make a hilarious musical comedy.
Rex (Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, Book by Sherman Yellen)
(South Theatre · 7:30pm, Aug. 10 · 3:30pm, Aug. 11)
Distracted by his desire for a male heir and by his ill-fated love for Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII dismisses the royal qualities of his spirited daughter Elizabeth, who will someday ascend to the throne.
The Showgirl of 52nd Street (Book and Lyrics by Charles Leipart, Music by John Kroner)
(North Theatre · 1pm, Aug. 11 · 4pm, Aug. 12)
A bag lady, once a glamorous performer, confuses fact with fantasy, and relives her life in a jumble of memories and hopes.
So Happy I Could Scream! A Musical Celebration of Motherhood (Book by Judy Freed*,
Music by Sari Miller*,
Lyrics by Randi Wolfe*, Additional Lyrics by Sari Miller*)
(North Theatre · 3:30pm, Aug. 11 · 7pm, Aug. 12)
A touching, funny and thought-provoking musical revue for everyone who is a mother or has one.
Tomorrow Morning (Book, Music and Lyrics by Laurence Mark Wythe)
(North Theatre · 9am, Aug. 11 · 1:15pm, Aug. 12)
Two couples, separated by time. Looking back or looking forward, only one thing is certain: tomorrow morning, their lives will never be the same.
*denotes members of Theatre Building Chicago’s musical theatre writers workshop
*Media Forum: Hold the Press - media attention versus dramatic criticism
(West Theatre · 12PM, August 12)
Should works in progress have media coverage? Producers, writers and theatre critics gather to discuss the important distinctions between media attention versus criticism when covering new musicals in progress.
(*complimentary – tickets required). Pre-Forum Stages brunch: $20
A conversation about the creation and history of Rex
(West Theatre · directly following the 3:30PM - Aug. 11 performance of Rex)
Join us for an interactive Q & A with Sheldon Harnick, lyrics (The Apple Tree, Fiddler on the Roof, The Rothschilds),
Sherman Yellen, book (Oh Calcutta!, The Rothschilds, An Early Frost – television) and Bert Fink, Senior Vice President of Communications for The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and author of the liner notes to the original Broadway cast recording of Rex.
TICKETS:
$95: Stages Pass (Sat. & Sun. shows only)
$15: Single ticket for individual shows
$75: Friday Gala Opening: price includes 6PM pre-curtain reception; 7:30PM performance (Rex), followed by champagne and dessert party
