Steamboat Pilot & Today

Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp opens their 93rd performance season with the New Works Festival, bringing both seasoned and up-and-coming stars of the stage to Steamboat Springs. The Festival affords emerging artists in musical composition, playwriting and dance the rare opportunity of professional-grade workshops being led and performed by our some of our nation's leading artists in the performing arts world. The public is invited to participate by attending the final staged readings and dance presentation. The Festival is a wonderful chance for Steamboat Springs residents and visitors to attend a performing arts festival of national-caliber--a chance to see some of our nation's finest new stage works before they hit the big stage.

This year's play, THE RECEPTIONIST (June 16) by Adam Bock (Swimming in the Shallows, Five Flights, The Typographer's Dream), is a brand new play about office politics, narcissism and the torture of being a really good receptionist -- a dark comedy. The musical theater selection, FOOLS FOR BROADWAY (June 18), is a song-filled "docu-musical" tribute honoring the most uncelebrated Broadway songwriting team of the 20th Century: Arthur Keefe Merkin and Sidney Ball. With music and lyrics by Joe Patrick Ward (Judy's Scary Little Christmas, The Grave White Way, Southern Baptist Sissies, The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife) and book by Kenny Finkle (Indoor/Outdoor, Bridezilla Strikes Back, Transatlantica), FOOLS FOR BROADWAY is a very unique "tongue-in-cheek" musical. For the dance workshop (June 17), KRISTOFER WEINSTEIN STOREY (former Alvin Ailey dancer) will be choreographing new work, accompanied by composer/vocalist/percussionist Paula Jeanine. THE RECEPTIONIST will be directed by Andrew Leynse (Primary Stages, NYC). Peter Flynn (New Works Festival Artistic Director) will direct FOOLS FOR BROADWAY. Tickets are $10 for each event.

Perry-Mansfield continues their season with "One Night Only" a Faculty Showcase on June 24, followed by four High School & College student performances-- AGNES OF GOD July 14 & 15, a Musical Revue July 15 & 16, AN EVENING OF DANCE July 21 & 22, and a Musical Theater performance July 28 & 29. August 3 & 4 features the Intermediate student's Youth Festival dance concert and music/theater presentation. The season wraps up August 23 and 26 with cabaret performances by faculty and participants of The Art of Cabaret master workshop. Call 879-7125 for tickets and information.