Forestburgh Playhouse in the Sullivan Catskills has announced casting for its 2nd annual In the Works~In the Woods festival of new works, to be held September 8–11. The festival will include presentations of two new musicals, one new play, as well as cabaret, reading, and conversation events.
Bottle Shock! the Musical, by James D. Sasser and Charles Vincent Burwell, based on the 2008 film of the same name, centers on the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine tasting when California wines beat French wines for the first time in blind tastes. The cast features Jeff Skowron, T.J. Mannix, Javier Ignacio, Carla R. Stewart, Blake Du Bois, Libby Johnston, Joey Miceli, Michael Santora, Haley Izurieta, Emily Martinez, and Alyssa Payne. J. Scott Lapp will direct with music direction by Vadim Feichtner.
Outbound by Caitlin Collins features Suzy Weller, Omalolu Fiki, Tracy Sallows, Tim Barker, Lee Hubilla, Emily Kleypas, and Brandon Dial. The play tells the story of a call-center employee and a connection she makes on a call with a small-town widow that inspires a visit with her estranged grandmother. Joan Sergay directs.
A new musical for young audiences, Gordon Gets Down! by Caleb Damschroder and Matthew Ravey, will feature Karter Dolan, Blaire Baker, Liz Neitge, Kristin Rose Kelleher, Dominick Ventrella, Julia Chen Myers, Cody Garcia, and Mac Myles. Roque Berlanga directs the tale of Gordon the goat preparing for the farm's annual line dance. Music direction is by Michael Hopewell.
In addition to the festival's main presentations, In the Works~In the Woods will also include a cabaret lab that will develop new acts from Marrick Smith and Ariana Valdes, under the direction of Alan Muraoka and Scott Evans with music director James Rushin; a reading of the new play with music, Walking With Bubbles, written and performed by Jessica Hendy and featuring songs by Brianna Barnes, under the helm of Richard Hess; and "Off the Cuff-Conversations" with historian John Conway, playwright Charles Busch, director Carl Andress, and casting director Rachel Hoffman.
In the Works~In the Woods is led by Franklin Trapp, producing artistic director for the Forestburgh Playhouse and Broadway veteran Matt Lenz, festival artistic director and director of creative development for the Forestburgh Playhouse.
For more information, visit FBPlayhouse.org.
