Directed by Jeremy Bloom, 35mm will feature  a cast of five that includes Alex Brightman (Wicked), Ben Crawford (Shrek), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Hair), and Lindsay Mendez (Godspell), and Betsy Wolfe (Everyday Rapture).

Representing a collision of artistic disciplines as disparate as musical theater, photography, and pop/rock music, 35mm pushes the limits of self-expression to create an art form utterly its own.  A collection of “snapshot stories” are woven together as each of the evening’s original songs is performed – with gusto and musical virtuosity – while the audience is immersed in stunning projections of the photography that inspired it.  35mm brings the connection between pleasures visual and aural into razor-sharp focus, creating a singular, multi-sensory emotional journey.

35mm features Projection Design by Aaron Rhyne, Costume Design by David Withrow, Music Direction by Michael Borth, and a band that includes Joseph Wallace on Bass, Matt Hinkley on Acoustic/Electric Guitars, Allison Seidner on Cello, Rich Silverstein on Keyboard, Yuiko Kamakari on Violin/Viola, and Jeremy Yaddaw on Drums/Percussion.  Kristina Vnook Stage Manages and Jacob Harvey is Asst. Producer.

Tickets are $20 ($25 at the door), and can be purchased at www.galapagosartspace.com.  For more information go to www.35mmthemusical.com.

(Screenshot of the 35mm website.)

Galapagos Art Space is a 9,000 square foot, Obie^® Award-winning cultural venue located in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Galapagos is about to become New York City’s first LEED certified ‘green’ cultural venue, and features a 1600 square foot lake, with island seating on the lake, surrounded by a operatic style mezzanine.

35mm is presented by John Johnson and Very Intense Productions in association with Angelina Burnett, Tom & Renee Christina, Diane Finston, Michael Seel and Van Patten Media.

Matthew Murphy (Photography) is a writer and photographer living in New York City.  Since leaving his career as a professional dancer with American Ballet Theatre, he has written articles for Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine, Playbill and Movmnt Magazine.  His photography has been featured online at The Village Voice, Playbill and Broadway.com, and is frequently seen in The New York Times, where Murphy is a freelancer with a specialty in live performance photography.

Jeremy Bloom (Direction) directs new music, plays and his original, large-cast adaptations which include Peter~Wendy (dark), La Boheme (spoken), and Leaves of Grass (nude).  He has assisted at The Met and on Broadway and is a Drama League Fellow, Soho Rep Lab Director, alum of the TS Eliot Exchnage and an alum of Northwestern University’s Performance Studies.

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www.35mmthemusical.com

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BOSTON, MA – Following nearly two months of on-campus development, Retrop Productions and Emerson College’s RareWorks Theatre Company, in association with Kurt Deutsch, President and Founder of Sh-K Boom Records, will present Ryan Scott Oliver and Brett Ryback’s Darling, A New Musical. The developmental production will premiere in Boston, MA, at Emerson College’s Semel Theater on March 1 & 2, 2012.

Last December, show creators, Ryan Scott Oliver and Brett Ryback, traveled to Emerson College in Boston, MA to participate in a preliminary workshop of the production. After a very successful weekend, the creators stayed to aide in the casting and development of  the full production. Over the course of the past two months, Oliver and Ryback have been active in the rehearsal room via weekend trips and video conference calls.

Darling is presented in association with Kurt Deutsch, President and Founder Sh-K-Boom Records, a Grammy Award winning label that bridges the gap between rock and theater music. Deutsch, looking forward to this exciting collaboration at Emerson, states, “there is nothing like being part of the creation of a new musical and working with two of the most exciting young musical theatre writers. I think that Darling represents where the future of musical theatre is going, deeply rooted in traditional storytelling through music but by someone whose influences range from Sondheim to the popular music of today.”

Darling, A New Musical will be directed by Michael Bello, a senior BFA Musical Theatre Major at Emerson College. Bello has previously worked as an assistant director at Theatreworks in Palo Alto, CA and for Mary Zimmerman at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston. Bello explains the intricacies of working with a developmental production, stating “A production like this flexes an entirely new group of muscles. We have to be flexible to be able to rehearse a scene one day and the next day the lines have changed, and it’s a very different adventure.”

Ryan Scott Oliver, composer and lyricist of Darling, spoke of the development process within a college environment, stating “DARLING is a show about young people forsaken by their society, who must find their way “home” (whatever that is) and grow up, or risk being lost forever… Which is an experience I think many college-aged kids can relate to. For us, the experience of getting your work developed by such an eager and knowledgeable group of people, as hungry to create as we the writers are to have our work created on stage, is one-of-a-kind. The student staff and actors at Emerson are truly remarkable, and we are lucky to be a part of their initial steps into the professional world.”

For Jacob S. Porter of Retrop Productions, “the important thing was to create an experience for the Emerson community that would highlight the importance of developing promising new musical theater, while providing composers, lyricists and book writers with a safe home to create their piece. Darling is a terrific musical and this experience, with RareWorks Theatre Company, is an exciting first at Emerson, one that I
hope will continue for years to come.”

The cast of Darling: A New Musical includes; Maximilian Sangerman (Peter), Lauren Chapman (Ursula), Michael Niederer (Rose), Chelsea Williams (Stella),  Brock Bivens, Amanda Spinella, Lily LaGravenese, Michael Albert, Andrew Barret Cox, Hallie Brevetti, Sara Deviney, Natasha Edwards, Gabe Gibbs, Braden Joyce-Schleimer,  Matt Koplik, Melody Madarasz, Eric Maxwell, Sarah Mitchel, Hayley Moir Jake Novak, Chris Renalds, Julia Sinks, and Andrew Spatafora.

The production team includes; Gregory Turner (Associate Producer), Srda Vasiljevic (Associate Producer)  Anne Sherer (Scenic Design), Haley Vigil (Costume Design), Kevin Semagin (Lighting Design), Josh Klein (Sound Design), Mitchell Canfield (Assistant Director) Tobey Zaretsky (Choreography), Shanna Allison (Stage Manager), Ashley Albrecht and Brian Lieberman.

Tickets to Darling are free and can be reserved beginning on February 17, 2012 at 10:00AM at www.rareworkstheatre.com.

More about Retrop Productions
Retrop Productions was formed in the summer of 2011 by Emerson student Jacob S. Porter and aims to provide college musical theater programs with the opportunity to develop new musical theater with rising composers and book writers.

More about RareWorks Theatre Company
RareWorks Theatre Company supports theatrical productions fully produced, directed, managed, and staged solely by students of Emerson College. The genres which they sponsor include musical theater, plays, student written pieces, and experimental theater.  Their mission is to provide professional theatrical opportunities by producing new, provocative, and rare works.

All backers will receive:
$1 {KEEP ME POSTED.} Access to the exclusive 35mm Instagram account! Photos will be updated from the rehearsal and production process.

Plus, additional gifts added if you’re feeling dangerous:
$25 {ALEX BRIGHTMAN VLOGS ON YOUR FACEBOOK WALL} Oh yeah. It will probably be dirty.

$35 {A 35MM CAST MEMBER RECORDS YOUR OUTGOING VOICE MAIL MESSAGE} Yup. You provide them with your phone number and security code and they’ll replace your message so people finally know how cool you are.

Out of town, and want to give more than $25 but less than $100?  This one’s for you!
$50 {THE [CAST MEMBER] PACKAGE.} A copy of the front page of your favorite 35mm song sheet music signed by its featured performer, plus Ryan Scott Oliver and Matthew Murphy + Hard copy CD (includes booklet of photos and lyrics) + a “Thank You” on RSO’s website

Now that they’ve announced our venue and dates (GALAPAGOS ART SPACE, March 7 and 12), do you want to upgrade your donation to the campaign from the regular ol’ CD to actual tickets?

Remember, for just $50 you can get the ALBUM and a seat to the show.

Joining previously announced Alex Brightman, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Lindsay Mendez is BEN CRAWFORD (below, best known for replacing Brian D’arcy James in Shrek) has joined the cast, and audiences can expect Mr. Crawford to perform “Make Me Happy,” “Hemming and Hawing,” and more.

35mm’s band features a slew of RSO regulars: ERIC DAY on Acoustic/Electric Bass, MATT HINKLEY on Acoustic/Electric Guitars, ALLISON SEIDNER on Electric Cello, RICH SILVERSTEIN on Keyboard, HIROKO “COCO” TAGUCHI on Electric Violin/Viola, and JEREMY YADDAW on Drums/Percussion.

Van Patten Media has also launched the show’s brand new website here where you can download free desktop wallpaper, audios, and more.

Galapagos Art Space is located at 16 Main Street in Brooklyn, NYC. Tickets can be purchased for $20 in advance HERE, or (before January 30) via the Kickstarter page (best deal). For more information go to www.galapagosartspace.com.

The final cast member and more production information is expected in the forthcoming weeks

The campaign seeks to fund both an album and original production for the show, which will star Alex Brightman, Jay Armstrong Johnson, and Lindsay Mendez, with more cast and creative team to be announced, as well as production venue and dates, shortly.

In addition to pre-ordering copies of the 35mm album, buying advanced tickets, snagging the complete vocal score and other gifts for donors, schools and theatre companies can get the first licensing rights and high-level donors can even be Associate Producers.

WATCH THE 35MM KICKSTARTER VIDEO AND DONATE HERE.