Daniel Jenkins, Jose Llana Set For Prospect Theater 2011 Annual Gala 6/27

Prospect Theater Company (Cara Reichel, Producing Artistic Director / Melissa Huber, Managing Director) presents its annual gala evening, Make Our Garden Grow, in the Harbor View Room at Battery Gardens, a beautiful and unique waterside location nestled at the southern most corner of Battery Park, on Monday, June 27, 2011 from 6pm - 10:30pm, with an 8pm concert performance featuring Broadway friends as well as Prospect stars! Battery Gardens is located inside New York City's Battery Park (opposite 17 State Street): www.BatteryGardens.com. Tickets to the 8pm cabaret performance and after-party are $125 and are available by calling 212-352-3101, or visiting www.ProspectTheater.org. A portion of the cost of each ticket is tax-deductible.

Currently scheduled to appear in the cabaret performance, which will feature song selections from Prospect's decade-long repertoire of new musicals as well as a sneak peek of the upcoming 2011-12 Season, are: Jimmy Ray Bennett (Illyria, The Nuclear Family), Daniel Jenkins (Big River, Mary Poppins, ART's The Blue Flower), Jose Llana (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The King and I), Marla Mindelle (Sister Act, South Pacific), Gordon Stanley (Ragtime, Prospect's Iron Curtain), Teal Wicks (Wicked, ART's The Blue Flower), Tony Award-winner Karen Ziemba (Contact, Curtains, Crazy For You, Steel Pier) and more! Prospect is also pleased to welcome back members from its 2010 cast of WITH GLEE - Zach Bandler, Christopher Carlisle, Jason Edward Cook, Dan Lawler, and Max Spitulnik - and members of its 2009 original cast of GOLDEN BOY OF THE BLUE RIDGE - Victoria Huston-Elem, Carol Hickey, and Melody Berger - for encore performances. The evening will be hosted by Evan Pappas (Parade, My Favorite Year).

The gala will celebrate and raise funds for Prospect's 2011-12 Season line-up of productions, to include a new production of IRON CURTAIN: A New Musical Commie-dy; an original re-conceiving of Adam Guettel's critically-acclaimed song cycle, MYTHS AND HYMNS; and a new adaptation of Cole Porter's 1933 musical NYMPH ERRANT.

The season opens in November with IRON CURTAIN, an uproarious original musical comedy set during Broadway's Golden Age of the 1950s (book by Susan DiLallo, lyrics by Peter Mills, and music by Steve Weiner). This show was originally developed by Prospect in 2006 with a sold-out workshop production and has received further development at the prestigious O'Neill Theatre Center (2008), the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's annual "Festival of New Musicals" (2009), and through a recent regional premiere production at the Village Theatre in Seattle (2011).

Then, in February 2012, stage and film director Elizabeth Lucas (Clear Blue Tuesday) offers her innovative and poetic vision for MYTHS AND HYMNS, a song cycle by critically-acclaimed composer and lyricist Adam Guettel.

Lastly, in summer 2012, Prospect will present NYMPH ERRANT, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a revised libretto by playwright and Prospect member Rob Urbinati (Hazelwood Jr. High, Prospect's West Moon Street). One of Porter's most sexy and sophisticated scores -- originally censored in its 1933 London debut -- will be showcased in this sleek adaptation, which follows the picaresque adventures of a group of boarding school girls as they enter the world and seek to find their true passion. Prospect veteran director Davis McCallum, will lead an ensemble of actor-musicians to present a fresh take on this rarely-heard gem.

Further details on Prospect's 2011-12 Season and subscription opportunities will be announced in July.
Gala Program Information
Prospect Theater Company's 2011 ANNUAL GALA: Make Our Garden Grow
Monday, June 27, 6pm - 10:30pm, Battery Gardens, Harbor View Room, NYC
inside Battery Park (opposite 17 State Street) - www.BatteryGardens.com
8:00pm ~ Cabaret Performance
9:15 - 10:30p ~ After-Party with Open Bar & Hors D'oeuvres
Guests attending the performance are invited to arrive between 7:30 - 8p.

Cabaret performance and post-show reception: $125 per ticket
Includes Seating for Performance and post-show reception with light hors d'oeuvres and open bar. ($75 per ticket tax deductible.)
Available online at www.ProspectTheater.org, or by calling 212-352-3101.