The Duplex presents The Sum of Our Hearts- An Evening of Songs by 2008 Jonathan Larson Award Winners Jeff Thomson and Jordan Mann on Monday, October 20th, 2008, at the Duplex, 61 Christopher Street, New York.
According to lyricist Jordan Mann, “While the songs are from a number of projects we’re developing, all the songs are about the challenges of growing up, trying to learn from the mistakes of the past, and holding onto a sense of hope in the face of change.”
The Sum of Our Hearts is an evening of songs by one of musical theatre’s most exciting emerging songwriting team and will feature The Times They Are A Changin’ stars Lisa Brescia and Thom Sesma, and American Idol favorite Natalie Weiss, along with New York City newcomers Meredith Anderson, Matt Lutz and Tim Wilson. The Sum of Our Hearts will be directed by Daniel Kutner (I Love You Because), with musical direction by Aaron Jodoin.
The Sum of our Hearts will play one night only October 20 at 7PM at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St. at 7th Ave.
Jeff Thomson and Jordan Mann received a 2008 Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Grant. They were 2006-2007 Musical Theatre Writing Fellows with the Dramatist Guild, and were mentored by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, Richard Maltby, and David Shire. They co-wrote the 2005 Disney/ASCAP Selection The New Kid and participated in the first ever Perry Mansfield Composer Stage Project with Craig Carnelia. Their songs have been featured in the acclaimed Monday Night New Voices programs in Chicago and New York, and their songs have been heard at The Duplex and Chicago’s Tony-Winning Victory Gardens. Their song “When The Words Won’t Come” was published in the Fall 2007 issue of “The Dramatist”. They are currently developing a number of projects, and their original musical Appalachian Trails will be developed through Milikin University in January 2009. For more information www.thomsonandmann.com.
Daniel Kutner is currently the full-time assistant director to Broadway legend, Harold Prince. Projects with Mr. Prince include Lovemusik by Alfred Uhry at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Biltmore Theatre on Broadway and the upcoming Paradise Found, a new musical by Richard Nelson, Ellen Fitzhugh, & Jonathan Tunick. Among his directing credits are the world premiere Off-Broadway hit musical, I Love You Because at the Village Theater, and a new version of Kander and Ebb’s The World Goes Round, which inaugurated the Gettysburg Arts Festival in Pennsylvania and transferred to the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia. A Temple University graduate and a Philadelphia native, Dan served as the Inaugural Directing Fellow at the Philadelphia Theatre Company, and subsequently the Robert Moss Directing Resident at Playwrights Horizons.
Meredith Anderson is a graduate of the University of Southern California where she studied music and theater. She has been seen in NY at the Metropolitan Room, the Laurie Beechman Theater as well as past performances at the Duplex. Some favorite regional credits include Disney's Snow White the Musical, Babes in Arms, Oklahoma, Patience and Guys and Dolls. She has performed at the Hollywood Bowl, Universal Studios Japan and with the LA Philharmonic. Meredith enjoys writing comedy and children's material and has been published by Focus on the Family. She is an active member of Trinity Grace Church.
Lisa Brescia just returned from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. where she appeared as Violet in Side Show in their presentation of Broadway: Three Generations, and recently finished her run as Elphaba in Chicago’s Wicked, after having spent a year in the Broadway production. She starred on Broadway in The Times They Are A-Changin’ and was seen as Marion Halcombe in The Woman in White when she stepped in for British star Maria Friedman. She played Amneris in Aida on Broadway for the last year of its run and was seen in the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. Regional credits include Evita (Eva), The Last 5 Years (Cathy), A Little Night Music (Petra) and Brigadoon (Meg). For five years, she toured worldwide with The Mamas and The Papas.
Matt Lutz Aaron Blair in Disney’s Bringing Down The House, Clay Gephardt in Warner Brothers’ A Walk To Remember, Pete Fleming in indie hit End Of The Spear, and the upcoming independent feature Port City. Two years as defense attorney Phil Newberry on the Hallmark Channel’s McBride series, opposite Emmy winner John Larroquette. Also Las Vegas, Boston Public, Dawson’s Creek, 7th Heaven, among others. New musical Glimpses Of The Moon at the Algonquin Hotel in NYC; Show Boat and The Most Happy Fella at Utah Festival Opera; world premiere A Time For Love at Rubicon Theatre; Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Welk Theatre; Jon in Los Angeles premiere of Tick, Tick…Boom!; and 1776, Into The Woods, Translations, and the Los Angeles premiere Tales Of Tinseltown, among others, all with Actors Co-op Hollywood. Matt is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and Screen Actors Guild, and is represented commercially and theatrically by Innovative Artists.
Thom Sesma just completed a run of Julia Cho’s DURANGO at Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park. BROADWAY: The Times They Are A-Changin’ Search and Destroy, Man of La Mancha (2002), Nick & Nora, Face Value. NATIONAL TOURS: Miss Saigon, Titanic. OFF BROADWAY: Cymbeline (1998), Rashomon, A Hard Heart, Baby Goya, In A Pig’s Valise, Ivanov, As Thousands Cheer, Othello, Roundabout Theatre Company, Second Stage Theatre, NYSF/Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theatre, Epic Theatre Ensemble, National Asian American Theatre Co., The Mint. REGIONAL: Shanghai Moon, Dinner with Friends, Romeo and Juliet, The Normal Heart, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Merrily We Roll Along, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, The Molly Maguires, The King and I and others, Yale Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre, The Old Globe, Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Bay Street Theatre, many others. TELEVISION & FILM: Third Watch, Law & Order, Whoopi, Trinity, When I Grow Up, Canterbury’s Law, Mambo Kings, Molly Dodd. A proud member of AEA. He is currently directing Tennessee Williams’ OUTCRY for NAATCO, previews beginning Nov. 29 at the Abingdon Theatre.
Natalie Weiss has performed in the pre-Broadway reading of Ever After, Scott Alan and Jeremy Schonfeld's CD release concerts at Birdland, Tales From The Bad Years, Broadway Loves the 80's volume 3, and Monday's Nights New Voices. She is well known for her youtube performances such as "I'm A Star", "Quiet", "And I Am Telling You", and "I Believe In You And Me". Regional credits include Pittsburgh CLO and North Shore Music Theatre. Natalie was an American Idol Season 4 top 97 finalist. BFA/Penn State University.
Timothy Wilson most recently appeared in Joseph… at Stages St. Louis and he was seen as Luke in Altar Boyz directed by Stephen Bourneuf at the Arvada Center in Denver. Other credits include Zeke in High School Musical, Bobby Strong in Urinetown (directed by John Caraffa), Lenny in Marisol, and Charlie Brown in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Tim was awarded the Presidential Scholar in the Arts medal and was given the opportunity to sing at the Kennedy Center. A proud member of Actors’ Equity, he holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University.
TICKET INFORMATION
The Sum of Our Hearts- An Evening of Songs by 2008 Jonathan Larson Award Winners Jeff Thomson and Jordan Mann will be performed on Monday, October 20th, 2008, at the Duplex, 61 Christopher Street, New York. Tickets are $15 + 2 drink minimum. Reservations can be made by calling (212) 255-5438 or visiting http://www.theduplex.com
