Discovering Magenta will makes its NYC debut at the 2015 Thespis Theater Festival

There will be three productions:

September 1, Tuesday, @ 6:15 pm

September 5, Saturday,  @ 8:30 pm

September 6, Sunday,  @ 1 pm 

Location - The Hudson Guild Theater 
                     441 W 26th St. (9th/10th Avenues)
                     New York, NY 10001

Buy tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1697182 or at the door


Cast and Crew:

James C. Kaufman (Book/Lyrics) has written plays which have been performed at theaters, colleges, and high schools across the world. An evening of his short work played at the American Theater of Actors (Off-Bway). His play “My Very Elegant Mother” has played at the Riant Theatre as part of the Strawberry One-Act Festival, at the Fritz Theater (San Diego), and was adapted into an audiobook. When not writing plays, Kaufman is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. An internationally known creativity researcher, Kaufman has written/edited more than 30 books and won awards from APA, NAGC, Mensa, and WPA; he also is co-editor for the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture.

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Michael Bitterman (Music) wrote the music & lyrics for FIVE AFTER EIGHT which played at the Cubiculo Theater in NYC in 1979  breaking all existing house records for that theater. Original Cast Records released the cast album.  He wrote the score for The Demigod of E 78th St (book & lyrics: Dennis Drogseth) Woodstock Playhouse, 1984 and the score for RASPUTIN. Discovering Magenta, with book & lyrics by James Corey Kaufman, was selected and produced by Oklahoma City University Bass School of Music in 2007 for their New Musical Series.  Michael also wrote book, music & lyrics for The Cellar (a sexual fetish musical) and music & lyrics for FORLORN HOPE-The Donner Party Musical (book by TG Harpster).  His solo album, Whose Fantasy Is This, is available on iTunes & CD Baby as are the scores for all of his musicals.  He is owner and producer at Midnight Mod Recording in Saugerties, NY recording and producing a multitude of artists and albums since 1973.  His website is  http://www.midmod.com/newSite/composer.htm. Michael would like to thank Melissa Rossow for all her help in graphic design and other multi magenta tasks.

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Valeria Cossu (Director),  After finishing her artistic studies in Rome, Madrid, and New York, Valeria began her professional career as a performer at the Opera Lirica in Italy dancing in prestigious  productions. She went on to join several different international dance and theatre companies throughout her career, such as MAYUMANA, Yllana, and Kaleido.  Valeria's versatility lead her to grow into different roles onstage and off. She has worked in Europe as the Assistant Director for John Rando on The Wedding Singer (Spain) and as Associate Director/Choreographer on Ecopolis the Show and Gormiti the Show (Spain and Portugal). Upon moving to NYC, Valeria's choreography has been seen in Ser o no Cer…Vantes, RL´s 2011 Choreographers Festival, and The Chanukah Miracle Show. She worked as part of Salgado Productions with the Director/Choreographer Luis Salgado as Assistant Director/Associate Choreographer on CANDELA Fueraz y Pasion (Perú); DC-7 The Roberto Clemente Story (Off-Broadway), Zapata the Musical (NYMF), Amigo Duende a New Musical (Museo del Barrio); Song of Solomon (Thespis Festival, Awarded Best Director ); Zuccotti Park  (Venus/Adonis Festival, Awarded Best Director). As a director, Valeria has directed both Carolina Chickpea and Under Your Skin for The Chelsea Repertory. 

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James Parks (Henry), was most recently seen in a musical version of Pride and Prejudice at Theater for the New City. In NYC, James is sought after for collaborating on new musicals and demo recordings. Recent new works include Bradley Cole, r/Evolution, and Tombstone the Musical. James has performed in numerous regional theaters and on a national tour. For the past year James has voiced Father and other characters in EnglishCrayon, a Korean educational program that teaches English through story, song, and dance. Thank you for supporting live theater!  MM: NYU Steinhardt; BM: Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins. www.TheJamesParks.com

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Joy McKay (Katrina), is excited to be a part of this show. Her bio highlights include Margot in Legally Blonde at the John Desotelle Studio, Showgirl in Funny Girl at regional theatre Lyric Stage in Irving, Charlotte in Nobdoy Heard Us Singing, role as a pageant girl in the web series “Math Warriors”, her role as a ballet dancer in the 2015 TV series “Flesh and Bone” as well as the new movie “Stuck”. She was provided as walk-on role in the season 3 Netflix hit series “Orange is the New Black.”  You may even spot her and her dog in an Old Navy ad.  She has recently started her own dance studio on the UES. www.dancewithjoy.weebly.com 

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Daniel Karp (Cole), is thrilled to be a part of "Discovering Magenta" with this amazing group of artists. Past credits include: Off-Broadway and National Tour of "Pinkalicious: The Musical" and William Cooper in the world premiere of "Zuccotti Park". Other favorite credits: Next to Normal (Gabe). Reefer Madness (Jimmy Harper), and Gypsy (Tulsa). Graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

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Aaron Lind (Eliot), is thrilled to be making his NYC stage debut. Favorite regional credits: Across the Universe (Jude), Marry me a Little (Him), Class of '70 Something (Donny Osmond), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph); Film/TV: Disney Channel, Nickelodeon; Graduate of the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Meisner Studio in Los Angeles, CA. 

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Holly Knowles (Rose), New York: You Don't Have To Go Home... But You Can't Stay Here - Erica, Marilyn Exposed (Staged Reading) - Publicist/Witnesses, Regional: I'll Never Be Hungry Again - Smelanie/Swell, Christmas in the Smokies - Mary, The Confession - Katherine Mayfield, Seussical the Musical - Gertrude, Showboat - Lottie, and The Spitfire Grill - Shelby.  Film/TV: I Hope You Live Forever - Marge, Aislin - Anne, High School Noir - Pilot.  Alum of Lees-McRae College, former Barter Player, UCB student, and avid dog lover.  So excited to be a part of Discovering Magenta!  Colossians 3:23

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Jenny Singer (Rachel) is a West Coast transplant and recent graduate of Barnard College. Favorite roles include Little(s) Red Ridinghood and Sally respectively, Jeanie in Hair, and Gussie in Merrily We Roll Along. Many thanks to Valeria, James, and Michael for including me in the exciting process of creating new musical theater.

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Alexandra Tenenbaum (Stage Manager), is a recent graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, having received her BA in Production and Management. Her theater credits include: Once Upon A Mattress (The York Theatre), O Pioneers(MMC), Women (Under St. Marks), and One Will Speak/The Other Is Dead (Temporary Distortion). As well as credits in dance and circus stage management for Moira Dance Theatre and Speigelworld. 

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David Rosenberg (Musical Director) is a New York based music director and pianist studying music composition and music education at NYU. Recent credits include Spring Awakening (music director - NYU), Songs For A New World (music director - NYU), Coromandel (music director - Trevor Bachman), and Beyond Words (music director & orchestrator - NYMF).

Solomon Hoffman (Orchestrations) has orchestration credits including Plath. (FringeNYC), Far From Canterbury (FringeNYC), War Lesbian (Dixon Place), Columbia Songbook (54 Below) and Trailblazers (NYMF-SLP). As composer: Lydia & Tom (FringeNYC) and Twelfth Night (Juilliard Drama). Recent graduate of Columbia, where he composed the annual student-written Varsity Show twice, and conducted/orchestrated the show for four years. He was a member of the music department for the Off-Broadway productions of Pageant and For The Last Time, as well as Unknown Soldier (Williamstown).  

Sarah S. Parks  (Stage Combat Choreographer) 

Yaya Zeevi (Scenic Designer)

Patrick Bakalli (Lighting Designer) 

Taylor Garcia (Production Assistant)