Midwest New Musicals Presents NORTH SHORE RHYTHMS AND BLUES, 7/22 & 23

Midwest New Musicals presents NORTH SHORE RHYTHMS AND BLUES, the 2012 Mini-Musicals Project on Sunday, July 22, 3:00 pm, Light Opera Works Second Stage at McGaw YMCA Children's Center Auditorium, 1420 Maple in Evanston and Monday, July 23, at 7:30 pm, McGuire Auditorium-Warde Academic Center, Saint Xavier University, 3700 West 103 Street in Chicago. Tickets are $10 at (847) 920-5360 or at the door.

NORTH SHORE RHYTHMS AND BLUES features a concert medley of songs by workshop writers and three short pieces: PADDYCAKES by Patrice Peltier and Johanna Drew, THE BLOOD OF SAN GENNARO by Graziano Marcheschi, John David Nelson and Jessica A. Hunt and RHYTHM AND WINE by Barbara Georgans and Bruce Warden. Each piece includes a lyric image ("a loaf of stale bread"), a line of dialogue ("there's a panda in the driveway") and a musical motif (C up to F-sharp, up to G, down to E).

The stage director is Tina Salamone, the music director is Jessica A. Hunt and the performers are Maria Barwegen, John Gurdian, Ashlee Hardgriove, Brandon Moorhead and Melissa Rosenberg.

The Mini-Musicals Project is the culminating exercise of first-year workshop writers in the Midwest New Musicals program. Participating authors create short musicals for a pre-selected ensemble and production team.

The musical theater writers program began in Chicago under the tutelage of John Sparks in 1986. Since 2009, Midwest New Musicals has been a resident arm of Light Opera Works, Chicago's specialists in operetta and musical theater. With Midwest New Musicals, Light Opera Works is able to expand its programming and service to the field by providing an outlet for writers and for new works of musical theater.

Midwest New Musicals, a writers workshop and development program, is an ongoing forum where lyricists, composers and book writers create and discuss their work. Divided into three levels, workshop members meet 10 times per year for intensive weekend sessions led by workshop director John Sparks and associate artist Larry Todd Johnson, with producer Joan Mazzonelli. Sessions take place at the Light Opera Works rehearsal center, 516 4th Street in Wilmette.

New Core Curriculum sessions begin September 22, 2012, and continue through June 16, 2013. The study and writing process leads to two public presentation programs. The Mini-Musicals Project allows first-year participants to create short musicals for a pre-selected ensemble and production team. Words and Music is a concert reading series of new musicals in progress principally composed by workshop members of the Midwest New Musicals program and developed in the Core Curriculum and development process.

Fees for the Midwest New Musicals Core Curriculum are $645 per term, or $1,200 if enrolling for two terms in advance. The fall term is a pre-requisite for the winter/spring term.The winter/spring term includes the Mini-Musicals Project. Application Fee (non-refundable):$25.