Development and Workshop of OCU Composition Student Benjamin Adgate's Spoon River Anthology Selected for First Rising Voices Project

Philadelphia Music Theater Works is proud to announce the development and workshopping of a new musical adaptation of Edgar Lee Master's classic text Spoon River Anthology by Oklahoma City University composition student Benjamin Adgate.

As a part of our Musical Theater Lab program, in conjunction with our newly developed Rising Voices Program aimed at promoting and encouraging the work of student artist-composers who have an interest in a career writing for the musical theater, Philly Music Theater Works offers selected artist-students and their work the opportunity to receive a developmental workshop with a professional director, music director and cast of singing actors in the heart of Center City. The developmental workshop will culminate in an invited preview performance for theater artists and professionals.

This unique and innovative program is one of only a few of its kind in the nation through encouraging young writers to pursue a career in the musical theater. A current student writer is selected through submissions and by referral, following selection the student writer is given the rare opportunity to develop their work with professional musical theater artists and present a final showcase of the piece for an invited audience.

Benjamin Adgate, this year's Rising Voice student writer, is a composition student at Oklahoma City University and alumni of NYU's Musical Theater Writing summer program. His adaptation of Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthology has received readings and performances at OCU. Other works include; a musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, an instrumental piece inspired by David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof, and various theater, pop/rock and art songs.

For more information about this special event or the final showcase performance email:
downesj@phillymusictheater.org.

Philadelphia Music Theater Works, Philly's most promising new voice in the musical theater, proudly enters its third producing year this Summer 2010. Previous projects have included; FRESH: New Musicals - Stripped., Charles Gilbert's Watch the Birdie, The Ryan Scott Oliver Project, This Thing Calle Love, VINTAGE: A Celebration of Broadway's Golden Age and Save This: A Campaign to Preserve one of Philly's Most Promising Theater Companies. Dedicated to the progress, investigation and preservation of the musical theater, Philadelphia Music Theater Works is one of only a handful of producing and developmental theaters in the nation dedicated exclusively to the musical theater.