Shown (l-r): Matthew Hardy, Sean Hartley, Randy Klein, Ron Barnett, Greg Edwards, Eric March, jeff Ward, Matt Schatz, Phillip Chernyak, Patrick Cook, , Mary Liz McNamara, Richard Engquist, Frank Evans, Alison Hubbard, Kim oler, Ray Bokhour, Phoebe Kreutz, BMI’s Jean Banks, and Daniel Israel. Not pictured: Simon Gray

The new musicals showcased included The Suicide by Raymond Bokhour and Simon Gray; The Thing About Joe by Randy Klein and Matthew Hardy; Saloon Songs by Richard Engquist; and The Dirty Hippie Jam Band by Dan Israel and Phoebe Kreutz. Other writers included Mary Liz McNamara, Sean Hartley, Greg Edwards, Eric March, Jeff Ward, Matt Schatz, Phillip Chernyak, Alison Hubbard and Kim Oler. Previous smoker participants include Best Musical Tony Award-winners Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (Avenue Q); Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer (I’m Getting My Act Together…); Eric Rockwell and Joann Bogart (The Musical of Musicals, The Musical); and Amanda Green and Tom Kitt (High Fidelity). The event was produced by the Workshop’s Artistic Coordinator Patrick Cook and Special Events Coordinator Frank Evans. The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, a 2006 Tony Honor recipient, Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award winner for Excellence in Musical Theatre, was founded in 1961 by the late Lehman Engel, dean of American musical theatre, to create a setting where new writers could learn their craft.

This prestigious award was established in 1997 by Jerry Bock, BMI composer of such classics as Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello!, She Loves Me, The Apple Tree and The Rothschilds. The winner was personally chosen by Bock from the collective output of musicals developed in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

Pictured after the presentation are BMI Foundation President Ralph Jackson, Workshop Artistic Coordinator Pat Cook, Jerry Bock Award winner Barry Wyner, Workshop Steering Committee member Frank Evans, composer Jerry Bock, BMI Foundation Treasurer Gary Roth, BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Workshop Director Jean Banks

A hip update of Cyrano, Calvin Berger chronicles 12th grader Calvin Berger as he grapples with his insecurity about the size of his nose. Lacking the courage to ask out the girl of his dreams, he instead communicates his feelings to her through the handsome new kid in school...which only makes him want her more. The award-winning musical was recently previewed at Musicals Tonight!

Award recipient Barry Wyner is congratulated by composer Jerry Bock

Wyner's other original musicals include Sugar Plum (produced at Company Carolina and Gloucester Stage), Something to Say (reading, Manhattan Theater Club) and Kelleher Was Dumbstruck (produced at Access Theater, NYC). His emerging career and involvement with the BMI Workshop was chronicled on a Japanese state television documentary on NHK Network last spring. Previous winners of the Bock Award include Alison Hubbard and Kim Oler for The Enchanted Cottage. Ben Schaechter, Frank Evans and Julie Gilbert for Dinner at Eight, Jay Gaither and Cheryl Hawkins for Hurricane, and David Dreyfus and Jeffrey Hardy for A Trip to the Footbinder.

MTC's Michael Bush talks to BMI composer Maury Yeston and Workshop Artistic Coordinator Patrick Cook

Performers included Tony Award-winning actor and BMI Broadway writer Michael Rupert, Obie Award winner Eddie Korbich, as well as Valerie Fagan ("Forbidden Broadway"), Nora Mae Lyng ("Amour"), Jim Stanek ("The Rivals," "Funny Thing..."), Leah Hocking ("Dracula," "All Shook Up"), Sebastian Arcelus ("Rent"), Tom Keeling ("Les Miserables") and Matt McGrath ("Cabaret," Boys Don't Cry).

The cast and writers gather after the showcase

Workshop members Warren Loy, Neil Bartram, Michael Ogborn, Martin Fernandi and Susan Murray performed their own work. Other Workshop writers who participated with songs throughout the evening included Andrew Abrams, Bill Augustin, Kim Oler, Alison Hubbard, David Arthur, Andy Monroe, Chris Todd, Larry Goldberg, Jack Lechner, Barbara Alsemi, Will Randall, Tom Kitt, Amanda Green, David Turner, Michael Man, Oscar E. Moore and Dana P. Rowe.

Workshop Artistic Coordinator Patrick Cook and Workshop Special Events Coordinator Frank Evans produced the event.

Photos: Gary Gershoff ]]> 2004-11-29T17:00:01+00:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233965 Artists, Cook, Patrick, Evans, Frank, Hubbard, Alison, Spencer, David, Musical Styles, Musical Theatre The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) held their annual New Works Summit recently that included a luncheon hosted by BMI and a presentation of new works from the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, founded in 1985, is the only national service organization dedicated to musical theatre. Its membership includes theatre institutions, universities, and independent producers. Located throughout 32 states and 6 countries, member companies vary substantially in size and structure, yet all share a commitment to preserve and enhance this uniquely American art form. Last season, NAMT members cumulatively staged nearly 20,000 performances attended by 14 million people and reached revenues exceeding $500 million.

Some of the writers whose works were presented included Ralph Sevush, Will Randall, Michael Ogborn, Bill Augustin, David Arthur, Frank Evans, BMI's Jean Banks, Alison Hubbard, Annie Kessler, Andy Monroe, Louise Beach, David Spencer, Chris Todd, Warren Loy and Andrew Abrams.

Photo: Dana Rodriguez

Seen here after the luncheon are BMI's Jean Banks; Bob Alwine, Goodspeed Musicals; Dave Steakley, Zachary Scott Theater in Austin; Leland Ball, California Musical Theatre; Kathy Evans, Executive Director of NAMT; Sue Frost, Goodspeed; Daniella Topol, New Works Program Director, NAMT; David Armstrong, The Fifth Avemue Musical Theatre Company in Seattle; Frank Evans, Co-producer of the Showcase and member of BMI Theatre Workshop Steering Committee; Robb Hunt, Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington; and Patrick Cook, Artistic Coordinator of the BMI Theatre Workshop.

Photo: David Bills

Seen here after the luncheon are 2003 Jerry Bock Award winner Alison Hubbard; Jerry Bock; Pat Cook, Artistic Coordinator of the Workshop; 2003 Jerry Bock Award winner Kim Oler; 2001 Jerry Bock Award winner Frank Evans, who also serves on the Workshop's Steering Committee; and BMI's Jean Banks. photo: Gary Gershoff

This prestigious award was established in 1997 by Jerry Bock, BMI composer of such classic musicals as Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello!, She Loves Me, The Apple Tree and The Rothschilds. The winning musical was personally chosen by Bock from the collective output of musicals developed in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. Previous winners of the Bock Award include Ben Schaechter, Frank Evans and Julie Gilbert for Dinner At 8, Jay Gaither and Cheryl Hawkins for Hurricane, and David Dreyfus and Jeffrey Hardy for A Trip to the Footbinder.]]> 2003-08-08T18:00:00+00:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233678 Artists, Blumenkrantz, Jeff, Evans, Frank, Freyer, Rick, Hubbard, Alison, Oler, Kim, Musical Styles, Musical Theatre

Pictured after the performances are BMI's Jean Banks; Michel Ogborn; Pat Cook, co-moderator of the First Year / Artistic Coordinator of the Workshop and co-producer of the evening; Beth Falcone; Jeff Blumenkrantz; Kim Oler; David Arthur; Alison Hubbard; Frank Evans, co-producer of the evening; Andy Monroe; Adam Overett; Rick Freyer, co-moderator of the First Year and co-producer of the evening. Other writers who presented their work at the cabaret included Jason Coll, Martin Fernandi, Kark Kissin and Susan Murray.

photo by Eric Miller
]]> 2003-03-17T17:00:00+00:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233137 Jackson, Ralph, Engel, Lehman, Evans, Frank, Freyer, Rick, Hubbard, Alison, Monroe, Andy, Oler, Kim, Smulyan, Jane, Spencer, David, Classical, Musical Theatre, Foundation, Jerry Harrington Musical Theater Award The BMI Foundation is proud to announce the winners of the 3rd Annual Jerry Harrington Musical Theatre Awards in recognition of Outstanding Creative Achievement in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. Certificates and cash prizes were given out during a reception on June 17 at BMI’s New York office.

Winners of the BMI Foundation/Jerry Harrington Musical Theatre Awards gather after the presentation at the BMI New York office. Seen here showing off their certificates are (l-r): Second Year winner Adam Overett, Advanced winner Kim Oler, Librettists winner Yvonne Adrian, Advanced winner Alison Hubbard, BMI's Jean Banks, First Year winner Andy Monroe, and Workshop Steering Committee Members Pat Cook, David Spencer, Nancy Golladay, Jane Smulyan, Frank Evans and Rick Freyer. Cook and Freyer moderate the First Year. Golladay moderates the Librettists group. photo: Gary Gershoff

This year’s winners, chosen by the Workshop Steering Committee, include First Year Workshop student Andy Monroe, Second Year student Adam Overett, Advanced Workshop students Kim Oler and Alison Hubbard, and Librettists Workshop student Yvonne Adrian.

Established through the BMI Foundation by Harrington’s longtime friend and colleague, BMI Assistant Vice President and Counsel Evelyn Buckstein, the awards are given each year in Harrington’s honor to celebrate the late attorney’s lifelong love of musical theater.

The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop was established in 1961 by the late Lehman Engel, dean of American musical theater, to create a setting where new writers could learn their craft. Consisting of approximately 200 members, most of whom are actively writing for the musical theater, the Workshop is a highly competitive and selective teaching environment designed to provide hands on opportunities for theater composers and lyricists. An innovative program at its inception, the Workshop continues to flourish and is considered to be the foremost training ground for new writing voices.

The BMI Foundation, headed by BMI’s Ralph Jackson, Assistant Vice President of Classical Music Relations and Director of the BMI Student Composer Awards, was founded in 1985 as a non-profit corporation dedicated to encouraging the creation, performance and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants.