BroadwayWorld.com has posted a great feature on the release of TRW’s brand new musical, CHANGING MINDS! Click HERE to read the article at www.BroadwayWorld.com.

CHANGING MINDS is set at Playa Sola High School, where it’s business as usual – the jocks, geeks, popular kids, etc., all try to navigate a world of insecurities, grades, fashions and text messages.  Then, during a school trip to a historic mission, the minds of two high school seniors are inexplicably switched.  Suddenly, Kyle Fairbanks, a charismatic slacker/surfer is helping everyone with their calculus, and scholastic superstar Natalie Watson has become an expert on heavy metal lyrics and is calling everybody “dude.”  In this screwball-comedy-for-a-new-generation, Kyle and Natalie have to find out how to get their brains back as they juggle friends, classes, rumors, scholarship competitions and, oh yeah, Kyle’s super-hot, snob-of-a-girlfriend Ashley.  Driven by a contemporary pop score that reflects influences from rock, techno, R&B, ska, and rap, CHANGING MINDS is a musical that’s delightfully bright, laugh out loud funny, and is sure to have you singing and clapping along as Kyle and Natalie, Brad and Claire, Shelly and Freddy, Garrett and Ashley, and all of their classmates as they discover that sometimes the best way to figure out who you are is by… CHANGING MINDS!

To find out how to license YOUR production of CHANGING MINDS, click HERE to visit the show’s ho,epage at www.theatricalrights.com

Click HERE to read the CHANGING MINDS feature article at www.BroadwayWorld.com.

Okay, I’ve been doing this licensing thing a very long time and have represented hundreds of great musicals. I’ve created youth, school and junior editions and personally seen their importance in many of your theatres. And now, combining the talent of two amazing authors with that of my creative team at TRW, we have developed the best high school musical ever. It’s currently enjoying its premiere school production at Germantown High School in Tennessee through December 3rd.

It’s called: CHANGING MINDS.

The story:

What happens when Kyle, a charismatic, attractive guy and Natalie, an ambitious, high achieving girl have an argument in front of an enchanted wishing well? You get CHANGING MINDS, the magically mixed up new, original musical that addresses high school politics, human connections and gender roles, all while maintaining a family-friendly atmosphere. Thanks to an ancient curse, Natalie and Kyle change minds and end up in each others body!

It’s “Glee” meets “Freaky Friday” meets “Grease”! The show teaches the need to have an open mind, to grow your mind, to change your mind while you’re still true to yourself.

Featuring an engaging contemporary score by Bret Simmons (film and TV composer) with a humorous, charming book and lyrics by David Howard (he wrote the hugely popular movie Galaxy Quest), CHANGING MINDS is a musical that’s delightfully bright, laugh out loud funny and is sure to have you singing and clapping along as Kyle and Natalie, Brad and Claire, Shelly and Freddy, Garrett and Ashley and all their classmates discover that sometimes the best way to figure out who you are is by… CHANGING MINDS! It’s fully available for you to license.

To get started, I invite you to look at a great promo video made by the Poplar Pike Playhouse production at Germantown High School. Click HERE to watch it!

Check it out; I’m sure you will agree.

http://www.theatricalrights.com/changing-minds

CHANGING MINDS‘ soaring pop-rock score is tailor-made for the high school singer’s voice and their ears! From super-charged dance anthems to heart-wrenching power ballads, CHANGING MINDS score mixes a contemporary pop-rock sound with a musical theatre sensibility that creates a hot new style for the stage. Together with an irresistible story, the music of today tells a story for the ages.

CHANGING MINDS is set at Playa Sola High School, where it’s business as usual – the jocks, geeks, popular kids, etc., all try to navigate a world of insecurities, grades, fashions and text messages.  Then, during a school trip to a historic mission, the minds of two high school seniors are inexplicably switched.  Suddenly, Kyle Fairbanks, a charismatic slacker/surfer is helping everyone with their calculus, and scholastic superstar Natalie Watson has become an expert on heavy metal lyrics and is calling everybody “dude.”  In this screwball-comedy-for-a-new-generation, Kyle and Natalie have to find out how to get their brains back as they juggle friends, classes, rumors, scholarship competitions and, oh yeah, Kyle’s super-hot, snob-of-a-girlfriend Ashley.  Driven by rock, techno, R&B, ska, and rap, CHANGING MINDS is a musical that’s delightfully bright, laugh out loud funny, and is sure to have you singing and clapping along as Kyle and Natalie, Brad and Claire, Shelly and Freddy, Garrett and Ashley, and all of their classmates as they discover that sometimes the best way to figure out who you are is by… CHANGING MINDS!

CHANGING MINDS authors’  Bret Simmons (music) and David Howard (book & lyrics) are musical theatre biz veterans.  Fresh from their recent Off Broadway success with FALLING FOR EVE, written with Joe Di Pietro,  Simmons and Howard have been working on CHANGING MINDS over the last year and after the current high school premiere, have put their finishing touches on the show and…it is ready for release to customers around the country and the world!  Each license for CHANGING MINDS comes complete with Full Performance Accompaniment Tracks and all the scripts and scores you’ll need to produce your own CHANGING MINDS at your school or theater.

For more information on licensing YOUR production of CHANGING MINDS, click HERE to visit the show’s homepage at www.theatricalrights.com.

You can download and instantly read and listen to CHANGING MINDS right now by visiting the PersualsNOW™ Store! Click HERE to get rolling!

The following article, by Lela Garlington, appears in the Memphis Commercial Appeal and was published on November 9th, 2011. Click HERE to read the article at http://www.commercialappeal.com.

Students will be dealing with the same opening-night jitters that real actors face when they perform at the world premiere of “Changing Minds” at Germantown High this week.

While they are sure to get praise from family and friends, they’ll be facing a tougher crowd Thursday night. The musical’s composer, writer and producers from New York and Australia will be watching with a critical eye to see how they pull it off. Producers plan to market it worldwide after the school’s run.

“I’m nervous,” said Drew Murley who plays Kyle, the male lead. “We get to set the bar on how the roles will be played from now on.”

Co-star Melanie Culhane, who plays Ashley, agreed: “I’m scared. It’s forced me to work harder.”

Normally, Germantown High’s Poplar Pike Playhouse performs a drama for its fall lineup and saves musicals for spring. But Steve Spiegel, the president of Theatrical Rights Worldwide, made longtime director E. Frank Bluestein an offer he couldn’t refuse — to be the first to perform a new musical, “Changing Minds.”

“I jumped at it,” Bluestein said. “How many high school students or even college students get to work with the writer and the composer?”

In movie pitch lingo, “Changing Minds” author and father of four David Howard, 55, said, “It’s ‘Freaky Friday’ meets ‘High School Musical.’ The goal is to be this generation’s ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ ”

The story centers around Natalie, the high school’s driven and ambitious brainiac who switches body and mind with Kyle, the school’s coolest, laid-back dude. His girlfriend Ashley, who is the school’s hottest and most popular (mean) girl, suspects something is up.

Even within the past few weeks, the show’s creators, Howard and Bret Simmons have been trimming, punching up lines and adding songs to the two-hour musical. Recently, Simmons, 53, worked closely with the singers and the orchestra to make the numbers more authentic and current. “It’s very exciting to see it come together to come to life from the page to the stage,” Simmons said.

Both Howard and Simmons, who live in the Los Angeles area, worked on the script and lyrics for three years in collaboration with Spiegel of New York. Spiegel wanted a musical geared toward high school or middle school. He wanted an elite program such as GHS to be the first to perform it. Bluestein “was the first one I reached out to,” Spiegel said.

Some may consider Spiegel’s approach to be a backdoor to Broadway. “Is it edgy? No. Is it dangerous? No. Is it family friendly? Absolutely. Is it humorous? Yes. Is it hip and cool? I think so,” he said. “This show speaks a universal language for that age group with cellphones and texting and how information can quickly get around.”

“The (musical) model doesn’t always have to be top (Broadway) down. Good theater is good theater whether it is in a four-block area in New York City or not. There’s room in my opinion for working it the other way.”

– Lela Garlington: (901) 529-2349

This article, by Lela Garlington, appears in the Memphis Commercial Appeal and was published on November 9th, 2011. Click HERE to read the article at http://www.commercialappeal.com.

The process of giving birth to a new musical is a lesson in collaboration, caring and crazy amounts of hard work! But, when a first staged production of your baby gets notices like this…

“CHANGING MINDS (is) a rock musical that addresses high school politics, human connections and gender roles, all while maintaining the family friendly atmosphere…” and this… “In many ways this is a perfect school musical…” and even more critical praise: “All in all, there are 13 real roles that get to sing – aspiring young actors across America, say hallelujah!” …then you know you’ve got something! The first workshop production at The Actor’s Cabaret of Eugene, Oregon, earned these rave reviews from theatre critic Anna Grace, writing for Eugene Weekly. Hi praise indeed for the new musical that is currently being released for theatre groups around the nation to produce.

It is not uncommon for musicals to languish for YEARS before they see a first production or even a staged reading. In stark contrast, CHANGING MINDS is catching on quickly as news of this brilliant new show hits the theatre community. After the first workshop production at the Actor’s Cabaret, TRW’s President & CEO Steve Spiegel, the show’s Executive Producer decided to take the show to its logical next step: The American High School! And what better high school theatre director to take on the premiere of this hot new show than the legendary Frank Bluestein at the Germantown, Tennessee High School’s Poplar Pike Playhouse? Once Bluestein agreed to mentor the show through a top-notch production, all the pieces quickly fell into place. The authors arrived in Memphis to work on the show throughout the rehearsal period and right up until opening night, making sure every note, lyric and line was right on the mark. Judging from the wildly enthusiastic reaction of the sell-out crowds so far…the writers-in-residence achieved everything they set out to do in the workshop to premiere production process.

The driving force of Executive Producer Steve Spiegel in the creation of CHANGING MINDS is an innovative new way to offer vital new shows to the high school and community theatre market. “We’ve attended scores of conferences, taken hundreds of phone calls and read thousands of emails from customers who asked for a show that offers a score that kids can really get into, a teen-friendly story that has a real ‘cool’ factor to it, and a lot of great character roles for a large ensemble that can really involve a big cast. That gave me the impetus to answer this call with the creation of CHANGING MINDS,” Spiegel said.

CHANGING MINDS is now fully available, completely unrestricted for productions anywhere in the world! To get started visit our PersualsNOW™ Store at www.theatricalrights.com by clicking HERE. You can download, read and listen to CHANGING MINDS instantly!

And, to get a taste of what CHANGING MINDS is all about in motion…click HERE to watch Germantown High School’s Promotional Video!

“What should I do in Illyria?” asks the plucky Viola of the kindly Captain, in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette theatre critic Christopher Rawson might have a few ideas for our young heroine in his review of  Pittsburgh Playhouse’s current production of ILLYRIA. Rawson wrote,  “Illyria” is now having its local premiere at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, nicely realized by the Point Park University conservatory students. It well justifies the considerable skills involved, but it runs just through this weekend, so hurry up if you want to add it to your lifelong list of Shakespearean musicals alongside its more famous kin, such as “Kiss Me, Kate,” “West Side Story” and “The Boys From Syracuse.”

ILLYRIA features Book, Music and Lyrics by Peter Mills and was adapted by Peter Mills and Cara Reichel from Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT. The Pittsburgh production is directed by Scott Wise and choreographed by Jeremy Czarniak. The show is currently running through November 20, 2011.

To read the Post-Gazette’s review click HERE. And watch the fantastic promo video of this beautifully designed production by clicking HERE.

ILLYRIA is the musical re-telling of TWELFTH NIGHT, Shakespeare’s greatest comedy, captures both the rollicking energy of the play’s hilarious hijinks and its deeply felt emotions of loss and unrequited love.

For information on producing YOUR production of ILLYRIA, click HERE to visit the show’s homepage at www.theatricalrights.com.

Clackamas Review in Clackamas, Oregon, has written a great feature article on the Nov. 17, 18 and 19 performances of Milwaukie High School’s production of FLIGHT OF THE LAWNCHAIR MAN. Click HERE to read the article!

FLIGHT OF THE LAWNCHAIR MAN centers around Jerry Gorman. He’s a thirty-four-year-old guy from Passaic, New Jersey, who just got promoted to Snack Bar Manager at Wal-Mart. His mother is thrilled, but Jerry is depressed. Deep inside, he knows he was born to achieve something extraordinary. But what? With the help of his girlfriend, Gracie, and a movie rental from Netflix, Jerry has an epiphany: He wants to fly! But how? He’s not very bright, not very rich, and not very cool, unlike his neighbor, airplane pilot Big Jack Preston. Plus, Jerry is so dyslexic he can’t even drive a car. The neighbors think he’s nuts. But Gracie encourages Jerry to quit his job and follow his “Jerriosity.” Together, Jerry and Gracie try flight school, the Up With People Space Program, and anything else they can think of to help Jerry soar into the stratosphere. But they are stymied by bureaucracy, Jerry’s disapproving mother, and deep, dark family secrets. Finally, when all seems lost, Jerry and Gracie hit on a highly unorthodox method of getting airborne. With a little help from a lawnchair and 400 helium-filled toy balloons, Jerry defies the odds and takes to the friendly skies.

Josh White prepares to take flight as the title character in Milwaukie High School’s production of “Flight of the Lawnchair Man.” Looking on are Amanda Swift as Mother Gorman and Hannah Sanchez as Gracie.

Once aloft, Jerry is thrilled by the splendor of flight. But his reverie is quickly halted when Big Jack flies by in a jumbo jet, spots Jerry in his floating lawnchair, and reports Jerry to Homeland Security.Meanwhile, Gracie is on the ground with a walkie-talkie fending off the media and an FAA Agent, who charges Jerry with piloting an unlicensed lawnchair and demands he land immediately. Oblivious to the commotion on the ground, Jerry rises higher into the glorious atmosphere, where he discovers Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Lindbergh, and Amelia Earhart, who urge him to join the greats of aviation in the sky. In the end, Jerry has a decision to make: come back down to earth, or fly forever where the air is free.

For more information on licensing YOUR production of FLIGHT OF THE LAWNCHAIR MAN, click HERE to visit the show’s homepage at www.theatricalrights.com.

NORA’S ARK, THE JAZZ MUSICAL is a modern retelling of the biblical tale. The show helps children reflect on the difficulty and necessity for breaking old habits, attaining new perspectives, and learning from mistakes by working together to succeed. The music is blues, bebop, and swing. Children discover a love of jazz music through the context of the story both as performers and as audience members. NORA’S ARK, THE JAZZ MUSICAL is a part of the Jazz Drama Program (see related story below).

The story centers around Nora, a scientist, who predicts the melting of the poles and the flooding of the Earth. Rescuing the animals at the Bronx Zoo, Nora and her daughters, Dora, Flora, Lora and Fitzi rent a cruise ship. It seems all are saved, except that daughter Fitzi forgets to bring food. Predators look on their fellow passengers as prey. All animals discover that freedom is a greater sustaining force than food and all ultimately cooperate in finding an…edible solution!

Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences' 2010 Production of NORA'S ARK

The Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences staged NORA in January of 2010. 80 kids were cast in the production from age 3 through 6th graders! Almost four hundred attendees enjoyed the production, which musically examines a series of issues in a very cool way. School Principal Rayna Dineen said, “The play’s story line led to a range of curricular tie-ins, including global warming and pollution, animal survival, animal habitats, endangered species, predator and prey, nautical terms and ship lore to name a few. The music was powerful and catchy and introduced many of our students to the joys of jazz. We had a few students who were sure that they didn’t like jazz before we began rehearsals and after a couple of weeks, they had actually become fans of jazz! The kids continued to sing the songs in class long after the play was finished.”

NORA’S ARK, THE JAZZ MUSICAL is the elementary and middle school show that teachers everywhere have been waiting for! With 40+ speaking roles, NORA is just the right vehicle for showcasing your class through an unforgettable musical-drama experience that will captivate families and classmates alike. The Jazz Drama Program’s NORA’S ARK, THE JAZZ MUSICAL comes with a beautifully produced guide vocal and performance CD that help teach and rehearse the show with kid’s of any level of experience. And, you needn’t be an expert on Jazz to direct NORA’S ARK! A love for music and a joy for working with young people are all that’s required!

For information on licensing your production of NORA’S ARK THE JAZZ MUSICAL, click here to visit the show’s homepage at www.theatricalrights.com.

The Jazz Drama Program (JDP) is a cross-curricular arts program designed to improve the knowledge and appreciation of jazz music. Jazz is our heritage, and it is the foundation for other music genres, including popular music today. The Jazz Drama Program uses the timeless language of jazz to tell stories relevant to children’s lives.

“We embrace the infinite possibilities of using jazz to tell stories which are important to children,” says Eli Yamin. “As a dynamic, engaging and challenging platform for creativity, jazz provides us with a forum for new directions in theatre for young people and an educational framework rooted firmly in America’s most influential indigenous art form. Jazz grew out of the African American experience and has become a universal language celebrated worldwide. The Jazz Drama Program provides an opportunity for children to experience for themselves the joy and richness of jazz. Each new show is suitable for young people to perform and yet maintains the integrity of being ‘real music.’”

The Jazz Drama Program (JDP) has created a dynamic, groundbreaking learning platform that can reveal the importance of jazz in American life on a totally new level. Though the JDP believes that telling the stories of great jazz musicians is important, the JDP has learned that there is a much better way to reach young people with the subject of jazz. The relevance of the story being told provides intrinsic motivation to students and facilitates an exceptionally accelerated learning environment. The JDP experiential method enables students to own the essential ingredients of jazz in the context of the stories they are telling.

Getting ready for the show!

Teaching Artists guide students in making the swing and shuffle beats their own in a spirit of fun and collaboration. The notion of improvisation becomes an unstoppable learning tool, which can be used both in music, theatre and every day life. Historical dances such as swing and the cakewalk, become visceral learning experiences with clear connections to American History. Practicing diction in the context of singing a bebop line with many syllables and a driving rhythmic framework challenges students both physically and mentally to expand their view of their own abilities cognitively, creatively and in terms of self confidence.

Eli Yamin

Eli Yamin is Artistic Director of The Jazz Drama Program and head of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Middle School Jazz Academy. He is a jazz and blues pianist, composer, singer, educator, broadcaster, and Steinway artist. After participating last spring in the first White House Jazz Studio hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama, Eli was invited back three times to perform music from his latest CD, You Can’t Buy Swing, in the East Room.

Eli has also performed at top concert halls and festivals in Western Europe and the United States and in Brazil, Chile, Mali, India, China and the Balkans as a cultural ambassador touring on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. Eli teaches jazz worldwide to business leaders, middle school students, K-12 teachers, college professors and performing artists. He is a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts, Fordham University Graduate School of Business and WBGO Radio.

In the early 1990′s, Eli Yamin was musical director for the 10th Anniversary tour of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. Working with director/choreographer Mercedes Ellington sparked what has become a driving force in Eli’s work as a composer and educator-the marriage of jazz and theatre. Since 1998, he has co-written with
Clifford Carlson, five jazz musicals for children. This work led Yamin and Carlson to start The Jazz Drama Program.

Eli’s jazz musicals for children have been performed for thousands by hundreds of young people. They include Message From Saturn, a space odyssey about the healing power of the blues and Nora’s Ark, the Jazz Musical, a modern retelling of the biblical tale.

Eli has played and taught with Barry Harris, Walter Perkins, Illinois Jacquet, Wynton Marsalis, Perry Robinson, Kate McGarry, Claire Daly, Ari Roland, Chris Byars, Evan Christopher and Bob Stewart. Eli holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Lehman College, City University of New York and lives (with his wife and young daughter) in New York City.