Posted on August 20, 2009 at 3:48 pm

Article in the ClydeFitchReport.com here.

This evening kicks off a terrific, if heartbreaking, event: a four-performance, three-night run of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row.

All proceeds benefit the Patrick Michael McMurphy Foundation.

The event is produced by Frank Calo’s Spotlight On Productions.

For those of you unaware of McMurphy or the charity that now bears his name…

…The Patrick Michael McMurphy Memorial Foundation (The PM3 Foundation), which was established shortly after the tragic death of 23-year-old actor Patrick Michael McMurphy on August 30, 2008. The PM3 Foundation provides scholarships and grants to support the arts, specifically theater, film and music. First seeded with Patrick’s life savings, the foundation has grown through the contributions of family, friends and others whose lives he touched. The foundation currently funds a scholarship to the Stella Adler Conservatory, from which Patrick graduated only a couple of weeks before his untimely death.

Here is more information. Please go.

Spotlight On Festivals
presents
Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World
All Proceeds to Benefit the Patrick Michael McMurphy Foundation
August 20-22 at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row


Spotlight On Festivals (Frank Calo, Executive Producer) presents Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World, to benefit the Patrick Michael McMurphy Foundation (PM3 Foundation), which supports the arts through scholarships and grants. Performances of this limited engagement run will be held at the Beckett Theatre, Theatre Row (410 West 42nd St.), from August 20 through 22, 2009. Tickets: $18; purchase in advance at http://www.ticketcentral.com.

Songs for a New World, which debuted Off-Broadway in 1995, underscores the moments that determine whether someone is up for life’s challenges — those instances that define a person indefinitely. Songs for a New World is often presented as a song cycle; this production, however, will highlight the Grecian tradition of storytelling that underscores the overarching themes of the piece.

Spotlight On Festival’s benefit production of Songs for a New World, features executive producer Kim Kalish, who was Patrick Michael McMurphy’s college sweetheart, in a lead role. For Ms. Kalish, Songs for a New World is a meaningful homage to Patrick, who fell to his death last summer while climbing to his Brooklyn apartment building’s rooftop. “When Patrick passed away, I was devastated,” she says. “This musical, in particular, speaks to those bleak times that determine who we are. It is a fitting tribute to Patrick’s determination and the generosity of the foundation created in his memory.”

Spotlight On Productions is a production company formed by Frank Calo in 1998. Since its inception Spotlight On has produced more than a dozen festivals, most recently co-producing the Planet Connections Festivity in the East Village. Each Festival boasts from 30 to 60 productions. Spotlight On also produces single events and productions throughout the year. Our primary goal is to help talented playwrights and directors find an audience to appreciate their talent. Working in New York can sometimes be a very difficult process and artists need not feel as if they are alone in the process. Theater should be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone involved. We also endeavor to bring back the fun to mounting a show. When a cast and crew loves what they are doing, and are having fun doing it, then there is a tremendous trickle down effect from the talent to the audience itself. It is time that we put the “experience” back in Theater Experience! For more information, visit www.spotlighton.org.

Songs for a New World is presented through special arrangement through Music Theatre International (MTI). For more information on the production, visit avecpromotions.wordpress.com.

Schedule:
August 20- 8 p.m.
August 21- 8 p.m.
August 22- 2 p.m., 8 p.m.
Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd St., between 9th and 10th Avenues