The Nevada Conservatory Theatre (NCT) will present the new musical "ACE" in a fully-staged concert setting for two performances only at 1 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22-23, in the Judy Bayley Theatre. This special concert presentation is a benefit for the NCT with all proceeds going to help fund the ongoing work of the prestigious cultural institution.
"ACE" features a score by Richard Oberacker, currently the conductor for "KA" by Cirque Du Soleil at the MGM Grand, with a book and lyrics by both Oberacker and Robert Taylor. Taylor is a violinist who has played extensively in Las Vegas productions over the years including "Disney's The Lion King" and "Steve Wynn's Showstoppers."
Performers from the top Las Vegas Strip shows join the brightest young stars of NCT along with a full on-stage orchestra to present this rare event -- the presentation of a new American musical.
Set in 1964, "ACE" follows the journey of a young man returning home to discover the truth about his mother's hidden past. Uncovering a saga spanning three generations of Ace fighter pilots through two World Wars, this original musical soars with the trials and triumphs of a family in search of true heroism.
"After NCT produced several benefit concerts of smaller new works so successfully, and after the extraordinary production of 'The Last 5 Years' this past season, I felt like now was the time to push the limits of what they could accomplish in a concert presentation," said Oberacker. "Las Vegas has a wealth of talent working professionally on the Strip and throughout the Valley. UNLV has a wealth of young talent studying to be the next generation of theater professionals. NCT is where those two worlds can intersect and I knew a musical like "ACE", with it's particular casting requirements, would offer the perfect opportunity to show off that collaboration and give Las Vegas a chance to experience the premiere of a new musical."
"ACE" has enjoyed an impressive life in some of the country's leading regional theatres including The Old Globe of San Diego and the Signature Theatre of Arlington, Virginia. However the authors have taken the extraordinary step of re-structuring, re-composing, and re-imagining the piece based on the many lessons learned throughout the production's history. This has lead to what is now a premiere of a wholly new version of the musical. NCT singers, actors, and musicians will be the first artists to perform this material.
Renowned Director David H. Bell will travel from Chicago to stage the event, which will take its inspiration from the legendary "Encores!" and "New York Philharmonic Presents..." series in New York City, which has made the presentation of full Broadway musicals in a concert setting a staple of the theater-going experience. Brackley Frayer, NCT executive director, will design the lighting. Christopher V. Edwards, NCT artistic director, will oversee the production. The musical's composer, Oberacker, will conduct the full orchestra on stage. Casting will be announced at a later date.
"I have always been a fan of theater institutions that find ways to integrate working professionals in the industry with students of the craft and those just beginning their professional journey," said Oberacker. "NCT is founded on that principle. And I also believe that academic theater should have a strong commitment to developing new work."
Tickets for the event at $30 with all proceeds benefitting NCT and can be purchased at the UNLV Box Office, by phone at 702-895-ARTS (2787) or on the NCT website.
Richard Oberacker, Composer and Co-Librettist/Lyricist
Oberacker is the conductor of the orchestra for "KA" by Cirque Du Soleil at the MGM Grand. As a composer and author, his musicals include "The Bandstand" which will have its world premiere this fall at The Paper Mill Playhouse, "The Sandman" (premiere, Fredericia Theatre, Denmark), "The Parenting Project" (premiere, ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati), "Journey to the West" (premiere, New York Musical Theatre Festival), "The Gospel According to Fishman" (premiere, Signature Theatre), "Dracula - The Game of Love" (premiere, CCM Corbett Theater), and "In That Valley" (premiere, National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival of New Works). As a conductor, his credits include "Drlion" by Cirque Du Soleil, and the national tours of Hal Prince's "Show Boat," "Disney's The Lion King," and "Cats."
Robert Taylor, Co-Librettist/Lyricist
Taylor is currently playing violin and viola for the new Broadway musical "Finding Nerverland" in New York. As an author, his musicals include "The Bandstand" which will have its world premiere this fall at The Paper Mill Playhouse, "The Sandman" (premiere, Fredericia Theatre, Denmark), "The PArenting Project" (premiere, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati), and "Journey to the West" (premiere, New York Musical Theater Festival). As a musician, Taylor's credits include "Disney's The Lion King" (first and second National Tours and Las Vegas), "Disney's The Little Mermaid" (world premiere), Parade (Broadway), Miss Saigon (Broadway), and The Book of Mormon (launch of the first national tour). He also played and soloed with some of the country's leading orchestras and chamber ensembles including the Orchestra of St. Luke's, New York Chamber Soloists, and The Saint Cecilia Chamber Orchestra. He is a graduate of Holland's Royal Conservatory, Union College, the University of Bonn, and Princeton. Taylor will be the concertmaster in the orchestra for the "ACE" performances.
DAVID H. Bell, Director
Bell is an Olivier Award nominee for his direction of "The Hot Mikado" in London's West End, which he also authored. Bell's career has spanned a wide range of International and national projects, as director, choreographer, and author. As artistic director of the historic Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., Bell inaugurated such World Premiere musicals as "Elmer Gantry," "A Christmas Carol" (adapter), and "The Hot Mikado" (author - winner Helen Hayes Award, Best Director) as well as the record breaking productions of "1776" and "Children of Eden" (Helen Hayes Nominee as Best Choreography). In Chicago, Bell's work has earned 43 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations (winning the award 11 times). His work at the prestigious Chicago Shakespeare Theatre includes productions of "Taming of the Shrew," "As You Like It" (winner of the After Dark Award, Best Director), and "The Comedy of Errors." At the Marriott Theatre, Bell directed more than 30 productions including "The Bowery Boys" (author/director), "Shenandoah," "Footloose," "Maradore" (Best Choreography), "Peggy Sue Got Married," "Chess,'' "Little Me" (winner Best Director, Best Choreographer), and "Windy City". At Drury Lane Oakbrook, Bell directed his world premiere productions of "Phantom," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and a new adaptation of "The Boys from Syracuse" (winner Best Choreography). In New York City, Bell directed both on and off Broadway. He directed "Pictures in the Hall" featuring songs by long-time collaborator and friend, Craig Carnelia, which garnered both the Bistro and the Mac awards, as well as "Give My Regards to Broadway" at Carnegie Hall, (Richard Kiley, Jule Styne, Carol Channing, Jerry Orback, Chita Rivera, Jerry Herman, George Abbott, etc.). Internationally, Bell has worked on London's West End, Manchester's Bridgewater Hall (author - "Theatre of Dreams"), Berlin on "Die Schone Und Das Biest," Barcelona on "The Spirit of Atlanta" (for the 1992 Olympic closing ceremonies), Paris, Budapest, Vienna, etc., The Harlem Gospel Singers, "Toronto with Patsy!" and the European Tour of the Dirty Dancing Concert Tour. Bell is a full professor and the Director of Music Theatre at Northwestern University. He is the Artistic Director of The American Music Theatre Program (AMTP).
Brackley Frayer, designer
Frayer is the chair of the Department of Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the Executive Director of the Nevada Conservatory Theatre. He has designed for Sacramento Music Circus (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Grease, Sugar ), the International Ancient Greek Theater Festival in Delphi (Oedipus at Colonus), American Girl Place in Chicago (Circle of Friends), as well as shows at Nevada Conservatory Theatre in Las Vegas, Seven Stages in Atlanta, Hippodrome Theatre, Texas Shakespeare Festival and New York Lyric Opera Company. He is a member of United Scenic Artists - Local 829. Frayer earned an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
Christopher V. Edwards, Artistic Director
Edwards is a producer, director, actor, fight choreographer, and educator who has taught theatre arts at the University of Minnesota, Bennington College, Montclair State University, West Point Military Academy, SUNY New Paltz, Manhattan Theatre Club, Creative Arts Team, and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Most recently he was the Associate Artistic Director and Director of Education and Founding Director for the Professional Acting Apprentice Training at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in Cold Spring, NY. Acting credits include London's West end, Off-Broadway, internationally and in regional and touring theatres in the United States; the Guthrie Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Penumbra Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, John Houseman's The acting company, Atlantic Theatre company, Ubu Rep., Rude Mechanicals - NYC, and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival to name a few. Directing credits include: "How to Break" at The National Theatre of Norway, HERE Arts Center - NYC, The Hip Hop Theatre Festival - NYC, Collective Consciousness - New haven, CT, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; "I Have Before Me A Remarkable Document Given To Me By A Young Lady From Rwanda" at Vermont Stage Co.; "Shakespeare The Remix" at Capital Repertory Theater; "Master Harold...and the boys" at St. Michael's Playhouse; "Seven Guitars" and "Arcadia" at Nevada Conservatory Theatre, "Love/Sick" at Half Moon Theatre, "Othello," "The Three Musketeers," "Romeo and Juliet," "Around the World in 80 Days," "Hamlet," "A Winter's Tale," "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Much Ado About Nothing," with the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Edward is the founding Artistic Director for Point of Entry Theatre in New York City. He attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Minnesota in association with the Guthrie Theatre, and currently splits his time between Las Vegas and Hoosick Falls, N.Y.
About NCT
The Nevada Conservatory Theatre (NCT) is celebrating 10 years of being the professional theatre training program of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. NCT is committed to bringing to Las Vegas the highest quality theatre by featuring professional artists and advanced students recruited from around the country. With a mission to entertain, but also to provoke and inspire, NCT is proud to be a part of Southern Nevada and UNLV, and believes our region has a cultural destiny.
Contacts: Christopher Edwards, Artistic Director of Nevada conservatory Theatre at chris.edwards@unlv.edu.
