Goodspeed sets the stage for its Festival of New Artists

SIDEBAR SCHEDULE

Goodspeed's Festival of New Artists

Tickets are $15 each for one show, $10 each for students. A Festival Package is $79. Call (860) 873-8668 or visit goodspeed.org for a complete schedule. Some of the highlights include:

FRIDAY

• "Harmony, Kansas"

7:30 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

• Festival Cabaret

10 p.m., Gelston House

SATURDAY

• Break-out sessions, Gelston House:

"Harmony, Kansas" creative team, 10 a.m.; David Scott of Disney Theatricals, 11 a.m.; famed scenic and costume designer Tony Walton, noon

• New musical preview

2:30 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

• Noel Coward Symposium

4 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

"Noel Coward: The Man and His Music" features Nancy Anderson talking about his life and singing some of his works.

• Festival dinner

5:30 p.m., Gelston House

• "Not Wanted on the Voyage"

7:30 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

• Festival Cabaret

10 p.m., Gelston House

SUNDAY

• "The Dogs of Pripyat"

1 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

• Meet the Writers Reception

3:30 p.m., Gelston House

Goodspeed's Festival of New Artists offers an always-cool array of new work, yes, but it also brings in renowned theater figures, too.

This year's big names include Tony Walton, whose set and costume designs have made him an Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner. David Scott of Disney Theatricals will talk about Disney's approach to the development of new musicals. (Casey Nicholaw, who co-directed a little show called "The Book of Mormon," was supposed to be part of the festival but dropped out, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts.)

That's just part of the weekend, though. A trio of promising new musicals will be treated to staged readings. They are:

• "Harmony, Kansas," with music by Anna K. Jacobs and book and lyrics by Bill Nelson. Heath, a farmer in rural Kansas, is talked into joining a newly formed gay men's chorus by his city-born partner.

• "Not Wanted on the Voyage," with music and lyrics by Neil Bartram, book by Brian Hill, based on the novel by Timothy Findley. The members of a family learn that they alone will survive the coming Great Flood.

• "The Dogs of Pripyat," with music by Aron Accurso, lyrics by Jill Abramovitz, book by Leah Napolin and Jill Abramovitz, based on Napolin's play. When all humans are evacuated from Chernoyl in 1986, their pets were left behind. When alphas take control, a gentle mutt learns how to hunt, kill and ultimately form a new kind of family.

Beyond that, visitors can hear new songs by new artists at the Festival Cabaret and listen to lectures about the stage. It's simply a winter wonderland for theater fans.

- KRISTINA DORSEY