Village Theatre part of Tony's winning night

The Village Originals musical Next To Normal took home three Tony Awards at the 63rd Annual Tony Awards Ceremony Sunday night. These categories include: Best Original Score, (Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Brian Yorkey); Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley); Best Orchestrations (Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt).

Next To Normal (formerly titled Feeling Electric) began as a staged reading at Village Theatre in March 2002. The creative team went on to develop the production further as a Village Originals workshop in June 2005.

Yorkey (book/lyrics) is the former associate artistic director for Village Theatre, and was a pioneering force behind Village Theatre’s popular kids program KIDSTAGE.

After the Tony Awards ceremony, Robb Hunt, Village Theatre’s executive producers exclaimed, “It was exciting to be there to support Brian (Yorkey) and Tom (Kitt), and wonderful for Village Theatre to be recognized.”

“Next to Normal started at Village Theatre (as Feeling Electric) and I started at Village Theatre, and this just seems like a great night to celebrate Village's commitment to new musicals," Yorkey said. "I was so glad to have Robb there to cheer us on, and celebrate, and I'm proud to say that Village Theatre is a big part of the Next to Normal story."

Yorkey will be with Village Theatre this summer to direct one of the six new works included in the 9th Annual Festival of New Musicals, the festival associated with Village Theatre’s Village Originals program. He is also set to direct Lost In Yonkers, the third production in Village Theatre’s 2009-2010 Season line-up.

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