OK, this is my last Plane Crazy post for a while...promise.

Finally, I can stop blowing my own horn. In today's Toronto Star (New Link, New York by Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star May 25, 2005) Richard Ouzounian talks about Plane Crazy and the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Front page of the Arts & Entertainment section, no less! I must say, it is very, very cool to see your name in print (especially when it's for something good!).

Here's a bit of the article:

Two musicals with Toronto clout behind them have been selected for the "New Links" program of the prestigious New York Musical Theatre Festival, taking place in Manhattan next September. Plane Crazy is a musical by Toronto-based Suzy Conn that will be presented by independent producer Michael (Game Show) Rubinoff. The author describes it as "a fun, upbeat musical about feminism set against the backdrop of glamour and innocent sex appeal of the swinging '60s jet age. A time when Stews Were Sexy and the World Was Sexist.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival is the largest musical theatre event in North American, with 141 events across 26 venues, 46 concerts, 332 performances, 7 seminars, 39 movies, and almost 1,000 performers and musicians.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!

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I'm still shaking with excitement now that it's official: And I just wanted to make sure that I had mentioned to everyone that Plane Crazy IS GOING TO BE IN NYMF 2005! YIPPEE KI EH! YEAH! w00h00! ALRIGHT, OUTTA SIGHT!

I'm skin tight and ready to fight: We're going to put on an awesome show!

Most exciting of all, Playbill posted the list of Next Link shows today in this article...and there I am. Wow, my name in Playbill. Finally! Here's a taste:

The New York Musical Theatre Festival has announced the 18 jury-selected musicals that will be part of the Next Link Project of the fest, to be held September 12 to October 2 in midtown Manhattan.

"After reviewing almost 400 scripts -- nearly double last year's submissions -- the NYMF selection committee has chosen a fresh, diverse collection of new musicals to be presented," according to the May 24 announcement.

The Next Link works are production-ready scripts that will receive full stagings for a handful of performances in repertory in the hope that NYMF is "the next link" to a wider regional or commercial life.

The Producer for Plane Crazy at NYMF 2005 is Michael Rubinoff (based in Toronto), and the Associate Producer is Kendra Bator (based in NYC).

Right now, we are looking for a Director. Specifically, we are looking for someone who "gets" the mid-'60s time period that we are working in. This will be someone who loves classic musicals like The Pajama Game; who has all the Doris Day-Rock Hudson-Tony Randall movies on DVD and VHS; who doesn't understand why people weren't standing in line to see Down With Love; and whose favorite contemporary musicals would include Hairspray and The Producers. The Director will work closely with the Producer to assemble the rest of the creative team.

We also need a great Casting Director, with the same "gets it" qualifications.

If you're interested, send me an e-mail at suzy at blogwaybaby dot com

You can order Plane Crazy merchandise off the Plane Crazy Web site. And buy a ticket! Come see a great show!

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HOLY CRAP!

I haven't been this excited about news since I found out I was pregnant (both times). But this time my baby is Plane Crazy: A true work of love if there ever was one.

Here's the lowdown: Plane Crazy has been accepted into the Next Link Project at the New York Musical Theater Festival. Of 325 submissions, only 18 musicals are chosen to be in the Next Link Project.

As Blogway Baby readers know, Plane Crazy is a fun, upbeat musical about the modern women's movement set against the backdrop of glamour and innocent sex appeal of the swinging '60s jet age. A time When Stews Were Sexy and the World Was Sexist (TM).

This year's Next Link jury included Rob Ashford (Tony winning Choreographer for Thoroughly Modern Millie), Thomas Cott (former Artistic Director of Musical Theater Works), Joanna Gleason (Tony winner for Into the Woods, currently in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Kevin McCollum (Producer of Avenue Q and Rent), Susan H. Schulman (Director of Little Women, The Secret Garden and The Sound of Music), and Jack Viertel (Creative Director, Jujamcyn Theaters; Artistic Director, City Center Encores!).

The show will be produced in late September, in New York, as part of the Festival.

NYMF is the largest musical theatre event in the world. The core of the Festival are the eighteen new musicals for NYMF's Next Link Project, but the Festival also includes a staggering 141 events across 26 venues, 46 concerts, 332 performances, 7 seminars, 39 movies and almost 1000 performers and musicians.

NYMF was recently recognized with the prestigious 2004 Jujamcyn Theatres Award, given annually to a "resident theater organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the development of creative talent for the theatre."

At least seven of last year's Next Link shows have been optioned by commercial producers and/or are planning off-Broadway or other runs.

I'm going to enjoy this news for a couple of days, and then I will start "officially freaking out" with production logistics.

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