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Like You Like It

Book & Lyrics by Sammy Buck
Music by Daniel S. Acquisto
Based on “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare

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All the world’s a mall in this totally awesome mix of Shakespeare and John Hughes… It’s 1985 and the brand new Arden Mall is hosting a high school dance. Bookworm babe Rosalind wants to go with varsity wrestler Orlando, but she’s never had the guts to talk to him. Rosalind disguises herself as a frat dude named Corey and learns Orlando’s true feelings for her. But things get tricky when “Corey” complicates the lives of three other couples at Arden. Rosalind will do anything to get Orlando, even if it means showing up at the dance as both herself and Corey.

Filled with memorable tunes, a hip sense of humor, pure joy and a huge heart, it all works out LIKE YOU LIKE IT if you take the biggest risk of all: being yourself.

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Studio Cast Recording
Available now from Broadway Records!

featuring:
Alison Luff (Les Miserables, Matilda, Wicked National Tour)
Derek Klena (Anastasia, Dogfight, Carrie)
Patti Murin (Lysistra Jones, Xanadu)
Robin De Jesus (In the Heights, Wicked)
Nick Cearley (“The Skivvies,” Pageant)
Bonnie Milligan (Kinky Boots 1st National Tour)
Kate Rockwell (Rock of Ages, Bring It On)
Sam Underwood (Fox’s “The Following”)
Lesli Margherita (Matilda)

Bonus track: Laura Osnes (Cinderella, Bonnie and Clyde) & Nathan Johnson (Like You Like It at The Gallery Players)

Ensemble: Elisabeth Ness, Chandler Reeves, Aaron Riesebeck, Emily Rogers, Patrick Shelton

“Orlando” Teen ensemble: Hillary Fisher, Michael Nigro, Joshua Spencer and Lexi Tobin

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Notable productions, readings and concerts: New York Musical Theatre Festival, 2004; Broadway Workshop Children’s Musical Theatre Festival, 2011; The Gallery Players, 2008; Village Theatre Kidstage, 2015; Theatre Under the Stars/Sam Houston State University, 2007; Dos Pueblos High School, 2011; Cardiff International Festival of Musical Theatre, 2006; The Altamont School, 2008; New York University, 2003; Western Michigan University, 2011; Western Kentucky University, 2010. Developed at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, ASCAP Workshop and The Dramatists Guild Fellowship.

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The cast of the Broadway Workshop Children’s Musical Theatre production of Like You Like It (photo by Holli Matze).

The cast of the Dos Pueblos High school production of Like You Like It.

The cast of the Cardiff International Festival production of Like You Like It (photo by Dan Acquisto).

Patti Murin and Alison Luff in the studio for the Like You Like It RADcording (photo by Rebecca Woodman Taylor).

Derek Klena in the studio for the Like You Like It RADcording (photo by Rebecca Woodman Taylor).

Robin De Jesus in the studio for the Like You Like It RADcording (photo by Rebecca Woodman Taylor).

Lesli Margherita in the studio for the Like You Like It RADcording (photo by Rebecca Woodman Taylor).

Nkrumah Gatling, Briana Resa and Grace Marie Walton in the TUTS/SHSU production of Like You Like It (photo by Judy Moyes).

Adrian Pena and Kristina Teschner in the NYU production of Like You Like It (photo by Chianan Yen).

Rebecca Dealy, Rich Connelly, Carly Vernon, Jennifer Blood, Lance Olds, Lena Moy-Borgen, Elisabeth Ness and Roy Flores in The Gallery Players production of Like You Like It. (photo by Jennifer Maufrais Kelly).

The Doll Maker’s Gift

A musical about the power of family, friendship and imagination.

Book by EllaRose Chary and Fran Sillau
Music by Brian Feinstein
Lyrics by Sammy Buck
Based on The Doll Maker’s Gift by Sashi Fridman
Produced in partnership with Deborah Denenberg

World Premiere, Rose Theater

Welcome to Zalushka’s Doll Shop, an imaginarium where even the darkest times can give way to hope.

Set in a small village in Eastern Europe during the early 1900s, <em>The Doll Maker’s Gift</em> follows Nora, an irrepressibly creative little girl whose dolls guide and uplift her when the ethnic cleansing of Pogroms threaten her Jewish community in Russia.

After their cousins’ village is attacked, Nora’s family is forced to flee to America. They discover at the last moment that they don’t have enough funds to pay for everyone’s passage. Young Nora will have to stay behind, with the threat of attacks ever increasing. She is left with a family friend, a kind doll maker who offers to care for her until they can earn enough money to pay for her journey to America. Together, with her ingenuity and his know-how, they hatch a plan to reunite Nora with her family.

Featuring beautiful original music and an essential story drawn right from history, The Doll Maker’s Gift is an uplifting exploration of the power of kindness in the face of adversity.

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The cast of the Rose Theater’s World Premiere Production.

Andy Warhol Was Right

Fame. Some want it. Some get it. And some reject it. Andy Warhol predicted it: everybody will be famous for fifteen minutes. Andy welcomes you into his world of pop art, dance, music, film and fleeting celebrity, as three different stories come together at a party that travels from The Factory scene of the 60’s to today’s world of reality TV and YouTube.

This multimedia dance musical was commissioned by the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Book by Sammy Buck
Music by Dan Acquisto
Directed by Giovanna Sardelli
Choreographed by Daryl Gray, Darren Lee and Shea Sullivan
Visual Designer Chris Kateff
Costume Designer Emily DeAngelis
Lighting Designer Susan Nicholson
Stage Manager Kristin Orlando

Conceived by Melinda Atwood, Sammy Buck, Dan Acquisto, Daryl Gray, Giovanna Sardelli, and Shea Sullivan

Featuring
Jeremy Davis Andy Warhol
Alex Sanchez Senator Wills
Merrill Grant Sherry
Dexter Jones Doug
Lauren Cluett Ensemble
Trevor Downey Ensemble
Tina Fuente Ensemble
Trisha Kelly Ensemble
Erin Moore Ensemble
Tommy Scrivens Ensemble

at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center • September – October, 2009 • New York Musical Theatre Festival

The cast of Andy Warhol was Right at NYMF (photo by Daniel S. Acquisto). — The cast of *Andy Warhol was Right* at NYMF (photo by Daniel S. Acquisto).

Small Town Story

A musical about a musical that rocked a community.

Hailed as “a work of explosive power,” Small Town Story is about two families in North Texas who struggle with a community battle ignited by a controversial high school musical. As the escalation divides father and son, mother and daughter, leaders and neighbors, all sides must find a way to harmonize before their way of life rips apart.

Book & Lyrics by Sammy Buck
Music & Lyrics by Brandon James Gwinn

Conceived by Joe Barros, Laura Brandel, Sammy Buck, Karen Marshall, Reed Prescott, Sam Willmott

Originally commissioned and developed by New York Theatre Barn
World Premiere Produced by American Theater Group, Producing Artistic Director James Vagias
Small Town Story was presented at Village Theatre’s 2013 Festival of New Musicals in Issaquah, Washington
Finalist, Richard Rodgers Award

INTERVIEW

NYTB Artistic Director Joe Barros discusses the history of the project with the National Alliance of Musical Theatre.

PODCAST

Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere discuss Small Town Story on Broadway Radio.

SHEET MUSIC

Noah Galvin and Hannah Cruz in Small Town Story at the November, 2014 reading at Playwrights Horizons (photo by Michael Bonasio).

Anthony Lee Medina, Noah Galvin, Chandler Reeves, Emily Rogers and Alexa Green in Small Town Story at the November, 2014 reading at Playwrights Horizons (photo by Michael Bonasio).

Erin Leigh Peck and Carolyn Mignini in Small Town Story at the November, 2014 reading at Playwrights Horizons (photo by Michael Bonasio).

The cast of Small Town Story at the November, 2014 reading at Playwrights Horizons (photo by Michael Bonasio).

The cast of Small Town Story in the October, 2015 developmental production at the Hartt School.

Keaton Whittaker, Katie Griffith and Patrick Shelton in Small Town Story at the Village Theatre Festival of New Musicals, August, 2013.

The cast of Small Town Story in the October, 2015 developmental production at the Hartt School.

The cast of Small Town Story in the April, 2010 reading at the Julia Miles Theatre.

Joanna Young and cast of the American Theater Group World Premiere production at SOPAC. (Photo by Lianne Schoenwiesner, Spotlights Photography)

The cast of the American Theater Group World Premiere production at SOPAC. (Photo by Lianne Schoenwiesner, Spotlights Photography)

Stacey Todd Holt and Nick Siccone in the American Theater Group World Premiere production at SOPAC. (Photo by Lianne Schoenwiesner, Spotlights Photography)

The cast of the American Theater Group World Premiere production at SOPAC. (Photo by Lianne Schoenwiesner, Spotlights Photography)

Ilana Gabrielle and Nick Siccone in the American Theater Group World Premiere production at SOPAC. (Photo by Lianne Schoenwiesner, Spotlights Photography)

Ilana Gabrielle in the American Theater Group World Premiere production at SOPAC. (Photo by Lianne Schoenwiesner, Spotlights Photography)

Claire McClanahan and Ilana Gabrielle in the American Theater Group World Premiere production at SOPAC. (Photo by Lianne Schoenwiesner, Spotlights Photography)

The 7-Year B*tch

The 7-Year B*tch, named as an Outstanding New Musical in the 2007 Talkin’ Broadway’s Summer Theatre Festival Citations, is a wickedly funny and bitterly heartfelt concert featuring the songs of Dan Acquisto and Sammy Buck, everyone’s favorite second choice for Broadway, off-Broadway, film and TV jobs. Sammy and Dan give you their tell-all and show you what it’s like to persevere, while five very talented performers sing songs about misadventures in love and work, and never winning a certain performing arts foundation grant each year.

Music and percussion Daniel S. Acquisto
Words and raconteur Sammy Buck
Musical director and onstage therapist Brian Cimmet
Directed by Carlos Armesto

Featuring:
Becca Ayers
James Donegan*
David Perlman
Amy Rutberg
Joanna Young
*Nick Dothée in the initial production

Notable productions: NYMF, 2007; Laurie Beechman Theatre, 2007; York Theatre, 2008

SHEET MUSIC

David Perlman and Amy Rutberg in The 7-Year B*tch.

Brian Cimmet, David Perlman and James Donegan sing “We JEL,” about government checks and balances, in The 7-Year B*tch.

Joanna Young in The 7-Year B*tch.

Sammy Buck in The 7-Year B*tch.

The cast and crew of The 7-Year B*tch: Becca Ayers, Joanna Young, David Perlman, Sammy Buck, Dan Acquisto, Amy Rutberg, James Donegan, Carlos Armesto and Brian Cimmet.

StinkyKids® The Musical

Britt loves making everyone happy. But this girl who never gets in trouble is in a sticky situation – literally: She woke up with an impossibly epic wad of gum stuck in her hair. All of Britt’s friends are depending on her parents to take them to the new MegaJumper 3000 at Captain Happy’s Jumpy-Fun-Super-Bouncy Indoor Place, so she definitely doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. Britt must rely on her mischievous friends to go with her on an unexpected adventure across their neighborhood
to solve the problem before her parents find out and possibly cancel the trip!

Book & Lyrics by Sammy Buck
Music by Daniel S. Acquisto
Based on StinkyKids® by Britt Menzies

Winner – Off Broadway Alliance Award, Best Family Show

Commissioned and originally produced by Vital Theatre Company
Cast and Crew of original production, March-April, 2012:

Directed by Tim Drucker
Choreographed by J. Austin Eyer
Music Director Kevin Lawson
Set Designer Kyle Dixon
Costume Designer Amanda Jenks
Lighting Designer Josh Bradford
Stage Manager Robert Funke

Featuring
Laura Weiner Britt
Lora Nicolas Hannah
Madison Turner Jen
Ryan Mikita Max
AJ Patton Johnny
Bryce Payne Billy

Other notable productions: Lower Ossington Theatre, 2013; Laguna Playhouse, 2014; Circa ’21, 2014; Aurora Theatre, 2014; Synchronicity Theatre, 2015; Dutch Apple, 2015.

The cast of the Aurora/Synchronicity co-production recorded a cast album, featuring Alexandra Karr, Lydia Frempong, Kristin Storla, Luke Georgecink, Ben Davis and Greg Maurice Hunter

Theatrical Rights Worldwide licenses the show.

BUY CAST ALBUM LICENSE THE SHOW SHEET MUSIC

The cast of the Synchronicity/Aurora co-production of StinkyKids (photo by KVC Photography).

Lydia Frempong, Alexandra Karr and Kristin Storla from the Synchronicity/Aurora co-production of StinkyKids (photo by KVC Photography).

The cast of the Synchronicity/Aurora co-production of StinkyKids (photo by KVC Photography).

The original cast of the Vital Theatre production of StinkyKids (photo by Steve Rosen).

The original cast of the Vital Theatre production of StinkyKids (pahoto by Steve Rosen).

And Then I Wrote A Song About It

Nick Cearley (The Skivvies, Pageant, All Shook Up, Buyer & Cellar) stars in his acclaimed performance as Randall Klausner, a perspiring actor-singer-songwriter-dancer-secretary searching for love and fame in the late ’70s/early ’80s, as well as the colorful characters he meets along the way. Set to the rhythm of the disco era and beyond, this earnest yet uproarious musical finds Randall in the moments before he goes on Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow Show. His life rushes before him like a groovy flashback, from toiling in his father’s sausage business to dating someone in “soda espionage.” Randall transforms all of his professional and personal misadventures into memorable and quirky songs as he ventures on his rocky road to self-acceptance and an audition for A Chorus Line.

Book by Eric H. Weinberger
Music by Daniel S. Acquisto
Lyrics by Sammy Buck
Directed by Igor Goldin
Music Director Thomas Hodges

Winner, Best Actor in a Musical, Newark Star Ledger
Winner, Best Solo Performer, Stage Scene LA
Winner, Best Director, Stage Scene LA

Notable productions, readings and concerts: Luna Stage, 2010; Diversionary Theatre, 2011; Musical Mondays, 2011; Theatre 80, 2011; Feinstein’s/54 Below, 2016.

SHEET MUSIC

Nick Cearley in the May, 2016 concert of …And Then I Wrote A Song About It at Feinstein’s /54 Below (photo by Rebecca Woodman Taylor).

Pictured: Nick Cearley in the 2011 Diversionary Theatre production (photo by Daniel S. Acquisto).

Nick Cearley in the May, 2016 concert of …And Then I Wrote A Song About It at Feinstein’s /54 Below (photo by Rebecca Woodman Taylor).

Nick Cearley in the 2010 Luna Stage production of And Then I Wrote A Song About It (photo by Steven Lawler).

Common Grounds

Collisions in the daily grind…Eight million people. Eight million coffee houses. And eight million stories. An innovative dance musical set in a midtown coffee house that explores how, in the most mundane of places, we can intersect with, ricochet off and greatly impact each others lives. One incorrect order in the morning sets off a ripple effect that has dire consequences hours later.

This multimedia dance musical was commissioned by the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Book by Sammy Buck
Music by Doug Katsaros
Directed by Igor Goldin
Choreographed by Ron De Jesus, Ray Leeper, Tiger Martina, Rhonda Miller and Lisa Stevens
Projection Design KellyAnne Hanrahan
Set Consultant Ray Klausen
Costume Coordinator Jennifer Hoddinott
Lighting Design Ken Lapham
Stage Manager Paul Liberti
Produced by Melinda Atwood

Featuring
Kevin Aubin Pavel
Kurt Froman Justin
Karla Puno Garcia Nancy
Bob Gaynor Ned
Gina Ianni Margaret
Rhonda Kaufman Emma
Michael Keefe Ryan
Jason Luks Supervisor
Kaitana Magno Sonja
Mayumi Miguel Miranda
Jordan Spencer Gordon
Stephen Williams Louis

at 37 Arts (Baryshnikov Arts Center) • September – October, 2006 • New York Musical Theatre Festival

Kurt Froman and Mayumi Miguel, in Common Grounds at NYMF.

Kevin Aubin and Kaitana Magno, with Jordan Spencer in the background, in Common Grounds at NYMF.

Karla Puno Garcia and Kurt Froman, in Common Grounds at NYMF.

Rhonda Kaufman and Stephen Williams, in Common Grounds at NYMF.

Red Hook

Ten years after witnessing her older sister’s brutal murder, Jenny Traylor leaves her hometown in North Carolina to start her freshman year at the University of New York City. Still traumatized by her sister’s death and struggling with crippling agoraphobia, Jenny tries to cope with the overwhelming city and figure out her new life. When Jenny’s over-enthusiastic Resident Advisor organizes a Welcome Week scavenger hunt, Jenny is reluctantly persuaded to join the game. But as she and her new friends decipher the cryptic clues texted to their cell phones – clues that lead them through darker and increasingly remote parts of the city – it becomes terrifyingly clear how high the stakes have become. Someone is hunting for real.

Directed by Elizabeth Lucas
Screenplay by Sammy Buck
Story by Elizabeth Lucas and Sammy Buck

Featuring
Terrence Mann Lt. Fox
Christina Brucato Jenny
Tate Ellington Gavin
Alex Brightman Roy
Bryan Fenkart Tim
Karla Mosley Paula
Debargo Sanyal Higginbotham
Hollis Scarborough AnGELa
Frankie Shaw Deena
Brian J. Smith Chappy
Karissa Lee Staples Camille
Kelli Barrett Ellen
Shonn Wiley Officer Harrigan

WATCH MOVIE FULL LIST OF CREDITS AT IMDB

Christina Brucato as Jenny, with Tate Ellington as Gavin, in Red Hook, now available on streaming and Amazon.

Terrence Mann as Lt. Fox in Red Hook, now available on streaming and Amazon.

The killer strikes again in Red Hook, now available on streaming and Amazon.

Gavin (Tate Ellington) and Jenny (Christina Brucato) in Red Hook, now available on streaming and Amazon.

Matthew Takes Mannahatta

Created to commemorate the Quadricentennial of Henry Hudson’s first encounter with the Lenape Native Americans on what is now Manhattan, this magical adventure takes Matthew and his sister Piper on a journey back in time. From meeting dinosaurs to helping opposite sides come together during the famed Peach War, these squabbling siblings discover the Manhattan of the past held a very different Thanksgiving than today (It even included popcorn!)

Commissioned and produced by Vital Theatre Company.

book by Aurin Squire
music by Daniel S. Acquisto
lyrics by Sammy Buck
directed by Carlos Armesto

musical direction by Martin Landry
choreography by Tiffany Rachelle Stewart
set design by Adam Koch
lighting design by Josh Bradford
costume design by Sarita Fellows
puppet design by Emily DeCola
stage managed by Nicholas Rainey

Based on Matthew’s Secret Door by Christopher Paul Moore and Matthew Christopher Moore

featuring:
Kai Chapman Matthew
Daniel Cibener Captain Henry Hudson
Larissa Laurel Grandma Moore, Lenape Priestess
Kila Packett Dad, Chief Orotamy
Erikamari Rumore Piper
Lareysa Smith Moon Wolf

at Vital Theatre, October – November, 2009