Masters School Production of "Babes in Arms"

PROFESSIONALS CONTRIBUTE TO MASTERS SCHOOL

MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF BABES IN ARMS

 DOBBS FERRY, NY (March 1, 2011)--Two theater professionals are working with upper school students on the upcoming Masters School production of Babes in Arms scheduled for  Friday, March 4, and Saturday, March 5, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. in the Claudia Boettcher Theatre.

            Guest artist Lars Rosager will perform the role of Henry in the School’s adaptation of the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical, which focuses on a teenage hero who saves the local theatre from being torn down and replaced by an office building.

            Choreography by Mr. Rosager has been seen at Dance Theater Workshop, Bay Street Theater, American Ballroom Theater, The New York Drama League, The Naked Angels, Washington Square Dance Company, regional theater, and industrials. He has directed and/or choreographed productions of Sweet Charity, Anything Goes, and 42nd Street. He has choreographed Moonwork’s acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Passing Fancy for New York University’s Distinguished Faculty Concert. He danced on Broadway in the original casts of 42nd Street, directed by Gower Champion, and the 1987 revival of Cabaret, directed by Harold Prince, and with The American Dance Machine and American Ballroom Theater. He is currently on the faculties of New York University, Steps on Broadway, and The American Music and Dramatic Academy (AMDA).

            The School’s production also uses an original script written by Ken LaZebnik, who most recently wrote Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage. This Lionsgate film starred Peter O'Toole and Marcia Gay Harden, and was released during Christmas 2008. He shares story credit with Garrison Keillor for Prairie Home Companion, Robert Altman's last movie. In addition, he wrote for the Prairie Home Companion radio show for many years. He's written for numerous television dramas, including Star Trek: Enterprise, Providence, and was a writer/producer for seven seasons on the long-running CBS hit Touched by An Angel. He wrote three In Concert at the White House specials for PBS, and has written magazine and newspaper articles for The New York Times, Manhattan, inc. and Speakeasy.       

            In addition to his work in film and television, Mr. LaZebnik founded a baseball literary journal, The Elysian Fields Quarterly, which is in its second decade of publication. As a playwright, his plays have been produced in Minneapolis, New York, and Los Angeles. His most recent play, Vestibular Sense, was honored at the 2007 Humana Festival in Louisville. For two years, he served as Dean of the School of Performing Arts at Stephens College in Columbia, MO.

          A total of 34 Masters School students take part in the production, which is directed by M.A. Haskin, a theater veteran and chair of the Drama Department. The School’s Dance Director Mary Rotella is the choreographer for the show while music teacher Katie Meadows is serving as musical director.

            Admission is free of charge; no tickets are required. Plenty of free parking is available on campus. So come enjoy this wonderful production as Masters School actors and actresses provide a lively evening of entertainment!

            The Masters School (www.mastersny.org) is a coed day and boarding school that engages fifth-twelfth grade students in a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. Located on a majestic 96-acre suburban campus, the 133-year-old school is just 35 minutes from New York City.