What is NCT Artistic Director Casey Hushion up to?

Bring It On
Casey is currently working as Assistant Director on the reading of Bring It On: The Musical, an original musical based on the 2000 comedy Bring It On. The creative team includes an array of talented individuals drawn from the top ranks of the Broadway theatre world. Andy Blankenbuehler (Tony Award-winning choreographer for In The Heights) will direct and choreograph. Jeff Whitty (Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Avenue Q) will write the book. Bring It On: The Musical will feature music by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Tony Award winner for In the Heights) and Tom Kitt (Tony Award winner for Next to Normal), and lyrics by Amanda Green (High Fidelity). Tony Award winner Alex Lacamoire (In The Heights, Wicked) will serve as orchestrator, arranger and music supervisor.

Anyone Can Whistle
In the spring, Casey is thrilled to be working as Associate Director of Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents' Anyone Can Whistle, the final City Center Encores! production of the 2009-2010 season. Casey Nicholaw (Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) will direct and Sutton Foster (Shrek, The Drowsy Chaperone, Thoroughly Modern Millie) will star in the show.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) Festival of New Musicals
A member of NAMT, NC Theatre is thrilled to have two of its staff members serving on different committees – Casey is on the Festival of New Musicals Committee and Lisa Grele Barrie, President & CEO, is on the Finance Committee.

NAMT is a national service organization dedicated exclusively to musical theatre. Their mission is to advance musical theatre by nurturing the creation, development, production and presentation of new musicals. It is comprised of 145 members, located throughout 31 states and abroad, who are some of the leading producers of musical theatre in the world. In 1989, The Festival of New Musicals was created to provide NAMT members with a forum to celebrate the new musicals that were being produced around the country. Held every fall over two days in New York City, the Festival showcases a select group of new musicals before an audience of NAMT members and industry professionals, with the experience and resources to move the work forward. Among the musicals launched by NAMT's annual festival are Thoroughly Modern Millie, Children of Eden, Honk!, The Drowsy Chaperone, Songs for a New World, I Love You Because, Striking 12, Vanities, in addition to helping over 225 writers and 330 musicals.

NAMT’s Festival Committee is comprised of 15 of the top new musical developers from across the NAMT membership. Charged with evaluating over 130 shows to find the eight best shows for the annual Festival of New Musicals, the committee takes on the task to help define the future of musical theatre and help the shows selected receive major exposure on the national scene.

 “I am honored to have been asked to join the National Alliance of Musical Theatre's 2010 Festival Committee. It is an especially thrilling opportunity for NCT as we head towards presenting our first new work this fall, The Black Suits,” says Casey. 

The Black Suits
Written by Joe Iconis and Robert Maddock, The Black Suits is a rock musical that follows a group of Long Island teens in their struggle to make something of their band and of themselves. As they perform to escape, the music can't drown out what is imminent, and they face decisions that will shape the rest of their lives. 

Composer Joe Iconis is a graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. He is a recipient of the 2006 Jonathan Larson Award, the 2007 Ed Kleban Award and a Backstage Bistro Award. His innovative rock style has brought forth several shows and he is one of the most talented, promising and provocative artists of this next generation.