Locally produced musicals get first staged performances

SALT LAKE CITY — Five new musicals by Utah composers will receive their first fully-staged performances on Feb. 9 at the Leona Wagner Black Box theatre in the Rose Wagner Center for the Performing Arts, 138 W. 300 South.

Directed by Laura Crossett, the showcase will feature a memorized, fully blocked scene from each new musical, with simple sets and lighting. The source material for the musicals includes Greek mythology, George MacDonald's "The Giant's Heart," George Eliot's "Silas Marner," Albert Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus" and an original Western. The musicals are M Ryan Taylor's "The Giant's Heart"; Rick Mortensen's "My Rock"; Erica Glenn's "The Weaver of Raveloe"; Annelise Murphy's "Justice at the Gold Dust"; and Rick Rea's "Godville."

Titled "Broadway Bound?", the showcase is part of the 2011-2012 season of the Salty Cricket Composers' Collective, a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit devoted to the performance and promotion of new music.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 ($10 for students) and available through Arttix (801-355-Arts) and at the Rose Wagner box office.