Pittsburgh CLO and the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Partner with The ASCAP Foundation and Stephen Schwartz to Develop New Musicals

(l-r) Michael A. Kerker (ASCAP's Director of Musical Theatre) Stephen Schwartz (composer/lyricist Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt); Kirsten A. Guenther (bookwriter Alive at Ten); Ryan Scott (music and lyrics Alive at Ten); Elizabeth Bradley (Carnegie Mellon School of Drama); Van Kaplan (Pittsburgh CLO)

The cast of the staged reading of Alive at Ten at the Pittsburgh CLO/Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama New Works Program held in conjunction with Stephen Schwartz and The ASCAP Foundation

Pittsburgh CLO and Carnegie Mellon School of Drama have partnered with The ASCAP Foundation and composer/lyricist and Carnegie Mellon alumnus Stephen Schwartz to develop new musicals as part of the Pittsburgh CLO/Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama New Works Program. The ASCAP Foundation and Mr. Schwartz will select musicals for this initiative from participants in the prestigious ASCAP Foundation/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop. The first musical selected for further development through the partnership was Alive at Ten by Ryan Scott Oliver and Kirsten A. Guenther. The workshop took place in October 2007 and culminated in a staged reading for invited guests. Pittsburgh CLO's Associate Artistic Director and Carnegie Mellon alumnus, Jason Coll, served as music director, and Ryan MeKenian directed the musical.

Alive at Ten was conceived in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and inspired by the true story of the Pamela Smart teacher-student sex scandal. The musical explores the life of Kimberly "Kimmie" Sharp who dreams that she will one day become America's next beloved media personality, but there's one problem. She's stuck in a dead end job teaching at the local high school, and her discouraging, undermining husband would prefer she stay that way. But once Kimmie sets her mind to something, you can bet her husband's life it will happen. This is the story of a woman, her dream, and her sheer determination to make it come true at all costs — even if it means manipulation, seduction, and eventually murder.