An invitation-only industry reading of the new musical The Phoenix: Part I, blending Chinese classical dance, ballet, and contemporary musical theatre, will be presented August 21 at 2:30 PM at Open Jar Studios.

Directed by JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock), with music direction by Minhui Lee, the cast will include Joanna Carpenter (The Connector), Kai An Chee, Christine Toy Johnson (Come From Away), Brian Kim McCormick, Ya Han Chang, Sam Tanabe (Allegiance), Ellis Gage, and Shuyan Yang.

The Phoenix: Part I, which has a book by Desdemona Chiang, music by Cheeyang Ng, and lyrics by Eric Sorrels, is set against the shifting political tides of 20th century China. The musical explores ambition, sacrifice, identity, and rebirth, asking, "Who do you become when the thing that defines you is taken away?," according to press notes.

The reading will also feature a ballet sequence inspired by Mao’s revolutionary ballet tradition, choreographed by Shan Y Chuang and Yu Xi, with dancers Mayu Yamashita, Hannah Jew, Jiemin Yang, Chieh Hsiung, Hsuanchun Huang, Vivake Khamsingsavath, and Sumire Ishige.

The upcoming reading is presented with support from Musical Theatre Factory and Songspace NYC. Eric Fegan is the music consultant with general management by Joe Hetterly. 

Industry professionals interested in attending should RSVP to [email protected].