Workshop presentations of the new musical August Rush, based on the 2007 film of the same name, will be presented in Manhattan December 11-12 at Open Jar Studios.

Three-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall (Anything Goes, The Pajama Game, Wonderful Town) will direct the workshop, which will feature the talents of Christopher Riley (A Christmas Story) as August, Jeremy Kushnier (Footloose) as Wizard, Matthew James Thomas (Pippin) as Louis, Talia Suskauer (Wicked) as Lyla, Jeffrey Cornelius (Hadestown) as Arthur X, and Ayvah Johnson (Tina–The Tina Turner Musical) as Hope with an ensemble that includes Pomme Koch (The Band's Visit), Wade McCollum (Floyd Collins), Inés Nassara (Hair), Shea Renne (Hadestown), Heath Saunders (Company), and Vishal Vaidya (Merrily We Roll Along). Casting is by The TRC Company's Tara Rubin, Kevin Metzger-Timson, and Frankie Ramirez.

Based on the Warner Bros. motion picture—which had a story by Paul Castro and Nick Castle and direction by Kirsten Sheridan—August Rush: A New Musical has a book by Nick Blaemire (Safety Not Guaranteed), who has also contributed new songs to the film's score by Mark Mancina, John Legend, Chris Trapper, and Luke Reynolds, along with additional new songs by Tony winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), Van Hughes (Space Dogs), and Bonnie McKee. Kitt will also provide music supervision.

The story follows an 11-year-old musical prodigy who runs away from his foster home to New York to embark upon a journey to find his long-lost parents: his father, an Irish rocker, and his mother, a concert cellist.

The film starred Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Terrance Howard with the multiple platinum-selling soundtrack featuring performances by John Legend and Van Morrison.

Alchemy Production Group is the general manager.

Richard Barton Lewis of Southpaw Entertainment and Chunsoo Shin’s OD Company are producing the new musical by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.