World famous director Sebastian Rickter is holding open auditions for a new West End musical called Dream Street and is looking for undiscovered talent. No, this isn’t an actual call for a new original work from London, but it is straight from London, and Dream Street is making an Off-Broadway premiere at New York’s Pearl Theatre Aug. 12-16.
With book, music and lyrics by Jo Noel-Hartley, the funny (perhaps this can be considered reality theater) production follows the personal journeys and challenges of cast members of very different backgrounds. Through determination and making great new friendships, the synopsis reads, they discover that dreams can come true.
The talent included in the nearly 80-member alternating cast of leads and understudies, includes young Broadway standout Marquise Neal – an original cast member of the Tony-winning Kinky Boots as “Young Lola” as well as a Grammy winner for the musical’s original cast album. Designated as one of the Top 5 Kids to Debut On Broadway, Neal will portray “Charlie” in Dream Street. One of several youngsters living on the fictional Dean Street, Charlie – your average 12-year-old who loves football – is encouraged by his teacher to audition for the show and discovers he’s pretty darn good.
One of the lines Neal sings from Dream Street is: “Maybe today is the day I’m not rejected.” Sure, Neal is bound to not get some role during his career but his reality is one where he is living out his dreams. He has performed in numerous shows sharing stages with the likes of Ben Vereen, André de Shields, Obba Babatunde, Tony Danza and Liz McKendry.
Having appeared in the top-rated Netflix TV series “Orange Is The New Black,” the Newark, NJ, native started singing with Newark Symphony Hall Special Ensemble – the No. 1 youth choir in the state – in 2011. The ensemble won first place in the youth category for the McDonald’s Gospel Fest.
As a youth ambassador with music-education organization Dreamality, Inc., Neal interviewed Broadway stars – including Kinky Boots stars Billy Porter, singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, legendary actor-playwright Harvey Fierstein – about pursuing dreams for its Dream Out Loud campaign. When interviewing Clifton Davis on what the phrase “dream out loud” meant to him, Neal learned that one must ‘speak what you want to do into existence; say the dream and make it become reality.’
Dream Street is also about making dreams come true for the community, especially youth. Director Laura Luc, founder of Kids of the Arts, is donating a portion of proceeds from her productions to the homeless youth charity Covenant House. She is one of many members of the Broadway community participating in Sleep Out: Broadway Edition (Aug 17), sleeping on the street for one night to raise money and awareness for Covenant House. Additionally, Dream Street tickets will be donated to Veteran Ticket Foundation. After a cast member did an Internet search for Dream Street (with a dreamstreetnyc.com address) and landed on DreamStreet Theatre Company (with a dreamstreetnyc.org address), the KOTA production teamed up the company to bring awareness to its mission to bring the joy of theatre to special needs performers.
Luc founded KOTA when she was 11. Since 2001, her organization has produced shows Off-Broadway and regionally, along with workshops and benefit productions, involving more than 450 actors, creative and staff members. KOTA urges youth to “create your world.”
The world of Marquise Neal is one that is still taking shape, but one audiences of all ages will want to experience. Soon to co-star in the upcoming web series “How To Make It Big” – about more wanna-be thespians – Neal is far from being a wanna-be and sure to be on to bigger and better dreams.
Dream Street runs for nine performances. Visit dreamstreetnyc.com for more information. Follow Marquise on Instagram: @marquiseneal_
