Michael Cerveris, Harriet Harris, Michael Esper and More Set for Duncan Sheik's The Nightingale at New York Stage and Film

Broadway vets Michael Cerveris, Harriet Harris, Michael Esper, Jarrod Spector, de'Adre Aziza, Linda Hart and more have signed on for the previously announced musical workshops at New York Stage and Film at Vassar College's Powerhouse Theatre. This year's productions includes The Nightingale, a new musical from Spring Awakening team Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater.

Cerveris (Sweeney Todd) and Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie) will lead the cast of The Nightingale as the Emperor and Dowager Empress respectively. The cast also includes Michael Esper (American Idiot) as Young Emperor, Blake Daniel (Sping Awakening) as Lieutenant Eunuch, Andrew Durand (The Burnt Part Boys) as Emissary, Kimiko Glenn as Princess Ssu-ming, Kylie Liya Goldstein (Les Miserables) as Nightingale, Arielle Jacobs (In the Heights) as Feiyan, Michael Mastro (West Side Story) as Chief Eunuch, Matt McGrath (Cabaret) as Minister of State, Uzo Aduba (Coram Boy) as Fisherwoman and Celina Carvajal (Dracula) as an ensemble member. Directed by Moises Kaufman, the contemporary musical rendering of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale runs July 8-10.

February House, a new musical featuring music and lyrics by Gabriel Kahane and a book by Seth Bockley, will be performed July 14-16. The musical follows eccentric editor George Davis (David Costabile, Translations) as he transforms a run-down Brooklyn boardinghouse into a commune for 1940s New York luminaries. Directed by Davis McCallum, the cast also includes Santino Fontana (The Importance of Being Earnest) at Benjamin Britten, Bryce Pinkham (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) as Reeves McCullers, Emily Young (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) as Gypsy Rose Lee, Ken Barnett (Wonderful Town) as Peter Pears, Emilly Swallow (High Fidelity) as Erika Mann, Andy Mientus (Spring Awakening) as Chester Kallman, David Abeles (The Pursuit of Persephone) and Cristin Milioti (That Face) as Carson McCullers.

The final musical workshop of the summer will be Piece of My Heart (July 28-31), featuring music and lyrics by Bert Berns and a book by Daniel Goldfarb, Brett Burns and Cassandra Berns. The show is a celebration of songwriter Bert Berns (to be played by Jersey Boys star Jarrod Spector) who died in 1967 of a heart attack at age 37. Berns' hits included “Twist and Shout,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Hang On Sloopy” and dozens of others. Leigh Silverman directs a cast that includes de'Adre Aziza (Passing Strange) as Candy, Kelli Barrett (Baby It's You) as Sloopy, Jenn Collela (High Fidelity) as Jesse, Linda Hart (Catch Me If You Can) as Mom, Ned Eisenberg (Awake and Sing) as Wazzel, Corey Antonio Hawkins (A Raisin in the Sun) as Hoagy, Manuel Herrera (Legally Blonde) as Carlos, Dominic Nolfi (Jersey Boys) as Young Wazzel and Glenn Fleshler (Arcadia). The ensemble includes Rachel Stern, Teresa Gattison, Pilar Millhollen, Michael Millen and Christian Carter.

New York Stage and Film attracts more than 200 theater pros and 40 apprentices each year who come together for eight weeks to create new works for the stage.