|
 RUS McCOY
was born in the city of Los Angeles. His formative years were
spent in the San Fernando Valley and he had been residing in southern California until 2009.
He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He released three independent compact discs: "ACE"
(1992), "THE GRAVITY BELL" (1995) and "PEOPLE LIKE US" (1999) which was later re-titled
"COWBOYS AND IDIOMS." He has also performed live in various coffeehouses in the southern
California area, as well as gay festivals (Long Beach; Irvine; West Hollywood; Santa Barbara;
Boise, Idaho; Tucson, Arizona; Chicago, Illinois; Washington DC and New York City).
www.rusmccoymusic.com
In 2000 Rus decided to turn his creative energy
towards live theater. His first musical, "MANZANAR: Story of an American
Family" (book and lyrics by R. McCoy, music by
McCoy/Taguchi) about the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, was co-written with his
long time friend Dan Taguchi. The East West Players, a renowned Asian American theater group in
downtown Los Angeles, immediately took on the project. Sold out readings of "MANZANAR" in 2002
and 2003 caught the attention of both the Los Angeles and New York Times resulting in articles
in both papers. In 2004 and 2005 a scaled down version of the musical toured the Los Angeles
middle and high schools as a learning tool by the State of California school system. Not only
did the students learn of a little known chapter of American history; they were also exposed to
the importance and possibilities of live theater. There were a total of 67
performances.
The latest musical entitled "MERGE", is a dramedy
about Baby Boomers, corporate mergers and reconnecting with one's dreams. Mr. McCoy co-wrote
the libretto, lyrics and music with collaborator, Kimel Conway.
|
|
 KIMEL
CONWAY: As a government bureaucrat for
over thirty years who has weathered scores of retirement luncheons, "MERGE" is Kimel Conway's
first musical. It speaks in many ways to his own work life and the lives of many Baby Boomers
he knows who have worked long and hard for decades only to end up asking "Is that all there
is?"
Born and raised in a small town in the Appalachian
Mountains of Maryland, Kimel is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Harvard
University. Throughout his life, Kimel has always maintained a deep passion for writing,
music and the critical value of words that we exchange in our everyday lives. He believes
that the essence of a great musical is to uplift and exhilarate the audience to a level of
escapism outside everyday existence which only this splendid art form can
do.
Kimel currently resides in Long Beach, California
and continues his work as a government bureaucrat with the heartfelt dream of one day
stepping into the theatre world on a full-time basis.
|
