Muny Announces First Round of 2016 Season Principal Casting
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World Wide Technology 2016 Season Presenting Sponsor FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kwofe Coleman April 14, 2016 Director of Marketing and Communications 314.595.5712 [email protected] Muny Announces First Round of 2016 Season Principal Casting ST. LOUIS – The Muny announced today several principal cast members for its spectacular 98th season. Remaining casting and complete companies will be announced throughout May and June. The 2016 Muny season opens with The Wizard of Oz followed by 42nd Street and The Music Man. The season includes the premieres of the popular Mel Brooks comedy, Young Frankenstein and world-wide megahit, Mamma Mia!, and closes with Fiddler on the Roof and Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida. “Our slogan for our 98th season is ‘Big…Bold…Absolutely thrilling’ and I’m confident these extraordinary artists will make it so,” said Muny Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “Muny casting director Megan Larche Dominick and all of our directors and choreographers and music directors have done a superb job creating companies that will make the season magical and electrifying.” THE WIZARD OF OZ (June 13 – 22) DANIELLE BOWEN (Dorothy) has performed regionally at North Shore Music Theatre in The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy and at The Ivoryton Playhouse in All Shook Up as Natalie (Connecticut Critics Circle Award Leading Actress). Additionally, she trained at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and performed in concerts at the Venetian Room and the House of Blues in Boston. She moved to NYC this past September after graduating from Emerson College with a BFA in Musical Theatre. PEGGY ROEDER (Miss Gultch / The Wicked Witch of the West) recently finished her 5th Season at the Asolo Repertory Theatre where roles include Dolly Levi in The Matchmaker, Ma Joad in Grapes of Wrath, and Sonia in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. She has appeared on the stages of Goodman, Steppenwolf, Mark Taper Forum, Atlantic Theatre Company, Peninsula Players, and Milwaukee Rep. Film and TV credits include Groundhog Day, Road To Perdition, Prison Break, Law & Order, Star Trek: DS9, Stranger Than Fiction, and Were The World Mine. Her work has garnered four Jeff Awards, three Artisan Awards, and two After Dark Awards. LEAH BERRY (Glinda, the Good Witch) is thrilled to play Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. Other Muny adventures include My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly! and South Pacific. Productions in St Louis include Variety Children’s Theatre (Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins), New Jewish Theatre (Sirens), and Stages St Louis: Big River (Mary Jane), The Secret Garden (Rose), The Fully Monty (Pam Lukowski), and the upcoming Sister Act (Sister Mary Robert). Additional credits: The Sound of Music (Maria), The Music Man (Marian) and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Belle). Leah also voices commercials for Eckerts, Intrust Bank, Missouri Lottery, Alpo, and Purina One among others. NICHOLAS RODRIGUEZ (Hank / The Tinman) The Muny: Beauty and the Beast ('10 & '15), Tarzan, The Buddy Holly Story; Broadway: Tarzan. Off-Broadway: Toxic Avenger, Almost Heaven, Death For Five Voices, Collette Collage, Bajour. Carnegie Hall: Guys and Dolls. Tours: Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Hair. Regional: Mother Courage and Her Children, Oklahoma! (Helen Hayes Award), My Fair Lady (Helen Hayes nomination), Destiny of Desire, Light in the Piazza at Arena Stage; The Ten Commandments at the Kodak Theatre; Mothers and Sons, Les Misérables, Master Class, Love!Valour!Compassion! at ZACH Theatre; Tarzan at Oklahoma Lyric; South Pacific & The King and I at Casa Mañana. Film: Sex in the City II (also soundtrack). Television: Madam Secretary, Nick Chavez on ABC’s One Life to Live (GLAAD Award). His debut album The First Time... is available at www.psclassics.com and on iTunes. www.thenickrod.com STEPHEN WALLEM (Zeke / The Lion) Muny: Shrek, Seussical. SAG Award-nominated actor best known as Thor Lundgren on the Emmy-winning Showtime series Nurse Jackie. NY theater: Pipe Dream (Encores!), Anna Nicole (NY City Opera/BAM), Bedroom Secrets (Fringe Excellence Award). National tours: Into the Woods, Forever Plaid, Scrooge. Other regional: Man of La Mancha (Long Wharf), A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George (Ravinia Festival), James Joyce’s The Dead (Court Theater), Forever Plaid (Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas). TV: Horace and Pete, Difficult People. Cabaret: Schwartz and All (Birdland), The Other Steve and Edie (with Edie Falco). 42ND STREET (June 24 – 30) SHULER HENSLEY (Julian Marsh) Broadway: No Man’s Land/Waiting For Godot, Young Frankenstein, Tarzan, Oklahoma! (and West End- Tony, Drama Desk, OCC, Olivier Awards), Les Misérables. Off- Broadway: Grinch…, The Most Happy Fella, and Fiorello! (Encores!), The Whale (Lucille Lortel/Obie Awards; OCC, Drama League, and Drama Desk nominations; Stage Performance of the Year by NY Magazine), Silence! The Musical, Sweet And Sad (Drama Desk for Outstanding Ensemble). Regional/International: The Prince of Broadway, The Guardsman, Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County, The Phantom of the Opera, Wozzeck, Regina. Symphony Appearances: NY Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony Orchestra. TV: Shades of Blue, Banshee, The Americans, Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Intent. Film: Murder of a President, The Legend of Zorro, Van Helsing. EMILY SKINNER (Dorothy Brock) Muny: Billy Elliot, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Broadway: Side Show (Tony nomination, Drama League Award), Jekyll & Hyde, The Full Monty, James Joyce's The Dead, Dinner at Eight (Outer Critics Circle Nomination), Billy Elliot (BroadwayWorld Award). Off-Broadway: Jerry Springer The Opera (Carnegie Hall); Fiorello!, No Strings, Pardon My English, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (City Center Encores!); leading roles at Manhattan Theater Club, WPA Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Roundabout Theatre Company, York Theatre, Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Gardens. Regional: multiple roles at The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Ford's Theatre, Long Wharf, The Old Globe, Goodspeed, Bucks County Playhouse, Virginia Rep, and many others. She has sung with symphonies around the globe and her numerous CD recordings may be found at Amazon.com. www.emily-skinner.com JONALYN SAXER (Peggy Sawyer) Jonalyn is thrilled to be making her Muny debut in her all-time favorite show! Broadway: Honeymoon In Vegas, Bullets Over Broadway. Pre-Broadway/Regional: Gotta Dance (Bank Of America Theater, Chicago), Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical (Dallas Theater Center), Pittsburgh CLO, Maine State Music Theater, Syracuse Stage, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. Proud Syracuse University Graduate. JAY ARMSTRONG JOHNSON (Billy Lawlor) Muny: Hello, Dolly! and Pirates! Gilbert and Sullivan Plunder'd. Broadway: On The Town (Astaire Award nom.), Hands on a Hardbody, Catch Me If You Can, HAIR. TV/Film: Quantico (Dr. Will Olson; recurring), Sex & the City 2, Law & Order: SVU. Off-Broadway: Wild Animals You Should Know (MCC), Working (Drama Desk Award; Prospect Theater Co.). Other NY Theater: The Most Happy Fella (Encores!), Sweeney Todd (New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall). First national tour: A Chorus Line. Regional: The Last Goodbye (The Old Globe), On The Town (Barrington Stage Co.), Hands On A Hardbody (La Jolla Playhouse), Pool Boy (Barrington Stage Co), Hairspray (Weston Playhouse). Concert: 35mm: A Musical Exhibition (on iTunes). ANN HARADA (Maggie Jones) Muny: High School Musical. Originated the role of Christmas Eve in Avenue Q on Broadway and the West End. Other Broadway: Cinderella, 9 to 5, M. Butterfly, Seussical, Les Miserables (revival). Film: Youth in Oregon, Sisters, Admission, Hope Springs, and The Art of Getting By. TV: The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Good Wife, SMASH, 30 Rock, House of Cards, Master of None. JASON KRAVITS (Bert Berry) is best known as ADA Richard Bay on ABC’s Emmy Award winning The Practice. Selected TV: Royal Pains, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, Grey’s Anatomy, Friends, Gilmore Girls, Yes, Dear, Becker, CSI, According to Jim, Gravity, Law & Order (SVU, CI, & Original Recipe). Selected Film: Morning Glory, The Adjustment Bureau, The Stepford Wives, Sweet November, What Just Happened, See You in September. Broadway: Relatively Speaking, The Drowsy Chaperone, Sly Fox. Off- Broadway: Don’t Quit Your Night Job, Rumble in the Redroom. Creator of the award-winning comedy show, Making Faces with Kravits and Jones and the webseries Lords of the Playground. THE MUSIC MAN (July 5 – 11) HUNTER FOSTER (Harold Hill) Broadway: The Bridges of Madison County, Hands on a Hardbody, Million Dollar Quartet, The Producers, Little Shop of Horrors (Tony nomination), Urinetown (Outer Critics Circle nomination), Les Misérables, Footloose, King David, Grease. Off-Broadway: Happiness (Drama Desk nomination), Burning, Borrowed Dust, Frankenstein, Dust, Modern Orthodox. Regional: Little Miss Sunshine, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Helen Hayes nomination), Mister Roberts, The Government Inspector, Spamalot. TV: Boardwalk Empire, Bunheads. Wrote the librettos for Summer of ‘42, The Circus in Winter, The Hollow, Clyde & Bonnie and Jasper in Deadland. Foster is an artistic associate at the Bucks County Playhouse where he has directed Company, Ain't Misbehavin, The Rocky Horror Show, The Buddy Holly Story, It's a Wonderful Life, National Pastime and Summer of '42. Other directing credits include My Fair Lady, Spamalot, Cabaret, Grease and Million Dollar Quartet. MARK LINN-BAKER (Mayor Shinn) Broadway: On the 20th Century, You Can’t Take It With You, Relatively Speaking, Losing Louie, A Year With Frog And Toad, A Funny Thing, Laughter On The 23rd Floor, Face Value, Doonesbury. Encores!: The Pajama Game. NYSF: All's Well That Ends Well, Othello, Von Richthofen, The Laundry Hour, Alice In Concert. Off-Broadway: Almost An Evening, Chesapeake (Drama Desk And OCC Nominations), A Flea In Her Ear (Drama League Honor), The Miss Fire Cracker Contest, Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong. Film: Manhattan, My Favorite Year, Noises Off, and How Do You Know. TV: Laughter On The 23rd Floor, The Good Wife, Ally McBeal, Miami Vice, Moonlighting, Perfect Strangers, Twins. NANCY ANDERSON (Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn) Muny: Crazy For You.