sign in sign up
<<
Home , Aida (musical), Avenue Q, A Little Night Music, Barely Breathing, Company (musical), Contact (musical)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS : Jasmine Jiang, 240.670.8798 [email protected]

ROUND HOUSE THEATRE CONTINUES SEASON WITH GROUNDBREAKING

SPRING AWAKENING

January 22 – February 23 at Round House Theatre

Bethesda, Md. (December 19, 2019) – Round House Theatre continues its 2019-2020 Homecoming Season with , and ’s Tony®- winning musical adaptation of the play by . Directed by Alan Paul, Spring Awakening runs January 22 – February 23, 2020 in the newly renovated Round House Theatre. Please see below for complete program details and ticket information.

Praised by as “exhilarating … a fresh breeze of true inspiration,” Spring Awakening follows a group of repressed and restless adolescents grappling with the onset of adulthood. With music by American singer- Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater, the bold musical adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s provocative 19th- century play illuminates the anxieties, agonies, and ecstasies of growing up with an electrifying mix of poignancy and rock and roll.

A groundbreaking Broadway hit that won eight Tony® Awards in 2007—including Best Musical, Book, Original Score, and Orchestrations—Spring Awakening‘s exploration of the gulf between teens and adults has only gained relevance in the past decade. Alan Paul will make his Round House directorial debut at the helm of this production, which he hopes will resonate with audiences in 2020 just as much as it did in 1981.

“I love this show because it is such a human exploration of growing up and discovering who you are,” says Paul. “The original play was explosive in its time as one of works about children told from the perspective of children, and the musical similarly captures what it means to be young—which I can say, after directing Romeo and Juliet and having just opened Peter Pan and Wendy, is a deceptively difficult task. To wipe the slate clean of everything that we know as adults and wind back to the challenges and

1 excitement and angst of being a teenager is not an easy thing to do, but I look forward to capturing the purity and enormity of all of that.”

“I am excited about the entire creative team behind this production,” Paul adds, “because Spring Awakening is a work of total theatre. There is a fluidity about the show, so while there will be wonderful dance by up-and-coming choreographer Paul McGill (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Broadway/tour) and musical direction by James Cunningham ( and Kiss , Kate at STC), my real hope is that will never feel where our collaboration begins and ends. This is also a show that’s very much about the tension between the past and present, which will be reflected in the striking and operatic set by Adam Rigg, as as Sarah Cubbage’s costumes, which will capture the romantic vision of 1891 but also break that apart with more modern sensibilities.”

The cast includes Tonya Beckman (previously in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Jane Bernhard (The Wolves at Studio Theatre), Katie Rey Bogdan (Three Cheers to Grace at Young Playwright's Theater), Carson Collins (The Bridges of Madison County at Keegan Theatre), Evan Daves ( and Scotland, PA at Roundabout Theatre ), Michael J. Mainwaring (previously in ), James Mernin ( at Olney Theatre Center), Christian Montgomery (Little Shop of Horrors at Constellation Theatre Company), Kalen Robinson ( at Toby’s Dinner Theatre), Cristina Sastre (In the Heights at North Carolina Theatre), Bobby Smith (previously in A Year with Frog and Toad), Sean Watkinson (Billy Elliot and at Signature Theatre), and Chani Wereley (Earthrise at The Kennedy Center and Love’s Labor’s Lost at the Folger Theatre).

The cast is joined by a creative team that includes music director James Cunningham, choreographer Paul McGill, scenic designer Adam Rigg, lighting designer Colin K. Bills, costume designer Sarah Cubbage, sound designer Matthew Nielson, and intimacy director Lorraine Ressegger-Slone.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 240.644.1100, ordering online at RoundHouseTheatre.org, or in person at the box office. Round House Theatre is located at 4545 East-West Highway, one block from Wisconsin Avenue and the Bethesda station on Metro’s Line.

ARTIST INFORMATION Steven Sater (Books and Lyrics) is an award-winning lyricist and writer, with original and collaborative works enjoying long runs both on and off Broadway. In 2007, Steven earned several accolades for the score and lyrics of his updated rendition of Spring Awakening, including two Tony® Awards, a , and the Outer Critics Circle Award.

2 Sater and his creative partner, Duncan Sheik, also received a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album in 2007. In 2010, the pair received the Laurence Olivier award for Best New Musical in . Beginning his career upon graduating from Washington University, Steven Sater has had numerous critically acclaimed plays produced, including Perfect For You, Doll, which won the Rosenthal Prize, and Umbrage, which received the Steppenwolf New Play Prize. Sater’s reconceived musical version of William Shakespeare’s Tempest toured throughout Great Britain and played London’s Lyric Hammersmith theater, which focuses on innovative and groundbreaking works. Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik have joined forces to create numerous other works such as Nero, The Nightingale, and Sheik’s album “ Moon.” Steven Sater’s original plays also include the long-running Carbondale Dreams, A Footnote to the Iliad, Asylum, and In Search of Lost Wings. Steven Sater’s music and lyrics can be heard in movies as well as on stage, including Michael Mayer’s feature film A Home at the End of the World and ’s The Cake Eaters. Steven Sater divides his time among numerous projects, including a new version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for Sony Pictures, a film adaptation of Spring Awakening, a new stage musical with recording legend , and a collaboration with System of a Down lead singer on a musical version of the Greek tragedy Prometheus Bound.

Duncan Sheik (Music Orchestration) is a Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter and composer. In addition to writing the music for Spring Awakening, which received a critically acclaimed American Concert staging, Duncan collaborated with Playwright Steven Sater on The Nightingale, a musical based on the classic which premiered during the 26th annual O'Neill Music Theater Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Sheik has composed original music for the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night and for The Golden Rooms of Nero, which recently debuted at Cornell University and opened at the Magic Theater in earlier this year. His self-titled debut album introduced the hit singles "" and "," and spent 30 weeks on the . Other albums include "Humming," "Daylight," "" with lyrics by Steven Sater and his latest, "." Film Soundtracks include Great Expectations, The Saint, Three to Tango, What a Girl Wants, Transamerica, and A Body Goes Down. Duncan has teamed up with Sater and librettist Jessie Nelson on the new musical Alice By Heart, making its debut at MCC Theater in in January of 2019. He is also collaborating with Pulitzer and Tony®-winning playwright on a musical adaptation of The Secret Life of Bees, which began performances at the Atlantic Theater Company in May of 2019.

3 Alan Paul (Director) is currently the Associate Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC). His STC credits include the world premiere of Peter Pan and Wendy by Lauren Gunderson; The Comedy of Errors; Romeo and Juliet; Kiss Me, Kate; ; A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum ( Award winner, Best Director); "Free For All" Revivals of Twelfth Night and The Winter's Tale; and Camelot, which became the highest grossing show in STC's history. Recent credits include Cabaret at Olney Theatre Center; at ; Silence! The Musical and at Studio Theatre; and Kiss Me, Kate at ’s . In 2013, Alan was the only American finalist for the European Directing Prize in Vienna, Austria. Opera highlights include at Palm Beach Opera (starring Stephanie Blythe); Man of La Mancha at Portland Opera; and Penny at Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center. Alan has collaborated extensively with The National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, and with conductors Edward Gardner, Juraj Valcuha, and Gianandrea Noseda. Alan has taught scene study at the University of Maryland’s Opera Studio and acting for the Washington National Opera’s Young Artist Program.

CAST INFORMATION (ALPHABETICAL) Tonya Beckman (Adult Woman) returns to Round House, where previous credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, A Wrinkle in Time, Alice, and Crime and Punishment. DC credits include Love’s Labors Lost and Twelfth Night at Folger Theatre; Love’s Labor’s Lost and Lady Windermere’s Fan at Shakespeare Theatre Company; Fickle and Rancho Mirage at Olney Theatre Center; The Internationalist at Studio Theatre; Jewish Queen Lear and Mikveh at Theater J; and Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center, as well as appearances at Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Constellation Theatre, Mosaic Theater, Solas Nua, Forum Theatre, 1st Stage, and Imagination Stage. Tonya is also a company member at Taffety Punk Theatre Company. Regional credits include Cleveland Play House, Cincinnati Playhouse, Fulton Theatre, and Totem Pole Playhouse. tonyabeckman.com

Jane Bernhard (Ilse) makes her Round House debut. DC credits include The Wolves at Studio Theatre (Helen Hayes Outstanding Ensemble Winner). Regional credits include Only Anne at Goodspeed Opera House; at Barrington Stage Company; The Little Mermaid at Red Mountain Theatre Company; the Musical at Peregrine Theatre Ensemble; and Corner of Bitter and Sweet at the 5th Avenue Theatre and Abingdon Theatre Company (reading). TV credits include The Deuce on HBO, A Billion to One on Prime (recurring guest-star), and the Amazon pilot Single. Film credits include Penned with Framework Productions. Jane has a BFA in from Boston Conservatory and is represented by Headline Talent Agency and Center Stage Management. Instagram: @janebernhard. janebernhard.com

4 Katie Rey Bogdan (Anna) is making her Round House debut in Spring Awakening. Other DC credits include Three Cheers to Grace at Young Playwright's Theater and Musical Therapy at Capital Fringe. Other area credits include Much Ado About Nothing at Prince George's Shakespeare in the Parks; 35MM at Free Range Humans; Winnie the Pooh at Maryland Ensemble Theatre; and at Infinity Theatre Company. Katie has a Bachelor of Arts in Music from The Catholic University of America and is currently on her Master of Arts in Theatre History. katiereybogdan.com

Carson Collins (Georg/Dieter) is thrilled to be making his Round House Theatre debut! He is a recent graduate of The Catholic University of America with a BM in Musical Theatre. Other DC credits include The Bridges of Madison County at The Keegan Theatre; Little Shop of Horrors at Constellation Theatre Company; Bonnie and Clyde at Monumental Theatre Company; and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at The Catholic University of America. Upcoming credits include at The Keegan Theatre. Instagram: @carsoncarson23

Evan Daves (Melchior) is thrilled to make his Round House Theatre debut in Spring Awakening. Broadway credits include Nine at Roundabout Theater Company; Hollywood Arms; and The Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center Theater. Most recently, Evan was seen Off- Broadway in Roundabout Theater Company's Scotland, PA. Other regional credits include The Cripple of Inishmaan at Guild Hall and Gettin' the Band Back Together at George Street Playhouse. Evan also starred as Abe in Porno, a horror comedy which premiered at SXSW in March, 2019; in theaters Spring 2020. Past television credits include Wu Tang: An American Saga (Hulu), Law and Order: SVU (NBC), and The Last O.G. (TBS). evandaves.com

Michael J. Mainwaring (Otto/Ulbrecht) returns to Round House, where he previously appeared in the Olney Theatre Center/Round House Theatre co-production of In the Heights. Other DC area credits include Matilda, Godspell, and at Olney Theatre Center; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Imagination Stage; Smokey Joe's Cafe at Arena Stage; Me...Jane and Lost in the Stars at the Kennedy Center; , U.G.L.Y., and at Signature Theatre; and Freedom's Song at Ford's Theatre; Thunder Knocking on the Door at Creative Cauldron; and Three Little Birds at Adventure Theatre MTC. Regional credits include at Harbor Lights Theatre Company in New York. Michael trains under voice coach Kristin Halliday.

James Mernin (Ernst) is thrilled to be making his Round House Theatre debut! DC credits include Cabaret (Swing) and Elf, The Musical (Swing) at Olney Theatre Center as well as (L.A.) at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Regional credits include (Tony)

5 at White Plains Performing Arts Center. James has a BA in Musical Theatre from American University. Instagram: @jamesbmernin

Christian Montgomery (Hanschen/Rupert) is making his Round House debut. DC credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Melancholy Play, and at Constellation Theatre Company; Jesus Christ Superstar at Signature Theatre; Elf at Olney Theatre Center; Carrie the Musical and Wig Out at Studio Theatre; (Helen Hayes nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical), (Helen Hayes nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical) and at Keegan Theatre; at Monumental Theatre Company; Alexander...Very Bad Day at Adventure Theatre; Dry Land at Forum Theatre; and Hunchback of Notre Dame and Memphi at Toby’s Dinner Theatre.

Kalen Robinson (Thea) is making her Round House Theatre debut in Spring Awakening. Her DC area credits include Grease at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Kalen is a graduating senior at Howard University, and her credits at Howard University's Department of Theatre Arts include Ain’t Misbehavin’, Antigone, and Flyin’ West. Instagram: @k_nicole143

Cristina Sastre (Wendla) is making her Round House debut in Spring Awakening. Regional credits include In the Heights (Nina) at North Carolina Theatre, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, and ; Mamma Mia (Sophie) at Theatre Aspen; and The Whale (Ellie) at Marin Theatre Company. Cristina graduated last May with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Texas State University and is now based in New York.

Bobby Smith (Adult Man) returns to Round House, where he previously appeared in A Year with Frog and Toad. Broadway credits include . Off-Broadway credits include Forever Plaid, The World Goes ‘Round, and . National tours include and The World Goes ‘Round. DC credits include , , Simply Sondheim, Company, Midwestern Gothic, , Threepenny Opera, La Cage aux Folles, and Spin at Signature Theatre; , The Long Christmas Ride Home, Caroline, or Change, , Reefer Madness, and : The Opera at Studio Theatre; Elmer Gantry, Liberty Smith, 1776, A Christmas Carol, and at Ford’s Theatre; Girl in the Goldfish Bowl, Musical of Musicals, is Alive and Well, and Living in Paris at MetroStage.

Sean Watkinson (Moritz) is happy to be home and to be making his Round House Theatre debut! Other DC credits include Tony Elliot in Billy Elliot and Miss Saigon at Signature Theatre. Recent regional credits include Last Days of Summer at George Street Playhouse; Jack Kelly in and at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. Sean is a proud

6 alumnus of Florida State University, where he received a BFA in Musical Theatre. Instagram: @seanwatkinson

Chani Wereley (Martha) is making her Round House Theatre debut. Previous DC credits include Earthrise at The Kennedy Center; Love’s Labor’s Lost at the Folger Theatre: Little Shop of Horrors and at Constellation Theatre Company; American Idiot and Dogfight at The Keegan Theatre; and and Bonnie and Clyde at Monumental Theatre Company. Other regional credits include Godspell at NextStop Theatre Company and Bridges of Madison County at Red Branch Theatre Company. Upcoming credits include A New Brain at 1st Stage. Instagram: @cwereley. chaniwereley.com

PRODUCTION INFORMATION Spring Awakening Book & Lyrics by Steven Sater Music by Duncan Sheik Based on the play by Frank Wedekind Directed by Alan Paul

Cristina Sastre as Wendla* Evan Daves as Melchior* Sean Watkinson as Moritz* Michael Mainwaring as Otto/Ulbrecht Christian Montgomery as Hanschen/Rupert* Tonya Beckman as Adult Woman Bobby Smith as Adult Man Katie Rey Bogdan as Anna* Chani Wereley as Martha* Jane Bernhard as Ilse* Carson Collins as Georg/Dieter* James Mernin as Ernst/Reinhold* Kalen Robinson as Thea* * - Round House Theatre debut For more production information, including full creative team bios, please visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/SpringAwakening

WHERE: Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway in Bethesda (one block from Wisconsin Ave. and Metro’s Bethesda station). For directions, parking, and public transportation info, visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/Visit-Us/

7 ABOUT THE PLAY: For a repressed group of teenagers, the road to adulthood is fraught with suffocating confusion in Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s Tony-winning adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s prescient 19th-century drama. As the adults in their lives exert control but withhold guidance, Melchior, Wendla, Moritz, Ilse, and their friends navigate blindly through the enigma of their burgeoning sexuality. Both haunting and high-octane, the score bristles with anthems to adolescence like “Mama Who Bore Me” and “The Bitch of Living,” and is infused with a blend of folk, pop, and rock that gives this tale unexpected soul. With generational gaps growing wider than ever, the angst and defiance at the heart of this boundary-pushing musical act as a bridge between our deeply personal yet wholly universal experiences.

DATES AND TIMES: Spring Awakening runs from January 22 to February 23, 2020. Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.

TICKETS: Tickets can be purchased by calling 240.644.1100, ordering online at RoundHouseTheatre.org, or visiting the box office. Available ticket discounts include: • Free Play – free tickets for all High School students throughout the DC Metro area: Round House wants to make attending our shows an integral part of a Montgomery County education. To that end, we have a unique program: Play It Forward. With Free Play, all High School students throughout the DC-Metro area can reserve a free ticket to the performance of their choice during the 2019-2020 Season. For details and information, visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/Free-Play or call 240.644.1100. • On the House – new community ticket access program: Round House’s next step to remove barriers that can make it difficult for some members of our community to experience our work is On the House, which provides complimentary group tickets to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and community-serving organizations with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. General applications for tickets to Spring Awakening will open on December 18, 2019. For more information, visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/On-The-House or email [email protected]. • Pay-What-You-Can performances: Wednesday, January 22 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, January 25 at 2:00 pm. PWYC tickets go on sale in person at the box office one hour prior to curtain. Cash and exact change only. Limit of 2 tickets per order. PWYC tickets are subject to availability. A limited amount of digital PWYC

8 tickets will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis on TodayTix on starting Monday, January 20. • Age 35 & Under, Military, and Veterans: Patrons under 35, active duty military personnel, and veterans qualify for a $10 discount off the single ticket price. Single Ticket fees do not apply for 35 & Under. Discounts can be redeemed in person at the box office, or by calling 240.644.1100. • 2-For-1 Tuesday: For our Tuesday, February 4, Feburary 11, and February 18 performances, all seats are buy one, get one free. Tickets can be purchased in person at the box office, online, or by calling 240.644.1100, while supplies last. • Group Sales: Groups of 10 or more can save up to 50% off the single ticket price and are exempt from single ticket fees. These tickets must be reserved and purchased in advance by calling 240.644.1100 or emailing [email protected].

ABOUT ROUND HOUSE THEATRE Round House Theatre is one of the leading professional theatres in the Washington, D.C. area, producing a season of new plays, modern classics, and musicals for more than 40,000 patrons each year at our theatre in Bethesda. Round House has been nominated for more than 181 Helen Hayes Awards and has won 37, including four Outstanding Resident Play Awards and the Charles MacArthur Award for Original New Play in 2016. Round House’s lifelong learning and education programs serve over 4,000 students each year at its Education Center in Silver Spring and in schools throughout Montgomery County. Cornerstone programs include Play It Forward, which provides free tickets for teens and college school students, the year-round Teen Performance Company, which culminates in the student-produced Sarah Metzger Memorial Play, Summer Camp for students in grades K-12, and a full slate of classes for Adults & Youth.

###

9