A QUIRKY NEW MUSICAL [title of show] Book by Hunter Bell Music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts June 1—June 26, 2011 Regional Premiere Imagine a funny new musical by a pair of terrifically talented writers about a pair of terrifically talented writers writing a funny new musical. A love letter to musical theatre, this hit Broadway comedy chronicles four theatre geeks struggling to escape a run-down rehearsal hall and scale the heights of the Great White Way. Contains mature language. “Hilarious! A fresh new musical worth cheering!” –The New York Times *Visual Voice audio described performances 6/24 8pm, 6/25 8pm, 6/26 2pm GROUPS OF 8 OR MORE SAVE 15%! Contact Jonathan Amores at 650.463.7170 or at [email protected] for more information or to make a reservation. [title of show] is presented through special arrangement with R&H Theatricals: www.rnhtheatricals.com “[SEE THIS SHOW] Brilliant cast delivers hilarious comedy for TheatreWorks” The Daily News "A thoroughly entertaining, funny and feel-good evening... THE MOST FUN I'VE HAD IN THE THEATER IN AGES... TheatreWorks has knocked it out of the park" Palo Alto Weekly “FRESH, FUNNY, and FABULOUS Director Meredith McDonough has knit together a wonderfully blended ensemble cast.” BroadwayWorld.com “An impossibly wonderful, heart-filled romp… Together, the four actors sound like the vocal group from your favorite dream… FIVE STARS!” SF Theater Blog “MUSICAL THEATER BLISS a bold piece of theater... more than just a clever comedy.” Theater Dogs “A HIGH-POWERED cast… these people do more with four random chairs than most of us could do with an entire household of furniture.” Stark Insider “An INTELLIGENT, HEARTFELT, and VERY, VERY FUNNY tribute to the creative process. Go see it.” SF Weekly “EARNEST, SMART and RATHER GOOFY.” Metro Silicon Valley “IMMENSELY FUNNY… exquisite comic timing” San Mateo Daily Journal “Playful homage to musical-theatre conventions… comedic charms on several theatrical levels.” Bay Area Reporter “What really sells the show is the charm of its four-member ensemble” My Cultural Landscape “You’d have to be a serious sourpuss not to enjoy the current TheatreWorks production” KQED “The TheatreWorks cast is TALENTED and TIGHT” San Francisco Chronicle “Director Meredith McDonough keeps the comedy on line with great pacing” For All Events FARAH ALVIN (Heidi) has appeared on Broadway in Nine, The Look of Love, Saturday Night Fever, Grease!, and A Christmas Carol. Her off-Broadway credits include The Marvelous Wonderettes (Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress), I Love You Because, Cam Jansen, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie..., and Kuni-Leml. Recent regional credits include the role of Ginnie in the world premiere of Sycamore Trees(Signature Theatre), Mabel in Pirates! (Goodspeed Opera House, Papermill Playhouse, and Huntington Theatre Company) and Mother in Ragtime (White Plains Performing Arts Center). Ms. Alvin has performed as a soloist with the National Symphonies of the United States and Canada. She can be heard on the original cast recordings of The Marvelous Wonderettes, I Love You Because, as well as Someday, an album of her original music. LAURA JORDAN (Susan) is thrilled to be part of [title of show]. She appeared on Broadway in the original companies of Cry-Baby and In My Life. Other notable NYC appearances include Kathy Griffin in Perez Hilton Saves the Universe! (Outstanding Musical NYC Fringe Festival 2008), Coral in Glimpses of the Moon (The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel), Ronnie in .22 Caliber Mouth (The Ohio Theater), Rocky in VVVRRROOOMMM!!! (Summer Play Festival), and Oedipus for Kids! (New York Musical Theatre Festival). Workshops include Prairie (with Melissa Gilbert and Patrick Swayze), Lucky Break (directed by Tony winner John Caird) and In My Life. Her regional credits include Portland Stage Company, Northshore Music Theater, New York Stage & Film, Hartford Stage, and The Wilma Theater. Her best production to date: her one year old daughter Audrey. IAN LEONARD (Jeff) loves returning to TheatreWorks, where he recently completed the run of A Christmas Memory (Adult Buddy) and has appeared in Dessa Rose (Adam Nehemiah), My Ántonia (Jimmy Burden), and Jane Eyre: The Musical (St. John). Last summer, he played the role of Harold in Fly By Night, the New Works Festival's developmental production, and he's excited to revisit that role in TheatreWorks' upcoming season. Mr. Leonard spent a year overseas on the international tour of The Sound of Music (Rolf). Recent local performances include The Full Monty (Ethan) at American Musical Theatre of San Jose and She Loves Me (Kodaly) at Foothill Music Theatre. When not at Connect Studios, the acting school he founded for young performers, Mr. Leonard spends his time fronting the Bay Area corporate band, The Peelers. www.thepeelersband.com JAMISON STERN (Hunter) appeared on Broadway in By Jeeves as Bingo Little, and National Tours of Little Shop of Horrors and Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Some other New York credits include Newsical (Upstairs at Studio 54), Love! Valour! Compassion! (Genesius Guild), and Minnie's Boys(Jewish Repertory Theatre). Regional appearances include Around the World in 80 Days (Triad Stage); Chapter Two directed by Jay Sandrich, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Theatre Aspen); It's Only Life directed by Daisy Prince, She Loves Me (Rubicon Theatre); Fully Committed, Invention of Love, Black Comedy, As Bees in Honey Drown, A Flea in Her Ear directed by Gregory Boyd (Alley Theatre); The Compleat Wks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) (Cincinnati Playhouse); and Ragtime (Pioneer Theatre). Some TV/film credits include Law and Order, Day Zero, The Finger Lakes, and The Entrepreneurs. HUNTER BELL (Book) wrote and starred in [title of show] which premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival (2004), played off-Broadway (2006), and on Broadway (2008). It earned him a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical and an Obie Award special citation along with lyricist Jeff Bowen and director Michael Berresse. Mr. Bell has also authored the original books for Silence! The Musical, Villains Tonight! (Disney Cruise Lines), and Bellobration!, which chronicles the 137th edition of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. His acting credits include How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Broadway), The Tempest (Dallas Shakespeare Festival), and The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Coconut Grove Playhouse). He was a finalist in the Warner Brothers Comedy Writing Workshop and earned a BFA in Musical Theatre from Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts. JEFF BOWEN (Music & Lyrics) wrote the music and lyrics for and starred in [title of show] which earned him an Obie Award special citation along with Hunter Bell and director Michael Berresse. He and Bell also composed the music and lyrics for two original songs in the musical revue Villains Tonight! for Disney Cruise Line. Bowen wrote music for The Vineyard Theatre's 25th Anniversary Gala, the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards, and music and lyrics for the opening number for Broadway Bares 18: Wonderland, benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity fights AIDS. In 2008, Mr. Bowen ranked as one of the top 100 most influential people in OUT magazine. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, Actors Equity Association, the Yale Dramat, and the Dramatist Guild of America. MEREDITH MCDONOUGH (Director/Musical Staging) is TheatreWorks' Director of New Works where she's directed Auctioning the Ainsleys and Opus (Bay Area Theatre Cirtics Circle Award). She recently was one of the directors of The Lily's Revenge for Magic Theatre, and prior to moving to the Bay she spent three seasons as a Resident Director at Actors Theatre of Louisville, directing numerous world premieres in the Humana Festival. She directed premieres for Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Actors Express, Summer Play Festival, and Keen Company. Favorites include Summer of '42(Round House Theatre), Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice (Williamstown Theatre Festival), and Angels in America (UCSD). She was the New Works Program Director for National Alliance for Musical Theatre, is an Affiliated Artist with New Georges and the Orchard Project, and a Drama League Fellow. Her MFA in directing is from UCSD and BS in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. WILLIAM LIBERATORE (Musical Director) is TheatreWorks' resident musical director having conducted more than twenty shows including A Christmas Memory, Grey Gardens, Merrily We Roll Along, Harold and Maude, Crowns, My Ántonia, Jane Eyre, Ragtime, Smokey Joe's Cafe, and Pacific Overtures. He was the musical director at American Musical Theatre of San Jose, conducting over 30 shows including Flower Drum Song, Little Shop of Horrors, Gypsy, A Chorus Line, 42nd Street, Follies, Children of Eden, and Crazy For You. Mr. Liberatore has won Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for A Little Night Music, South Pacific, and Damn Yankees (AMTSJ) and Bat Boy; Into the Woods; Emma; Caroline, or Change; and The Light in the Piazza (TheatreWorks). He is also the choral director at Gunn High School, and is proudly conducting Symphony Silicon Valley's Broadway in Concert Series KIKAU ALVARO (Associate Director/Musical Staging) is happy to be making his TheatreWorks debut. He has worked with the Children's Musical Theater of San Jose for the last eight years, recently directing the mainstage production of The Drowsy Chaperone and providing choreography for Chicago and The Secret Garden. Mr. Alvaro made his New York directing debut with a one-act piece called Life Recital, which was featured in a new works festival called "New Life Crisis." He is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and holds a Theatre Arts degree from San Jose State University. KATE EDMUNDS (Scenic Designer) designed M Butterfly and The Clean House at TheatreWorks.