Performances began on the 15th! Runs through Feb 20th
The Alliance Theatre announces the world premiere of Bring It On: The Musical, which debuted on the Alliance Stage January 15, 2011. The high-stakes world of competitive cheerleading meets the cutthroat rivalries of high school politics in this daring and explosive new musical comedy. The star-studded creative team behind the production has crafted an original with all new characters and storylines that is certain to surprise and delight audience members.
The team behind the world premiere of Bring It On: The Musical is an extraordinarily rare union of some of Broadway's most acclaimed, award-winning, young creators. With an original book by Tony Award® winner Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q), music and lyrics by Tony Award®-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), music by Pulitzer and Tony Award®-winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and lyrics by Broadway lyricist Amanda Green (High Fidelity), the production is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler (In the Heights).
“Kicking off 2011 with this world premiere is a prime example of the Alliance’s deep commitment to offering Atlanta the country’s first look at Broadway’s best and brightest creating new work at the top of their game,” said Susan V. Booth, Jenning Hertz, Jr. Alliance Theatre Artistic Director. “Welcoming a creative team of this magnitude to Atlanta is a gift both for and from the Alliance for our audiences and the community at large.”
Bring It On: The Musical is presented at the Alliance Theatre by a special arrangement with Universal Pictures Stage Productions/Glenn Ross, Beacon Communications/Armyan Bernstein & Charlie Lyons, and Kristin Caskey & Mike Isaacson, Executive Producers.
“From my first eye-opening moment stepping into the cheerleading world, I was instantly struck by the passion and raw emotion filling every athlete stepping out onto the competition mat. That live or die commitment was truly inspiring,” said director and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. “The team of Bring It On: The Musical quickly saw a parallel between the passion on the cheerleading floor and the attitude of young people everywhere who felt their own passions burn within them. We quickly saw that our story was not about winning or losing, but our story was about finding out what was in your heart and following with all the truth, love and spirit that you could muster up. The path before us in life is definitely curvy, but if we live true to our heart, we all find out what "winning" means to each of us.”
The lead actors in Bring It On: The Musical include Amanda Lea LaVergne (Campbell), who recently performed in Grease and All Shook Up on Broadway; Adrienne Warren (Danielle), fresh from the recent national tour of Dreamgirls and Nick Blaemire (Randall), who appeared in the original Broadway production of Cry-Baby.
The all-star cast includes some of the nation’s most skilled competitive cheerleaders. Their combined achievements include over 25 national and 50 team titles in gymnastics and choreography. They were selected in part through a collaboration with Varsity, the global leader in competitive cheerleading. Among eight of the most notable are: Antwan Bethea, Michael Naone-Carter, Courtney Corbeille, Brooklyn Freitag, Melody Mills, Sheldon Tucker, David Ranck, and Lauren Whitt.
Members of the artistic design team that help bring this production to life on the Alliance stage are David Korins, set designer; Andrea Lauer, costume designer; Jason Lyons, lighting designer; Brian Ronan, sound designer. Tony Award® winner Alex Lacamoire serves as music supervisor for the production.
Bring It On: The Musical will be performed on the Alliance Stage with previews beginning Saturday, January 15, 2011 with opening night on Friday, January 28. The run will continue through Sunday, February 20. Performances are Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Tickets start at $25 and are available at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office by calling404.733.5000 or online at alliancetheatre.org. Discount rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 404-733-4690. Discount rates are also available for members of the military, seniors and students. The Alliance Theatre is located at the Woodruff Arts Center, corner of Peachtree & 15th Street, in Midtown Atlanta.
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Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Georgia Ensemble Theatre Presents "Tokens of Affection" Jan 6 - 23
Georgia Ensemble Theatre (GET), North Fulton’s only professional theatre company, will present the third production of its 18th “X-traordinary” Season with the world premiere of Tokens of Affection, by award-winning Atlanta Playwright Topher Payne, at the Theatre’s home in the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell, GA 30075. This production is generously sponsored by the Macy’s Foundation.
About the Play:
Playwright Topher Payne calls this new romantic comedy, “THE PARENT TRAP for grown-ups!” Tokens of Affection deals with “empty nesting,” the complications of romance, and family dysfunction. What is a husband to do when his wife of 37 years announces she’s leaving? Both seek solace at the homes of their grown children, to panicked and hilarious results.
Artistic Director Robert J. Farley says of producing this world premiere, “I am so excited about this play. Creating something from the ground up is always exhilarating and admittedly a bit scary. The journey with Topher Payne has been wonderful, and I’m thrilled for GET to get ‘bragging rights’ on this one, because I believe it’s going to ‘have legs!’”
About the Playwright/Director:
Topher Payne was this year’s selection for “Best Local Playwright” by the readers of Creative Loafing, and was voted “Best Local Writer” and “Best Actor” by the readers of The GA Voice. Process Theatre Company’s production of his play Above the Fold won the 2009 Metro Atlanta Theatre Award for Best Original Work and Best Play of the Year. He is a columnist for The GA Voice, Project Q Atlanta and Fenuxe Magazine. Favorite directing projects include productions of On Golden Pond, Impossible Marriage, and Stories I Ain’t Told Nobody Yet. In May, he will premiere the farce Lakebottom Proper at the State Theatre of Georgia, The Springer Opera House.
In his Director’s Notes for this play, Topher writes, “(As) my wedding day was approaching … I attempted to picture what the marriage I was committing to would look like several decades down the road. It scarcely seems possible that you could make a vow in your twenties and manage to live up to it in your seventies. Eventually I sorted out my thoughts the only way I know how: I wrote a play. My first love story. It began with a couple who have lived more years together than they did apart, who have somehow lost sight of what makes them work. Then more voices began to show up, and I realized it was a play about how we give our hearts to the variety of people God guides into our lives. And then there are misunderstandings and lots of messy complications.” He goes on to say of this GET production, “The cast of Tokens of Affection has done such incredible work capturing those seemingly contradictory aspects of relating to people we love: the challenges, and the laughter.”
About the Cast:
The cast of Tokens Affection features Judy Leavell (GET’s The Lady with All the Answers and Steel Magnolias), John Stephens (Theatre Gael Artistic Director, Conversations with My Wife at Theatre in the Square), Shelly McCook (Season’s Greetings and Twentieth Century at GET), Kelly Criss (River Rat & Cat and And Then They Came for Me tour at GET), Matthew Myers (Dracula at Aurora Theatre, Waiting for Godot at Theatre Gael), and Googie Uterhardt (You Can’t Take it With You at Theater Emory, Music Man and Little Shop of Horrors at Atlanta Lyric). The design team includes Stephanie Polhemus as Scenic Designer, Bryan Rosengrant as Lighting Designer, Linda Patterson as Costume Designer, and Jason Polhemus as Sound Designer. Topher Payne directs the show; and Hayley Brotherton is Stage Manager.
Tickets for Tokens of Affection:
Tokens of Affection runs January 6-23, 2011, with performances on Wednesdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm. There will be two Saturday 4pm matinees: January 15 and 22. Tickets range in price from $23-$33, with student, senior and group discounts also available. Tickets may be purchased online at www.get.org or by calling GET at 770-641-1260. All performances will be at the Theatre’s home at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA 30075.
Next up at Georgia Ensemble Theatre: Inherit the Wind (Feb. 24-Mar. 13, 2011); and Forbidden Broadway (April 7-24, 2011).
For information and tickets, call 770-641-1260, or visit us online at www.get.org.
---
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Twitter:
@artsacrossga
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About the Play:
Playwright Topher Payne calls this new romantic comedy, “THE PARENT TRAP for grown-ups!” Tokens of Affection deals with “empty nesting,” the complications of romance, and family dysfunction. What is a husband to do when his wife of 37 years announces she’s leaving? Both seek solace at the homes of their grown children, to panicked and hilarious results.
Artistic Director Robert J. Farley says of producing this world premiere, “I am so excited about this play. Creating something from the ground up is always exhilarating and admittedly a bit scary. The journey with Topher Payne has been wonderful, and I’m thrilled for GET to get ‘bragging rights’ on this one, because I believe it’s going to ‘have legs!’”
About the Playwright/Director:
Topher Payne was this year’s selection for “Best Local Playwright” by the readers of Creative Loafing, and was voted “Best Local Writer” and “Best Actor” by the readers of The GA Voice. Process Theatre Company’s production of his play Above the Fold won the 2009 Metro Atlanta Theatre Award for Best Original Work and Best Play of the Year. He is a columnist for The GA Voice, Project Q Atlanta and Fenuxe Magazine. Favorite directing projects include productions of On Golden Pond, Impossible Marriage, and Stories I Ain’t Told Nobody Yet. In May, he will premiere the farce Lakebottom Proper at the State Theatre of Georgia, The Springer Opera House.
In his Director’s Notes for this play, Topher writes, “(As) my wedding day was approaching … I attempted to picture what the marriage I was committing to would look like several decades down the road. It scarcely seems possible that you could make a vow in your twenties and manage to live up to it in your seventies. Eventually I sorted out my thoughts the only way I know how: I wrote a play. My first love story. It began with a couple who have lived more years together than they did apart, who have somehow lost sight of what makes them work. Then more voices began to show up, and I realized it was a play about how we give our hearts to the variety of people God guides into our lives. And then there are misunderstandings and lots of messy complications.” He goes on to say of this GET production, “The cast of Tokens of Affection has done such incredible work capturing those seemingly contradictory aspects of relating to people we love: the challenges, and the laughter.”
About the Cast:
The cast of Tokens Affection features Judy Leavell (GET’s The Lady with All the Answers and Steel Magnolias), John Stephens (Theatre Gael Artistic Director, Conversations with My Wife at Theatre in the Square), Shelly McCook (Season’s Greetings and Twentieth Century at GET), Kelly Criss (River Rat & Cat and And Then They Came for Me tour at GET), Matthew Myers (Dracula at Aurora Theatre, Waiting for Godot at Theatre Gael), and Googie Uterhardt (You Can’t Take it With You at Theater Emory, Music Man and Little Shop of Horrors at Atlanta Lyric). The design team includes Stephanie Polhemus as Scenic Designer, Bryan Rosengrant as Lighting Designer, Linda Patterson as Costume Designer, and Jason Polhemus as Sound Designer. Topher Payne directs the show; and Hayley Brotherton is Stage Manager.
Tickets for Tokens of Affection:
Tokens of Affection runs January 6-23, 2011, with performances on Wednesdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm. There will be two Saturday 4pm matinees: January 15 and 22. Tickets range in price from $23-$33, with student, senior and group discounts also available. Tickets may be purchased online at www.get.org or by calling GET at 770-641-1260. All performances will be at the Theatre’s home at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA 30075.
Next up at Georgia Ensemble Theatre: Inherit the Wind (Feb. 24-Mar. 13, 2011); and Forbidden Broadway (April 7-24, 2011).
For information and tickets, call 770-641-1260, or visit us online at www.get.org.
---
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter:
@artsacrossga
@softnblue (music & dance)
@RimbomboAAG (books, authors +)
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ArtsAcrossGA
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