YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT!
The John W. Engeman Theater begins their 5th Season with
the hit musical HAIRSPRAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(Northport, NY- June 8, 2011) - The John W. Engeman Theater is proud to announce the cast and creative team for Hairspray, the first show of their 5th Season. Previews begin on Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 8:00 p.m., officially opening on July 9, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. and running through August 28, 2011. Hairspray is based on the film written and directed by John Waters, music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan.
Winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, HAIRSPRAY has delighted audiences by sweeping them away to 1960's Baltimore, where the 50's are out and change is in the air. Loveable plus-size heroine, Tracy Turnblad, has a passion for dancing and wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show." Overnight she finds herself transformed from outsider to teen celebrity. Can a larger-than-life adolescent manage to vanquish the program's reigning princess, integrate the television show, and find true love (singing and dancing all the while, of course!) without mussing her hair? This Tony Award winning musical features such hits as Good Morning Baltimore, Welcome to the 60's and You Can't Stop The Beat.
HAIRSPRAY is being produced by RICHARD T. DOLCE, the theater's Producing Artistic Director.
PAUL STANCATO, the Director, is an award-winning director/choreographer. He is back at the Engeman after directing last season's The Sound of Music. His Broadway and National Tours credits include Disney's The Lion King (Resident Director, 2008 Helen Hayes nom., Best Touring Musical), The Wedding Singer (Broadway, Asst. to Rob Ashford, Tony noms. Best Musical, Best Choreography; First National Tour, Director). Other Directing/Choreographing credits include Crazy For You, Godspell, Guys and Dolls, Zombies from the Beyond, Rockshow and Trav'lin (World Prem. NYMF), Einstein's Dreams (Best Direction Award NY Fringe, NY Prem.).
The Choreographer is ANTOINETTE DiPIETROPOLO, who is currently the choreographer for the ongoing bus tour "THE RIDE" in NYC. Recently her Choreography was seen in the Off Broadway show With Glee. Additional credits include Annie at the Muny in St. Louis starring Beth Leavel and John Shuck and Ragtime at Lyric stage where the show was nominated in 14 categories for the Theatre League Awards. She won best Choreographer at the Triangle Awards for Ragtime at North Carolina Theatre. Also she was the Director/Choreographer for Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar and Annie at Fort Salem Theatre and the Choreographer for Candide starring George Hearn, Rita Moreno, Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley. Recently she directed a reading starring Len Cariou and Mario Cantone called Art And Science.
Musical Director, ROBERT ROKICKI is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Actor's Equity, & alum of the Tony Award-winning BMI workshop. His Music Directing credits include Departure Lounge, The Public; Joe Iconis's ReWrite (also arranged), Goodspeed; Hairspray JR., MTI. His musical, Love, NY (co-written with Mike Ruby) won the 2009 American Harmony award and was presented at New World Stages. Songs featured in The York's NEO series, Songbook series at Lincoln Center, Joe's Pub & at universities internationally. His credits also include Ruby: Relativity (Theatre Row), Polly Want a Mortgage? (Winner Best Musical, West Village MT Festival). Robert was also the composer and lyricist for Martha & Me & Samson's Fire.
The Design Team includes: MICHAEL BOTTARI & RONALD CASE (Scenic and Costume Designers) who created these original costume designs for the South African HAIRSPRAY, were nominated for the 2008 Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, & American Theatre Wing Awards, and won the 2008 Lucille Lortel Award for Costume design for Die Mommie Die Off-Broadway.
In 2006 they were nominated for the Drama Desk Award and won best Set and Costume design (Dean's List) for Fanny Hill. They won the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award and were nominated for the Drama Desk that year for their costumes for Charles Busch's Shanghai Moon and for the critically acclaimed feature film of Die Mommie Die which won several film awards. They have been a design team for over 40 years, having designed both sets and costumes for Broadway: Rodgers & Hammerstein's much loved State Fair (Producer David Merrick's last Broadway show), Prince Of Central Park and most recently Marc Shaiman's Prop 8, The Musical On Broadway. CORY PATTAK (Lighting Designer) whose Broadway credits include Associate LD for The Story of My Life, Irena's Vow, NYC: This Side of Paradise. This will be Cory's fourth production at the John W. Engeman Theater he also did lighting design for Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady and Rent. CRAIG KAUFMAN (Sound Designer) recent credits at The John W. Engeman Theater include Fiddler on the Roof, Run for Your Wife and Cabaret. Recent off-Broadway credits include Things To Ruin, Rewrite: The Musical and The Black Suits. Other recent credits include Sunday in the Park with George at Porchlight Theatre in Chicago; Bye Bye Birdie for the American Musical Theatre Project; Perez Hilton the Musical at The New York City Fringe Festival and The Encore Series; My Pal George, Mornings at Seven and Two Headed at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. MARK ADAM RAMPMEYER (Hair and Wig Designer) returns for his fifth season at the John W. Engeman Theater. Recent Broadway credits include West Side Story and The Farnsworth Invention with Hank Azaria. Mark is also the Associate Artistic Director for the John W. Engeman Theater in addition to his design responsibilities.
The Casting Director is STEPHEN DeANGELIS who has been a member of the John W. Engeman Theater since its inception and has cast all of the main stage productions as well as the ongoing Broadway Concert Series. Stephen is on staff at Grey NYC having cast over 2,200 network television and radio commercials.
The Production Manager is MICHAEL J. LESLIE. The Production Stage Manager is CJ LaROCHE.
The Cast of HAIRSPRAY features: DANIELLE ARCI (Tracy Turnblad) who toured through 38 states & Canada playing Tracy Turnblad on the 2009-2010 National Tour of Hairspray! She had the honor to perform "You Can't Stop The Beat" for President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama & family at The White House in A Broadway Celebration: Performance At The White House alongside Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Idina Menzel, and Elaine Stritch, which aired on PBS this past fall. WILLIAM THOMAS EVANS (Edna Turnblad) who comes to the Engeman directly from the Flat Rock Playhouse playing Amos Hart in Chicago. He also appeared in the original Broadway companies of A Tale of Two Cities (Attorney General), The Scarlet Pimpernel versions 1 & 2 (Hastings and occasionally, the title role), and the 1993 revival of Camelot. FELICIA FINLEY (Velma Von Tussle) whose Broadway credits include such shows as AIDA, The Life, Smokey Joe's Cafe', The Wedding Singer, and The Wild Party. She returns to the Engeman for her 3rd show after being featured as Lola in Damn Yankees and also as the Baroness in The Sound Of Music. NICK DALTON (Corny Collins) whose credits include the Broadway Tours: Legally Blonde, Hair (Europe), Hairspray (Vegas). His other credits include And The Curtain Rises (Signature Theatre), Ace (Workshop), Trails (NYMF), Treasure Island (Reading), Three Musketeers (North Shore Music Theatre) and Barrymore Nominee for Fiddler On The Roof (Walnut Street Theatre). ERIC LaJUAN SUMMERS (Seaweed J. Stubbs) Broadway credits include The Little Mermaid (Jetsam), Mereb in Disney's Aida and The Wedding Singer (Original Broadway Cast/Recording). Other New York credits include Workshops of: The Wedding Singer, A Bronx Tale, Get Shorty, Toxic Avenger, Aladdin, Vernon Jordan in Monica the Musical, and recently the role of Jean-Michel Basquiat in Basquiat with director Paul Stancato. GINA MILO (Penny Pingleton) appeared on Broadway in Les Miserables (Eponine). Her other credits include the National Tours of Les Miserables, Annie (Lily u/s) and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, starring Ann-Margret (Ruby Rae). ASHLEY MONIZ (Amber Von Tussle) appeared in the first National Tours of 9 to 5, High School Musical and Legally Blonde. Her credits also include: Beauty and the Beast (Belle), West Side Story (Maria) and Anything Goes (Bonnie). TERITA R. REDD (Motormouth Maybelle) credits include "Hairspray" the movie soundtrack which she was one of the featured Dynamites singers and also heard singing the background vocals. Other credits include Hairspray (Broadway), Caroline or Change (Off-Bway), Ain't Misbehavin and Rent (First National Tour). BRUCE REBOLD (Wilbur Turnblad) happily returns to the Engeman, where he has been seen in Fiddler On The Roof (Avram), Miracle On 34TH St. (Judge Harper), and Oliver! (Dr. Grimwig). Other regional credits include The Light In The Piazza (Signor Naccarelli- Broward Stage Door Theatre, FL) and Hairspray (Wilbur Turnblad- Palace Theatre, NH). ALEX MICHAEL STOLL (Link Larkin) credits include West Side Story on Broadway, in LA: Leap Of Faith (Ahmanson). AMY BURGMAIER (Female Authority Figure) credits include: Reefer Madness (Mary Lane); Chicago (Roxie); Honky Tonk Angels (Angela); Forbidden Broadway, (12 Mezzo Roles). ROGER E. DeWITT (Male Authority Figure) returns to the Engeman after having played Max in The Sound of Music. He appeared in the Adding Machine: A Musical and Our Town both directed by David Cromer. Broadway/Regional credits include Woman in White; Phantom of the Opera; Jekyll and Hyde; 3HREE; Ragtime; Music Man.
The cast of Hairspray also includes TAMALA BALDWIN, CHRISTY CLARK and PAIGE WILLIAMS as The Dynamites and MADISON GREENE as Little Inez.
Also appearing in the cast of Hairspray will be: NIK ALEXZANDER as Duane; MALORIE BRYANT as Lou Ann; KARA DeYOE as Shelly; SARA DOBRINICH as Tammy; KELLI GAUTREAU as Brenda; ZANE GERSON as Brad; ROBERT McCAFFREY as Fender; JARED MANCUSO as IQ; BEN HOFFMAN as Sketch; and EVAN MICHAEL SMITH as Gilbert.
Press Opening is Saturday, July 9, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Hairspray will play the following performance schedule: Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m., Thursdays at 8:00 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m., Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
ALSO there will performances on Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m., starting July 17.
IN ADDITION, there will be special matinees on: Wednesday, July 13 at 2:00pm and Wednesday August 10 at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets are NOW ON SALE and are $60. Tickets may be purchased by calling (631) 261-2900, by visiting www.engemantheater.com, or at the Engeman Theater Box Office at 250 Main Street, Northport. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. To purchase Season Tickets and Gift Cards please contact the Box Office directly. For group rates or to host an event at the John W. Engeman Theater, please contact the Group Sales Department at 631-261-2900. For information on advertising in our Programs or in our Lounge, please contact the Advertising Sales Department at 631-261-2900. The Theater is also home to the John W. Engeman Theater School of the Performing Arts, offering classes and camp programs for children; please contact the Director of Youth Programming for more information at 631-261-2900.
The John W. Engeman Theater at Northport is Long Island's only year round professional theater company, casting our actors from the Broadway talent pool. From curb to curtain, we have made it our business to provide affordable, quality theater in an elegant one-of-a-kind location with outstanding facilities and extraordinary service. The renovated Theater offers stadium-style seating, state-of-the-art lighting and sound, a full orchestra pit, and a classic wood-paneled piano lounge with full bar.
For a complete show schedule and more information contact the theater directly at 631-261-2900, visit the box office at 250 Main Street, Northport or visit www.EngemanTheater.com
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