SKYLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE TO PRODUCE THE GROUND BREAKING, TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL AVENUE Q AS SEASON OPENER
Skylight is thrilled to be opening with this laugh-out-loud tale of the ups and downs of life
Milwaukee, WI –Skylight Music Theatre will open its 2012-2013 season with the Tony Award- winning musical AVENUE Q which will run from September 21 through October 14 in the Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center (158 N. Broadway, Milwaukee WI).
Winner of three Tony Awards including Best Musical and written by the composer of THE BOOK OF MORMON, AVENUE Q is a hilarious adult-themed spoof of Sesame Street. Part flesh (human), part felt (puppets) and packed with heart, Avenue Q tells the story of Princeton, a recent college grad who moves into a shabby NYC apartment in the only neighborhood he can afford, all the way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that the residents of his building are not your ordinary neighbors. Together, Princeton and his new friends struggle to find decent jobs, stable relationships and a purpose in life, but ultimately realize the real world isn’t so bad after all.
“AVENUE Q is a ground breaking theatrical experience that thrills with a fresh perspective while at the same time paying tribute to classic Broadway musicals we know and love,” explains Bill Theisen, Skylight’s Artistic Director. “The genius of the show is that it tells a simple story of human survival, but it does so in such an imaginative, irreverent and over-the-top way that everyone who has seen it agrees AVENUE Q is one of the most original Broadway musicals produced this century.”
CREDITS
Music and Lyrics- Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
Book – Jeff Whitty
PRODUCTION TEAM
Stage Director & Choreographer – Donna Drake
Music Director- Jamie Johns
Set Designer – Lisa Schlenker
Costume Designer – Barry Link
Lighting Designer - Jason Fassl**
Sound Designer – Gary Ellis
Production Stage Manager – Kimberly Ann McCann*
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association,
**Member of the United Scenic Artists
CAST
Princeton/Rod – Ben Durocher
Kate Monster/Lucy – Kate McCann*
Nikky, Trekkie Monster/Bad Idea Bear - Jason Jacoby
Gary Coleman – Tiffany Cox
Christmas Eve – Maya Naff
Brian – Rick Pendzich
Mrs. Thistletwat/Trekkie Monster/Bad Idea Bear - Alison Mary Forbes
Female Puppeteer – Samantha Sostarich
Male Puppeteer - James Nathan
ORCHESTRA
Guitar – Steve Lewandowski
Electric Bass - Tom McGirr
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute - Ron Foster
Keyboard - David Bonofiglio
Drums and Percussion - Michael Lorenz
KEY BIOGRAPHIES
Donna Drake (Stage Director/Choreographer) – Broadway: original production of A Chorus Line, Sophisticated Ladies, Woman of the Year, The Wind in the Willows, 5678-Dance, Nothing like a Dame for BC/EFA and the original production of The 1940s Radio Hour. Awards: an Emmy nomination, 4 Drama Desk Nominations, A Mac Award Nomination and a Theatre World Award. Co-writer & Director for Well Strung currently on national tour. She choreographed Catherine Zeta Jones for the American Film Institute Awards 2009 and Betty White 2011. Off-Broadway: John Tartaglia’s Imaginocean, which is also running aboard four Royal Caribbean Cruise ships & a national tour. TV credits: The New Fangled Variety Show, Disney’s Johnny & the Sprites, ABC TV’s Dear Alex & Annie, One life to live and The Edge of Night. Regional credits: The Wizard of Oz, starring Mickey Rooney & Eartha Kitt; Romance In The Dark, starring Jennifer Holliday; All the world is a Stage at Carnegie Hall. A Chorus Line, AIDA, Chicago, Hairspray, Rent, NEWSicle , Annie, & Next to Normal.
Jamie Johns (Music Director) – Currently a freelance musician, pianist/conductor Jamie Johns has been the Director of Opera and Musical Theatre at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, the Resident Music Director at Skylight Music Theatre and the Education Director at Orlando Opera. Conducting highlights include The Marriage of Figaro, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet, The Coronation of Poppea, and La Traviata. Favorite shows on which Jamie has served as music director are No, No, Nanette, The Last Five Years, Little Shop of Horrors, Cabaret, Archy and Mehitabel, Jacques Brel…, Rent and The World Goes Round. In addition to shows, Jamie enjoys arranging and playing cabaret performances and recitals. Accompanying Gary Briggle as Noel Coward, Jamie has performed A Talent to Amuse; an Evening with Noel Coward, in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Sarasota, Sacramento, Iowa City and St. Paul. Other companies that Jamie has worked for include Lyric Opera Cleveland, Madison Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Bel Canto Chorus, Present Music, Writers’ Theatre (Chicago) and Milwaukee Opera Theatre.
MUSICAL NUMBERS
Act 1
“The Avenue Q Theme”
“What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?”
“It Sucks to Be Me”
“If You Were Gay”
“Purpose”
“Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist”
“The Internet Is for Porn”
“Mix Tape”
“I’m Not Wearing Underwear Today”
“Special”
“You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You’re Makin’ Love)”
“Fantasies Come True”
“My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada”
“There’s a Fine, Fine Line”
Act 2
“It Sucks to Be Me (Reprise)”
“There is Life Outside Your Apartment”
“The More You Ruv Someone”
“Schadenfreude”
“I Wish I Could Go Back to College”
“The Money Song”
“School for Monsters”
“The Money Song (Reprise)”
“There’s a Fine, Fine Line (Reprise)”
“What Do You Do With a B.A. in English? (Reprise)”
“For Now”
AVENUE Q is generously sponsored by Cream City Foundation and Harley-Davidson Motor Company, in partnership with American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Foundation. This production was also supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
SEPTEMBER 21 – OCTOBER 14, 2012
Skylight Insights are an engaging opportunity to learn more about the production. They are presented before every Wednesday and Sunday performance in the Salon.
The Cabaret is a free post-show performance that takes place in the Bar following every Friday and Saturday evening performance. The current Cabaret features the John Schneider Orchestra.
Performances of AVENUE Q will take place September 21-October 14, 2012 in the Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway in the Historic Third Ward of Milwaukee. Tickets are generally $22.50 – $65.50 (plus tax) and can be purchased in person at the Broadway Theatre Center Box Office or by calling (414) 291-7800 Monday – Sunday from noon – 6:00 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.skylightmusictheatre.org. Group, student, senior and other discounts are available.
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