STEPPENWOLF Set for The New School Auditorium, 5/11-12

The Steppenwolf saga gets a new treatment in the world premiere of Steppenwolf - a musical retelling. Written and composed by 21-year-old Dutch protégé Jochem le Cointre (class of 2016), The first ever staged adaptation of Hermann Hesse's classic novel, originally published in Germany in 1928, the show features a 15-piece chamber orchestra; an ensemble of students from The New School's College of Performing Arts; a cast of New York City actors and singers, including several from The New School's Mannes School of Music, School of Drama, and Lang Theater; and dancers from the renowned Martha Graham Dance Company. Choreography is by Tadej Brdnik, the former principal dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company. Two performances will be staged on May 11 & May 12, 2016 at 7pm at The Auditorium at The New School, 66 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10011. Tickets are free (first come, first seated) and can be reserved by visiting EventBrite.

Steppenwolf: A Musical Retelling is the story of a middle­-aged author, Harry Haller, who finds himself lost in the world and on the brink of suicide. One night, as he wanders through deserted streets, he notices a strange sign on a wall: "Entrance to Magic Theater." This curious finding triggers a journey of self-­discovery, music, love, dance, sex, war, despair, and humor. Neither the story of a madman nor the saga of a depressed artist, it is "the tale of us all"-a modern myth about the tragic and comic forces of life.

Samantha Tella directs a cast of 17, including Charles Baran, Janaki Gerard, Alexis Di Gregorio, Brandon Grimes, Alex Kidder, Lamin Leroy, Alyssa McGuigan, Erin Miller, Rebecca Monk, Ayelet Porzecanski, Joe Robinson, Joseph Swaggerty, Michael Williams, and Martha Graham Dance Company students Raymond Hinds, Jacob Larsen, Cara McManus and Jessica Sgambelluri.

Not since director Fred Haines' 1974 film adaptation, which starred Max von Sydow as the complex central character, Harry Haller, has there been any attempt to adapt the controversial novel. And le Cointre has not confined himself to the usual elements found in musical theatre. Instead, his work features a variety of musical styles, from classical chamber music and gypsy-themed melodies, to tango, and le Cointre's specialty, jazz.

"I discovered the works of Hermann Hesse in the summer after my first year in college and experienced a magical feeling; that I was reading about my inner soul," says le Cointre. "When I decided to merge music with theatre, Steppenwolf became a major inspiration: it revealed all the struggles of modern times, today's art, and how we deal with our Self and the world. Hesse's themes have throughout the decades resonated with minds who searched for true meaning and true freedom." Many believe that's the reason it proved so popular and influential to the Hippie Generation, who created the so-called Hesse Boom in the Sixties.

The New School's College of Performing Arts offers unparalleled opportunities for students to conceive of, produce, and perform their own works of art, with support from the administration and guidance from faculty. This work is an example of the sort of faculty­-guided and student­-led cross-­disciplinary projects that are rarely seen in Performing Arts schools but are possible at The New School. Funding has been provided by The New School's School of Jazz, The New School's Mannes School of Music and The New School's Lang Student Union. Additional support and funding has been provided by The Netherlands Consulate General in New York.

Jochem le Cointre (composer, writer, ?executive producer) is a Dutch pianist, composer, writer, and graduate student at The New School's School of Jazz (Class of 2016). His musical expertise spans both classical chamber music as well as solo piano and jazz ensemble. Le Cointre became infatuated with the works of Hesse after studying them during his freshman year of college.

Samantha Tella? (director) is the Artistic Director of the Chappell Players Theatre Group at St. John's University. She has also directed at Marymount Manhattan College, The Flea Theater, William Paterson University, NYC Fringe, and assisted at Juilliard, New Georges and Adirondack Theatre Festival. Tella is the Associate Director for New Book Press's WordPlay, Production Manager on the Academy Award winning documentary Strangers No More, and works on HBO's mini­series MasterClass.

Tadej Brdnik? (choreographer) is a former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, who began his career in Slovenia. He has performed with Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project, Robert Wilson and Battery Dance Company and has been featured in works by Maurice Béjart, Nacho Duato, Lucinda Childs, Yvonne Rainer, Susan Stroman, Anne Bogart, Doug Varone, Andonis Foniadakis and Larry Keigwin. Tadej teaches internationally, at the Martha Graham School and through Battery Dance's program "Dancing to Connect." A recipient of The Benetton Dance Award and the Eugene Loring Award, Brdnik is currently Programs Director at the Martha Graham School.