Tiffany & Hogget to Helm ONCE on Bway; Creative Team Announced

Smuggler Films partners, John N. Hart & Patrick Milling Smith and film and theatre producers, Fred Zollo and Barbara Broccoli & Michael G Wilson have announced the creative team for upcoming stage adaptation of the 2007 Academy Award-winning film ONCE, coming to Broadway in Fall 2011. The musical will feature the Academy Award-winning music and lyrics of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, a book by award-winning Irish playwright & screenwriter, Enda Walsh (Penelope, Hunger, The New Electric Ballroom), direction by the acclaimEd Scottish director of Black Watch, John Tiffany, design by five time Tony Award winner Bob Crowley (The Coast of Utopia, Mary Poppins). Steven Hoggett (American Idiot, Black Watch) will provide musical staging and Martin Lowe (Mamma Mia!) is the music director.

A pre-Broadway workshop presentation of the musical will take place in late April and early May 2011 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA. Tickets for the presentation will be available for sale on February 15 at www.americanrepertorytheater.org.

The 2007 Academy Award-winning film, ONCE, was written and directed by John Carney, and starred Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, with original music and lyrics by Mr. Hansard and Ms. Irglová.

"In recent years, Enda Walsh, John Tiffany, Bob Crowley, and Steven Hoggett have been responsible for some of the most groundbreaking theatre in New York and around the world," said producer John N. Hart. "It's a dream come true to have them all working together to bring Once to the stage."

Producer Barbara Broccoli said "the power and the heart of Once turned a small-budget, independent Irish film into an international, award-winning sensation. When I first saw the film, I was blown away by the score, but also by the theatricality of the piece. I'm so thrilled to be involved with the continuing fairy tale that is Once."

ONCE is a modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin about a GUY (a busker by day, hoover repairman by night), and a GIRL (Czech immigrant). The two are drawn together through their shared love of music, and through the music they write, work through their past loves and feelings for each other.

The Oscar winning independent Irish film, ONCE (written and directed by John Carney) was made for $150,000. Shot in 17 days, it went on to gross $20M worldwide becoming a critically acclaimed international smash. It stars Glen Hansard, from the popular Irish Rock band The Frames, and Markéta Irglová. Glen and Markéta won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original song for "Falling Slowly," the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Music, and the soundtrack was nominated for two Grammy Awards. Glen & Marketa are now touring with some members of The Frames as The Swell Season.

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GLEN HANSARD & MARKÉTA IRGLOVÁ (Score). Glen Hansard, the frontman for the Irish alternative rock band The Frames, and Czech singer-songwriter Marketa Irglova, received two Grammy nominations and won an Academy Award in 2008 for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly", the hit song from the 2007 indie film they starred in, Once. Following the film's success, the soundtrack, written by Hansard and Irglova, went gold in February 2008 and the duo embarked on a sold out world tour. Together, under the name the Swell Season, they released a follow up album, Strict Joy, in the fall of 2009.

Enda Walsh (Book) is a playwright and screenwriter who shot to fame when he won both the George Devine Award and the Stewart Parker Award in 1997 with his play Disco Pigs. In 2007 and 2008 Enda won Fringe First Awards at two consecutive Edinburgh Festivals for his plays The Walworth Farce and The New Electric Ballroom. The former led the Guardian to name him "one of the most dazzling wordsmiths of Contemporary Theatre." Since his initial success as a playwright, Enda has gone on to write for the screen. His 2008 biopic, Hunger, told the story of the final days of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and won a host of awards, including the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Heartbeat Award at the Dinard International Film Festival. It was nominated for seven BIFAs (including Best Screenplay), six British Film and Television Awards (including Best Screenplay and Best Independent Film) and BAFTA's Outstanding British Film Award 2009. He has since adapted his stage play, Chatroom, for the big screen.

JOHN TIFFANY (Director) is Associate Director for the National Theatre of Scotland. He studied Classics and Theatre at the University of Glasgow. Work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes Peter Pan, The House of Bernarda Alba, Transform Caithness: Hunter, Be Near Me, Nobody Will Ever Forgive Us, The Bacchae, Black Watch, Elizabeth Gordon Quinn, Home: Glasgow. Other work includes Jerusalem (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Las Chicas del Tres y Media Floppies (Granero Theatre, Mexico City and Edinburgh Festival Fringe), If Destroyed True, Mercury Fur and The Straits (Paines Plough), Gagarin Way, Abandonment, Among Unbroken Hearts, Perfect Days and Passing Places (Traverse, Edinburgh). For Black Watch, John has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director, as well as a Critics' Circle Award for Best Director, a Scotsman Fringe First, a Herald Angel, and a Critics' Award for Theatre in Scotland. John is taking a sabbatical from the National Theatre of Scotland to be a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University for the academic year 2010-11.

Bob Crowley (Set and Costume Design). Recent Productions: Don Carlos (MET, NY) Love Never Dies (Adelphi, London). Bob Crowley has designed over twenty productions for the National Theatre, including most recently: The Habit of Art, The Power of Yes, Phèdre, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Gethsemane, and Fram (which he also co-directed with Tony Harrison), The History Boys (Broadway - Tony Award), His Girl Friday and Mourning Becomes Electra, plus more than twenty-five productions for the RSC, including: Les Liaisons Dangereuses and The Plantagenets, for which he won an Olivier Award. For the Donmar Warehouse - Into the Woods and Orpheus Descending. Other credits include: Pavane and Anastasia (Royal Ballet), Don Carlos and La Traviata (ROH), The Magic Flute (ENO) The Cunning Little Vixen (Châtelet), The Coast of Utopia and Carousel (Lincoln Center Theater, New York - Tony Award for both), The Seagull (Public Theatre New York), Paul Simon's The Capeman, The Sweet Smell Of Success, Disney's Aida (Broadway - Tony Award for the latter) and Tarzan for Disney which he also directed (Broadway, Germany & The Netherlands), Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre, UK Tour & Broadway - Tony Award) and The Year of Magical Thinking (Broadway & NT). His film work includes: Othello, Tales of Hollywood starring Jeremy Irons and Alec Guinness, Suddenly Last Summer directed by Richard Eyre and starring Maggie Smith for the BBC, plus Costume Design for the film of The Crucible starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. Future Credits include: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (ROH). He is a recipient of the Royal Designer for Industry Award and in March was presented with the 2009 Robert L. B. Tobin Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatrical Design at the TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards in New York.

Steven Hoggett (Musical Staging) is co-founder and artistic director of Frantic Assembly. Recent credits include Broadway's American Idiot, Othello (TMA Award, Best Direction), Stockholm, pool (no water), Hymns and DirtyWonderland. As associate director/movement, Steven worked on the multi award-winning production Black Watch (National Theatre of Scotland), for which he received the 2009 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreography. Other choreography and movement director credits include Dido Queen of Carthage, The Hothouse and Market Boy (Royal National Theatre); 365,The Bacchae (National Theatre of Scotland);The Wolves in the Wall (National Theatre of Scotland and Improbable). With Scott Graham, Steven wrote The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre (Routledge).

Martin Lowe (Music Director) As Musical Director/Supervisor: Nation, War Horse, Caroline or Change, Once In A Lifetime, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Jerry Springer The Opera, Mamma Mia!, The Full Monty, Is There Life After High School, Once On This Island, Cats, Pal Joey, Last Train To Berlin, Maddie, Definitely Doris, Closer Than Ever. Film (Musical Director; Vocal Coach and Conductor): Mamma Mia! The Film. Compositions: The Misanthrope, The Secret Rapture, The Blue Room, Lettice And Lovage, Hysteria, Into Exile, Dear Exile, The Ten Commandments & The Challenge. Recordings: Jerry Springer the Opera, Mamma Mia!, The Challenge, Which Witch, Moby Dick, Sisters, It's Oh So Sissy. Martin has three projects in development: The Light Princess, a new musical by Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson; 57 Hours, written by Bryony Lavery with music by Grant Olding, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, and James Bourne's Loserville.

John N. Hart, JR (Producer). Prior to Smuggler Films, LLC, Mr. Hart was a founding partner and President of Hart Sharp Entertainment, Inc., a New York based independent film Production Company. During his tenure at Hart Sharp, Mr. Hart produced 11 films and managed two private equity funds with an aggregate capital commitment of $20 million. Mr. Hart has produced 16 critically acclaimed feature films including Boys Don't Cry, which was nominated for two Academy Awards, You Can Count on Me, also nominated for two Academy Awards, and more recently, under his Evamere Entertainment banner, the Sam Mendes directed Revolutionary Road, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett, who won a Golden Globe for her performance. The film received an additional three Golden Globe nominations and three Academy Award nominations. Mr. Hart began his entertainment career in New York City as a theater producer. His first Broadway show was Eubie! A Musical (1978), a tribute to Eubie Blake starring the Hines brothers. Mr. Hart has produced over 11 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and West End shows, including the Nathan Lane, Faith Prince revival of Guys and Dolls, the Who's Tommy, Hamlet with Ralph Fiennes, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, starring Matthew Broderick, and Annie Get Your Gun starring Bernadette Peters. Current theater projects include the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Chicago. Mr. Hart's productions have personally garnered him three Tony Awards for Best Production. The shows that he has produced have won over thirty Tonys in various categories.

PATRICK MILLING SMITH (Producer). Patrick Milling Smith began his career line producing short films, music videos, and commercials in London. While producing for Propaganda/Satellite Films, Milling Smith met Brian Carmody, then Satellite's Head of Management and Sales. The two teamed up in 2001 to found international Production Company SMUGGLER, where they quickly gained a reputation for spotting young talent and building exciting and successful careers. Once the renegade start-up, SMUGGLER is now an industry leader and creative powerhouse, winning every major award and accolade the advertising industry has to offer, including the coveted Cannes Lions Grand Prix, the Palme d'Or, the Emmy, D&AD pencils as well as Sundance, London, Berlin and Venice Film Festival Awards. With productions in nearly every continent, SMUGGLER is a trusted brand for many of the world's largest corporate clients and a beacon to the best writing and directing talent in the business.

SMUGGLER FILMS Founded by Brian Carmody, John N. Hart and Patrick Milling Smith, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and London, Smuggler Films is a home for creative talent and stands for a commitment to original storytelling with a discretionary fund that is being used to develop, produce and film and theatre. Brian Carmody and Patrick Milling Smith from Smuggler, one of the largest and most creative production companies in the world, formed the company with award winning producer John Hart (Boys Don't Cry, Revolutionary Road, and 4 Tony Awards for best production including the Broadway revival Chicago).

FRED ZOLLO (Producer). Broad­way: Currently, That Championship Season; A Steady Rain; Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, (Tony nom­ination); 'night, Mother (Tony nomination, Pulitzer Prize); King Hedley II (Tony nomi­nation); On Golden Pond; The Basic Train­ing of Pavlo Hummel (Tony Award for Al Pacino): Death and the Maiden (Tony Award for Glenn Close); Hurlyburly (Tony nomination); Angels in America: Millennium Approaches (Tony Award, Pulitzer Prize) and Perestroika (Tony Award); Private Lives (Tony Award); Caroline, or Change (Tony nomination); Frozen (Tony nomina­tion); The Goat (Tony Award); Our Coun­try's Good (Tony nomination); Butley; The Hairy Ape; Buried Child (Tony nomination, Pulitzer Prize). Off-Broadway: multiple Obie winners including Marvin's Room; Oleanna; The Cryptogram; Talk Radio, which Mr. Zollo directed; Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll; A ven' U Boys, for which Mr. Zollo received an Obie Award for direction. Lon­don: Olivier winners Les Liaisons Dan­gereuses and Glengarry Glen Ross (Pulitzer Prize); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Breaking the Silence. Films include Best Picture Oscar nominees Mississippi Burning and Quiz Show as well as The Paper, Ghosts of Mississippi, Naked in New York and the Emmy nominated "In the Gloaming" and "Lansky."

MICHAEL G WILSON AND Barbara Broccoli (Producers). Michael and Barbara took over the 007 franchise from their father Albert R Broccoli in 1995 and have since produced some of the most successful James Bond films ever, including Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace. The James Bond franchise is the longest running in film history with twenty two films released since 1962. Michael and Barbara's theatre credits include the award winning stage version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which opened at the London Palladium in 2002 followed by Broadway in 2005 and A Steady Rain on Broadway in 2009 starring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman.

The American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.) is one of the country's most celebrated resident theaters and the winner of numerous awards-including the Tony Award, the Pulitzer Prize and regional Elliot Norton and I.R.N.E. Awards. In 2002 the A.R.T. was the recipient of the National Theatre Conference's Outstanding Achievement Award, and in May of 2003 it was named one of the top three regional theaters in the country by Time magazine.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos