ALBATROSS Opens This Month at Gloucester Stage Company

Gloucester Stage Company continues the 37th season of producing professional theater on Cape Ann with Matthew Spangler and Benjamin Evett's Albatross opening on June 16 and running through July 3 at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA. Inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge's classic, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Albatross brings Coleridge's tortured seaman into the present day to recount one man's doomed journey on the open sea. A fast paced adventure filled with sea battles, storms, and ice-bound ships, Albatross uses visually thrilling stagecraft powered by the latest multimedia technology to bring The Mariner into the modern world. Directed by Rick Lombardo, this rollicking sea yarn features actor and co-author Benjamin Evett recreating his bravura 2015 Elliot Norton-winning solo performance of The Mariner in his Gloucester Stage debut. In 2015 Albatross enjoyed an acclaimed premiere at The Poets' Theater in Boston winning two Elliot Norton Awards for Outstanding Production by a Small Theater and Outstanding Solo Performance. Following the limited engagement at GSC, Albatross will move to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, 2016 and Off Broadway at 59E59 Theaters in New York City in January, 2017.

Benjamin Evett has been working in the Boston area for 30 years and is currently the Executive Director of The Poets' Theater. He has acted frequently at the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, appearing in Broken Glass, Assassins, Camelot (IRNE Award), On The Verge, Amadeus, Opus, Cherry Docs and others. Mr. Evett was the Founding Artistic Director of The Actors' Shakespeare Project, where he played Hamlet, Coriolanus, Petruchio, Caliban, Edmund and Cassius. Prior to that he was a member of the Resident Acting Company at The American Repertory Theatre, where he performed in almost fifty productions. Mr. Evett has performed at the San Jose Rep, the Arizona Theatre Company, the Missouri Rep, the Virginia Stage Company, The Alley Theatre and internationally in Venice, Paris, Madrid, Moscow and Taipei.

Albatross director and sound designer Rick Lombardo is a stage director, artistic director, adapter and educator. He was the Artistic Director at San Jose Repertory Theater (LORT B) for six seasons from 2008 to 2014, where his work included world premieres of plays and musicals, as well as significant revivals. Noteworthy among these productions are the world premiere of the musical The Snow Queen (New York Musical Theater Festival Outstanding Production and Publishing Awards) which he also co-wrote, along with the new play Game On by Tony Taccone and Dan Hoyle, (Theatre Bay Area Award Best New Play 2014), and Love in American Times by Philip Kan Gotanda. For 13 years Mr. Lombardo was the Producing Artistic Director of Greater Boston's New Repertory Theatre, overseeing its development into one of New England's leading mid-size theaters. He was awarded the Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence from the Boston Theatre Critics Association for his body of work there. At New Rep his award-winning productions included The Clean House, Sweeney Todd, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, A Streetcar Named Desire, Ragtime, Waiting for Godot and The Weir. His world premiere of Bill W. and Dr. Bob enjoyed an extended run off-Broadway at New World Stages. Mr. Lombardo's work has been seen throughout the country as well at the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Arizona Theatre Company, New York City's Town Hall, Opera Boston, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, The Actors Shakespeare Project, Porthouse Theater, and The Berkshire Theater Festival, among others.

Mr. Lombardo is currently the Chair and Artistic Director of the Department of Theater and Performance Studies at Kennesaw State University in metro Atlanta and was previously Co-Director of the Theater Program at Fordham University's College at Lincoln Center. He has served on the Executive Board of The Society of Stage Directors, the board of NNPN, The National New Play Network, and is a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum. Mr. Lombardo was honored to serve for ten years as the President of NEAT, the Association of New England Area Theaters, as well as serving on the boards of both StageSource and ArtsBoston.

The Albatross production team includes Lighting and Projection Designer Garrett Herzig; Scenic Designer Cristina Todesco; and Costume Designer Frances Nelson McSherry. Garrett Herzig has designed projections locally for the Lyric Stage Company, New Repertory Theatre, Speakeasy Stage Company, Huntington Theatre Company and ArtsEmerson. Mr. Herzig works as the Lighting and Projection Supervisor for the Office of the Arts at Emerson College. Scenic Designer Cristina Todesco's recent designs include Dogfight at Speakeasy Stage Company, Freud's Last Session at New Repertory Theater, Oh God at Israeli Stage, Milk Like Sugar at Huntington Theater Company, and Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She is the recipient of four Elliot Norton Awards for Outstanding Design: The Clean House at New Repertory Theatre, Twelfth Night at Actor's Shakespeare Project, The Aliens and The Flick with Company One and one IRNE award: for Appropriate at Speakeasy Stage. Ms. Todesco earned a BFA in painting from BU's School of Visual Arts, and an MFA in scenic design from BU's School of Theatre Arts, where she currently teaches. Costume Designer Frances Nelson McSherry made her GSC debut in 2009 with Last of the Red Hot Lovers. She has also designed for New Repertory Theater San Jose Repertory Theater, New York City Opera, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Glimmerglass Opera, Merrimack Repertory Theater, Lyric Stage Company and Stoneham Theater Company. Ms. McSherry currently teaches theater design and fashion history at Northeastern University in Boston, MA.

Matthew Spangler and Benjamin Evett's Albatross runs June 16th through July 3rd at Gloucester Stage Company. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm. Following the 2 pm performance on Sunday, June 26 audiences are invited to a free post-show discussion with the artists from Albatross. Single ticket prices are $28 to $38 with discounts available for Preview Performances, Cape Ann Residents, Senior Citizens and Patrons 25 years old and under. Pay What You Wish tickets are available for the Saturday, June 25 matinee at 2 pm. Pay What You Wish tickets can only be purchased day of show at the door. Gloucester Stage Flex Passes for the 2016 Season are also on sale now. All performances are held at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA. For more information about Gloucester Stage, or to purchase tickets, call the Box Office at 978-281-4433 or visit www.gloucesterstage.com.

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