SpeakEasy Stage to Present THE PROM Beginning in May

From May 5 to June 10, 2023, SpeakEasy Stage will present the Boston premiere of the joyous Broadway musical comedy THE PROM, winner of the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Best Musical.

Performance take place at the Roberts Studio Theatre, in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. The performance schedule is Wed. & Thu. at 7:30PM; Fri. at 8PM; Sat at 2 & 8PM; and Sun. at 3PM. There is also one weekday matinee on Thursday, June 1 at 2PM.

THE PROM tells the story of Emma, an Indiana teen who makes headlines when she announces she wants to take her girlfriend Alyssa to their high school prom. But just when it seems like she might persuade the hesitant PTA to agree, four bumbling Broadway has-beens in search of a cause barge into town to put a spotlight on the issue -- and themselves. As the worlds of Broadway and Main Street hilariously collide, the courage of one girl reminds all how the power of love brings people together. With non-stop laughs and show-stopping dance numbers, The Prom is a feel-good musical with a message that is even more relevant today.

Based on an original concept by Jack Viertel, THE PROM features lyrics by Chad Beguelin, a book by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, and music by Matthew Sklar. Beguelin is a six-time Tony Award nominee for his work on The Prom, Disney's Aladdin, and The Wedding Singer. He also worked on the musical adaptation of Elf- The Musical. Bob Martin has been working as an actor and writer for over three decades, and has a Tony for his work on The Drowsy Chaperone. Sklar is a Tony, Emmy, and Drama Desk Award-nominated composer whose theatre credits include Elf - The Musical and The Wedding Singer.

SpeakEasy Founder and Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault will direct THE PROM. Daigneault is the winner of three Elliot Norton Awards, including the 2014 Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence. He has directed dozens of Boston premieres, including the company's productions of The Inheritance, The Scottsboro Boys, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Fun Home.

The artistic team for THE PROM includes music director Paul S. Katz and choreographer Taavon Gamble.

Mary Callanan and Johnny Kuntz headline an all-star Boston cast that includes Amy Barker, Emily Cochrane, Abriel Coleman, Nate Haydel, Tori Heinlein, Liesie Kelly, Meagan Lewis-Michelson, Nolan Montgomery, Brogan Nelson, Nicholas Joseph C. Ochoa, Nina Osso, Anthony Pires, Jr., Victor Carrillo Tracey, Jared Troilo, and Lisa Yuen.

The design team comprise Jenna McFarland Lord (scenic design); Miranda Kau Giurleo (costume design); Karen Perlow (lighting design); and Andrew Duncan Will (sound design). Thomas M. Kauffman is the Production Stage Manager.

THE PROM will run for six weeks, from May 5 through June 10, 2023, in the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston.

Ticket prices start at $25, with discounts for students, seniors, and people age 25 and under. For tickets or more information, the public is invited to call BostonTheatreScene Ticketing Services at 617.933.8600 or visit www.SpeakEasyStage.com.

About the Creators

Chad Beguelin (Book & Lyrics) is a six-time Tony Award nominee whose works include Disney's Aladdin (Tony nominations for Best Book and Best Original Score, Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Lyrics and Best Book) and The Wedding Singer (Tony nominations for Best Book and Best Original Score, Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Lyrics). He also wrote the lyrics for Elf The Musical. Chad is the recipient of the Edward Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyric Writing, the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theater Award, and the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award. Chad is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Dramatic Writing Program.

Bob Martin (Book) has been working as a writer, performer, and producer in television, film, and theatre for more than three decades. Bob is co-creator of the musicals The Drowsy Chaperone, Elf The Musical, and The Prom, which are beloved by critics and audiences alike. The Prom was adapted into a Netflix film with an all-star cast. Recent theatre projects include Hey Look Me Over! (Encores!); Half Time (Chicago, Paper Mill); The Sting (Paper Mill). Mr. Martin was the co-creator of Slings & Arrows, which multiple publications continue to name as one of the best television shows of all time. His television projects also include Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays (CBC), Michael: Everyday (CBC), and Sensitive Skin (HBO).

Matthew Sklar (Music) is a two-time Tony and Emmy Award-nominated composer of The Prom (Tony nomination for Best Original Score, winner of the Dramatists Guild Frederick Loewe Award), Elf The Musical, and The Wedding Singer (Tony nomination for Best Original Score). Film/TV: The Prom (Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy); Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas (Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music Direction); Sesame Street; Wonder Pets!; and PBS's American Masters. Honors also include the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, the Gilman/ Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Award, and the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation.

About the Artistic Team

Paul Daigneault (Director/Producing Artistic Director) is a New England-based freelance director, producer, and teacher. Since founding the award-winning SpeakEasy Stage in 1992, he has produced over 150 Boston premieres. As a director, he is especially proud of his projects that have centered gay and queer stories as well as his passion for contemporary American musicals. His professional directing highlights include The Inheritance; Fun Home; Admissions; The Scottsboro Boys; Significant Other; Violet; Mother & Sons; Big Fish; In the Heights; Next to Normal; Nine; Some Men; Zanna, Don't!; Parade; Caroline, or Change; Take Me Out; Company; A Man of No Importance; Bat Boy -The Musical; Passion; A New Brain; Floyd Collins; Love! Valour! Compassion!; and Jeffrey. In 2014, Paul was the recipient of the Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence, the highest honor  presented by the Boston Theater Critics Association. Proud SDC member.

Paul S. Katz (Music Director & Conductor) has been a regular collaborator with SpeakEasy Stage since Season 2, a 30-year relationship that has given Paul the pleasure of working on some of musical theater's most important works, with Broadway's prominent composers, and Boston's most talented actors. Thank you to Paul D. for your confidence and partnership, and love to Sharon and Jacob for your support. In addition to his accomplishments in Boston's regional theater community, Paul is also a director of marketing and a Waltham City Councilor. Graduate, Brandeis University; Additional studies, New England Conservatory. This performance is dedicated to our youth.

Taavon Gamble* (Choreographer) returns to SpeakEasy having last appeared in The Scottsboro Boys. He's a New England-based actor, director, choreographer, and educator. Direction/Choreography: Boulevard of Bold Dreams (Greater Boston Stage); Ain't Misbehavin' (Peach State Summer Theatre); Pippin (Jean's Playhouse); A Chorus Line (Arundel Barn). Choreography: A Christmas Carol 2019 & 2021 (Trinity Rep); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Gamm Theatre); The Color Purple, Hair (WPPAC); Airness (UCSB); Kiss of the Spider Woman (Brown University); West Side Story, Chicago (Bigfork Summer Playhouse). Taavon teaches dance in the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA program and is a resident actor at Trinity Repertory.

Tickets & Run Time

Tickets to THE PROM start at $25. Seniors: $5 off at all times except gallery seats. Age 25 and under: $25 at all times.

Tickets are available through BostonTheatreScene Ticketing Services at 617.933.8600 or at www.SpeakEasyStage.com.

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