Casting Announced for Kokandy Productions' LITTLE FISH at Theater Wit

Kokandy Productions has announced casting for its Chicago premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's LITTLE FISH, an oblique parable for urban life after the attacks of September 11th, directed by Producing Artistic Director Allison Hendrix with music direction by Kory Danielson, playing July 9 - August 20, 2017 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago.

LITTLE FISH will feature Curtis Bannister as John Paul, Kyrie Courter as Anne Frank, Adam Fane as Marco, Casey Hayes as Robert (August 1 - 20, 2017), Carl Herzog as Mr Bunder, Teressa LaGamba as Cinder, Nicole Laurenzi as Charlotte, Jeff Meyer as Robert (July 9 - 30, 2017) and Aja Wiltshire as Kathy.

Tickets for LITTLE FISH are currently available at www.kokandyproductions.com, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. The press opening is Saturday, July 15 at 8 pm.

Thirty-something writer Charlotte decides to give up smoking and tries to compensate with swimming and jogging - but to no avail. With the help of her friends Kathy and Marco, she embarks on a modern-day odyssey to face the eclectic demons of her past. Loosely based on Deborah Eisenberg's short stories Days and Flotsam, LITTLE FISH's score is infused with Latin, jazz, rock, and what's been described as "pure urban noise within Charlotte's mind."

LITTLE FISH premiered off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in 2003.

"What I love the most about this musical is that it has these huge ideas attached to it - isolation versus connection... addiction... trauma... but they exist within a bright, fast-paced, hilariously wry musical comedy," comments Director Allison Hendrix. "We see three friends in the midst of their 'Saturn Returns,' figuring out how to be better people, better friends and ultimately, better citizens of the world. These characters' journeys will feel familiar and close to home to our audiences."

The production team for LITTLE FISH includes: Arnel Sancianco (scenic design), Kate Kamphausen (costume design), Alexander Ridgers (lighting design), Michael J. Patrick (sound design), Mealah Heidenreich (props design), Charlotte Rivard-Hoster (asst. music director/conductor), Lindsay Brown (production manager) and Kait Samuels (stage manager).

Allison Hendrix (Director) is the Producing Artistic Director and a founding member of Kokandy Productions and serves as director and dramaturg of Kokandy's New Works Initiative. Previous Kokandy credits include: Loving Repeating (Jeff Nomination - Direction) Assassins ("Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme"), The Last Five Years ("Cathy," Jeff Nomination - Principal Actress in a Musical) and The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Music Director). Other credits include: "Amy" in Company (Writers Theatre), "The Baker's Wife" in Into the Woods (The Hypocrites), "Jimmi" and Music Director in Cities of Light (Piven Theatre Workshop), Associate Music Director/Conductor for Floyd Collins (Boho Theatre), Music Director for Zanna, Don't (Bailiwick), Director of The Inevitable Heat Death of the Universe (The Ruckus), Music Director of The Full Monty (Village Players Theater), and Music Director and recipient of NIETF Award for Best Vocal Direction for Floyd Collins (Towle Theatre). Allison also works as a vocal coach and accompanist for the Music Theatre program at Northwestern University. allisonhendrix.com

Kory Danielson (Music Director) is a Chicago-based music director, pianist/conductor and vocal coach. His work with Kokandy includes productions of Assassins, The Full Monty, Loving Repeating, Heathers, and Tomorrow Morning. Kory also serves as the associate conductor/assistant music director at Paramount where he has worked on The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia, West Side Story, Hairspray, A Christmas Story, Oklahoma!, Les Misérables and Tommy. Other selected credits include: Passion - 2014 Jeff Award for Outstanding Music Direction, Smokey Joe's Cafe (Theo Ubique); How To Succeed... (Porchlight); Hedwig, Wedding Singer (Haven); Zanna Don't, Lucky Stiff, Triumph of Love (TMTC). Kory has also worked with Drury Lane, Broadway in Chicago, Chicago Children's Theatre, Bailiwick and Hell in a Handbag.

Kokandy Productions seeks to leverage the heightened reality of musical theater to tell complex and challenging stories with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theater works while raising the profile of Chicago's storefront musical theater community. Kokandy Productions is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization.

The company's artistic staff is comprised of John D. Glover (Artistic Producer), Allison Hendrix (Producing Artistic Director), Scot T. Kokandy (Executive Producer) and Kory Danielson (Resident Music Director).

For additional information, visit www.kokandyproductions.com.

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