Haven Theatre to Present THE WEDDING SINGER at Theater Wit, 10/13-11/17

Haven Theatre Chicago follows their hit run of Hedwig and the Angry Inch with The Wedding Singer, October 13 - November 17, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Based on the 1998 romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, The Wedding Singer is directed by Jess McLeod, music directed by Kory Danielson and choreographed by Jim Beaudry. The production has music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. With its second production, the newly formed Haven Theatre continues to conserve, renew and reinvent theatre traditions while providing ongoing support and mentorship to emerging artists. Preview performances are Sunday, Oct. 13 and Monday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 17 - Saturday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Sunday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m, Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. Preview tickets are $20 and regular run tickets are $42. Senior tickets are $35 and ndustry/Student tickets are $20. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.theaterwit.org or by calling the box office at 773.975.8150. Industry/Student/Senior prices are $20. For more information, go towww.haventheatrechicago.org.

Please Note Special Performances: There will be two Monday 8 p.m. industry performances October 28 and November 11. Additionally, the closing Sunday, Nov. 17 performance will be held at 2 p.m. (no 7 p.m. performance).

It's 1985 and New Jersey's favorite wedding singer, Robbie Hart (Tony Allen), is still living in his grandma's basement. After being left at the altar by his fiancé, a heartbroken Robbie manages to make every wedding gig as disastrous as his own. When he meets Julia (Aja Wiltshire), an admiring waitress, Robbie falls madly in love, only to learn than she is to be married to a Wall Street shark. Unless Robbie can pull off the performance of his lifetime, his perfect girl will be lost forever to a man who doesn't deserve her.

With a score that pays homage to the pop songs of the 1980s; The Wedding Singer takes us back to a time when hair was big and greed was good.

Additional cast for The Wedding Singer includes: Kelley Abell (ensemble/dance captain), Sarah Bockel (Holly), Frankie DeCiacci (male swing/understudy), Jake Grubb (Glen), Alex Heika (George), Teressa LaGamba (ensemble), Garret Lutz (ensemble), Daniel Martinez (Sammy), Jeff Meyer (ensemble), Joe Capstick (ensemble), Amy Rapp (ensemble), Jill Sesso (Linda/Angie), Brooke Singer (female swing/understudy) and Judy Steele (Rosie).

The production team for The Wedding Singer includes: Jess McLeod (director), Kory Danielson (music director), Jim Beaudry (choreographer), Dan Stratton (scenic designer), Kelsey Melvin (asst. scenic designer), Stephanie Cluggish (costume designer), Lee Fiskness (lighting designer), Rick Sims (Sound Designer), Sarah Watkins (props designer), Garvin Jellison (production manager), Kelly Claussen (asst. production manager), Jon Ravenscroft (stage manager), Ben Dawson (technical director), Justin Krecker-Snyder (asst. technical director) and Eric Backus (sound engineer).

ABOUT DIRECTOR Jess McLeod

McLeod directs for the first time with Haven Theatre. Her previous credits include: in Chicago: The Pajama Game, Fugitive Songs in Concert, the Young Artist Program productions of Zanna, Don't! and YAPbook '11 (The Music Theatre Company), Funeral Wedding: The Alvin Play (Strange Tree Group), L-Vis Live!(Victory Gardens), Kin (Griffin Theatre), and Venus at Steppenwolf, co-produced by Northwestern's graduate directing program, through which McLeod also directed In Trousers and Mourning Becomes Electra and co-created "Master Clash," the MFA Writer/Director short play festival. From 2005-08, McLeod served as director of programming for The New York Musical Theatre Festival, where she oversaw all curating and directed pop/musical theatre fusion concerts includingThe Unauthorized Musicology of Ben Folds. She has also directed workshops for The Music Theatre Company, The American Music Theatre Project and The House Theatre of Chicago, and heads Timber Lake Playhouse's Summer Playwrights Lab.

ABOUT MUSICAL DIRECTOR Kory Danielson

Danielson studied Musical Theatre Performance at Columbia College Chicago where he worked on such shows as Bernarda Alba, Hello, Again, LaChiusa's Wild Party, The 25th Annual...Spelling Bee, Chicago, and others. Most recently, Danielson music directed Haven Theatre's initial production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, played piano in the Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre production of Smokey Joe's Café - The Songs of Leiber and Stoller at The Royal George Theatre and he served as assistant music director under Roberta Duchak for Xanadu and Singin' in the Rain at Drury Lane Oakbrook. He also served as resident music director for Street Tempo Theatre's inaugural season, which included Little Shop of Horrors and Let My People Come. In Chicago, he has worked with Chicago Children's Theatre, Bailiwick, National Pastime Theatre, and with Hell in a Handbag (Trogg, Poseidon, Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer). At The Music Theatre Company he provided music direction for the last two 48-Hour Musicals, Lucky Stiff in Concert and the last two Young Artists' Programs including Zanna, Don't!

Haven Theatre Chicago presents, The Wedding Singer¸ October 13 - November 17, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Based on the 1998 romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, The Wedding Singer is directed by Jess McLeod, music directed by Kory Danielson and choreographed by Jim Beaudry. The production has music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. Preview performances are Sunday, Oct. 13 and Monday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 17 - Saturday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Sunday, October 20 at 7 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. There will be two Monday 8 p.m. industry performances October 28 and November 11. The closing Sunday, Nov. 17 performance will be held at 2 p.m. (no 7 p.m. performance). Preview tickets are $20 and regular run tickets are $42. Senior tickets are $35 and Industry/Student tickets are $20. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.theaterwit.org or by calling the box office at 773.975.8150. Industry/Student/Senior prices are $20. For more information, go to www.haventheatrechicago.org.

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