Refuge Theatre Project Presents Inaugural Season and Preview Concert

The newly formed Refuge Theatre Project, a company dedicated to the performance of ensemble based musical theatre, has announced its first season of two musicals, both to be performed at the Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., in Wicker Park. The musicals,Next Thing You Know by Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham and Glory Days by James Gardiner and Nick Blaemire, will be previewed by Refuge ensemble members at a fund-raising concert to be held in The Cab at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont on Sunday, September 28th at 7 pm.

Refuge company members who will be participating in the concert include Morgan Briggs, Matthew Huston, Taylor Okey, Stephanie Souza, Charlie Rasmann, Jameson Wentworth and company musical director Michael Evans. The musical numbers to be performed will include three songs from each of the two musicals in Refuge's upcoming season, plus music by the all-girl cover band The Kegels. The concert will give audiences the chance to hear music from some of musical theater's brightest young writers.

The suggested donation for the event, which will also include a silent auction, is $20.00. One free drink ticket will included at that donation level. Tickets will be available at the door the night of the concert. For more information about the concert, visit http://www.refugetheatreproject.com or call (773) 231-7691

Refuge ensemble members Morgan Briggs, Matthew Huston, Taylor Okey, Stephanie Souza, Charlie Rasmann and Jameson Wentworth will perform songs from the musicals to be produced in the company's inaugural season, Next Thing You Know and Glory Days. The all-girl cover band The Kegels will play as attendees examine items available for bidding in a silent auction.

SEASON INFORMATION

Next Thing You Know
Music by Joshua Salzman, Book and Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham
Directed by Ross Egan, Musical Direction by Michael Evans
February 13 - March 8, 2015
The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
Tickets $15.00

Next Thing You Know is the story of four New Yorkers as they laugh, love and drink their way through the big questions that face all young dreamers who wake up in the city that never sleeps. Does marrying a really nice guy mean you're settling down or just settling? Does taking a nine-to-five equal giving up or growing up? Does a decade in the city break you down or break you in?

Next Thing You Know was developed in New York City's Collaborative Arts Project (called CAP 21), where it received a full production in June 2011. The New York Times said of it, "the show still achieves a nearly effortless resonance - especially with any 20-something who has recently moved to the Big Pond that is the Big Apple....Next Thing You Know is Rent for this generation"

Glory Days
Book by James Gardiner, Music and Lyrics by Nick Blaemire
Opening late summer 2015
The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

A year after graduating high school, four best friends reconnect on their old school's football field. Will has called the boys together with a mission: to hack into the sprinkler system so that it goes off when the jocks who bullied them in high school take the field for a charity game. But as the guys wait for instructions on how to break into the system, they quickly realize how dramatically their lives have grown apart. With a soaring pop-rock score, Glory Days is a poignant and witty coming-of-age story about friends searching for understanding and validation as they face the consequences of growing up.

Glory Days had its World Premiere at Arlington, Virginia's Signature Theatre in 2008 under the direction of Eric D. Schaeffer. In a rave review from the Washington Post, Peter Marks said it "...swiftly, tunefully and yes, authentically latches onto the rhythms of late adolescence and plays them back to us as the music of wrenching transitions... It is a show that reminds us that even in comfortable suburbs, you can't really go home again." The show was quickly transferred to Broadway, where it played the Circle in the Square Theatre in May 2008.

Refuge Theatre Project strives to utilize the appeal of musical theatre to foster a broader and more accessible theatre community. We aim to further our mission by producing contemporary musical theatre that is free from anything extra. We tell stories about people dealing with life in a way that is meaningful and fun. Musical theatre for real people.

The company was founded this year by Ross Egan (who also serves as Artistic Director) and Morgan Briggs (who is also the company's General Manager). Michael Evans is Resident Music Director and Casey Shipman is Development Director. ### Copyright © 2014 John Olson Communications, All rights reserved.
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