2011-2012 Nutmeg Season to Feat. Mann, Fulton, GUYS & DOLLS and More

Writer Damon Runyon invented Broadway - and Broadway invented the American Musical! Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will open its 2011 Nutmeg Summer Series with the classic American musical, Guys and Dolls based on Runyon's comic tales of Broadway running June 2-12 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre (Lower Jorgensen).

Guys and Dolls

A Musical Fable of Broadway

Book by Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows

Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser

June 2-12, 2011

Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game in New York, needs a thousand bucks and needs it fast! So he bets high stakes gambler Sky Masterson that he can't make the next doll he sees fall in love with him. Nathan has a sure thing because "the next doll" is Miss Sarah Brown of the Save-a-Soul Mission. Sky can't score a proper lady...or can he? Meanwhile, Nathan's long-term fiancée and the main attraction at the Hot Box nightclub, Miss Adelaide, is determined to tie the knot or call it quits. But that's only half of Nathan's problem; there's this thug from Chicago, Big Jule, who needs to settle a score!

Guys and Dolls soars with the spirit of old school Broadway razzmatazz. Featuring a hilarious, fast-paced book and a brash, bright, and brassy score, Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana and memorably into the sewers of New York City. Funny and romantic, full of crooks, do-gooders and dames, Guys and Dolls continues to delight audiences more than 50 years after its Broadway premiere. Based on the marvelous stories of Damon Runyon and featuring the songs "Luck be a Lady," "I'll Know When My Love Comes Along," and "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat," this musical is the perfect balance of story, dance, and melodious romance.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre opens the 2011 Nutmeg Summer Series with Guys and Dolls. The Nutmeg Summer Series continues through July 17, 2011 with Seussical, a musical based on the most famous books of Dr. Seuss, running June 16-26 in the Nafe Katter Theatre (also located on the Storrs campus); and My Fair Lady, starring Broadway legend Terrence Mann as Professor Henry Higgins and TV soap star Eileen Fulton as Mrs. Higgins, playing July 7-17 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre. Subscriptions for all three productions and single tickets for each individual show are now available by calling the Jorgensen Box Office at 860-486-4226 or visiting www.crt.uconn.edu.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION
Guys and Dolls runs Thursday, June 2 through Sunday, June 12 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre (Lower Jorgensen). Evening performances start at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Matinee performances start at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Subscription package options range from $30 to $90. Single ticket prices range from $10 to $39.

The Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre and the Nafe Katter Theatre are located on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Both venues offer air-conditioned comfort and convenient free parking. Subscribers also have the option of pre-purchasing dinner at the Nathan Hale Inn and ice cream dessert at the UConn Dairy Bar with their subscription packages.

Please call 860.486.4226 for tickets and additional information. Please call the box office or visit www.crt.uconn.edu for specific show dates and times because performance schedules vary and are subject to change. CRT's Community Partners for the Nutmeg Summer Series include Hamilton Sundstrand, SI Financial Advisors - the trust and wealth management division of Savings Institute Bank & Trust, the Nathan Hale Inn and the UConn Dairy Bar.

Children must be at least 4 years old to attend CRT productions. Not all productions are suitable for young children; please call 860.486.1629 for more information. For additional ticket information or to charge tickets by phone, call 860.486.4226. All sales are final; no refunds. Play selections and performance dates are subject to change.

DINING-THEATRE OPTION - Subscribers can enjoy a delicious, three-course meal at the Nathan Hale Inn before the performance (evening or matinee) at a specially discounted price of only $20 per show (a 30% discount off menu prices). Each meal includes soup or salad, entrée, dessert and soft drink. Subscribers will have a reservation before each show in their series with full exchange privileges. Gratuities are not included; reservations are required (please call 860.427.7888); this offer is not combinable with other offers and is available only to Nutmeg Summer Series subscribers; dining vouchers will be mailed with tickets in advance.

DAIRY BAR DESSERT OPTION- Top off a cool afternoon or evening of hot summer theatre with whipped cream and a cherry! Subscriber may add vouchers for three ice cream sundaes at the world famous UConn Dairy Bar to each subscription for an additional $12. The UConn Dairy bar is open before evening performances, and before and after matinees; daily hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vouchers can be redeemed anytime before the expiration date of July 18, 2011.

THE CAST

MISS ADELAIDE
Caitlin O'Brient is making her CRT debut as Miss Adelaide. Last summer she participating in Theatre 150's critically acclaimed production of The Winter's Tale in Ojai, CA. Additionally she sang with LA's Upright Cabaret. Some of her favorite roles include Eponine in Les Misérables and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Miami.

SKY MASTERSON
Ken Clark recently played Bobby Strong in the CRT April 2011 production of Urinetown, the Musical. Ken graduated in 2010 from the University of Miami's Musical Theatre Conservatory. Select regional credits include The Winter's Tale (Leontes), Altar Boyz (Matt), Guys and Dolls (Sky) and The Mikado (Ko-Ko). Most recently he was in a production of Rent (Roger) at Syracuse Stage.

Sarah Brown
Sarah Schenkkan is thrilled to be making her CRT debut. Sarah recently graduated from the University of Miami's conservatory program with a BFA in Musical Theatre. Select main stage/regional credits include: Urinetown (Hope), Into the Woods (Little Red), Hello Dolly (Minnie Fay) and Baby with the Bathwater (Cynthia), among others. Sarah has also participated in a number of play readings and workshops, including Ronan Noone's A Small Death Story, Edith Freni's Help Yourself, and LANZA! - a new musical directed by Charles Messina and produced by Phil Ramone.

NATHAN DETROIT
Greg Webster last appeared at CRT in Endurance, a Split Knuckle Theatre production for the 2010 Nutmeg Summer Series and as The Common Man in CRT's production of A Man For All Seasons. In addition to a long career as an actor, he is on Faculty as a professor of Movement Theater at UConn. He is also the movement coach and the resident fight choreographer for CRT. As a performer, choreographer, and teacher, he has worked from Broadway to the West End. Greg holds an MFA in acting and directing from the University Missouri Kansas City and is a graduate of London International School of Performing Arts; where he was also an Instructor. Greg is a certified teacher of Authentic Pilates Method of body conditioning and the Gyrotonic expansion system. He has been a licensed personal trainer for more than 10 years, is a former Golden Gloves boxer and holds a black belt in Aikido.

ARVIDE ABERNATHY
David Allan Stern had most recent professional roles in The Taming of the Shrew (Pennsylvania Festival Theatre) and The Coming of Stork (Santa Monica Playhouse). David last sang on the Jorgensen stage in Nafe Katter's 1966 production of Carnival. A 1969 UConn BFA, he returned in 1993 and is now Professor and Associate Head of Dramatic Arts. As a dialect and acting coach, he helped prepare Forest Whitaker for Byrd and The Crying Game, Geena Davis for The Accidental Tourist, Jeffrey Tambor for Sadat, Julie Harris for Carried Away, Lynn Redgrave for Sweet Sue, Jennifer Jason Leigh for Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Liam Neeson for Next of Kin, and Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis and Daryl Hannah for Steel Magnolias. He's been Resident Dialect Coach at the Berkshire Theatre Festival since 2000. David's Acting with an Accent CDs are used by professional and student actors around the world.

THE CREATIVE TEAM
Vincent J. Cardinal, Director is the Artistic Director and Head of the Dept. of Dramatic Arts at UConn. He joined the Dept. of Dramatic Arts in August, 2010. Most recently he served as the Associate Dean of Performing Arts at Adelphi University. Prior to that, he was the Chair of Theatre at the University of Miami and the Artistic Director of the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre where his musical theatre productions garnered international attention. He served as the Director of the School of Theater and Head of the MFA Playwriting Program at Ohio University. He was the Director of off-Broadway's Circle Repertory Company School of Theater. He was also an Associate Artist with The Circle Repertory Company and a member of its LAB. He graduated in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama where he was honored with the ASCAP-Cole Porter Award for Best-Collected Work.

As a playwright, his play, The Colorado Catechism, premiered at Circle Repertory Company. The Los Angeles production of the play garnered actors TimoThy Daly and Amy Van Nostrand Dramalogue Awards for Best Performances. Cardinal's play King Dusyanta: A Tale from Kalidasa premiered, under his direction, at the Oasis Theater Company. It starred Broadway legend André DeShields. He directed Eileen Gallindo's Multicultural Disorder for Next Stage in an off-Broadway showcase, Joe Fox's new play Prism View at New Dramatists, and Paul Corrigan's Queens Blvd. in a commercial off-Broadway run. He helmed Steve Hayes' Hollywood Reunion for its New York and regional productions, and will direct the premiere of Steve Hayes: Tired Old Queen at the Movies LIVE, based on the popular YouTube series, which Cardinal produces and directs. He has directed 80 productions from coast to coast; premieres under his direction include Killing El Cid by Dan Shea and Disengaged by Anita Gabrowsek.

David Williams, Music Director is the Director of Musical Theatre at the University of Miami and the co-founder and musical director of Music Theater Italy. Mr. Williams is a well-known classical pianist and accompanist who has worked throughout this country and in Europe. He has performed with numerous ballet companies throughout the world and was host of his own morning classical music radio show. His many theatre credits include: Falsettos, A New Brain, Guys and Dolls, On The Town, Company, The Music Man, A Chorus Line, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum, Bat Boy, Baby, The Frogs and so many more. He wrote the music for Reconstructing Mama with book and lyrics by Stephen Svoboda. He was also the co-writer and director of The Miami Vaudeville Review of 1926.

Cassie Abate, Choreographer has worked nationwide as a performer and choreographer. Performance credits include Sophisticated Ladies at Arena Stages, 42nd Street at the North Shore Music Theatre, West Side Story and Peter Pan at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the National Tour of Urban Cowboy, Singin' in the Rain, and Pirates of Penzance at the Stephen Sondheim Center. Her choreography credits include Music Man, Showtune, Cabaret and Guys and Dolls at the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre; Moby Dick: The Musical for Theatre Workshop of Nantucket, and Pirates of Penzance at the Stephen Sondheim Center.

The design team includes Michael Anania, Set Designer; Michiko Kitayama Skinner, Costume Designer; Al Crawford, Light Designer; and Nathan Leigh, Sound Designer.

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