BREAKING: Peter Dinklage and Haley Bennett To Lead Cast Of Goodspeed Musicals' CYRANO

Goodspeed is assembling a stellar cast for Cyrano an inspired new take on the Edmond Rostand classic Cyrano de Bergerac. Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Peter Dinklage will develop the title role and film actress Haley Bennett will play Roxanne in this bold new musical.

Additional casting will be announced at a later date. This exciting musical is adapted by Erica Schmidt in collaboration with members of the Grammy Award-winning indie alternative band The National. Cyrano will run August 3 - September 2, 2018 at The Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The legendary romance about a proud and impassioned poet who ghostwrites love letters is rekindled in a timeless and unconventional new musical. Cyrano agrees to woo his true love, Roxanne, on behalf of another in this classic tale of unrequited love. New music by members of the Grammy Award-winning indie alternative band The National drives this story of mistaken identity, selfless courage and buried desire. Directed by Erica Schmidt, Cyrano features Music by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, and Lyrics by Matt Berninger of The National and Carin Besser.

Peter Dinklage's breakout role came in 2003, when he redefined the concept of a leading man in the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award-winner The Station Agent. Since then, Peter has been a constant force in the acting world, best known for his role as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, for which he has won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. He has starred in such films as X-Men: Days of Future Past, Death at a Funeral, Living in Oblivion, and many others. Recent films include Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri with Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell, Mark Palansky's Rememory with Anton Yelchin, and in Jon Avnet's Three Christs with Richard Gere.

Dinklage's theater credits include A Month in the Country at Classic Stage Company, Things We Want at The New Group (Drama League Award Nomination,) the role of Chester in the world premiere of Knickerbocker at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the title roles in William Shakespeare's Richard III and Anton Checkov's Uncle Vanya among others. His upcoming film projects include HBO's My Dinner with Hervé with Jamie Dornan and Reed Morano's I Think We're Alone Now with Elle Fanning.

Haley Bennett most recently appeared in Jason Hall's Thank You For Your Service opposite Miles Teller. Upcoming, Ms. Bennett will star in The Red Sea Diving Resort opposite Chris Evans. Previously, Bennett starred in the film adaptation of The Girl on the Train opposite Emily Blunt, in Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven opposite Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, and in Warren Beatty's Rules Don't Apply. Other notable film credits include Hardcore Henry, The Equalizer opposite Denzel Washington and Chloe Grace Moretz, Marley and Me, and Gregg Araki's Kaboom. Bennett made her on-screen debut opposite Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant in the film Music and Lyrics as pop singer Cora Corman.

Original music for Cyrano is by Aaron and Bryce Dessner. Aaron Dessner is a New York-based songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer, best known as a member of the Grammy Award-winning indie alternative band The National. Aaron produced Frightened Rabbit's album Painting Of A Panic Attack on Atlantic Records, Lisa Hannigan's At Swim and worked as an associate producer on Mumford & Sons' 2015 album Wilder Mind. Bryce Dessner is a member of The National and co-founder of the Brassland label, alongside Alec Hanley Bemis and his twin brother Aaron Dessner. Bryce contributed music to the major motion picture The Revenant and is curator for the MusicNOW Festival held annually for over a decade in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has collaborated on projects as a performer and composer with some of the most prominent names in modern music, including Sufjan Stevens, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Philip Glass, Erik Friedlander and Nico Muhly.

Lyrics are by Matt Berninger and Carin Besser. Matt Berninger is the front man and lyricist for indie alternative bands The National and EL VY. The National's seventh album Sleep Well Beast has earned a 2018 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album. He is currently developing a television series with Carin Besser and Tom Berninger based on their award-winning film Mistaken for Strangers. Carin Besser co-produced and edited the film Mistaken for Strangers. As a writer, Ms. Besser has been co-writing lyrics for indie alternative band The National since their 2007 album Boxer.

Cyrano will be directed by Princess Grace Award recipient Erica Schmidt whose previous directing credits include Richard II with Robert Sean Leonard at The Old Globe, Turgenev's A Month In The Country with Peter Dinklage and Taylor Schilling at Classic Stage Company, Dennis Kelly's Taking Care of Baby at Manhattan Theatre Club and the Obie Award-winning Invasion!. Ms. Schmidt wrote and directed All The Fine Boys which was presented this past spring at The New Group featuring Abigail Breslin and Isabelle Fuhrman.

Choreography for Cyrano will be by Jeff and Rick Kuperman who recently choreographed a New Year's Eve performance for Phish at Madison Square Garden; Frank Wildhorn's The Count Of Monte Cristo in Saint Petersburg, Russia; Broadway Asia's immersive Peter Pan in Beijing, China; Orpheus in the Berkshires at the Williamstown Theater Festival and the New York Times Critics' Pick The Light Princess at A.R.T/New Victory.

Co-Scenic Designers will be Tony Award-winner Christine Jones and Amy Rubin. Ms. Jones's Broadway credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two; Old Times; Hands on a Hardbody; On a Clear Day You Can See Forever; Everyday Rapture; American Idiot and Spring Awakening among others. Ms. Rubin's credits include the Off-Broadway productions of Miles for Mary, All the Fine Boys and Edward Albee's Occupant.

Costume Design will by Andrea Lauer whose recent credits include Richard the II at The Old Globe, Lovely Rita, a multi-media event in celebration of the Beatles' 50th release of Sgt. Peppers (Liverpool, England) and A Chorus Line at The MUNY. Her work has been seen on Broadway in American Idiot and Bring it On, the Musical. New York credits include School for Scandal (Lucille Lortel), The Romantics (Playwrights Horizons), Fulfillment (Flea Theatre), Brooklynite (The Vineyard Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Classic Stage Company), Title and Deed (Signature Theatre), What It's All About (New York Theatre Workshop) and Murder For Two (New World Stages / National Tour). Regional credits include Into The Woods, Grease and The Addams Family (The MUNY); Luck Be A Lady (Asolo Repertory Theatre) and A Raisin in the Sun (Chautauqua Theatre Company.) Upcoming projects include the world premiere of Christopher Oscar Peña's The Strangers (set and costumes) and an Evening with Meow Meow with London Philharmonic at the Royal Festival Hall (production design). Ms. Lauer works as a stylist for various artists, commercials and publications; her work can be seen in Rolling Stone, Vogue, Interview, OUT Magazine, The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, The Tony Awards, red carpet events and music videos.

Lighting Design will be by Tony Award-winner Jeff Croiter whose numerous Goodspeed credits include Radio Girl, Band Geeks!, The Fabulous Lipitones, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Pirates of Penzance, Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, Me and My Girl, Happy Days ('07 and '08), The Baker's Wife and O. Henry's Lovers. Jeff has designed over a dozen Broadway productions including Bandstand, Falsettos, Holiday Inn, Disaster!, Penn & Teller On Broadway, Something Rotten!, Mothers and Sons, Peter and the Starcatcher, Newsies The Musical, The Pee-Wee Herman Show and Next Fall among others.

Sound Design will be by Jay Hilton, who has designed countless productions at both The Goodspeed and The Terris Theatre in Chester. His work has also been heard on Broadway, National Tours and at Regional Theatres from coast to coast.

Music Supervisor for Cyrano will be Olivier Manchon. Mr. Manchon played violin and guitar for the recent Broadway production of Groundhog Day. He is best known for his numerous TV and film scores written with partner Clare Manchon. These include the French film L'échappée by Laetitia Martinoni, Joseph Pulitzer (PBS American Masters,) The Perfect Crime (PBS American Experience,) Colliding Dreams, ABC's Black Box, Uncommon Ground, HBO's Everything is Copy (additional music), Deceptive Practice a documentary on Ricky Jay, Shut Up And Look a documentary on Richard Artschwager, PBS's The Human Body and The Human Brain.

Casting for Cyrano is by Paul Hardt of StewartWhitley Casting.

Cyrano will run August 3 - September 2, 2018. Curtain times are Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 pm, Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 pm and 6:30 p.m.

Season tickets for all three shows at The Terris Theatre are available to Goodspeed members now and to the public beginning May 7, 2018. Season tickets start at $132. Single tickets go on public sale beginning May 21, 2018. Single tickets start at $49. All tickets may be purchased through the Box Office (860.873.8668), which opens every day at 10 a.m. Single tickets may also be purchased on-line at www.goodspeed.org.

For over 30 years, The Terris Theatre has been Goodspeed's home for developing fresh, innovative and original new musicals. Many new and reimagined musicals have been developed in Chester, Conn., before moving on to Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours and other Regional Theatres. Because this is a developmental theatre, the show can change on a day-to-day basis. New scenes are added, songs are moved, costumes are changed, dialogue is tweaked?all based on audience response and feedback.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Michael Gennaro, Goodspeed Musicals is dedicated to the preservation, development, and advancement of musical theatre. Goodspeed produces three musicals each season at The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn., and additional productions at The Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. The first regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support of United Airlines, the official airline of Goodspeed Musicals and the official audio sponsor Sennheiser. This production is also made possible with the support of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts.

To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov

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