Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis' AMERICAN IDIOT Opens Tonight

Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis announces the Indiana premiere of American Idiot opening tonight, June 4, 2015 on the Livia and Steve Russell Stage. This production runs through July 5, 2015, with Bryan Fonseca serving as director, Emily Ristine Holloway serving as Assistant Director, Tim Brickley and Jeanne Bowling serving as co-Musical Directors, and Cherri Jaffee and Mariel Greenlee serving as co-choreographers.

A critical smash on Broadway, London, and on international tours, the two-time Tony Award® winning hit musical tells the story of three lifelong friends, forced to choose between their dreams or the safety of suburbia. Their quest for true meaning in a post 9/11 world leads them on an exhilarating and emotionally charged theatrical journey.

Based on Green Day's GRAMMY® Award-winning multi-platinum album, American Idiot boldly takes the American musical where it's never gone before. The result is an experience Charles Isherwood of The New York Times declares "thrilling, emotionally charged, and as moving as any Broadway musical I've seen this year!" Featuring the hits "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "21 Guns," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Holiday" and the blockbuster title track, American Idiot features the music of Green Day and the lyrics of its lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong.

This is Bryan Fonseca's 32nd season as the founding Producing Director of the Phoenix Theatre. He has played a leading role in presenting outstanding contemporary drama in Indianapolis since 1979. Prior to the Phoenix, Bryan served as the Artistic Director for the Broad Ripple Playhouse and developed a short-lived alternative stage at the Indianapolis Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre - Studio C. Bryan has received an Achievement and Service award from the Indiana Theatre Association, two Artist Fellowship awards from the Indiana State Arts Commission and two Creative Renewal Fellowships from the Arts Council of Indianapolis/Lilly Endowment. Over the years, he transferred six Phoenix shows to Chicago including his original concert production, Prine: A Tribute Concert, which was performed at the Viaduct Theatre. The Chicago Sun Times said of the show: "Failed jukebox musicals are many, but Fonseca gets it right! The show is highly recommended."

The cast includes Spencer Curnutt as Johnny, Lisa Ermel as Whatsername, Carly Kincannon as Heather, Eric Olson as St. Jimmy, Matt Patterson as Will, Lincoln Slentz as Tunny, and Lydia Burke as Extraordinary Girl. The ensemble includes Brandon Alstott, Andrea Heiden, Olivia Huntley, Cameron Mullin, and Nathan Robbins.

Spencer Curnutt is making his Phoenix Theatre debut in American Idiot. Spencer was last seen in Carousel (Lyric Opera of Chicago) directed by Tony Award winner Rob Ashford. Other theatre credits include Lord of the Flies (Steppenwolf Theatre), Trust (Lookingglass Theatre) directed by David Schwimmer,Candide (Goodman Theatre). Film/TV credits include: Trust, Warren, and Henry Gambles Birthday Party. He also can be seen on Chicago Fire (NBC) and Fox's hit show Empire. www.spencercurnutt.com.

Lisa Ermel's select stage credits include Phoenix Theatre (Spun, Miles & Ellie, Seminar, Clybourne Park), IRT (Becky's New Car, Dracula), Actors' Theatre of Indiana (The 39 Steps), Beef & Boards (Father of the Bride, Arsenic & Old Lace), Heartland Actors' Repertory Theatre (Taming of the Shrew). Lisa will be attending USC School of Dramatic Arts for her MFA in Acting this fall.

Carly Kincannon's previous Phoenix performances include Bat Boy, A Very Phoenix Xmas 6 & 9, and Spring Awakening. Carly lives in New York City and performs with The Manhattan Dolls. She was recently featured on NBCs The Sing Off. www.carlykincannon.com

American Idiot marks Eric J. Olson's 10th show with the Phoenix. His favorites include Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Avenue Q, and the upcoming Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play. Other appearances include the 1st National Tour of Ragtime, New York City's Beacon and Town Hall Theatres, Kennedy Center, Goodspeed Opera House, Sacramento Music Circus, Trinity Repertory Company, and Falcon Theatre.

A LOVE STORY

Cast members Carly Kincannon and Matthew Lee admittedly owe many of their relationship highs to the Phoenix Theatre. They met when they were both cast in the Phoenix's 2011 production of Spring Awakening. They began dating, and eventually moved to New York together, where they now share an apartment in Astoria. In December of 2014, Carly came back to the Phoenix for A Very Phoenix Xmas 9: Flashing Through the Snow, and was surprised to find Matt proposing to her on the Phoenix stage following the final performance (see a brief article here: http://indy.st/1ztAOFz). She accepted, and the two have started planning their wedding to take place in the fall of 2016 in Indianapolis. This is Carly and Matt's first time on stage together since Spring Awakening.

Vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong (Book & Lyrics), is a founding member of the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame trio, Green Day. Even though they had released two records prior (1039 / Smoothed Out Slappy Hours and Kerplunk), Green Day announced their arrival with 1994's Dookie, a dynamic blast of exuberant punk-pop that sold 15 million copies and earned the band its first Grammy® Award for Best Alternative Music Performance. Over the years, Green Day continued to top the charts with their subsequent studio albums Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning, while entertaining millions of fans with their frenetic live shows. But it was their landmark 2004 album American Idiot that launched Green Day into the stratosphere. American Idiotdebuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, spawned five hit singles, earned seven Grammy® nominations (winning two, including Best Rock Album), and raised the bar for modern rock and roll. In 2009, Green Day released 21st Century Breakdown, which won a 2010 Grammy® Award for Best Rock Album. It spawned two hit singles: the gold "Know Your Enemy," which was the first song ever to top Billboard's Rock, Alternative, and Mainstream Rock charts simultaneously, and the double-platinum "21 Guns," which earned them three 2009 MTV Video Music Awards including Best Rock Video. Green Day also took home an American Music Award for Favorite Alternative Rock Music Artist. Later that year, Green Day collaborated with Tony Award winning director of Spring Awakening, Michael Mayer, for the stage musical of American Idiot.

Michael Mayer (Co-Book Writer) made his Metropolitan Opera debut this season with a celebrated new production of Rigoletto. Broadway: On A Clear Day You Can See Forever; American Idiot (Drama Desk Award, Best Director); Everyday Rapture; Spring Awakening (Tony Award, Best Director/Best Musical); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award, Best Musical); Side Man (Tony Award, Best Play); A View From the Bridge (Tony Award, Best Revival); Uncle Vanya; 'Night, Mother; After the Fall; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Triumph of Love. Off-Broadway: Spring Awakening, Everyday Rapture, The Illusion, Our House, 10 Million Miles, Antigone in New York, Baby Anger, The Credeaux Canvas, Stupid Kids. Film: A Home at the End of the World, Flicka. Television: Do No Harm; director and consulting producer for the first season of Smash.

Tickets for American Idiot are on sale now. Tickets are $30.00 per person on Thursdays and Sundays, $35.00 per person on Fridays and Saturdays, and $22.00 for anyone 21 & under. Tickets for American Idiot may be purchased by calling the box office at 317.635.7529 or visiting phoenixtheatre.org. Curtain times for the production are: Thursdays - 7 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 5 pm and 8:30 pm; Sundays - 2 pm. There will only be one performance on Saturday, July 4, starting at 7 pm.

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