Bets Malone Leads La Mirada's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE World Premiere, Beginning Tonight

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment present their first-ever World Premiere musical and the fourth show of their 2014-2015 season, the runaway hit of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, JANE AUSTEN'S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE A Musical, with music, lyrics and book by Lindsay Warren Baker & Amanda Jacobs, based on the novel "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, with music direction by Timothy Splain, choreography by Jeffry Denman, and directed by Igor Goldin. JANE AUSTEN'S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE A Musical will preview tonight, April 17, 2015 (with a press opening on Saturday, April 18) and run through Sunday, May 10, 2015 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.

JANE AUSTEN'S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE springs to life when the author re-imagines the world of her novel. As the compelling love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy unfolds, Austen learns to see both the story and herself in a new light.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST:

IGOR GOLDIN (Director) is known primarily for developing and directing new plays and musicals for the stage - most notably the regional and Off-Broadway productions of the WWII musical YANK! (Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Director of a Musical). He has directed 11 original works for the New York Musical Theatre Festival and has received 3 NYMF Awards for Excellence in Direction for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Crossing Swords and Common Grounds. Recently he directed the new play 26 Pebbles (The Culture Project) derived from real interviews about the tragedy in Newtown Connecticut, a new musical adaptation of Brian Friel's Molly Sweeney (Human Race Theatre) and is currently in development on Learning How to Drown: An Irish Musical by Patricia Noonan and Amanda Jacobs - inspired by the Irish myth of the Selkies - seal people who can shed their skin and become human. He also directed the Off-Broadway productions and New York Times critics picks, With Glee and A Ritual of Faith. Recent regional credits include Tick, Tick...BOOM!, Evita!, The Music Man, Twelve Angry Men and South Pacific. Mr. Goldin was nominated by his peers as a top 5 finalist for the SDC Joe A. Callaway Award for Distinguished Direction. He is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).

JEFFRY DENMAN (Choreographer): Off Broadway: YANK! (Lucille Lortel nomination), Naked Boys Singing!, Assistance - Playwright's Horizons, Bullet for Adolf; The Searchers (off B'way Workshop). B'way Workshop: The Untitled Tina Landau Project, YANK!; NYMF: Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice (Honorable Mention), ValueVille (Honorable Mention); Regional: Jeffry will be co-directing and choreographing the premiere of When You Wish a new Disney revue at Tuacahn Center for the Arts this summer. West Side Story (Moss Hart Award), Damn Yankees, The Music Man (Moss Hart Award) - Ogunquit Playhouse; Thoroughly Modern Millie - Tuacahn; Creator of CastPRO, the casting app for iPad and author of the book, A Year with The Producers, a journal of his time in the Mel Brooks hit musical.

TIMOTHY SPLAIN (Music Direction) New York credits include: Adding Machine (Minetta Lane); A Minister's Wife (Lincoln Center Theater); 3 Kinds of Exile (Atlantic); Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (NYMF); The Holiday Guys (York); The Hundred Dresses (Atlantic for Kids). Tour: Little House on the Prairie. Regional: Next To Normal (Milwaukee Rep); Little House... (Paper Mill Playhouse); Baritones Unbound (Arts Emerson, Asolo Rep); Rent (Dir. David Cromer); Ragtime (Westchester Broadway); She Loves Me, A Little Night Music, A Minister's Wife (Writers' Theatre); Adding Machine world premiere. As Orchestrator/Arranger: The Hundred Dresses, Baritones Unbound, Anatole, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: the Musical.

LINDSAY WARREN BAKER (Music, Lyrics and Book) is a freelance stage director, playwright/composer, teaching artist and yoga instructor. Her most recent work includes B* and directing Pittsford Musicals' upcoming production of Next to Normal. Previous writing credits with collaborator Amanda Jacobs include award-winning Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, A Musical; LILY, A Musical Portrait; TRUTH IN BEAUTY: A Shakespeare Sonnet Project; and DANIEL, The Musical. Additional directing credits include Dear Diary, Lo Speziale, Gianni's Beauty and the Beast, Christabel and A Little Night Music. Ms. Baker also currently serves as an acting instructor and dramatic coach at the Eastman School of Music. Education and Training: O'Neill National Theater Institute, Moscow Art Theatre, Dagara Music Center (Ghana), St. Olaf College, SUNY Empire State College.

AMANDA JACOBS (Music, Lyrics, Book) is recognized for her award-winning work on JANE AUSTEN'S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, A MUSICAL, which swept the New York Musical Theater Awards in 2011, including the coveted "Stage Entertainment Award", and "Most Promising Musical" award. In 2014, she was chosen to serve as a representative for the Jane Austen Society of North America's International Visitors Program to the UK, where she spent the summer in Jane Austen's home composing music, performing and producing concerts in Jane Austen churches in London and Godmersham. Current projects include LEARNING HOW TO DROWN: A MUSICAL written with Patricia Noonan (The PiTCH -Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival, 2015 Johnny Mercer Writer's Colony - Goodspeed Musicals, PBS documentary); THE UP SIDE OF DOWN, a new musical with Y York (Hormel Festival of New Plays and Musical 2015). This summer, she will present a lecture/recital with LeHigh University professor Elizabeth Dolan at the University of Melbourne with a setting of Charlotte Smith's poem BEACHY HEAD. Earlier collaborative works include DANIEL: THE MUSICAL, LILY, and TRUTH IN BEAUTY: A SHAKESPEARE SONNET PROJECT. In addition, Amanda is recognized for her concert and sacred music, NATS (2002), Long Island Arts Council (2009), Marin Lutheran Church Competition (2009), Celebrating Grace (2009), Sacred Arts Foundation (2010), Words & Music (2014).

The Cast for JANE AUSTEN'S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE A Musical features: Bets Malone as Jane Austen (Next to Normal, The Marvelous Wonderettes), Jill Van Velzer (God Saves Gertrude, Winter Wonderettes) as Cassandra Austen and (in alphabetical order): Andrew Arrow as Mr. Gardiner, Brandon Andrus as Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mathew D'Amico as Dream Soldier, Eddie Egan as Mr. Bingley, Samantha Eggers as Jane Bennet, Arielle Fishman as Lydia Bennet, Kimberly Hessler as Mary Bennet, Matthew Kacergis as Mr. Wickham, Jamison Lingle as Caroline Bingley, Katharine Kelly McDonough as Kitty Bennet, Patricia Noonan as Elizabeth Bennet, Gregory North as Mr. Bennet, Amanda Naughton as Mrs. Bennet, Jeff Skowron as Mr. Collins, Brian Steven Shaw as Dream Soldier and Leigh Brian Wakeford as Dream Soldier.

The Design Team for JANE AUSTEN'S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE A Musical is as follows: The Scenic Design is by Josh Zangen. The Costume Design is by Ann Closs-Farley. The Lighting Design is by Jason Lyons. The Sound Design is by Josh Bessom. The Props Designer is Terry Hanrahan. The Casting is by Julia Flores. The Production Stage Manager is Jill Gold.

'Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice' was originally presented by the New York Musical Theatre Festival (Isaac Hurwitz, Executive Director and Producer) and was a selection of the New York Musical Theatre Festival's 2011 Next Link Project.

JANE AUSTEN'S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE A Musical will preview tonight, April 17, 2015 (with a press opening on Saturday, April 18) and run through Sunday, May 10. Performances will be 7:30pm on Wednesdays & Thursdays; 8pm on Fridays; 2pm and 8pm on Saturdays; and 2pm on Sundays. There will be no matinee performance on Saturday, April 18. Talkbacks with the cast and creative team will be on Wednesday, April 22 and Wednesday, May 6. Tickets range from $20 - $70 and can be purchased at La Mirada Theatre's website, www.lamiradatheatre.com or by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. Student, Senior and group discounts are available. LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue where the 91 and 5 freeways meet. Parking is free.

Winner of the L.A. Stage Alliance OVATION AWARD for 2012-2013 "Best Season of the Year," LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, now in its fourth decade, has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the best Broadway-style houses in Southern California." This beautiful state-of-the-art theatre has been producing quality productions for its Southern California audiences since 1977. The theatre has produced several national tours and is the recipient of many accolades including Ovation and Emmy Awards and Tony Award nominations. Brian Kite is the theatre's Producing Artistic Director. The theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, California, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue. Parking is theatre-adjacent and free. For further information call 562-944-9801 or visit www.lamiradatheatre.com.

Celebrating its 21st Anniversary season at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT (MRE), is one of the world's premier theatrical production companies. Headed by Executive Producers Tom McCoy and Cathy Rigby, MRE has produced over ninety Broadway-caliber musicals, plays, and concerts featuring some of the biggest stars working in the industry today.

In addition, MRE has launched several Tony Award-nominated Broadway, international and national touring productions including: Peter Pan, Seussical the Musical, and Annie Get Your Gun, all starring Cathy Rigby; Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll and Hyde starring American Idol star and Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis along with Grammy Award nominee and R&B superstar Deborah Cox; Jesus Christ Superstar starring Carl Anderson and Sebastian Bach; Camelot starring Michael York and Lou Diamond Phillips and Happy Days written by Gary Marshall and Paul Williams. Since 1990, Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby has made four stops on Broadway, four Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical. The A&E TV network premiere of "Peter Pan," starring Cathy Rigby, received one Emmy Award and four Emmy Award nominations. MRE's other credits include numerous award-winning documentaries and stadium events.

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