Havok Theatre Company Presents THE STORY OF MY LIFE, Previews 2/24

Winner of the 2008/09 L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Award for its critically-acclaimed production of Kiss of the Spider Woman (Best Musical - Intimate Theatre), Havok Theatre Company is thrilled to announce its first production of 2010, the Broadway musical THE STORY OF MY LIFE with music and lyrics by Neil Bartram, book by Brian Hill, musical direction by Michael Paternostro and directed by Havok's Artistic Director and Ovation Award-winner Nick DeGruccio. The show will star Robert J. Townsend (Mamma Mia, Jekyll & Hyde) as Thomas Weaver and Chad Borden (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Laramie Project) as Alvin Kelby. Nominated for four Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical, THE STORY OF MY LIFE will begin previews Wednesday, February 24, 2010 and will open on Friday, February 26 at the Lillian Theatre, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

The Story of My Life tells the story of two childhood friends and how their friendship profoundly defined their lives. Thomas Weaver is a best-selling, award-winning author. Alvin Kelby was his best friend for thirty years. But time can test the bonds of friendship, and when it does, Thomas calls on the only resource he has - his stories of Alvin - to learn where things went wrong. A richly melodic musical, The Story of My Life is a soaring tribute to the power of friendship and the people who change our lives forever.

Neil Bartram (Music and Lyrics) is the recipient of a Dramatists Guild Jonathan Larson Fellowship, a Jonathan Larson Foundation Award, and was a finalist for the 2007 Fred Ebb Award. He is the composer/lyricist of The Story of My Life, which was developed at NAMT and Goodspeed before debuting on Broadway in February 2009 (Directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.). Neil also wrote the music and lyrics for Somewhere In The World (5 seasons at the Charlottetown Festival), and The Nightingale and the Rose. With book writer Brian Hill, Neil is currently developing a musical based on Timothy Findley's novel Not Wanted On The Voyage (at Northwestern University with director Amanda Dehnert) and an original musical Clara's Piano (workshopped by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival with director and conceiver Susan H. Schulman). Cast albums include Somewhere In The World and The Story Of My Life (PS Classics). Neil is a member of the Dramatists Guild, ASCAP, and is an alumnus of the BMI Lehman Engel Music Theatre Workshop. In 2009, Neil was a double Drama Desk Award nominee for Outstanding Music and Outstanding Lyrics for The Story of My Life.

Brian Hill (Book) In collaboration with composer/lyricist Neil Bartram, Brian has written the book for a number of musicals including an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Nightingale and the Rose and Somewhere In the World, which was a hit for five seasons at the Charlottetown Festival. Not Wanted on the Voyage, an adaptation of the provocative Timothy Findley novel, is in development with the AMTP and Northwestern University under the direction of Amanda Dehnert, and Clara's Piano, conceived and directed by Susan H. Schulman, was developed by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The Story of My Life gained recognition through the NAMT Festival of new musicals and received a workshop production at Goodspeed Musicals' Norma Terris Theater and had its Broadway premier in February of 2009 directed by Richard Maltby, Jr. and starring Malcolm Gets and Will Chase. Brian received a 2009 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Book for The Story of My Life.

Nick DeGruccio (Director) is a three-time recipient of the LA Ovation Award for Direction. He has also received the 2008 Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle Joel Hirschhorn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre, as well as the 2009 BackStage Garland Award for Direction - Outstanding Season of Work. He received Ovation Awards for his direction of Jekyll & Hyde at Cabrillo Music Theatre, The Laramie Project at the Colony Theatre & Laguna Playhouse and1776 at Performance Riverside. Recent credits include Putting It Together, A Year With Frog and Toad for South Coast Repertory, Rent and the West Coast Premiere of The Andrews Brothers at Musical Theatre West (Ovation Award for Ensemble, Nomination for Direction). Nick is Havok Theatre Company's Artistic Director and directed Kiss of the Spider Woman (Ovation Award - Best Musical Intimate Theatre and Ovation Nom for Direction plus 4 LADCC Noms) and the LA Premieres of Thrill Me (2 Ovation Noms, LADCC Nom) and Dog Sees God (2 LADCC Noms, 3 LA Weekly Noms, GLAAD Media Nom) for Havok's inaugural season.

His other productions and Ovation-nominated works include Side By Side By Sondheim for The Rubicon Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse, the LA premiere of Side Show (Colony Theatre), Guys and Dolls and La Cage Aux Folles (Musical Theatre West), The Last Five Years in rep with I Do! I Do! (Pasadena Playhouse), The Full Monty (San Diego Music Theatre), The Spitfire Grill (Laguna Playhouse/OC Weekly Award Best Musical), Zanna, Don't! at West Coast Ensemble (LADCC Award for Direction), Bad Apples, a World Premiere Play for The Rubicon Theatre, Beehive at the El Portal Theatre and City of Angels, An Ideal Husband and Putting It Together (Colony Theatre). Other directing credits include: I Left My Heart...a Tribute to Tony Bennett (Welk Resort), My Way (La Mirada PAC) and Altar Boyz for The Welk Resort. For Musical Theatre Guild, he directed the L.A. Premiere of A Man Of No Importance (GLAAD Award Nomination) and Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party. Other credits: Basic Training (2nd Stage/NAACP Award Nomination for Direction), The Fantasticks (Performance Riverside), Pippin (BCLO) and Happily Ever After...After All (voiceovers by Angela Lansbury) (9 O'clock Players). Nick is an alumnus of the Lincoln Center Theatre Director's Lab West.

Michael Paternostro (Musical Director) Broadway: Guys and Dolls (Rusty Charlie/Crapshoot Dancer), Beauty and the Beast (LA, Lumiere/LeFou), Saturday Night Fever (DJ Monty), and Original Companies of Fosse, Sweet Smell of Success, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and the 2006 Revival of A Chorus Line (Gregory Gardner). Touring: West Side Story (Action/Arab) and The Producers (Carmen Ghia) and Showboat (Frank Schultz) at the Hollywood Bowl. At Musical Theater West: Carmen Ghia in The Producers (Ovation Award, Featured Actor), Pianist/Musical Director of Forbidden Broadway and Rent. Musical Director: Havok Theatre Company's Kiss of the Spider Woman and Thrill Me, and Breaking Up Is Hard To Do at Cabrillo Music Theater, Life Could Be a Dream at the Hudson Mainstage, and in NYC, Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti, and Guare's Landscape of the Body. As a piano-playing actor, he played Sidney Cohn in On Your Toes and Oscar in 42nd Street, both twice. Assistant Director: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Old Globe San Diego. Composer: Scary Musical: a New Musical.

THE STORY OF MY LIFE features an award-winning design team. The set design is by Tom Buderwitz. The lighting design is by Steven Young. The sound design is by Drew Dalzell. Associate Producers are Kathleen Parker & Jodi Carlisle. The Stage Manager is Lindsay Martens.

Robert J. Townsend (Thomas Weaver) has just returned from San Diego where he was performing as Nicky Giblin in the critically acclaimed San Diego Rep production of The Seafarer. Robert has toured the country with the National Tours of Camelot (Sir Sagramore), Grease (Kenickie), and most recently in Mamma Mia (Father Alexandrios).

His regional credits include the title role in Jekyll & Hyde (Cabrillo Music Theatre - Ovation Award, Lead Actor in a Musical), Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls (San Diego Musical Theatre), Trevor Graydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie (Sacramento Music Circus), Baron von Gaigern in Grand Hotel (Colony Theatre Company), as well as Chris in Miss Saigon, Man #1 in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, Sir Percival Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Curly in Oklahoma!, Rapunzel's Prince in Into the Woods, Beast in Beauty and the Beast and Jamie in The Last Five Years.

Chad Borden (Alvin Kelby) played Molina in Havok's Kiss of the Spider Woman (Ovation and LADCC Award noms for Lead Actor). Chad has performed at Pasadena Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse, Rubicon Theatre, La Mirada Theatre, South Bay CLO, Reprise!, Hollywood Bowl, Musical Theatre West, Cabrillo Music Theatre, Santa Barbara CLO, Sacramento Music Circus, AMT of San Jose and Elephant Theatre where his favorite roles include Bobby in A Chorus Line, Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, Motel in Fiddler on the Roof, Will Parker in Oklahoma!, and Larry in Burn This. Chad was a member of the Ovation Award-winning ensemble of The Laramie Project and was also Ovation nominated as Bud Frump in How to Succeed in Business (Colony Theatre). A graduate of Northwestern University, Chad did two National Tours (Mordred in Camelot and The Duke Ellington Songbook) and performed regionally at Cincinnati Playhouse, Chicago's Marriott Lincolnshire, and Boston's Merrimack Repertory. His TV credits include "General Hospital", "Bold and the Beautiful", and "Girls Behaving Badly".

ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING

THE STORY OF MY LIFE will preview on Wednesday, February 24 at 8pm, Thursday, February 25 at 8pm and will open on Friday, February 26 at 8pm and run through Sunday, April 4, 2010 at the Lillian Theatre, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood.

Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm; Sundays at 3:00 pm. Ticket prices for Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 are $34; Saturdays at 8:00 & Sundays at 3:00 pm are $38. (Ticket price is $25 for previews). For ticket reservations, please visit www.havoktheatre.com or call 1-818-505-1875.

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