Theatre LILA Begins its 2016-2017 Season With Musical, BIG FISH

Theatre LILA will collaborate with Four Seasons Theatre on the musical Big Fish, opening December 2nd and running through the 11th. Presented in The Playhouse at Overture Center, the musical explores the "fish tales" that a father tells his son over the course of their lives, and the essential truths that lie under each of the stories.

"We've assembled a terrific cast," said Jessica Lanius, Artistic Director of Theatre LILA. "Some familiar faces from previous musical Theater Productions around Madison, some actors with regional and Broadway credits, and some performers who are brand new to the stage." One of the youngest cast members, Elijah Edwards, will play young Will in the show. He was "discovered" when he performed for Lanius and a panel of judges during Overture Center's Rising Stars talent competition. "And as with every Theatre LILA show, we're very happy to be working with a diverse group of artists."

Big Fish also features real-life husband and wife Clare and Scott Haden as Edward and Sandra Bloom. "We've had the chance to do that in a few productions together in the past," said Clare. The two appeared side by side in Cancer Stories with Wisconsin Story Project, Main Traveled Roads at Milwaukee Chamber Theater, and It's a Wonderful Life at Children's Theater of Madison. "I adore working with Scott," Clare continued. "I get the chance to fall in love with him all over and over again. And watching him command a role like this, seeing him in his element, doing what he loves, is simply the best."

Theatre LILA is also piloting an apprentice program for emerging performers of color. Krystyn Jones joins the cast as part of the ensemble, in addition to her year-long association with the company, including mentoring sessions and both backstage and onstage theater training.

BIG FISH The Musical

A father's Story. A son's journey. Life's epic adventure.

The Playhouse at Overture Center for the Arts?

December 2, 3, 8, 9 & 10 at 7:30 p.m.

December 4 & 11 at 2 p.m.?

Tickets on sale now: overturecenter.org or (608) 258-4141

Adults-$35, Students-$20

Edward Bloom never wanted an ordinary life, so he learned to explore his imagination. His incredible stories thrill everyone around him - except his son Will, who insists on separating fact from fiction. As Edward's final chapter approaches, Will embarks on his own journey to find out who his father really is, slowly uncovering the man behind the myth and the nugget of truth in each tall tale.

Theatre LILA is excited to collaborate on this funny and poignant story with Four Seasons Theatre, known for bringing both blockbuster musicals and challenging new works to life onstage. A diverse cast of actors from Theatre LILA will lend their movement-based, ensemble style of storytelling to the performance, painting each scene using gesture and movement.

Accompanied by the simple music of a bluegrass band, the audience will use its own imagination to complement this magical tale about a family coming together-and the beauty of dreaming bigger.

The cast for Big Fish includes:

Scott Haden Edward Bloom

Clare Arena Haden Sandra Bloom

Elijah E. Edwards Young Will

Stephen Scott Wormley Will Bloom

Stephanie Frank Young Jenny

Sarah Brown Hadjimarkos Jenny Hill

David Nueser Don Price

James Carrington Amos Calloway

Nick Narcisi Karl the Giant

Ruilin Huang Mermaid

Megan Randolph The Witch

Hannah Ripp-Dieter Josephine

Mark Snowden Dr. Bennett

Krystyn Jones Ensemble

Behind the scenes, Thomas Kasdorf is the music director for the show, long-time Theatre LILA collaborator Erin Crabb is assistant music director, and Four Seasons' Spamalot director Brian Cowing is co-choreographer. The production will be directed and co-choreographed by Theatre LILA Artistic Director Jessica Lanius. In other key roles, Brian Anderson will design sound, Kenneth Ferencek will design lights, and Shannon Heibler will create both costumes and props for the production. Courtney Nelson is the scenic designer.

Additional information and links to purchase tickets for the production are available at Theatre LILA's website, theatrelila.com.

School Performances

Theatre LILA invites area middle school and high school teachers to bring their students to matinee performances of each production, through a low cost ticket program ($10 per student). After each show Lanius will lead an educational talk-back with the actors to extend the learning experience beyond the stage. For more information or to reserve tickets, teachers are invited to contact Theatre LILA via the company's website.

Sponsors

Generous support for Theatre LILA's 2016-2017 season is provided by The Pleasant Rowland Great Performance Fund for Theater, a?component fund of the Madison Community Foundation; The Performing Arts Committee of the Wisconsin Union Directorate; Electronic Theatre Controls; The Madison Community Foundation; Dane Arts; the Madison Arts Commission; Overture Center's Community Arts Access Program, Great Dane Brewery and Pub; THE American Girl Fund For Children; Strang, Patteson, Renning Lewis and Lacy; and TASC.

Theatre LILA

Originally founded in New York City in 2004 and transplanted to Madison in 2013, Theatre LILA challenges the audience's experience of theatre by integrating the "360° actor"- the physical, intellectual, psychological, and emotional instrument - in a fusion of drama, dance, music, and sound to create a total performance experience. For more information, please visit theatrelila.com.

Four Seasons Theatre

Using musical theatre as a means of engagement, Four Seasons provides a consistently high quality experience for everyone involved onstage, backstage, in the audience, and in the community. Founded in January 2005, Four Seasons has presented 38 musical Theater Productions in the past 11 years in a variety of venues, including Overture Center, the Mitby Theater, Wisconsin Union Theater, and the Majestic Theatre. For more information, please visit fourseasonstheatre.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.