Jarrod Emick, William Selby and Matthew Marks to Glitter in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT at Ogunquit Playhouse

Get your glitter on and take the ride of your life with the hilarious and heartwarming Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, based on the Oscar-winning film on stage at the Ogunquit Playhouse August 10 to September 3.

The Ogunquit Playhouse is one of the first regional theatres in the U.S. to stage this outrageous international and Broadway smash hit, with book by Stephan Elliot and Allan Scott, complete with a non-stop dazzling array of over 500 imaginative and outrageous Tony Award-winning costumes and 200 headdresses designed by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner. Rounding out the fun is a hit parade of infectious dance songs from the 70s and 80s by Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, Donna Summer, The Village People and many other pop-stars and include "I Will Survive," "Hot Stuff," "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," "True Colors," and "I Love The Nightlife." Don't miss the bus! Hop on for a journey to the heart of fabulous!

The story follows the adventure of friends Tick, Bernadette and Adam who board a party bus named Priscilla and take their outrageous drag show on the road through the Australian Outback to unite Tick with his young son.

Starring as Tick is Jarrod Emick who won a Tony Award, Drama Desk and Theatre World Award for his role as Joe Hardy in the 1994 Broadway revival of Damn Yankees. Mr. Emick has performed in many other Broadway shows as well, including Miss Saigon (Broadway debut), Rocky Horror Show, The Boy from Oz opposite Hugh Jackman, and Ring of Fire. He also appeared at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End premiere of The Full Monty. His regional theatre productions include Next to Normal, Guys and Dolls, Sweeney Todd, Bus Stop, Picnic, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Contact, Hands on a Hard Body and The Sound of Music.

William Selby joins the cast as Bernadette. He most recently enjoyed a long run of Laughing Matters, Vol. 5 at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota. Off-Broadway he has performed in many editions of Forbidden Broadway, The Daring Duo, Nerds, Forbidden Hollywood, Juba, and The Apple Tree. Mr. Selby has also performed in regional theatres throughout the U.S. in many shows including South Pacific as Luther Billis (for which he received Broadway World and Connecticut Critics Circle Award nominations for Outstanding Featured Actor), Barrymore, The Presidents, Hot n' Cole, and All Night Strut.

Playing Adam is Matthew Marks who is taking a break from his five year run in Broadway's The Book of Mormon. Among his credits are the Broadway production of West Side Story and the National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof.

Lisa Helmi-Johanson, Coleen Sexton and Debra Walton join the cast as the three Divas along for the fabulous ride. Ms. Helmi-Johanson has performed in regional theatres in the U.S. in Avenue Q, Waterfall, Taming of the Shrew and ...Spelling Bee as well as many others. Ms. Sexton has performed on Broadway in Forever Dusty and the National Tours in Wicked as Elphaba, in Legally Blonde as Brooke Wyndham, and various roles in Chicago. Ms. Walton has performed on Broadway and Off-Broadway in many shows including The Pajama Game, Storyville!, The Bubbly Black Girl and Cookin' At the Cookery: The Life and Times of Alberta Hunter, which earned her a Drama Desk Nomination and a Barrymore Award.

Mitch Poulos, who has also performed throughout the U.S., most notably in the National Tours of Billy Elliot the Musical, is cast as Bob.

Helming the Ogunquit production is David Ruttura who is currently the Associate/Resident Director of School of Rock on Broadway. He has worked as Associate Director for many Broadway productions including Spider-Man, Follies, Lombardi, Million Dollar Quartet, White Christmas and A Man for All Seasons. Mr. Ruttera has also directed many shows for regional theatres across the U.S. including the Kennedy Center, La Jolla Playhouse and Gateway Playhouse.

Gerry McIntyre returns to the Ogunquit stage to choreograph Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. He was last at the Ogunquit Playhouse in 2012 to choreograph 9 to 5 the Musical and in 2010 as the Director/Choreographer for Chicago. Mr. McIntyre's long career, both on the stage, as director and choreographer has included many regional, Off-Broadway and Broadway productions including, the Dreamgirls National Tour, One Man Two Guvnors, My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, Oklahoma, Candide, Legally Blonde, Urinetown, and Hairspray.

Michael McAssey is the Musical Director for the Ogunquit production. He has conducted and music directed the Broadway National Tours of Avenue Q and Titanic: The Musical, and toured with Donny Osmond playing piano for Livent?s Joseph...Dreamcoat. He has music directed at theatres throughout New York and the U.S. for various productions that include Chicago, Man of LaMancha, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, White Christmas, Ragtime, Sunset Boulevard, Gypsy, Violet, Smokey Joe's Café among others. He appeared with Barbara Cook and Patti LuPone in Paris and toured with Ms. LuPone in her nightclub act, The ArgenTina Turner Revue.

Set design for the Ogunquit Playhouse production is by Stanley A. Meyer and Jason M. Curtis. Mr. Meyer's set designs have been seen in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, Aida at the ALLIANCE THEATRE, Treasure Island at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, and From Here to Eternity and Saturday Night Fever at Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival. He has been recognized for his work by the League of American Theatres and Producers, National Broadway Award, Drama League Awards, American Theatre Wing Award and New York Outer Critics Circle Award, as well as the Los Angeles Ovation Award. Mr. Curtis has been the assistant designer for International Tour of Beauty and the Beast, Saturday Night Fever and From Here To Eternity at Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival among others.

Sound Designer for the Ogunquit production is Don Hanna whose regional theatre credits include Million Dollar Quartet and Billy Elliot, as well as the National Tours of Million Dollar Quartet and Smokey Joe's Cafe 20th Anniversary. Lighting Designer is Richard Latta who has created the lighting for dozens of Ogunquit Playhouse productions, including most recently The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sister Act, Victor Victoria, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Million Dollar Quartet, Saturday Night Fever and White Christmas in addition to many regional theatres in the U.S.

Mark your calendars now and book your tickets for remainder of the 2016 season. Individual tickets start at $47 each. To learn more about becoming a Playhouse member, or to purchase tickets and gift cards, visit www.ogunquitplayhouse.org or call the Ogunquit Playhouse Box Office at 207-646-5511.

Pull up your boots and hold onto your hats when Seven Brides for Seven Brothers hits the stage September 7 to October 1. This all-dancing, all-singing, all-new production of the rip-roarin' musical comedy classic bursts onto the stage with rambunctious energy. Elvis, Jerry Lee, Perkins and Cash return by popular demand! Million Dollar Quartet, the most popular show in the history of The Playhouse, hits the stage October 5 to November 6 with the 2015 cast to once again to rock out the season with one mega-hit song after the next.

The Ogunquit Playhouse, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization listed on the National Historic Register, is located on Route One in Ogunquit, Maine and produces the finest Broadway musicals each season with performances Tuesday through Sunday, from May 18 to November 6. Follow the Ogunquit Playhouse on Twitter (@OgunquitPH) and on Facebook (facebook.com/OgunquitPlayhouse) for behind-the-scenes info, photos and fun throughout the season.

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