Guthrie Theater Announces 50th Anniversary Gala Vocal Ensemble

The Guthrie today announced that 17 accomplished local actors and vocalists who have all appeared on the Guthrie's stages during their careers will complete the artist line-up as the vocal ensemble for BEHOLD: A Gala Performance, honoring 50 years of the Guthrie, on Saturday, June 22, 2013. Accompanied by a 12-piece orchestra helmed by Musical Director Andrew Cooke, the ensemble will perform songs from some of the greatest musicals of all time, in unexpected ways.

Jay Albright (A Christmas Carol), Christina Baldwin (Roman Holiday, H.M.S. Pinafore), Michelle Barber (Other Desert Cities, Roman Holiday), Bob Beverage (1776, Merrily We Roll Along), Dieter Bierbrauer (The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde, Pirates of Penzance), Nathan Bird (H.M.S. Pinafore), Shawn Hamilton (Appomattox, Little House on the Prairie), Aleks Knezevich (H.M.S. Pinafore), Timotha Lanae (H.M.S. Pinafore), Norah Long (Little House on the Prairie, 1776), Molly Sue McDonald (H.M.S. Pinafore, A Christmas Carol, She Loves Me), Ann Michels (The Primrose Path, A Streetcar Named Desire), Tinia Moulder(Pirates of Penzance, Merrily We Roll Along), Jennifer Baldwin Peden (Pirates of Penzance, The Comedy of Errors), James Ramlet (A Christmas Carol, Little House on the Prairie), Brian Sostek (The Burial at Thebes, H.M.S. Pinafore), Angela Timberman (A Christmas Carol, The Birds, Roman Holiday).

As previously announced BEHOLD: A Gala Performance will be co-hosted by Guthrie favorites Greta Oglesby and Sally Wingert, and will feature Matthew Amendt, Tracie Bennett, Jason Robert Brown, Barbara Bryne, Daniel Gerroll, Peter Michael Goetz, Whoopi Goldberg, Erik Heger, Brian d'Arcy James, Patricia Kalember, T.R. Knight, Valeri Mudek, Stephen Yoakam, and male vocal ensemble Cantus, as well as multimedia tributes with theatrical legends Zoe Caldwell and Christopher Plummer.

BEHOLD features musical direction by Andrew Cooke, choreography by Brian Sostek, set design by Michael Hoover, costume design by Christine A. Richardson, lighting design by Tom Mays, sound design by Scott W. Edwards and is written by Mark Benninghofen. Peter Flynn-whose extensive credits include directorial work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in regional theaters and other gala events-will direct.

A star-studded performance featuring actors, composers and writers with ties to the Guthrie's past and future, BEHOLD: A Gala Performance will be held onJune 22, 2013, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage and is a part of the Guthrie's 50th Anniversary Celebration Weekend (June 22-23, 2013), presented in conjunction with celebration dinners the Golden Soirée and Fête 50. Tickets for the Golden Soirée are $5,000 ($4,600 tax-deductible contribution) and are $500 ($275 tax-deductible contribution) for Fête 50.

Gala performance-only tickets, priced at $350, $250, and $150 are also available. Tickets at $350 ($250 tax-deductible contribution) include Area 2 seating, the post-show champagne and truffle reception, open bar and dance party admission; tickets at $250 ($150 tax-deductible contribution) include Area 3 seating, the post-show champagne and truffle reception and dance party admission; tickets at $150 ($50 tax-deductible contribution) include Area 4 seating, the post-show champagne and truffle reception and dance party admission. Performance only tickets subject to availability. For tickets, call the Guthrie's 50th Anniversary Line at 612.225.6350 or visit www.guthrietheater.org/50 for more details.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org

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