STEERAGE SONG, ALL IS CALM, OUR TOWN and More Set for Theater Latte Da's 2013-14 Season

Theater Latté Da announced yesterday that a season of four adventures in musical storytelling and the continuation of a major new work development program will comprise its 16th Season. Slated for production are Steerage Song at The Lab Theater (September 25 - October 20, 2013), All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 at the Pantages Theatre (December 19-22, 2013), Cabaret at the Pantages Theatre (January 15 - February 9, 2014), and Our Town at The Lab Theater (March 12 - April 6, 2014). In spring 2014, the company will bring back NEXT: New Musicals in the Making, their program to develop new works for the musical theater canon.

In keeping with Theater Latté Da's mission to explore and expand the art of musical theater and to tell stories that resonate with our current world, the company will open their sixteenth season with Steerage Song at The Lab Theater September 25 - October 20, 2013. Steerage Song premiered in concert form at the Fitzgerald Theater in 2011. Creators Peter Rothstein and Dan Chouinard have continued to develop the docu-musical, blending the songs of 20 countries of Old Europe and the rhythms of Tin Pan Alley into a moving, fully-staged, new musical. The production will be directed by Theater Latté Da Artistic Director Peter Rothstein with musical direction by Dan Chouinard and choreography by Linda Talcott Lee. The cast features Bradley Greenwald, Dennis Curley, Sasha Andreev and Jennifer Grimm among others.

Back by popular demand, Theater Latté Da will once again join forces with Hennepin Theatre Trust and the renowned vocal ensemble Cantus to present All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. In 2007 Rothstein created what has become a holiday classic by melding European carols and war songs together with found text to tell the remarkable story of the World War I Christmas Truce. All Is Calm premiered on Minnesota Public Radio to great success, and has since been broadcast around the globe through

American Public Media and the European Broadcasting Union. All Is Calm will tour the country later this year ending with a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and six performances at the historic Pantages Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, December 19-22, 2013.

Theater Latté Da returns to the Pantages Theatre January 15 - February 9, 2014, Cabaret, the provocative, Tony Award-winning musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb. With book by Joe Masteroff, based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret is the second installment of Broadway Re-Imagined, a dynamic partnership between Theater Latté Da and Hennepin Theatre Trust. It comes on the heels of partnership's hit production of Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. One of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time, Cabaret will be directed by Peter Rothstein, with musical direction by Denise Prosek and choreography by Michael Matthew Ferrell. The cast features Tyler Michaels as the Emcee. Michaels appeared as Melchior in Theater Latté Da's 2012 Ivey Award-winning production of Spring Awakening, presented in partnership with the University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

March 12 - April 6, 2014, Theater Latté Da returns to The Lab Theater for a compelling production of the great American play Our Town. For 75 years Thornton Wilder's play has played a profound role in American culture. Theater Latté Da will honor the play's 75th anniversary with a unique production, which infuses this Thornton Wilder classic with live music. A multi-cultural cast of actor musicians become the citizens of Grover's Corners in this exciting new concept directed by Rothstein with musical direction Denise Prosek.

Theater Latté Da will cap its 2013-14 Season with the return of NEXT: New Musicals in the Making during the spring of 2014. NEXT engages Twin Cities audiences in the creative process as Theater Latté Da supports the development of new works for the musical theater canon. This past season, audiences were treated to When the Moon Hits Your Eye by Pulitzer Prize-nominated Jon Marans, C. by local actor and playwright Bradley Greenwald and Tony Award-nominated Robert Elhai, and an expansion of Bessie's Birthday by emerging artists Katie Baldwin Eng and Jeff Tang. Works to be developed in 2014 will be announced at a later date.

Theater Latté Da will again offer season ticket packages. For information or to request a season brochure, call 612-339-3003.

Theater Latté Da is a Twin Cities theater company recognized for its ability to connect story, music, artist and audience through diverse stories and theatrical innovation. Theater Latté Da specializes in advancing the art of musical storytelling through emotional, visceral and intellectual performances that resonate with our current world. The company's bold approach expands the genre by originating new works, radically reinventing classics from the musical theater canon, and experimenting with unusual forms, musical styles and storytelling techniques. www.LatteDa.org

Hennepin Theatre Trust, owner of the historic Orpheum, State, Pantages and New Century Theatres, is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to arts-inspired community cultural development. They achieve their mission by presenting a rich mix of live performances, creating inspiring arts education experiences and advancing a thriving Hennepin Avenue cultural district in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Trust's activities include presenting Broadway touring productions and the related Broadway Confidential series, concerts, comedy, speakers and other variety entertainment plus educational initiatives including the SpotLight Musical Theatre and SpotLight Critical Reviewer programs for high schools, Teen Ushers, the Access Program and Family Day events.

Cantus is known worldwide for its trademark warmth and blend and its engaging performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st Century. The Washington Post has hailed the ensemble's sound as having both "exalting finesse" and "expressive power" and refers to the "spontaneous grace" of its music making. As one of the country's only two full-time vocal ensembles, Cantus has grown to prominence with its distinctive approach to creating music. Working without a conductor, the members of Cantus rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing to the entirety of the artistic process. Cantus has released 15 albums on its own self-titled label, each to considerable acclaim. Of That Eternal Day (2010) The New York Times said, "the Cantus recording offers many satisfactions, none greater than a touching, ineffably simple performance of "The 23rd Psalm (dedicated to my mother)" by Bobby McFerrin." The latest Cantus recording, On the Shoulders of Giants, was released in October 2012.

2013-2014 SEASON AT A GLANCE:

STEERAGE SONG

By Peter Rothstein and Dan Chouinard

Peter Rothstein, Director

Dan Chouinard, Music Director

Linda Talcott Lee, Choreographer

September 25 - October 20, 2013

Wednesdays - Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.

Sundays, 2:00 p.m.

Previews: September 25, 26 & 27

Opening Night: September 28

ASL/AD: October 10

Post-show Director's Dialogue: September 29

Post-show Discussions: October 3, 6, 10, 13 & 17

The Lab Theater

700 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Box Office: 612-339-3003 or LatteDa.org

ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914

by Peter Rothstein

with musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach

A co-production with Cantus and Hennepin Theatre Trust

December 19-22, 2013

Thursday and Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, 2:00 & 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, 1:00 & 6:30 p.m.

Opening Night: December 19

ASL/AD: December 22, 2:00 p.m.

Post-show Discussions: December 20, 7:30 p.m. & December 21, 2:00 p.m.

Pantages Theatre

710 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403

Box Office: 800-982-2787 or HennepinTheatreTrust.org

CABARET

Book by Joe Masteroff

Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood

Music by John Kander

Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Peter Rothstein, Director

Denise Prosek, Music Director

Michael Matthew Ferrell, Choreographer

Featuring Tyler Michaels as the Emcee

A co-production with Hennepin Theatre Trust

January 15 - February 9, 2014

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m.

Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.

Fridays, 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays, 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Sundays, 2:00 p.m.

Previews: January 15, 16 & 17
Opening Night: January 18

ASL/AD: January 30

Open Captioning: February 2

Post-show Director's Dialogue: January 19

Post-show Discussions: January 23, 26 & 30; February 2 & 6

Pantages Theatre

710 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403

Box Office: 800-982-2787 or HennepinTheatreTrust.org

OUR TOWN

By Thornton Wilder

Peter Rothstein, Director

Denise Prosek, Music Director

March 12 - April 6, 2014

Wednesdays - Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.

Sundays, 2:00 p.m.

Previews: March 12, 13 & 14

Opening Night: March 15

ASL/AD: March 20

Post-show Director's Dialogue: March 16

Post-show Discussions: March 20, 23, 27, 30 & April 3

The Lab Theater

700 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Box Office: 612-339-3003 or LatteDa.org

NEXT: New Musicals in the Making

Spring 2014

Titles and specific dates to be announced at a later date.

For more information or to purchase season subscriptions, call 612-339-3003 or visit www.LatteDa.org.

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