Generic Theater to Mount BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, 8/23-9/15

The rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which was seen on Broadway in 2010, will receive its Hampton Roads regional debut in a new immersive production at the The Generic Theater in downtown Norfolk, VA this fall.

The Generic Theater general producer Jeannette Rainey, executive director Philip Odango and artistic directors Matthew Friedman and Jennifer Murphy present the Norfolk run. Performances will begin August 23. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, winner of the Drama Desk Award and Outer Circle Critics Award and nominated for two Tony Awards, is currently scheduled to run through September 15.

Developed by New York-based experimental company Les Freres Corbusier, with music and lyrics written by Michael Friedman and book by Alex Timbers. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson had workshop productions in August 2006 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and in May 2007 at the New 42nd Street Studios, New York. It opened in May 2009 at The Public Theater in New York in a concert version, and premiered on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in 2010.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson will be directed by BrenDan Hoyle, with musical direction by Cathy Francis and choreography by Cami Walton. The creative team includes Shane Stelly (scenic design), Ryan Ward (costume design), B Butterbaugh (light design), Heather Shannon (properties design), and Christian Garthright (sound design). The management team includes Jillian Sweetland (assistant director), Stephanie Corbin (asst. stage manager), Dawn Wilfong (asst. stage manager), and Kelly Gilliam (stage manager).

A satirical comedic mash-up of American history and emo rock music, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson follows America's seventh president from his early days as a child on the wild frontier to his controversial reign in the White House.

"Imagine Andrew Jackson as a twenty-first century bad-ass rock and roll star," says Hoyle, who previously directed The Generic's productions of Urinetown the Musical and Closer. "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is a fast-paced, rollicking freight train of a show. With an onstage band and songs that vary from hilarious to powerfully intense, the music of the show captures the electrifying power of modern rock music combined with the the 19th century embrace of American Exceptionalism."

With the country divided into rich and poor (and with continued skirmishes with the Native Americans upsetting pieces of the new world), Jackson begins his steady climb from military strategist to populist rabble-rouser to President of the United States. Along the way, he meets his wife, Rachel, takes on the Founding Fathers-and rocks like no political figure has ever rocked before, with the help of an entourage of singing, joking cohorts.

"The style of the show races from sketch comedy to documentary to farce to political thriller, to a good-old fashioned rock concert," says Hoyle. "The show will be put on with a cast of 14-18 actors and actresses, all of whom will be playing many different roles and will enjoy near constant stage time as they go from playing former American presidents to cowboys, cheerleaders, British soldiers, sexy robot voices and more."

The Norfolk production promises a blazing new immersive production to open The Generic Theater's 33rd season. "This is a season of newfound power," says Odango, "exploring the discovery, rise, control and usurp of power, and their consequences." Opening a season of regional premieres that include Carrie The Musical, End Papers, Opus and In The Next Room (or the Vibrator Play), "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson fits perfectly with the smart, off-beat and groundbreaking shows at The Generic," says Murphy. Praising Hoyle's direction of the previous season's box office standout Urinetown the Musical, "We're especially excited to bring back one of the strongest directors and team of designers we've assembled," says Rainey, "and with BrenDan Hoyle's direction, expect an immersive show and thrilling performances." "It's a twisted true story of the life of an American icon," adds Murphy, "It's going to captivate modern day audiences."

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). Auditions are scheduled for June 24, 25 and 26, 2013 at The Generic Theater, and the casting notice can be found at http://generictheater.org/auditions.html.

For over 30 years, The Generic Theater has been the creative incubator of some of the finest performers and artists in Virginia as a pro-am theater company, and continually seeks to develop programs that foster the development of the future leaders of American theater. The Generic Theater is dedicated to enriching and educating the community through the performing arts. www.GenericTheater.org

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