Teen Horror Comedy WE ARE THE TIGERS To Premiere Off-Broadway In 2019

Some girls would kill to be on the team! Midnight Theatricals and Producers S. Asher Gelman & Matthew Hui have announced that WE ARE THE TIGERS, an original pop/rock musical and teen horror comedy written & composed by Preston Max Allen, will make its New York Premiere Off-Broadway in February 2019. Michael Bello will direct the pitch-black comedy about a dismally low-ranking team of cheerleaders terrorized by a serial killer. Patrick Sulken is the Music Supervisor. The cast, creative team and theater are soon to be announced. www.tigersmusical.com

A new school year means a new beginning for the Tigers, the worst-ranked high school cheerleading team in the state. First-time captain Riley is determined to rally the girls for a fresh start at the annual team sleepover, but the night takes a viciously bloody turn when three Tigers are found mysteriously murdered. Now a squad that can't even stick a landing has to solve a murder if they want any hope of making it to regionals - or the morning. Featuring an infectious pop/rock score and razor-sharp wit, this new original musical proves the highs and lows of being a teen girl in high school are way more extreme than ever.

"I couldn't be more excited about We Are The Tigers," says producer S. Asher Gelman. "After attending a concert of the show at Joe's Pub in August, it was clear that this was a project worth getting involved with, and I knew we had to move on it before someone else did. The show, written by the spectacularly talented Preston Allen, features nine incredible women belting their faces off for two hours. It's some of the most original material I've come across, and we can't wait to give it its proper place on a New York stage."

WE ARE THE TIGERS received its first workshop at Columbia College Chicago in May 2013. Later that year it saw a self-produced workshop at the Gene Frankel Theatre before staging two 29-hour readings in 2014 and 2015. And in August of 2015, was given developmental residency at Musical Theater Factory. In October 2015, Tigers had its first fully staged production at the Hudson Theater in LA and after being awarded the Ovation Award for best score and being featured in Gallery Players' New Musical Reading Series was presented in concert style at Joe's Pub in the Summer of 2018.

Preston Max Allen is a writer and composer whose work has been featured at Lincoln Center, the New Amsterdam Theatre, Signature Theatre, Musical Theatre Factory, New York Musical Festival, Feinstein's/54 Below, and Joe's Pub. Preston conceived, wrote, and composed We Are The Tigers (Hudson Backstage, L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation winner, Best Lyrics/Composition), Never Better (NYMF Developmental Reading Series), and Carrie 2: The Rage, An Unauthorized Musical Parody (Underscore Theatre, Jeff Nominee Best New Musical). Upcoming projects include music/lyrics/book for Agent 355 (collaborator Jessica Kahkoska) and music/lyrics for Bradical And The Pink Socks.

S. Asher Gelman is a director, choreographer, actor, dancer, playwright, and producer. He wrote, directed, and produced the Off-Broadway hit, Afterglow. His next play, safeword., opens Off-Broadway in April. Originally from Chevy Chase, MD, Asher received his Bachelors Degree in Dance and Theater from Bard College in New York in 2006 and his Masters in Fine Arts in Dance from The George Washington University in Washington DC in 2012. From 2006 to 2016, Asher lived in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he became one of the founders of The Stage, Tel Aviv's premier English language performing arts organization, serving as its first Artistic Director from 2013 to 2016. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College.

Michael Bello is a Cuban-American director having worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally. He is currently the resident Assistant Director on SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical, directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff, running on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. He previously directed We Are The Tigers at The Hudson Backstage Theatre, where it received 3 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award nominations including Outstanding Production of a Musical. Additionally, his work has been recognized by the NY Innovative Theatre Awards, Boston's IRNE Awards, and NYMF's Awards for Excellence. As an assistant director, Michael has developed new musicals with Des McAnuff at the La Jolla Playhouse, Sheryl Kaller at the Kansas City Repertory Theater, Bill Fennelly at the Dallas Theater Center and Mary Zimmerman at the Huntington Theater Company. BFA in Musical Theater from Emerson College.