WINESDAY: THE WINE TASTING MUSICAL to be Presented at The Jerry Orbach Theater at The Theatre Center

Nine Ounce Productions will present Winesday: The Wine Tasting Musical, written by Jenne Wason (book and lyrics) and Joseph Benoit (music) and directed by Jamibeth Margolis with musical direction by Alec Bart. Performances will begin on May 8 in advance of its May 22 opening night and will initially run through July 2024 at The Jerry Orbach Theater at The Theatre Center.

When these five wine-loving women get together every Wednesday night, they’re theoretically meeting for a book club or a yoga class, but really, they just want to indulge in wine and talk about their lives. It’s like Sex and the City meets the vineyard - including a friendly wine steward to guide the audience through the wine paired with each upcoming scene. Get ready for an intoxicating blend of friendship, wit, and wine that will leave your spirits lifted and your palate inspired.

With every scene paired with a wine tasting for the audience,  Winesday the Wine Tasting Musical  is Off-Broadway at its winest.

"Four of my friends and I were sitting around drinking wine and watching some ridiculous political event, yelling at the TV.  We were talking about our next musical theatre project while feeling exhausted from the day's events and wondering why there wasn't a show where we got just to sit around and drink wine. That very night, the idea of Winesday was uncorked." Winesday, book writer and lyricist Jenne Wason 

The creative team lighting design by Kathryn Eader, costume consultant is Molly Goldberg; Winesday is general managed by LDK Productions and Executive Produced by Lisa Dozier Shacket. 

Winesday: The Wine Tasting Musical will begin performances on May 8 and open on May 22, and tickets are currently on sale through July 25, 2024, at The Jerry Orbach Theater at The Theatre Center located at 210 West 50 Street, phone number is (212) 921-7862. The musical will play Wednesday at 7:30 PM, Thursday at 5 PM, and Sunday at 1 PM. Tickets include VIP – Grape Escape ($150); Premium – Crushing It ($89/ $79 previews); Regular - Uncorked ($69/ $59 previews). All tickets come with a wine tasting (18+, nonalcoholic tasting options available) Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.winesdaymusical.com (or on Ticketmaster.com/ (800) 653-8000). 

Bios: 

Jenne Wason

(book & lyrics) has a refined wine palate ranging all the way from a cheap dry white to an off-cheap very dry white. She graduated from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama/Dramatic Writing and is an alum of the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. She has recently been a finalist for the Kleban Award and THEatre ACCELERATOR and a semi-finalist for SheNYC and the O'Neill National Music Theatre Conference. Jenne has written the book and lyrics for several musicals in collaboration with composer Alan Cancelino , including  The White Rose   (concert - New York Musical Theatre Festival; readings - York Theatre Company, Public Theater; workshop - Wright State University) and  Bingo City  (concert - NYMF). The pair is currently working on  Write Now , a dark comedy musical (workshop reading -Provincetown's O'Neill Festival of New Works. Their songs have been performed at various cabaret venues in the US and Canada. With composer  Joseph Benoit , Jenne has written the family holiday musical  Flakie  as well as  Winesday: The Wine Tasting Musical . Winesday  had an extended run in Niagara Wine Country with Five Cork Productions and has recently been translated into a French-language version called  VINdredi .  Jenne is currently serving as Creative Lead on  Let's Get to Know Her , a musical theatre compilation project designed to bring more representation to female-identifying game-changers throughout history. Jenne is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and Maestra . jennewason.com

JOSEPH BENOIT

(music) Joseph is a French-Canadian pop singer-songwriter who doesn't drink at all.  He is not sure how he got roped into writing an English musical theatre piece about wine.  He received his music degree from the University of Windsor. During his summers as a student, he wrote children's safety songs and other music for the Chatham Police Department, including the famous Elmer the Safety Elephant song. While still studying at university, he was recruited by Radio-Canada (CBC French) to compose, perform and help produce music for various local, regional and national broadcasts as a solo artist, for other francophone performers. Joseph is a founding member and musical director of the French-language pop band awi, which has worked throughout Ontario and into Québec, including the prestigious La nuit sur l'étang in Sudbury and Le Festival Francophone in Ottawa. He also composed and performed for the Olympic Torch Run in 2009.  Joseph is also the composer of the holiday musical  Flakie  as well as  Winesday: The Wine Tasting Musical  — both written with bookwriter/lyricist Jenne Wason. Winesday  has been performed throughout Southwestern Ontario, including an extended run in Niagara Wine Country. Benoit and Wason have also recently been awarded the Forte Song Commission. josephbenoit.com

Jamibeth Margolis

(director/casting) is a New York City based casting director, director, intimacy director and educator.  She previously served as casting director for many of Broadway’s longest running shows such as Cats, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Phantom Of The Opera and more.  Jamibeth cast Harmony on Broadway this season and is currently directing a new musical Off-Broadway called WINESDAY opening in May and casting for Maine State Music Theatre as well as many readings, workshops, benefits and recordings of new musicals and plays for streaming platforms.  Recent theatre casting: Fiddler On The Roof In Yiddish (Off Broadway/Artios Award Winner For Casting), Harmony (Reading and National Yiddish Theatre), Plaza Theatrical Productions in Elmont, casting director for the National Yiddish Theatre and others.  She holds a BA in Directing from Ithaca College and an MFA in Directing from University Of Idaho and is currently a professor and associate head of BFA Acting at Pace University.  .

Alec Bart

(Music Direction)  is a NYC-based multi-instrumentalist, musical director, and conductor. Credits include: Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Waitress, Some Like It Hot, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, MJ: The Musical, Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages, Mamma Mia, Fiddler on the Roof, A Bronx Tale, Mannheim Steamroller, Cabaret , and 42nd Street . Before moving to NYC, Alec was an active musician in Las Vegas and spent years on the road. Alec is the keyboard and organ player for the rock band Sir Richard Newton , ( @SirRichardNewton ), who are recording their debut album in April 2023. Alec is also releasing his own album of original jazz compositions and standards later this year. Alec holds a Bachelor's Degree from UNT (B.M. Jazz Piano) and a Master's Degree from UNLV (M.M. Jazz and Commercial Music Performance). Alec is a member of the American Federation of Musicians Local 802. www.alecbartmusic.com

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