Deaf And Hearing Broadway Vets Reunite For Presentation Of New Musical STEPCHILD

A recipient of DCA's inaugural CreateNYC Disability Forward Fund, IRT Theater will present six work in progress presentations of the new musical, Stepchild. This fully accessible piece is a radical retelling of Cinderella, seen through the eyes of a young Deaf woman coming of age in a kingdom violently intolerant of difference. All presentations will take place at IRT's Greenwich Village home from May 29- June 2, 2019.

Original music and lyrics are by David James Boyd (Miss Saigon, Kiss of the Spider Woman cast alum). Book is by Boyd and Chad Kessler, based on an idea by Kori Rushton. The piece is directed by Drama Desk Nominee Kim Weild (Fetes De la Nuit, Soot and Spit) with associate director Josh Castille ( Deaf West/Broadway Spring Awakening alum), Dramaturgy by Kalen Feeney (Deaf Spotlight, Deaf West Theater). Musical Direction is by Luke McGinnis (Apartment Sessions) and Director of Artistic Sign Language(DASL)is world renowned ASL poet and activist, Terrylene Sacchetti.

Starring as Orella, Amelia Hensley (Spring Awakening on Broadway, I Was Most Alive With You, Playwrights Horizons) will be joined onstage by Broadway veterans Alexandria Wailes (Spring Awakening, Big River), Tamra Hayden (Les Miserables, Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera) and Tony Chiroldes (In The Heights, Capeman). Also starring are Dickie Hearts (Netflix's upcoming Tales Of the City), Nicole Vande Zande, Christopher Isolano, Zina Ellis, April Lavalle, Craig Fogel, Alexandra Mazzucchelli, Johnny Link, and Catalene Sacchetti- Manganelli in her musical debut as Young Orella. The cast will be accompanied by musicians Carmellia Hartman, Evan Tyor and Luke McGinnnis

The presentation will be stage managed by Miriam Rochford and assistant Samuel Langshteyn with lighting design by Annie Wiegand and associate Jennifer Hill.

Ms. Sacchetti will be assisted by Siena Rafter (Broadway's Children of a Lesser God, King Lear) and Ms. Weild by Rose Beth Johnson Brown. Ann Barkin will serve as assistant to the writers/caption supervisor and Emilia Salazar will assist producer Kori Rushton, Associate Producer Shelly Guy and Production Manager Jaclyn Biskup. Publicity and social media managed by Carm King. The process and presentations will be interpreted by a roster of Shannon Abruzzo, Maria Cardoza, Jacinda Damas, Lisa Dennett,JW Guido, Jamie Hayes and Christine Quinton,and more TBA.

Stepchild has been previously developed by The Lark Play Development Center, National Technical Institute For The Deaf, IRT's 3B Residency Series, The Wallis Annenberg Center and as part of LaGuardia Performing Arts Center's 2018 Rough Draft Festival.

This presentation is supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts, The Nancy Quinn Fund, a project of ART-NY,  Mostly N Charitable Foundation Trust and Mostly Z Charitable Foundation Trust.

For more info visit irttheater.org

For industry inquires, please email Gurman Agency, assistant@gurmanagency.com or 212 749-4618