Emily Drossell and George Luton's ALICE Premieres at The Tank NYC

ALICE, a new operetta, will make its NYC premiere at The Tank August 11th - 14th. The work features a libretto and direction by Emily Drossell, an original score and music direction by George Luton, and choreography by Logan Pitts. ALICE also features the talents of Bianca Barragan, Michael Cagnetta, and Sami Hodes.

From the works of Lewis Carroll emerges the story of a young woman, and a wonderland unlike anything you've ever imagined. In this game of chess, does she have what it takes to become a queen?

Find out at The Tank NYC! Performances will play Thursday, August 11 at 7pm; Friday, August 12th at 9:30pm; Saturday, August 13th at 12pm and 9:30pm; and Sunday, August 14th at 12pm and 7pm. Tickets are $20 - $30 (pay what you can). The show page can be viewed here: https://thetanknyc.org/calendar-1/alice Tickets can be purchased directly here: https://ci.green.prod.ovationtix.com/35658/production/1132533

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

Emily Drossell (Librettist/Director/"Alice") is a New York City-based book-writer, lyricist, and performer. Her writing credits include The Northern Skies (an original musical), Alice (a new operetta), More Than This World (an original mini musical), Truth, Dare, or Lesbian (a new comedy special), Of Sleepless Nights (a CyberTank variety show), and Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre's holiday adaptation of Little Women. Additionally, she has collaboratively developed the scripts for a variety of new theatrical projects including Allongé Films and Theatre Dance Vietnam's Dancing Through... as well as Stage 284's new musical Earhart. As a performer, Emily has sung at venues such as Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, The Fisher Center, and The Stonewall Inn. A proponent of new work and emerging artists, Emily is a frequent collaborator with The Tank NYC, having most recently been featured in their 2022 PrideFest, and currently works at The York Theatre Company. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in Drama and Music, where she received departmental honors in both her majors, and was awarded the Lucia V. Torian '69 Prize, which allowed her to attend Berlin Opera Academy's Emerging Artist Studio.

George Luton (Composer/Music Director/"Cheshire Cat") hails from the Greater Boston area, where he has developed scores and launched productions for over a dozen original musicals and plays throughout the Massachusetts regional theatre circuit, working with companies such as Stage 284 (Earhart, Stiltskin, Nottingham), Boston Children's Theatre (Apple and the Bear, Apple Plus), Island Theatre Workshop (Boots, Treasure Island), and In Vivo Productions (The Conditions of Readiness, Face Work). His compositions have been acclaimed as "glorious, harmonic, rousing, singable, and memorable. The only question to be answered is which song you will be singing when you leave the theater." (BWW News Desk) George obtained a B.A. cum laude in Music and Drama from Vassar College, where he was employed by the school's theatre department as a music specialist, and was twice awarded the Jean-Slater Edson Prize in Composition. He currently lives in New York City, where he has been conducting and accompanying new musical projects at Columbia University's School of the Arts (The Trojan Women), The Tank (Of Sleepless Nights), and Prospect Theater Company (Move Meant: Musical Theater Lab), and is a member of the incoming class of BMI's Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

Logan Pitts (Choreographer/"Humpty Dumpty"/"Walrus") is an NYC-based director, performer, and collaborative artist across theater, opera, film, dance, and music. Logan most recently served as Guest Director for SUNY Purchase Conservatory's production of BARBECUE, and is next returning to Gloucester Stage Company to direct Paradise Blue. Priorly, Logan held the Director-in-Residence position with Vassar College, pioneering new forms of virtual and hybrid theater. This experimental space reinforced his artistic voice seen in other pandemica works such as Dancing Through (The Tank/Allongé Film), Twilight LA (NYSEC), Iolanthe (NYGASP), and Noir Femme Avengers (Harlem9). Ever an advocate for the development of new theatre, Logan has premiered original works such as Bran Castle (Signature Theatre), Bach & Bleach (LaMaMa), The Light Years by The Debate Society (Powerhouse Theater/NYSAF), I Am Antigone (Theater for a New City), and The Secret (NYNW, Theatre Row). Other favorite productions include Waxler's On the Town, The Madison Theatre's West Side Story, and the US national tour of The Mikado, HMS Pinafore & The Pirates of Penzance.

Bianca Barragan ("Duchess"/"King of Hearts"/"Mock Turtle") is a New Rochelle based actor, singer, and music teacher. Notable performance credits include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with the New York Lyric Opera, Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar, and Aunt Sponge in the Regional Tour of James and the Giant Peach.

Michael Cagnetta ("White Knight"/"Carpenter"/"March Hare") is a recent graduate of Syracuse University from West Hartford, CT. Previous Syracuse Department of Drama credits include: Next To Normal, Spring Awakening, Romeo and Juliet, and Songs For A New World. He has also been seen in several productions at the College Light Opera Company in Cape Cod including Godspell, Bye Bye Birdie, and Knickerbocker Holiday.

Sami Hodes ("Red Queen"/"White Rabbit"/"Oyster") is thrilled to be back onstage for the first time in three years! Sami has been performing for as long as she can remember, and continued her passion for theatre while at Vassar College. Some of her favorite roles include Amy in Company, The Boss in Sideshow, Lorenzo in Melancholy Play: a chamber musical, and The Trapper in The Northern Skies. After graduating in the spring of 2020, Sami moved to New York City to pursue her career in children's educational media.

THE TANK

Founded in 2003, The Tank champions emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression working across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, puppetry, and storytelling. From the company's two-theater home on 36th Street, The Tank serves over 2,500 artists every year, presents over 1,000 performances, and welcomes 36,000 audience members annually. The company fully produces a curated season of 13-18 theatrical World or New York premieres each season.

COVID-19 Protocol: All attendees and artists will be required to display proof of full covid vaccination before being admitted to the space, either by showing a vaccination record (vaccination card) at least two weeks out from the final dose of an approved vaccine, or by using New York's free Excelsior Pass service. Patrons will also be required to wear masks while indoors at all times and for the time being, no food or beverage will be permitted to be consumed at the theater.

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