Sondheim's FOLLIES Comes To Philly, Presented By The Ira Brind School of Theater Arts at the University of the Arts 10/23-24

Students and faculty from the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts at the University of the Arts will collaborate in the presentation of the Philadelphia premiere the Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim / James Goldman masterpiece "Follies." Regarded by many as the apex of the American musical, "Follies" will be presented on October 23 - 24 at 8 p.m. at the Prince Music Theater (1412 Chestnut St.).

Set in a crumbling, soon-to-be demolished Broadway theater, "Follies" is about a cast reunion of the musical revue "Weismann's Follies." Amid the reminiscing, two troubled middle-aged couples, Buddy Plummer and Sally Durant Plummer, and Benjamin and Phyllis Stone (and their youthful counterparts) confront some unpleasant truths about their past and present and come face to face with the future.

"I think even a professional theater would be hard pressed to cast the piece so effectively," said Brind School Director Charles Gilbert. "Presenting ‘Follies' as a student-faculty concert is remarkably appropriate for the story this unique musical tells."

Brind School Musical Theater students will perform the younger roles, while faculty members are cast in the older roles. Gilbert and sophomore Brendan Dalton (Drexel Hill, Pa. / La Salle College High School) play Benjamin Stone; assistant director Richard Stoppleworth and senior Greg Nix (Tucson, Ariz. / University High School) play Buddy Plummer; adjunct assistant professor Mary Ellen Grant Kennedy and junior Carrie Bauer (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / University School of Nova University) are cast as Sally Durant Plummer; and senior lecturer D'Arcy Webb and junior Michelle Vezilj (Phoenix, Ariz. / Mountain Pointe High School) are in the role of Phyllis Stone.

Director Frank Anzalone, an adjunct assistant professor, and music director Owen Robbins, an assistant professor, will oversee a cast of more than 30 that will be joined by a 23-piece orchestra of faculty and students from the University's School of Music. Adjunct assistant professor Karen Cleighton will handle the tap dance choreography, while senior lecturer Rex Henriques will manage the musical staging. The show is part of the Brind School's new "Platform" series of concert-style presentations of noteworthy classic and contemporary works.

Tickets are $30 for general admission and $10 for senior citizens (65+) and students. All proceeds from ticket sales benefit scholarship funds for Brind School students. Tickets can be ordered online.

For over 25 years, the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts at the University of the Arts has trained aspiring professionals for careers in the theater. Each of its four BFA programs - Acting; Directing, Playwriting and Production; Musical Theater; and Theater Design and Technology - combines highly focused technique training with a comprehensive exploration of the artist's role in society. Brind School alumni like Jen Childs (artistic director of 1812 Productions) and Ben Dibble (winner of the F. Otto Haas Emerging Artist Award) are well known to Philadelphia audiences. On the national scene, Brind School alumni can also be found in the cast and backstage at Broadway shows like "Hair," "Wicked," and "August Osage County," and popular television shows (Kate Flannery in "The Office," Ana Ortiz in "Ugly Betty" and KaDee Strickland in "Private Practice"). Get all the latest Brind School developments on the Web, "Now on Stage" page, Twitter feed or Facebook page.

The University of the Arts is the nation's first and only university dedicated to the visual, performing and communication arts. Its 2,400 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs on its campus in the heart of Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. The institution's roots as a leader in educating creative individuals date back to 1868.

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