Photo Flash: San Diego REP Presents World Premiere Musical 33 1/3 - HOUSE OF DREAMS

San Diego Repertory Theatre presents the world premiere musical 33 1/3 - House of Dreams. Written by local San Diegans Jonathan Rosenberg and Brad Ross, with additional contributions by Steve Gunderson and Javier Velasco, the debut production chronicles the success of Gold Star Recording Studios through the history of rock 'n' roll.

The production will feature direction and choreography by Javier Velasco with musical direction and arrangements by Steve Gunderson. 33 1/3 - House of Dreams will run August 1 - 25, 2019, at San Diego REP's Lyceum Stage Theatre, with previews August 1 - 6, and opening on Wednesday, August 7 at 7:00 p.m.

33 1/3 - House of Dreams tells the story of the legendary Gold Star Recording Studios and its co-founder, lead engineer and hit maker Stan Ross. In Hollywood for 33 1/3 years, Gold Star was the birthplace of some of the greatest pop and rock hits of all time. Imagine a story featuring the music of a young Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound, The Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher, Tina Turner, The Righteous Brothers, Ritchie Valens and many, many more. You won't believe the 30-song playlist, which includes rock n' roll classics such as "Summertime Blues," "La Bamba," "Good Vibrations," "Be My Baby," "Unchained Melody," "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and, yes, even "In A Gadda Da Vida."

"The creation of 33 1/3 - House of Dreams is the culmination of efforts to share the story of what happened within the walls of Gold Star Recording Studios," shared writers and co-creators Jonathan Rosenberg and Brad Ross. "Our musical is a way for us to honor the hit music and achievements through one of its co-owners, Stan Ross. He was the personality, lead engineer and mentor at Gold Star. His creative pioneering along with his partner's technical knowledge and studio design led them to develop Phil Spector's famous Wall of Sound productions. Stan's story is our story, and is still relevant today."

Director and Choreographer Javier Velasco is a regular San Diego REP contributor, most recently having choreographed last season's production of Fun Home. Velasco is the Artistic Director of the San Diego Ballet, where he has choreographed over 100 productions. Velasco also has a long working relationship with Musical Director Steve Gunderson. Gunderson co-created the widely-produced musical, Suds, with Velasco providing choreography. Gunderson also provided musical arrangements for Off-Broadway's critically acclaimed Back to Bacharach & David, as well as San Diego REP's 2015 production of Everybody's Talkin': The Music of Harry Nilsson (another collaboration with Velasco).

The cast will be anchored by nine professional adult actors. In addition to the professionals, the cast will include students from SDSCPA's Xchange Xperience program. San Diego REP first collaborated with SDSCPA for the Xchange Xperience in 2010 for their award-winning production of Hairspray. The program creates a unique experience for a selected group of public arts high school students who participate in a REP production from rehearsals through public performances. Throughout their partnership, SDSCPA students have been featured in such memorable REP productions as The Who's Tommy, Zoot Suit, In the Heights, and Evita. During the groundbreaking Xchange Xperience students gain knowledge and real-world experience by working every step of the way with professional performers, designers, and crew.

The cast includes Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper as Stan Ross, Jacob Caltrider as Dave Gold, Aviva Pressman as Vera, Bethany Slomka as Mitzi, and Michael Parrott as Larry. The cast also features Annie Barrack, Micah Fong, Sky Frank, Christine Hewitt, Ron Christopher Jones, Collin Leydon, Bear Manescalchi, and Dave Rivas.

The SDSCPA students include Jacob Bader, Paul Chairez, Tuesday Denekas, Kiara Geolina, Kennedy Harris, Harmony Hernandez, Danika Hughey, Olivia Kuykendall, Alex Meeder, Janae Parson, Joshua Penrod, Zach Robertson, and Annabelle Skala.

The creative team features the award-winning Sean Fanning (Scenic Design), Jennifer Brawn Gittings (Costume Design), Philippe Bergman (Lighting Design), Blake McCarty (Projection Design), Matt Lescault-Wood (Sound Design), Chelsea Smith (Production Manager) and Kim Heil (Casting Director).

Tickets to 33 1/3 - House of Dreams are on sale now. Tickets range from $25.00 to $72.00 and will be available for purchase in-person at the San Diego REP Box Office, by calling 619-544-1000, or online at sdrep.org. Prices subject to change.

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