Adam Gwon And Sarah Hammond's New Musical String Receives World Premiere

Village Theatre is excited to announce the World Premiere of String, a brand-new story with a mythological twist by award-winners Sarah Hammond (book), and Adam Gwon (music & lyrics), and direction by Brandon Ivie. A fun and fresh fable about fate, love, and the imperfections that make us human, String is an original story about three sisters - goddesses known as the Fates - who are responsible for spinning, measuring, and snipping the String of Life. After falling out of favor with Zeus, they find themselves banished to a modern skyscraper in the mortal world. But when the eldest sister falls in love, the very fabric of the universe begins to unravel. "We are thrilled to have such a sophisticated show premiering on our stage," said Ivie. "This show is very intimate, but also deals with understanding our place in the universe and what it means to be human. It's a show about Gods, but they deal with the same things we do - sisterhood, love, loss. We know our audiences are going to connect with these characters on a deep emotional level."

String began as a one-act play by Sarah Hammond and turned into a Richard Rodgers Award-winning musical when Adam Gwon became involved. "I wrote a one-act play that was very whimsical," said Hammond. "When Adam asked if I had any ideas for a musical, I sent him a zingy paragraph about this crazy one-act, and he was brave enough to give it a shot." Together they've built the story into the World Premiere show opening on Village Theatre's stage. "The world Sarah created sang to me from the start," said Gwon. "It's a love story where an ordinary guy gets to feel invincible, and a god get to feel vulnerable. And on top of that, the world might be falling apart. There's a heck of a lot to sing about." String will be the first production to fully complete the current Village Originals new musicals program having been featured in The 2016 Festival of New Musicals and the 2017 Season of Beta Series.

Village Theatre is also honored to have received a $20,000 grant for String from the National Endowment of the Arts. The Art Works category is the NEA's largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts. "It is energizing to see the impact that the arts are making throughout the United States. These NEA-supported projects, such as this one to Village Theatre, are good examples of how the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, and increase the quality of our lives," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities, and connections the arts bring."

String will feature an all-star cast of Seattle area favorites. The three Fates will be brought to life by Jessica Skerritt (Singin' in the Rain, Million Dollar Quartet), Lauren Du Pree (Dreamgirls, My Heart is the Drum), and Sara Pokalob (Creator of the hit one woman show, Dragon Lady, Village Theatre's Pump Boys and Dinettes). Rounding out the cast is Eric Ankrim (The Tutor), Nathaniel Tenenbaum (Dreamgirls), Bobbi Kotula (Funny Girl, Fiddler on the Roof), Michael Feldman (Pump Boys and Dinettes), Danny Kam (Billy Elliot), Cassi Q Kohl, and Sarah Bordenet (A Proper Place).

Joining Brandon Ivie on the production team is choreographer Trina Mills, music supervisor R.J. Tancioco, music director Michael Nutting, scenic designer Timothy Mackabee, lighting designer Robert J. Aguilar, costume designer Harmony Arnold, and orchestrators Matt Castle and Frank Galgano.

String is onstage in Issaquah March 15 - April 21, before moving to Village Theatre's Everett location from April 27 - May 20, 2018. The production is sponsored in part by 4Culture, McLeod Construction, Montalcino Ristorante Italiano, Spectrum Controls, 425 Magazine, KSER Independent Public Radio, ArtsFund, Microsoft, The Seattle Times, The Shubert Foundation, Snohomish County hotel-motel tax fund, United, City of Everett, City of Issaquah, National Endowment for the Arts, DCG One, Black Label IT, Lombardi's Italian Restaurants, and Pogacha Restaurant of Issaquah.

About Adam Gwon
Adam Gwon's musicals have enjoyed over 200 productions on five continents. Off-Broadway: Ordinary Days (Roundabout Theatre Company), Old Jews Telling Jokes (Westside Theatre); Regional: Cake Off (Signature Theatre, Helen Hayes Award nomination), Cloudlands (South Coast Repertory), The Boy Detective Fails (Signature Theatre), Bernice Bobs Her Hair (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma); West End: Ordinary Days (Trafalgar Studios). Adam's songs have been performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and more, by such luminaries as Audra McDonald, Kelli O'Hara, and Brian d'Arcy James. Honors: Kleban Award, Ebb Award, Richard Rodgers Award, Loewe Award, Second Stage Theatre's Donna Perret Rosen Award, Weston Playhouse New Musical Award, ASCAP Harold Adamson Award, MAC John Wallowitch Award. Recordings include: Ordinary Days (Ghostlight Records), Audra McDonald's Go Back Home (Nonesuch), The Essential Liz Callaway (Working Girl Records), Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Album (Entertainment One).

About Sarah Hammond
Sarah Hammond is a playwright and musical theatre writer originally from South Carolina, now based in Brooklyn. Her plays include Green Girl (SPF '08 at The Public), House on Stilts (South Coast Rep Commission), Kudzu (Trustus), and others. Sarah's musicals are String (Rodgers Award, Weston New Musicals Award, NAMT, Loewe Prize), Barefoot Persephone, and Pete the Cat (Theatreworks USA). She has been honored to receive a seven-year New Dramatists residency, the Lippmann Family "New Frontier" Award, Actors Theatre of Louisville's Heideman Award, commissions from Broadway Across America and EST Sloan, and a residency at The Royal National Theatre in London. MFAs: U. Iowa playwriting and NYU musical theatre writing.

About Village Theatre
Based in Issaquah, WA, with operations in Everett, WA, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. Producing entertaining, quality productions since 1979, Village Theatre has grown into one of the region's best-attended theatres, with more than 20,000 Subscribers and 220,000 projected total attendance each season. Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre is nationally recognized for its contribution to the development of new musicals, having supported the development of over 160 new works to date. Village Theatre also takes pride in nurturing tomorrow's audiences through its Youth Education and Outreach programs, KIDSTAGE and Pied Piper, serving over 58,000 young people and their families annually.

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