Alice Ripley & Jinkx Monsoon Headline Balagan Theatre's Free Season Preview Party Tonight

Balagan Theatre will introduce the 2013-2014 mainstage season with a free community celebration, tonight, June 10, 7:30pm at the Moore Theatre, featuring America's Next Drag Superstar, Jinkx Monsoon (also known in Seattle as musical actor Jerick Hoffer), and Broadway star and Tony Award winner Alice Ripley, best known for creating the role of Diana Goodman in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal.

Season Preview Party-goers will be the first to learn the title of Balagan's fifth mainstage show, be introduced to a New Works Summer Series of readings and workshops slated to begin in July, and hear from Balagan's new Artistic Director, Louis Hobson, a Seattle native (West Side Story, 5th Avenue Theatre; Evita, Village Theatre) best known for creating the role of Doctors Madden & Fine in the original Broadway production of Next to Normal.

Party-goers will also hear song selections from the upcoming season, featuring some of Seattle's best-known musical actors, including Kendra Kassebaum, Jared Michael Brown, Kirsten Delohr Helland, and Kate Jaeger; and receive an exclusive discount on mainstage subscriptions.

Balagan's new season includes the world's longest-running musical, LES MISERABLES, directed by Jake Groshong and produced in the intimate setting of the Erickson Theatre on Capitol Hill; Carrie: The Musical, directed by Hobson and co-produced with Seattle Theatre Group at The Moore Theatre; A Very Merry (Unauthorized) Children's Scientology Pageant, a satirical, holiday-themed reenactment of L. Ron Hubbard's life story (also at the Erickson); Jerry Springer: The Opera, an award-winning, smash-hit British comedy musical co-produced with Seattle Theatre Group at The Moore Theatre; and a fifth mainstage show, to be announced at the party.

Jinkx Monsoon is the drag-queen alter ego of Jerick Hoffer, a rising star on the Seattle musical theatre scene. As Jinkx, Hoffer recently won the reality television show RuPaul's Drag Race, and will take his comedy cabaret show, The Vaudevillians, on a sold-out, off-Broadway run this summer. Hoffer has graced many a Seattle stage, including Balagan (Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and the 5th Avenue Theatre (RENT),

Alice Ripley made her Broadway debut in 1992 in The Who's Tommy. Since then she has worked on and off Broadway for two decades, earning a Best Actress Tony nomination for her work in Side Show, and winning a 2009 Tony award and a 2009 Helen Hayes award for her portrayal of Diana Goodman in the Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal. Alice has two upcoming films: Isn't It Delicious and Sing Along. She is an accomplished singer-songwriter and has toured the USA playing and singing a live set consisting of her own material, musical theatre classics, and rock favorites.

Balagan Theatre raises up the next generation of theatre artists and audiences (while challenging the traditional theatre-goer) by producing thought-provoking, well-crafted theatre at an accessible price. From Footlight-award winning shows like Spring Awakening and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog to "Best of the Year" productions like Avenue Q, Balagan is known for creating high-quality professional productions in a welcoming personal environment. For more information, visit www.balagantheatre.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

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