Seattle Musical Theatre's 2015/2016 season roars to life with the high-voltage rock opera JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Seattle superstar Billie Wildrick makes her SMT directorial debut as director and will be joined by SMT veterans SMT Associate Music Consultant Brandon Peck as music director and BroadwayWorld Award-winning Troy Wageman as choreographer.
A unique take on the gospels, Superstar recounts the last week of Jesus's life, focusing on his close, but fraught relationship with Judas. The critically acclaimed score features favorites "Heaven on Their Minds," "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "What's the Buzz," "Herod's Song," "Superstar," and many others. SMT's SUPERSTAR will boast nontraditional casting. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR will play September 11-October 4, 2015. Early bird subscription packages (three show $85; four show $110) go on sale June 1, 2015; regular subscription packages (three show $100; four show $130) and single tickets go on sale July 1, 2015. For more information, visit
www.seattlemusicaltheatre.org
"Jesus Christ Superstar was my first and still is my greatest love in the musical theatre canon," says Wildrick. "The score is thrilling and cuttingly emotional and the story lives where my heart lives -- at the struggle to understand who we are against what we want to become. I couldn't be more excited to really dig in with an all-Seattle cast and an awesome creative team."
"I'm so excited to return to an all-time favorite show of mine with
a fantastically talented directorial team," says Peck, who worked with Wildrick on the MainStreet Festival of New Musicals as well as SSR's production of The Kiss of the Spider Woman. "This will be a JCS to be reckon'd with!"
Billie Wildrick (Director) is the recipient of multiple Seattle Times Footlight Awards and a two-time Gregory Award nominee. Renown for her work at
5th Avenue Theatre, ACT,
Village Theatre, SCT,
Seattle Rep, and Café Nordo, Wildrick has portrayed "Dot/Marie" in
Sam Buntrock's production of Sunday in the Park with George opposite
Hugh Panaro, "Eileen" in
Bill Berry's critically acclaimed production of Wonderful Town, "Adelaide" in Guys and Dolls, and most recently "Carrie Pipperidge" in Carousel at the
5th Avenue Theatre. This spring, Wildrick will be playing "Sally Bowles" in
Brian Yorkey's staging of Cabaret at
Village Theatre. Wildrick especially loves the creative work involved in launching new works and has originated roles in Broadway-destined A Christmas Story, First Date, and
Kathy Lee Gifford's Scandalous, in which she recently made her Broadway debut. She is fairly sure she'll never outdo her work on her first production of Jesus Christ Superstar - a years-long run co-directed by her sister and starring their entire collection of stuffed animals - but she'll give it her best shot.
Seattle Musical Theatre Associate Music Consultant and SMT veteran (Legally Blonde) Brandon Peck (
Music Director) is a music director/composer based in Seattle. Favorite Conducting/
Music Director credits include Legally Blonde at Seattle Musical Theatre, Kiss of the Spider Woman at SecondStory Rep, Associate
Music Director for the MainStreet Festival of New Musicals, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hairspray, and Legally Blonde at Nathan Hale High School and Peter Pan for Ovation!. He is also a music theatre teacher at Village Kidstage and Seattle Children's Theatre. He holds a BA in Theatre Performance from the University of Washington.
Troy Wageman (Choreographer) returns to SMT (Altar Boyz, Drowsy Chaperone) and has worked at some of the leading musical theatre houses in the country as both a performer and director/choreographer including
5th Avenue Theatre,
Village Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, The Ordway, American Musical Theatre of San Jose, The Seattle Opera, SecondStory Rep, Seattle Musical Theatre, ArtsWest, and Lyric Light Opera. Favorite Direction/choreography credits include: 10th Anniversary Hairspray at the 5th Avenue, Cabaret, RENT, Joseph and the Amazing...., Altar Boyz, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Winter Wonderettes, Judy's Scary Little Christmas, and Angry Housewives. "I'm excited to tell this story with such an amazing team and theatre," says Wageman.
The rest of the production team has yet to be announced. Auditions for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR will take place May 18-19, 2015.
SMT's Summer Youth Program presents THE WIZARD OF OZ July 5-30, 2016. SMT's 38th season opens with JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR playing September 11-October 4, 2015; SHE LOVES ME playing December 4-20, 2015; 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL playing February 18-March 6, 2016; and concludes with SOUTH PACIFIC playing April 7-May 1, 2016.
The mission of Seattle Musical Theatre is to engage and entertain the community by producing new and traditional musicals. The theater nurtures local talent by providing training and artistic development opportunities for children, youth, and adults from all walks of life. SMT's vision is to enrich the entertainment and educational value of live theater in the Northwest region; provide a premiere environment for nurturing artistic and technical talent; and develop the Magnuson Park theater facility as a key cultural resource for civic, arts, and other community organizations. SMT at all times will strive to demonstrate and inspire these values among the Board of Directors, staff, artists, volunteers, patrons, and donors.
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