Village Theatre Presents MISS STEP This Month

Village Theatre today announced its latest Village Originals Beta Production MISS STEP, a fun new musical comedy by Kit Yan and Melissa Li, the creative minds behind the musical Interstate. Set in the rollicking 80s, this heartfelt story follows Pam Carter, an unremarkable trans woman working as a toll collector on the New Jersey turnpike. When a family tragedy uncovers her late father's secret passion for competitive aerobics, Pam decides to step into her father's "sneakers" and vault herself on a remarkable journey.

"Melissa and I set out to write a big, joyous musical dance comedy that could work on and off-Broadway, and bring immense joy, entertainment and heart to our audiences," said co-writer Kit Yan. "I think that Beta is really going to give us a true test to see if we have done that."

In addressing themes of MISS STEP, co-writer Melissa Li added, "Trans people aren't really afforded the ability to be unremarkable...We're setting out to tell a story about someone who is sort of a 'plain Jane,' who then discovers, through something other than her transness, that she is kind of a remarkable person...It's really joyful, that trans and gender diverse folks all get to dance, move, thrive, and survive."

Associate Artistic Director Brandon Ivie said, "This is a refreshing show about trans joy. In a world where most mainstream trans stories are about trauma, this show is a raucous comedy, just letting trans people have fun and win; to be able to have full complete joy that is both all about their transness and not about their transness at the same time."

This fully-staged developmental production is directed and co-choreographed by Connor Gallagher (Choreographer for Broadway's Beetlejuice) with co-choreography by Jay Jackson "Laganja Estranja (RuPaul Drag Race Season 6), and music direction by Elisa Money. It features scenic design by Jason Sherwood (Emmy winner: RENT Live, Oscars 2020), costume design by Chelsea Cook (Cinderella), lighting design by Chih-Hung Shao, sound design by Erin Bednarz, projection design by Ahren Buhmann, NY Casting by Judy Bowman, CSA, and gender consultation by Josphine Kearns. MISS STEP is performing at Village Theatre's Hunt Family Theatre in Issaquah Feb. 11-19, 2023. Tickets are available now through the Village Theatre Box Office at (425) 392-2202 or online at VillageTheatre.org/MissStep. MISS STEP has been supported and developed through Village Theatre's Village Originals program.

Audiences are invited to provide feedback through select post-show talkbacks with the authors or through online surveys, becoming part of a new musical in development. Associate Artistic Director Brandon Ivie said, "MISS STEP is the perfect example of why this step in the process is so important. Audiences will see that MISS STEP does not live on the page, it lives on its feet and in space. And those audiences will give so much input on how to best tell this story. I think the show is going to make some huge strides because of this process."

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