SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD Begins at Briggs Opera House Today

Northern Stage, the region's award-winning professional theater, presents its last production in Briggs Opera House: Songs for a New World by Tony-winning composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown. The show runs live on stage at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction, VT, today, April 8 through May 3. For tickets and information, call 802-296-7000 or visit www.northernstage.org. Tickets start at $15.

This song cycle/musical revue loosely weaves together the stories of people searching for a new beginning. Audiences will be transported from the deck of an immigrant ship to a ledge fifty-seven stories above Fifth Avenue in New York City to meet a startling array of characters. Jason Robert Brown sums up the show in his own words: "It's about one moment. It's about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back." This musical will be a thrilling, contemporary production and is the perfect way for Northern Stage to celebrate both its history in the Briggs Opera House and the bright future ahead for the company in its new home, The Barrette Center for the Arts.

Audiences may recognize the work of Jason Robert Brown, as his musical The Last Five Years was recently made into a movie musical starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan and was released in select cinemas and online last month. Brown is widely known as a new, fresh voice for the American musical theater with Broadway hits that include Parade and The Bridges of Madison County. Songs for a New World will be receiving a 20th anniversary revival at the St. James Theatre in London's West End this summer to commemorate this landmark piece written by the prolific composer when he was only 25 years old. Artistic Director Carol Dunne (who is one of the four starring actors in the production and co-directs) says, "I am thrilled to conclude our final season in our current space with this ecstatic musical revue by the Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown. The show is a highly emotional and passionate look at the world we live in today and a gorgeous celebration of the power of art and song. The show will literally launch us into our new home in the Barrette Center for the Arts."

This production stars Northern Stage favorite Kevin David Thomas, whose Broadway credits include A Little Night Music and Les Miserables. Kevin has been seen at Northern Stage recently in Into the Woods and The Spitfire Grill. Though she has appeared onstage at Northern Stage many times in the past, Artistic Director Carol Dunne will take the stage for the first time at Northern Stage since she became the Artistic Director of the company in 2013. Carol has worked extensively at The Cleveland Playhouse as well as at the Great Lakes Theater Festival and the New London Barn. She brings a wealth of experience to the stage from her position as Artistic Director at the New London Barn Playhouse, and she currently serves Dartmouth College as an award-winning Senior Lecturer in the theater department. Clare Eisentrout and Nik Alexander round out the cast; both are newcomers to Northern Stage, though Clare has been seen in the area at both the Weston Playhouse and the New London Barn as well as further afield at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

Lillian King, Northern Stage's Assistant Artistic Director will co-direct the production with Carol Dunne. A recent graduate of Boston University's School of Theatre, Lillian was the Assistant Director on Rocky the Musical and Peter and the Starcatcher, both on Broadway, and most recently directed Northern Stage's production of Blithe Spirit.

Performances are Tuesdays through Sundays; sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Chippers Inc, and Domus Custom Builders. A companion event Athena Lecture "The New World for the American Musical" will be held at the Briggs Opera House on Sunday, April 12, from 3:30-4:30 PM. This conversation is free and open to the public.

Discounted tickets are available for preview performances April 8-10. New this season is a $20 Tuesday on April 14 (all tickets $20), a $15 Anytime Student ticket, available for any performance, and lower top ticket prices. A complimentary post-show reception with the cast follows the opening night performance on Saturday, April 11.

Northern Stage is a regional non-profit professional theater that seeks to entertain, challenge, and involve its audiences with ambitious productions. Based in the Upper Valley of the Connecticut River, Northern Stage brings national and area talent together on an intimate stage in diverse classic, contemporary, and new plays and musicals. One of only four independent theaters in the nation that is at least 40 miles from an urban center, exceeds $750,000 in annual ticket revenue, and produces a season of seven months or more, Northern Stage has offered over 100 productions in its 17-year history, and annual attendance is now over 25,000.

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