A MATT CONNER CHRISTMAS Begins Tonight at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre presents two limited-run shows that bring the spirit of the holidays to the stage for family, friends, and music lovers of all ages. The fun begins this week with composer and Signature favorite Matt Conner (Crossing, The Hollow, Nevermore), who will warm up the intimate ARK Theatre with his new show A Matt Conner Christmas.

Then next week, Signature opens an all-new iteration of the much-loved seasonal revue Holiday Follies, which brings together a lively troupe of local performers for a light-hearted night of music and banter.

Each show plays for one week only. Tickets to both shows are on sale now.

A Matt Conner Christmas will have seven performances between tonight, December 11 and 15.

"I'm looking forward to sharing some of my favorite Christmas memories," said Conner, who will sing and perform on piano. "I'll be blending them with original Christmas songs plus a few of my old favorites like 'Children, Go Where I Send Thee,' 'When The Meadow Was Bloomin' and 'Ave Maria,' plus a few numbers from some surprise guests. The show will range from bluegrass to classical with a lot in-between, all full of holiday cheer."

After Conner's show comes the equally irreverent Holiday Follies, now in its fourth year, which will play for nine performances between December 17 and 23. Directed by Walter Ware III, the show features performers Madeline Botteri (Company; The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), Austin Colby (Crossing, Spin), Maria Egler (Signature's Funny Ladies; Hello, Dolly!), musician Steven Walker and music director Howard Breitbart.

"This will be the ultimate holiday playlist," said Ware. "Holiday Follies this year is going to be a combination of the audience's favorite holiday tunes with some unexpected songs that are sure to become favorites. We will be doing selected songs and arrangements made famous by The Jackson 5, Spice Girls, Nat King Cole, Frank Zappa and many others. It's a great lead in to what we think is the most wonderful time of the year."

A Matt Conner Christmas will play in Signature's ARK Theatre as follows:

• Wednesday, December 11 at 7:30pm
• Thursday, December 12 at 8:00pm
• Friday, December 13 at 8:00pm
• Saturday, December 14 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm
• Sunday, December 15 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm

Holiday Follies will play in Signature's ARK Theatre as follows:

• Tuesday, December 17 at 7:30pm
• Wednesday, December 18 at 7:30pm
• Thursday, December 19 at 8:00pm
• Friday, December 20 at 8:00pm
• Saturday, December 21 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm
• Sunday, December 22 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
• Monday, December 23 at 7:00pm

Matt Conner has been performing, composing, teaching and music directing in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area for fifteen years. He has created several original musicals for Signature Theatre including critically acclaimed Nevermore, Crossing, Partial Eclipse and The Hollow. Matt has also assisted in developing several original works at Creative Cauldron including Martin: The King of Pizza (2009), Eddie Allan Poe (2010), The Selfish Giant (2011), Peter Pan and Wendy and Oliver Twist (2012). He has also directed Creative Cauldron's Helen Hayes recommended productions of Nevermore (2010) and Women of the Blues in 2012. His newest musical, Night of the Living Dead, written with book writer Stephen Gregory Smith, was produced at the Richmond Shepherd Theatre in NY, Kensington Arts Theatre in Kensington, MD and New Line Productions in Saint Louis, MO. His on stage credits include Senator/Rufus in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Male Authority Figure in Hairspray, Manfred/Hogeye in Sunset Boulevard, The Birdseller/Fogg in Sweeney Todd, Windy in Show Boat, Thenardier/ Montparnasse in LES MISERABLES (2009 Helen Hayes Outstanding Ensemble Award), Aurelio in Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Scotty in Merrily We Roll Along, Toby in The Witches of Eastwick, Steward in Into the Woods, John Hinckley in Assassins, Tamate/Lion Dancer in Pacific Overtures, Protean/Hero u/s in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and a Cockney in My Fair Lady. He has also appeared as Riff in West Side Story (Olney Theatre Center) and The Page of Herodias in Oscar Wilde's Salome (Synetic Theatre).

ABOUT THE HOLIDAY FOLLIES ARTISTS

Madeline Botteri SIGNATURE: Company, Spin, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Sunset Boulevard, 2012 Signature Sondheim Award Gala, Lost Songs of Broadway: 1960s, Revenge of the Understudies, Brother Russia (u/s), The Boy Detective Fails (u/s), The Hollow (u/s), Side by Side by Sondheim (u/s), [title of show] (u/s). DC AREA: Keegan Theatre: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, A Man of No Importance; Kensington Arts Theatre: Rooms!; Chesapeake Chamber Music: An Evening with Andrew Lloyd Webber. UPCOMING: Ford's Theatre: Violet.

Austin Colby SIGNATURE: Crossing, Spin, Lost Songs of Broadway: 1970s, The Break (21/24 workshop), Spin (workshop). DC AREA: Olney Theatre Center: Forever Plaid, Spring Awakening, Cinderella, Toby's Dinner Theatre: Hairspray, Legally Blonde. REGIONAL: Cortland Repertory Theatre: Joseph...Dreamcoat, White Plains Performing Arts Center: Hair, Papermill Theatre: On the Town, Smokey Joe's Café, Altar Boyz. JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY: Oklahoma!; Kiss Me, Kate; Songs for a New World; Bright Lights; Big City; I Love You Because. EDUCATION: James Madison University, 2011, Bachelor of Music with a concentration in Vocal Music Education. UPCOMING: Arena Stage: Smokey Joe's Café.

Maria Egler SIGNATURE: Signature's Funny Ladies cabaret; Hello, Dolly! (Ford's Theatre co-production); Dirty Blonde; Giant; Crossing in concert. NATIONAL TOURS: Gypsy. DC AREA: Olney Theatre Center: Camelot, The Sound of Music, Cinderella; Studio Theatre: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; Washington Savoyards: The Music Man, It's A Grand Night for Singing; Dizzy Miss Lizzie: The Oresteia, The Saints, Finn McCool. EDUCATION: BM, The Catholic University of America.

Walter Ware III DIRECTION: SIGNATURE: Holiday Follies 2012, Signature's Funny Ladies, Revenge of the Understudies 2011, 2012 & 2013 Family Cabaret (Open House). INDUSTRIAL: Welcome to the Jungle (Ratner Companies). CUA: Bat Boy, How Do You Measure a Year: Jonathan Larson Revue, Dreams Do Come True: A Disney Revue!, Myth. ASSISTANT DIRECTION: SIGNATURE: Pride in the Falls of Autrey Mill, The Boy Detective Fails, Tamar and the River (21/24 workshop), I Capture the Castle (21/24 workshop). DC AREA: Kennedy Center: First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb; Limelight Theatre: The Last Five Years; Montgomery College: Aida; CUA: Tartuffe, Sweeney Todd, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Man of La Mancha, The Lyrics of Dorothy Fields, Journey: Jason Robert Brown Revue; Mini: Our Town, The Diviners. EDUCATION: Catholic University of America. UPCOMING: The Threepenny Opera.

Recipient of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Signature Theatre is a non-profit professional theater company in Arlington, Virginia dedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, Signature has presented 43 world premiere productions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with intimate playing spaces. In addition to hosting the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been home to such theatre luminaries as Chita Rivera, George Hearn, Hunter Foster, Emily Skinner, Ann Reinking, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, and the company's signature composer, Stephen Sondheim. Since its founding in 1989, Signature has won 82 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region's professional theater and has been honored with 320 nominations.

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