Morgan Keene and Timothy J. Alex to Lead MIDWESTERN GOTHIC at Signature Theatre; Cast Complete!

Signature Theatre has announced the full cast and creative team for the world premiere production of Midwestern Gothic. Midwestern Gothic will run March 14 - April 30 in Signature Theatre's ARK Theatre.

Directed and choreographed by Signature Theatre Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Jelly's Last Jam, West Side Story), this new musical thriller features music, lyrics and orchestrations by Josh Schmidt (Off-Broadway's Adding Machine) and book and lyrics by Royce Vavrek (Dog Days, 27).

Set in the middle of continental nowhere, Midwestern Gothic tells the story of a small town and a young girl whose wild and twisted imagination drives her to create more and more bizarre diversions.

The production will star Morgan Keene (Disney's Newsies, First National Tour) as Stina and Timothy J. Alex (Broadway's Tuck Everlasting) as Red. Keene and Alex are joined in the cast by Sherri Edelen (Signature's Cake Off) as Deb, Sam Ludwig (Signature's Titanic) as Anderson, Bobby Smith (Signature's Titanic) as Dwayne and Rachel Zampelli (Signature's The Gulf) as Luann. The ensemble is rounded out by Evan Casey (Signature's The Flick), JP Sisneros, Chris Sizemore (Signature's Titanic) and Stephen Gregory Smith (Signature's Titanic).

"We're excited to bring the latest installment of The American Musical Voices Project with Midwestern Gothic to the Signature stage," said Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. "This daring new musical promises to take audiences into uncharted territory with its bold story and thrilling characters."

"When Josh Schmidt and Royce Vavrek sent me an early draft of the script I knew it was a piece I wanted to tackle," said director and choreographer Matthew Gardiner. "Daring, provocative and darkly humorous, the piece takes the seemingly plain and ordinary life of a Midwestern town and reveals the darkness and complexity rumbling beneath the surface."

The creative team includes Musical Directions by Timothy Splain (Off-Broadway's Adding Machine), Scenic Design by Misha Kachman (Signature's Cabaret), Lighting Design by Colin K. Bills (Signature's The Threepenny Opera), Costume Design by Ivania Stack (Signature's Road Show), Sound Design by Ryan Hickey (Signature's Titanic), Fight Choreography by Casey Kaleba (Signature's Jelly's Last Jam), Production Stage Manager Julie Meyer (Signature's The Gulf), Production Assistants Sophia Lewin Adams and Tori Ujczo, and New York Casting by Laura Stancyzk, CSA.

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 44 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 luminaries as Chita Rivera, Sheryl Crow, Barry Levinson, James Lapine, Debra Monk, Boyd Gaines, George Hearn, Hunter Foster, Emily Skinner, Kathleen Marshall, Ann Reinking, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey, and the company's signature composer, Stephen Sondheim. Since its founding in 1989, Signature has won 97 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region's professional theater and has been honored with 411 nominations.

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