Signature Theatre Extends MISS SAIGON, Thru 9/29

Virginia's Signature Theatre is happy to announce that the run of Miss Saigon is extended through September 29 due to popular demand - an addition of eight performances.

Tickets to the extension performances go on sale this Friday, August 23 and will be available online at signature-theatre.org, by phone at 703 573 SEAT and in person at the Signature Box Office.

The Tony Award-winning musical, playing in the MAX Theatre, opens the theatre's 2013/14 season with all the adventure, romance, and excitement that Signature promises with the re-imagining of a classic musical.

"Miss Saigon is the most technically ambitious show Signature's ever produced, and we're thrilled that audiences are as excited as we are," said Managing Director Maggie Boland, "A lot of performances are sold out, so we're glad to be able to add another week to the run."

The production stars Signature newcomers Diana Huey as the Vietnamese bar girl Kim, Jason Michael Evans as the American GI Chris and Thom Sesma as the mysterious club owner who calls himself the Engineer. They are joined by many of Signature's most well-known actors, including Erin Driscoll (Spin, Company) as Ellen, Chris Sizemore (Chess, Sweeney Todd) as John, andChristopher Mueller (Spin, Brother Russia) as Tuey.

Cheryl Daro plays Gigi. Stephen Gregory Smith, James Gardiner, Gannon O'Brien, Vincent Kempski, Nicholas Yenson, Kevin Kulp, Ryan Sellers, Katie Mariko Murray, Tamara Young, and Eunice Bae round out the cast.

Miss Saigon features an award-winning creative team that includes Karma Camp (choreographer), Adam Koch (scenic designer),Frank Labowitz (costume designer), Chris Lee (lighting designer), Matt Rowe (sound designer), and Anne Nesmith (wig designer).Gabriel Mangiante is the Music Director, and Kerry Epstein is Production Stage Manager.

Created by the acclaimed writers of Les Miserables (produced by Signature in 2008), this modern, rock-infused adaptation of Puccini's 1904 opera Madame Butterfly explores the ongoing impact of love, loss, and the collision of cultures during the Vietnam War. Originally produced in London's West End in 1989, the show played for an astonishing ten years - a run of over four thousand performances. Broadway success followed in 1991.

A 15-piece orchestra backs Miss Saigon's 18-member cast, bringing to life an electrifying score featuring hit songs including "The Heat Is On," "I Still Believe," "Why God Why?" and "The American Dream."

This production also premieres the new song "Maybe," written for Ellen.

Miss Saigon is sponsored in part by STGi and The Max Productions, LLC.

Seventh week added! Now playing through September 29, 2013.

Performances are Tuesday through Sunday evenings, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tuesday and Wednesday performances are at 7:30pm; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening performances are at 8:00pm; Sunday evening performances are at 7:00pm. Matinee performances are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm. Tickets start at $40 and are on sale now. Tickets are available by phone at 703 573 SEAT, online at signature-theatre.org, or in person at the Signature Box Office at 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington.

A Pride performance is scheduled for Sept 20.

Discussion performances are scheduled for Sept 10 and Sept 18.

Backstage tours are available as well! Miss Saigon is the most technically ambitious show in the theatre's history, and now theatergoers have a chance to go even deeper into the world of the show. Special Saturday evening tours are available at 5pm on August 31, September 7, September 14, and September 21. The backstage tour begins with a short film featuring the production designers and director. Following the video, visitors can venture into the Theatre for a tour of the environmental set and backstage areas. Afterward, everyone is encouraged to stay for an exclusive question and answer session with members of the cast. Tickets are only $10 each and are on sale now through the Box Office in person, by phone at 703 820 9771, or online at signature-theatre.org.

SIGNATURE'S 2013/14 SEASON

Signature Theatre, now heading into its 24th season, will affirm its longstanding passion for classic musicals by staging inventive new productions of the epic musical romance Miss Saigon, the much-loved Gypsy and the electrifying 1928 favorite The Threepenny Opera. In addition, Signature is proud to bring three brand-new musicals to life: the haunting and eclectic Crossing, the touching stage adaptation of the best-selling novel Beaches, and the fast and funny musical comedy Cloak and Dagger.

Equally committed to fostering exciting new dramas, Signature will also produce the ferociously imaginative two-person play Tender Napalm as well as the world premiere of the darkly satirical Pride in the Falls of Autrey Mill from playwright Paul Downs Colaizzo, author of Signature's acclaimed 2012 world premiere drama Really Really.

Several additional programs round out Signature's 2013/14 season. The theatre will present a Sizzlin' Summer Cabaret this July to follow up on the success of the series in 2012. Signature will also present a robust wintertime line-up including a special Matt Conner Christmas show, the return of the seasonal revue Holiday Follies, and an all-new Winter Cabaret Festival next February and March.

Subscription packages are available by calling Signature's Box Office at 703 820 9771. For more information, or to order tickets, please visit www.signature-theatre.org.

ABOUT SIGNATURE

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 38 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.

Signature is partially supported by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts and by a gift from the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts.

DIRECTIONS

Signature Theatre is located at 4200 Campbell Avenue (22206) off I-395 at the Shirlington exit (#6). After the exit, blue Signature signs mark the way to the theatre. Free parking is available in two adjacent public garages. Please note that Campbell Avenue is a new street and some GPS online mapping systems do not yet recognize Signature Theatre's address. For directions visit http://signature-theatre.org/map.htm.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Subscriptions/Groups: (703) 820-9771

Single Tickets: Ticketmaster (703) 573-SEAT (7328)

Signature Administration (571) 527-1860

Signature Theatre • 4200 Campbell Avenue • Arlington, VA 22206