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2007/2008 SEASON SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Merrily We Roll Along Click here to buy tickets now! Single tickets to all Kander & Ebb Celebration musicals — Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Happy Time and The Visit starring Chita Rivera — go on sale November 5.
SUBSCRIPTIONS TO SIGNATURE’S 2007/2008 SEASON ARE NOW ON SALE Download an order form now or call Signature’s Box Office at (703) 820-9771 to order or renew your subscription today. MAINSTAGE
Beginning in the present and moving backwards, Merrily We Roll Along takes a tuneful trip through the personal and professional lives of three friends as they discover how did we get there from here? Featuring such classics as “Not A Day Goes By,” “Old Friends,” “Good Thing Going” and, of course, “Merrily We Roll Along,” this reinvented production “could be one of America’s musical classics” (New York Times). Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer tackles his seventeeth Sondheim show to kick off the Signature season.
The Word Begins is a unique show that celebrates the spoken word, the human heart, and the challenges facing the world today. Written and performed by acclaimed spoken word artists Steve Connell and Sekou (tha misfit), The Word Begins is an exciting journey with two young men as they take on race relations, religion, sexuality, love, and the power of mass communication. And they do it in an extraordinarily refreshing, exhilarating combination of drama meets sketch comedy meets hip hop culture. Workshopped at Signature in December, 2006, The Word Begins won rave reviews from legendary television producer Norman Lear, declaring “they’re a touch of genius!” *Contains mature subject matter and strong language Click here to see a clip from The Word Begins.
The world of dance leaps to the stage in this East Coast premiere. In a bare, mirrored studio high above Broadway, Emil, a well-known choreographer with an unknown private life, creates a new ballet for two dancers—a veteran who has seen it all, and a newcomer who wants it all. Secrets are exposed and the stakes become increasingly personal when they reveal just how far they will go to achieve success. Combining dance, music, and text, The Studio throws open the doors of the rehearsal hall and reveals the passionate and sexy world where the dancer and choreographer come together to create art and discover themselves.
KANDER & EBB CELEBRATION
Winner of the Tony® Award for Best Musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman weaves a distressing tale of persecution into a “dazzling” (Newsweek),theatrical web. Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer brings to life the “thrilling”(New York Times) tale of two Argentine men, a window dresser and a socialist rebel, forced to share a jail cell in Argentina. Imprisoned for their beliefs and their lifestyles, each man comes to find comfort in the other’s company, as the line between the reality and fantasy begins to blur. *Contains mature subject matter
The lost Kander and Ebb musical The Happy Time tells the story of Jacques Bonnard, a world-traveling photographer, who returns home to French-Canadian St. Pierre in search of his happy youth. Along the way, Bonnard fires up the romantic spirit of his hometown’s inhabitants and tempts his godson, Bibi, with dreams of escape. This classic tale of the prodigal son features a “lilting score” (New York Times) that is “melodious…in variety and scope” (Newsday).
Two-time Tony® winner Chita Rivera stars in this new musical based on one of the great plays of the 20th century. The Visit centers on Claire Zachanassian, who was driven from her hometown in disgrace when she was 17, betrayed by her lover Anton Schell. Several decades and seven husbands later, Zachanassian has become the richest woman in the world, yet her hometown has fallen on hard times. When Zachanassian returns to her hometown with an offer to save them, salvation comes with an outrageous price tag.
CABARET
THE LOST SONGS OF BROADWAY
KANDER AND EBB OVERTURES
SPECIAL EVENT Washington Premiere A true story of sexuality, spirituality, and the mystery of the human experience, The Tricky Part is “a translucent memoir of a play... shattering” (New York Times). Between the ages of 12 and 15, the author had a sexual relationship with an older man, a counselor he met at a Catholic boys’ camp. Now 42 and an established New York actor, Moran has transformed his story into a riveting, often funny, and always surprising journey through the complexities of Catholicism, desire, and human trespass. Winner of the 2004 Obie Award. THE SIGNATURE SCHOOL FALL 2007 Class sizes are limited. Click below for specific course information: Click here to download and print the registration form. THEATER TRAINING
ACTING WITH MUSIC BUILDING A SONG BOOK FOR AUDITIONS THE MUSICAL AUDITION THE CREATIVE PROCESS
GETTING TO WORK APPROACHING SONDHEIM BY DESIGN A MOVING STORY Dance Master Classes for Musical Theater Performers Dance with Karma Camp JAZZ: Saturday, November 3, 10 AM – 12:30 PM TAP: Saturday, November 17, 10 AM – 12:30 PM * Purchase both dance master classes for $150. SEMINAR Class size is limited. Appropriate for ages 17 and up. See the exciting new musical Glory Days come to life! Be a part of the process and take an inside look at the development and production of this world premiere musical at Signature. During the five sessions, you will go behind-the-scenes to explore the workings of musical theater from its inception to its final dress rehearsal.
SESSIONS PART 1: WRITING A MUSICAL PART 2: CREATING THE CHARACTERS PART 3: BRINGING A PRODUCTION TO LIFE PART 4: THE MUSIC OF GLORY DAYS PART 5: FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL The Signature School Faculty Karma Camp is an Artistic Associate at Signature, where she has choreographed Urinetown (2006 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography), as well as Nijinsky’s Last Dance and Cabaret (both garnered Helen Hayes nominations for choreography). She has choreographed on Broadway for The Graduate with Kathleen Turner. Off-Broadway, she worked on Never the Sinner and choreographed the national tour of big. Additional work at Signature includes The Witches of Eastwick, Follies, 110 in the Shade, and Side Show. Her other regional work includes the Kennedy Center/Sondheim Celebration production of Merrily We Roll Along and Arena Stage’s Agammenon and Shakespeare in Hollywood (Helen Hayes nomination). She has also worked at the Shakespeare Theatre, Round House Theatre, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, McCarter Theatre, Wooly Mammoth, Prince Music Theatre, and Tennessee Rep. Her opera credits include Goya with Placido Domingo; Vanessa at the Washington Opera; and Wolftrap Opera Co.’s Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. She is Co-director of Signature’s Overtures Musical Theater Institute at the Kennedy Center. Christopher d’Amboise is a former Principal Dancer at the New York Ballet. He has worked extensively as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and director. He has created over 60 dance pieces which have been performed worldwide. As a performer, he co-starred with Bernadette Peters in Song and Dance and performed with his sister, Charlotte d’Amboise in The Kennedy Center Honors Jacques d’Amboise, his father. His choreography for theater includes Romeo and Juliet-the Musical (Terrance Mann dir.), High Society (Chris Renshaw dir), and Charles Strouse’s You Never Know. Last season he choreographed the world premiere of Saving Aimee directed by Eric Schaeffer. Sherri L. Edelen has performed at Signature in The Witches of Eastwick, Urinetown, The Rink, Tell Me on A Sunday, Gypsy, Elegies: A Song Cycle and Side Show. She appeared in the national tours of big and Nunsense and in The Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Celebration productions of Sunday in the Park with George and Merrily We Roll Along. A five-time nominee, she is the recipient of the 2000 Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Side Show. Other credits include Elegies: A Song Cycle at Philadelphia Theatre Company (Barrymore Award nomination; A Year with Frog and Toad; A Murder, A Mystery and A Marriage; The Diary of Anne Frank; The World Goes ‘Round; Pippin, and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at Round House Theatre. She also has performed at Olney Theatre, Rep Stage, Arena Stage, Theater of the First Amendment, Ford’s Theatre and Stages St. Louis. Will Gartshore received back-to-back Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for his performances in Signature’s production of Urinetown and Assassins. His numerous credits at Signature Theatre also include My Fair Lady, The Sex Habits of American Women, Pacific Overtures, Elegies: A Song Cycle, Allegro, Twentieth Century, Follies, Grand Hotel, Side Show and Floyd Collins. He performed in Hal Prince’s production of Parade on Broadway and Off-Broadway in The Last Session and Encores!: Ziegfield Follies of 1936. He has appeared at The Kennedy Center in Passion and The Glass Menagerie, and other local DC theatres: The Studio, Woolly Mammoth, Round House, and Olney Theatre Center. His regional credits include Philadelphia Theatre Co.; Goodspeed and Mountain Playhouse. Born in Canada, he is a graduate of the University of Maryland and The American Academy of Dramatic Art, NYC. Jon Kalbfleisch is the Resident Musical Director for Signature, where his work includes The Witches of Eastwick, Into the Woods, My Fair Lady, Assassins, Urinetown, Nijinsky’s Last Dance, Follies, 110 in the Shade, Putting It Together, Grand Hotel, Forum, A Stephen Sondheim Evening, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, The Fix, Sunday in the Park with George, Cabaret, Wings, First Lady Suite, Into the Woods, and Company. On Broadway he was the associate conductor for Les Misérables. Locally, he also has conducted at The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, National Theatre, Warner Theatre, Washington Ballet, Studio Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre. His work for the Mark Taper Forum includes Putting It Together, Martin Guerre, and James Joyce’s The Dead. He has received three Helen Hayes Awards and 14 nominations and holds a Master of Music from SMU. James Kronzer has eight Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Set Design to his credit. His designs for Signature include Nest, My Fair Lady, Assassins, Urinetown, Elegies, Fallen from Proust, Twentieth Century, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, In the Garden, The Gospel According to Fishman, Grand Hotel, in the absence of spring, Floyd Collins, Tell Me on a Sunday, and the 2007-08 season productions of Merrily We Roll Along and Glory Days. He has designed sets for the national tours of Barbie™ Live! In Fairytopia™, Suessical the Musical, Showboat, and he has worked in regional venues such as Disney Cruise Lines, Arden Theatre, Florida Stage, Pioneer Theatre, and Philadelphia Theatre Co., where his set design for Elegies earned him a Barrymore Award. Paulette Laufer, an award-winning playwright, began her working relationship with actress Nancy Robinette with her aptly titled one-act Pure Luck, commissioned by Actors Theatre of Lousiville. They have worked together many times, from one-acts to three premiere productions at Signature: Eagle Rive, Taking My Life in Your Hands, and Donna Q (commissioned in 2003). Their playwright/actress relationship most recently led to workshops last year in conjunction with Signature in the Schools. In addition to her work at Signature, she has received script commissions from The John F. Kennedy Center to create stage adaptations for young and family audiences; Thurber’s The Great Quillow and Alcott’s Little Women. In early October, she will teach a two-day playwriting workshop at The Clearing in Dorr County, Wisconsin. Donna Migliaccio is the Co-founder of Signature Theatre. Her work on stage at Signature includes Into the Woods, Assassins (Helen Hayes Award), Urinetown, Pacific Overtures, Michael John LaChuisa’s The Highest Yellow, Twentieth Century, The Christmas Carol Rag, Gypsy, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd (Helen Hayes Award), No Way to Treat A Lady, First Lady Suite and Company. She performed with the national tour of Guys and Dolls—50th Anniversary Production, and regionally, she has appeared at the Arden Theatre Co., Philadelphia Theatre Co., San Francisco’s Theatre on the Square, and The Kennedy Center/Sondheim Celebration. Nancy Robinette, a multiple Helen Hayes Award-winning actress, has been acting in the DC area for more than 25 years and has collaborated with Paulette Laufer as an actress in several of her plays at Signature and Source Theatre and as a workshop instructor. She most recently appeared as Florence Foster Jenkins in Souvenir at the Studio Theatre, Mrs. Culver in The Constant Wife at Olney Theatre, Lulubelle Alexander in State of the Union at Ford’s, Nancy Shirley in Frozen at Studio, and as Lady Bountiful in the Shakespeare Theatre’s Beaux Strategem. She is one of the recipients of the Shakespeare Theatre’s Will Award this year, and is also a former Fox Fellow. This fall she will be appearing in Well and then Christmas Carol 1941 at Arena Stage. Eric Schaeffer is Co-founder and Artistic Director of Signature Theatre. His work at Signature has been recognized with four Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Direction, six Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Musical, and 21 nominations for Outstanding Director. On Broadway, he directed Stephen Sondheim’s Putting It Together starring Carol Burnett and George Hearn and also directed the national tours of big and Barbie™ Live! in Fairytopia™. Off-Broadway direction includes Sweet Adeline at City Center Encores! and Under the Bridge. In London, he directed the world premiere of The Witches of Eastwick with Ian McShane and Lucy Arnaz. Regionally, his work has been seen in Los Angeles, Chicago and DC at the Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre and The Kennedy Center (Mame with Christine Baranski, Harriet Harris and Emily Skinner), where he also served as Artistic Director for the Sondheim Celebration. Classes are held in the rehearsal rooms at Signature Theatre. For directions and transportation information click here. Click here to download a registration form. For additional information about classes, pricing, and instructors, contact Education Director Marcia Gardner at (571) 527-1854 or at gardnerm@signature-theatre.org. FREE EVENTS BROWN BAG THURSDAY Thursday, September 6, 2007 As Signature begins its first full season in its new space, it’s fitting that Eric Schaeffer has chosen Merrily We Roll Along as the opener. It’s one of the few Sondheim musicals that he has never directed — a first for Schaeffer and a first for Signature. Learn why he has waited so long to work on this particular piece. Marking Schaeffer’s 15th Sondheim production, Merrily boasts classics such as “Not a Day Goes By,” “Old Friends,” “Good Thing Going” and of course, “Merrily We Roll Along.” It also presents a challenging storytelling technique: beginning in the present and moving backwards in time, spanning 20 years. The original Broadway production included a cast of 32, elaborate sets, and multiple costume changes to define the movement of the story through time. Signature’s production features a cast of 14, a unit set, and only one or two costumes for each character. Yes, it’s a reinvention… it’s an Eric Schaeffer show. Join Eric for lunch in the Signature lobby on Thursday, September 6, from 1:00- 2:00pm. He’ll share his unique approach to Merrily We Roll Along and answer your questions about the show, the 2007/2008 Season, and his Master Class: Approaching Sondheim that will be offered in The Signature School this fall. Additional Brown Bag Thursday dates are:
Conversations By Request… Monday, September 24, 2007 Will Gartshore (2006 recipient of the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Performance for Assassins) and Tracy Lynn Olivera play “old friends” in Merrily We Roll Along. They are also friends in real life, maybe not as “old” as the friends in Merrily, but they do share an extensive theatrical history. Will and Tracy began their onstage relationship several years ago when they were both cast in Side Show (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical) directed by Joe Calarco. Their joint Sondheim appearances include Signature productions of Follies, Company in concert, and Passion directed by Schaefferfor the Sondheim Festival at The Kennedy Center. The pair was last seen as lovers in Eric Schaeffer’s revised production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Allegro. Where there’s history like theirs, there are many stories to tell. Take a trip from present to past, like the unique journey in Merrily, rolling back through previous productions to where it all began. Travel back and forth with Will and Tracy as they retrace their theatrical steps, together and separately. Additional Conversations By Request… dates are: Let us know the theater artists you would like to engage in an in-depth Q&A. Email Education Director Marcia Gardner at education@signature-theatre.org and register your request. Featured artists will be scheduled based on your input.
Conversations with… Monday, October 1, 2007 You know him as Jon Kalbfleisch; we call him Jon K, Resident Music Director and an Artistic Associate at Signature. Jon K is currently working as Music Director for Merrily We Roll Along and has served as Eric Schaeffer’s Music Director on all his Sondheim shows at Signature. Jon K. also has worked as Musical Director for the Theatre’s productions of A Little Night Music directed by Frank Lombardi, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum directed by Gary Griffin, and Assassins directed by Joe Calarco. When Jon K. talks about the music of Stephen Sondheim, he knows what he’s talking about. Merrily We Roll Along was first produced in 1981. Merrily is Sondheim’s most traditional score, and although it generated some hit tunes (Frank Sinatra and Carly Simon each recorded songs from the show), the musical however was a 16-performance flop. The show did not work, but its score endures. Since Merrily is about friendship, the score concentrates attention on the friendship of the three main characters — Mary, Frank, and Charley. Sondheim interconnects the music of their songs through chunks of melody, rhythm, and accompaniment. The story moves backwards in time, so there is an opportunity to invent verbal and musical motifs which are modified over the course of the years, extended and developed, reprised, fragmented, and then presented to the audience in reverse: extensions first, reprises, fragments. Although the score is traditional, it definitely is not simple. Take a musical Sondheim journey with Jon Kalbfleisch as your guide. Learn more about the greatest living composer for the musical theater. Hear Jon K. discuss and play music from Merrily We Roll Along, elaborating on themes and buried treasures that exist within the score. Additional Conversation With dates are: KENNEDY CENTER’S PAGE TO STAGE FESTIVAL Once again, Signature Theatre will perform at the Kennedy Center’s Annual Page to Stage Festival. Bring your friends and family, enjoy the day of free events, and preview Signature’s upcoming season. Monday, September 3, 2007 A featured highlight in the Annual Page to Stage: New Play Festival, Signature performs from musicals in its upcoming season as well as new work in development, all sung by some of your Signature favorites. Come check out songs from the upcoming world premiere musical Glory Days. The hour-long program is free. What a wonderful way to bring the summer to a close! For more information, click here.
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Signature Theatre stages a celebration in honor of the longest-running songwriting partnership in Broadway musical history - John Kander and Fred Ebb. The festival features the many entertainment sides of Kander and Ebb from film to musical theater to cabaret. The entire canon of their witty and sharp lyrics along with their engaging vamps and musical melodies will grace the Signature stage. With individual performances and discussions, this retrospective presents the world of Kander and Ebb like it’s never been seen before.
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
Classic Musical
A New Musical
DECEMBER DIVAS
KAREN AKERS’ FIRST YOU DREAM: THE SONGS OF KANDER & EBB
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