Music & Lyrics by Neil Bartram Book by Brian Hill
THE STORY OF MY LIFE is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI www.MTIShows.com
At some point in all of our lives we have felt like an outsider, like no one will ever accept us for who we are. We have all experienced that constant struggle between conforming to societal norms and the desire to fully express oneself. This year at The Studio Theatre™ we will look closely at all the wonderful things that make us different. But I hope that what we’ll find is that those differences are the very thing that bind us all together as human beings. We have selected four stories that share a common theme of searching for your true individuality. These stories will delve deeply into the experiences of those who feel that who they truly are will not be accepted by society. In Season Three we are having a party, a party of differences. Announcing The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol’s Third Season: “Individuality: Take the leap and celebrate the difference.” —Whitney Morse, Artistic Director
ABOUT THE STUDIO THEATRE™: Tierra del Sol was formerly a Country Club with performances as a backdrop to the outstanding food and impeccable golf course views. It has since transitioned, bringing the performances to the forefront by evolving into a new Black Box Theatre. The Studio Theatre™ is now a flexible theatre with one 120 seats and options for Thrust, Round, or Proscenium style seating. The Studio Theatre at Tierra del Sol's season runs from late September through April each year with four productions running approximately 130 total performances. The Studio Theatre is an extension of The Sharon® L. Morse Performing Arts Center, located in The Spanish Springs Town Square®, in The Villages® community. The Sharon is primarily a touring house hosting a variety of artistic disciplines ranging from concerts and comedians to dance, musicals, and operas. The Sharon seats just over 1,000 guests in a multi-level theater offering state of the art audio, visual, and theatrical rigging systems to create an entertainment experience second to none. The Studio Theatre is led by Producer Jason Goedken and Artistic Director Whitney Morse. Resident Musical Director, Gary Powell; Set Designer, Kenneth Constant; Lighting Designer, Weston Corey; Production Manager, Danielle Paccione and House Manager, Grace Petty. #TheStudioTheatreTDS #TSOML
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THE STORY OF MY LIFE Music and Lyrics by Neil Bartram
Book by Brian Hill
is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com Original Broadway Production produced in 2009 by Chase Mishkin, Jack M. Dalgleish, Bud Martin, Carole L. Haber in association with Chunsoo Shin "The Story of My Life" received its world premier at the Canadian Stage Company's Berkeley Street Theatre, in Toronto, Canada on November 2, 2006 The Musical was presented at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals in 2007 Subsequently Produced by Goodspeed Musicals, Michael P. Price, Executive Producer The videotaping or other video audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
Producer Jason Goedken Artistic Director Whitney Morse
Director Jeremy Seghers
Scenic Designer Kenneth Constant
Production Manager Danielle Paccione
Costume Designer Monica Titus
Sound/AV Design Nick Erickson
Lighting Designer Weston Corey
Asst Lighting Designer Eric Van Tassell
Stage Manager Stefany Sosa
House Manager Grace Petty www.TheSharon.com
Company Manager Autumn Encarnacion 3
THE STORY OF MY LIFE Write What You Know. Thomas, a successful author is tasked to write the eulogy of his lifelong friend Alvin. Delving deep into the recesses of his mind, Thomas finds himself staring at a notebook of empty pages. Sifting through thousands of memories with his inspiring and eccentric friend, Thomas celebrates a lifetime of love, devotion, and friendship. Guided by Alvin we see their complicated relationship and the influence it had on making Thomas' dreams a reality. This intimate two-person musical celebrates the balance necessary for a lasting friendship and the consequences when life gets in the way.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES: Diana Son
S T O P K I S S
It S
h ou l d a n You B ee
NOV 27 - DEC 30
Book & Lyrics Brian Hargrove
Music & Concept Barbara Anselmi
Translated by Christopher Hampton “A Doll's House (Hampton, trans.)” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.
IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU
A DOLL'S HOUSE (Hampton trans.)
JAN 15 - FEB 24
MARCH 19 - APRIL 28
Su bmissions OPEN NOW Until Nov 1st 4
A Doll's House
JUST MARRIED
IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com
STOP KISS
Henrik Ibsen
Submit your full length play scripts to Scripts@TheSharonStudio.com For more information visit www.TheSharonStudio.com
www.TheSharonStudio.com
CAST ALAN GILLESPIE* (Thomas Weaver) Is thrilled to be making his debut at The Studio Theatre! Alan recently relocated to Orlando after living in NYC for the last twenty years and just returned to Florida after playing Sam in Mamma Mia at Maples Repertory Theatre and Sierra Repertory Theatre. National Tours: Miss Saigon (Chris), Showboat (Steve Baker). Tokyo, Japan: The Who’s Tommy (The Specialist). Regional: Goodspeed Opera House, Westchester Broadway Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, Downtown Cabaret Theatre, New Provincetown Players, Bergen PAC. NYC: Musicals Tonight, Fringe Festival, NYMF, 54Below, Carnegie Hall. Education: Westminster Choir College, AMDA. Upcoming: Black Stache in Peter And The Starcatcher and Frederick in Young Frankenstein at The Waterfront Playhouse and Steve in Heartbeats at The Winter Park Playhouse. For my wife, Michelle. www.alangillespienyc.com ALEX JORTH* (Alvin Kelby) is happily making his debut with The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol! He is familiar with the space, however, having just appeared as Skip in Victory Productions' Life Could Be A Dream. As a resident of Southeast Florida, Alex performs across the state with companies such as the Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, Billy Elliot, The Producers), Slow Burn Theatre Company (Violet), MnM Productions (La Cage Aux Follies), Palm Beach DramaWorks (A Little Night Music, 110 In The Shade), The Wick Theatre (42nd Street, Oklahoma!, Dames At Sea, etc.), TheatreZone (Godspell, Mack & Mabel, Copacabana, etc.), Alhambra Theatre (Crazy For You, Joseph..., etc.), and last but not least, alongside the Muppets at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Nationally, Alex has appeared in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the Footloose 10th Anniversary National Tour, and at McCarter Theatre Center, Gateway Playhouse, Porthouse Theatre, Little Theatre on the Square and many others. Alex is a proud Iowa native, Millikin University graduate (BFA Music Theatre), and Actors' Equity Association member.
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, appearing under a special agreement with Actors' Equity Association.
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JEREMY SEGHERS (Director, US/Thomas and Alvin) is an independent producer and director known for staging immersive theatre in site-specific environments. These credits include: A Clockwork Orange (DRIP), Equus (The Acre Orlando), Dracula (Carmine Boutique), This Is Our Youth (Macbeth Studio), and Saint Joan (The Fred Stone Theatre). Other Orlando credits: Mysterious Skin (Orlando Fringe), A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney (Orlando Shakespeare Theater), and Red Black and Ignorant (Valencia College). Jeremy is thrilled to be directing such a lovely musical at The Studio Theatre, and would like to thank Whitney, Jason, Gary, and Danielle for this incredible opportunity. GARY POWELL (Musical Director) Gary has been musically directing and staging shows for over 30 years in Texas, Chicago, New York City, and now Central Florida. Select standouts of Gary’s career include Sound of Music, Godspell, Brigadoon, South Pacific, and regionally Sweet Charity and Next to Normal at the Skokie Theatre. He has worked on several world premiere productions including: Tomorrow Morning and Scotch Verdict. While directing in Chicago, Gary was nominated for several Jeff Awards for the following productions: Jerry Springer-The Opera, Thrill Me, Addam’s Family, Opus 1861, The Baker’s Wife, Kiss of The Spider Woman, Evolution/Creation, and Cats among several others. Gary currently serves as the Resident Music director for both The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. NEIL BARTRAM (Music and Lyrics) Born in England, raised in Canada, and now a resident of New York, Neil is best known as the composer and lyricist of Broadway's The Story of My Life (four Drama Desk Award nominations) which starred Will Chase and Malcolm Gets and was directed by Richard Maltby Jr.. Prior to Broadway, The Story of My Life played at CanStage in Toronto and Goodspeed Musicals' Norma Terris Theatre in Connecticut. Neil has also written music and lyrics for Somewhere in the World (five seasons at the Charlottetown Festival), Clara's Piano (Stratford Festival), Not Wanted On The Voyage (AMTP, 2012 Goodspeed Festival), The Adventures of Pinocchio (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Greenwich Theatre London), Spin (Signature Theatre) and Belles Soeurs (Segal Centre Montreal, upcoming National Arts Centre Ottawa). His musical The Theory of Relativity, commissioned by Toronto's Sheridan College under the auspices of the Canadian Music Theatre Project just enjoyed a hugely successful run at Goodspeed Musicals' Norma Terris Theatre and had its off-West End premiere this summer at the Drayton Arms Theatre. Current projects include a musical based on Ray Bradbury's classic novel Something Wicked This Way Comes and the stage adaptation of Disney's beloved film Bedknobs & Broomsticks. On all his projects Neil collaborates with book writer Brian Hill. Neil's awards include the ASCAP Foundations Yellen Award, a Jonathan Larson Foundation Award, a Dramatists Guild Fellowship, and a Dora Award. Cast albums include Somewhere in the World and The Story of My Life (PS Classics). Neil is a member of the Dramatists Guild, ASCAP, and is an alumnus of the BMI Lehman Engel Music Theatre Workshop. He is published by Warner/Chappell Music.
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BRIAN HILL (Author) In collaboration with composer/lyricist Neil Bartram, Brian has written the book for a number of musicals including an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Nightingale and the Rose and Somewhere In the World, which was a hit for five seasons at the Charlottetown Festival. Not Wanted on the Voyage, an adaptation of the provocative Timothy Findley novel, is in development with the AMTP and Northwestern University under the direction of Amanda Dehnert. Clara's Piano, conceived and directed by Susan H. Schulman, was developed by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The Story of My Life gained recognition through the NAMT Festival of new musicals and received a workshop production at Goodspeed Musicals' Norma Terris Theater and had its Broadway premier in February of 2009 directed by Richard Maltby, Jr. and starring Malcolm Gets and Will Chase. Brian received a 2009 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Book for The Story of My Life. GOODSPEED MUSICALS has achieved international acclaim for its dedication to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre. Under the direction of Michael P. Prince since 1986, Goodspeed produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, 17 of which have gone to Broadway (including Man of La Mancha, Shenandoah, and Annie), receiving more than a dozen Tony wards, in addition, Goodspeed produces three new musicals each year at The Norma Terris Theatre, opened in 1984 in Chester, Connecticut, for the development of new musicals. Also integral to its mission, Goodspeed houses the Scherer Library of Musical Theatre, which preserves scores, sheet music, scripts, original cast recordings, playbills, and theatre memorabilia, and has established the Max Showalter Center for Education in the Musical Theater to educate and train future generations of theatergoers and theatrical professionals. Goodspeed has received two Special Tony Awards, for its outstanding achievements. To learn more visit www.goodspeed.org ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 50,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages and working conditions, and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension. Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. #EquityWorks
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CAST Thomas Weaver..................................................... Alan Gillespie* Alvin Kelby................................................................. Alex Jorth* US/Thomas and Alvin........................................... Jeremy Seghers
PRODUCTION TEAM Production Manager..........................................Danielle Paccione Costume Designer....................................................Monica Titus Scenic Designer................................................Kenneth Constant Lighting Designer.................................................. Weston Corey Assistant Lighting Designer.................................. Eric Van Tassell Sound/AV Designer............................................... Nick Erickson Stage Manager........................................................... Stefany Sosa Assistant Stage Manager.......................................Stephanie Horn P.A./Sound Operator................................................ Amber Sacks Prop Master.............................................................. Amber Sacks Master Carpenter.................................................Preston Speaker Scenic Carpenter....................................................Tony Fairchild Scenic Charge..................................................Kenneth Constant Scenic Artist............................................................ Jess Mahoney
SPECIAL THANKS The Villages® Marketing Tierra del Sol Bar & Grill City Furniture for providing The Studio Theatre with all the furniture for this season’s productions.
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, appearing under a special agreement with Actors' Equity Association.
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