| Amas Musical Theatre To Present New York Premiere of "DISTANT THUNDER - A New American Musical" at A.R.T./New York Theatres - Performances Begin September 25 | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 12:28 pm EDT 08/14/24 | |
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| FULL CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED! AMAS MUSICAL THEATRE IN ASSOCIATION WITH TALL TREE PRODUCTIONS LLC PRESENTS THE OFF-BROADWAY PREMIERE OF "DISTANT THUNDER" A NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL BOOK BY LYNNE TAYLOR-CORBETT AND SHAUN TAYLOR-CORBETT MUSIC & LYRICS BY SHAUN TAYLOR-CORBETT AND CHRIS WISEMAN ADDITIONAL MUSIC & LYRICS BY ROBERT LINDSEY-NASSIF AND MICHAEL MORICZ DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY LYNNE TAYLOR-CORBETT TRADITIONAL DANCES COACHED BY THUNDERBIRD AMERICAN INDIAN DANCERS AND BRENT FLORENDO FEATURING: JEFF BAREHAND, SPENCER BATTIEST, AUBEE BILLIE, XANDER CHAUNCEY, BONALE FAMBRINI, BRENT FLORENDO, CHAVA FLORENDO, ANGELA GÓMEZ, IRMA-ESTEL LAGUERRE, JOHNLEE LOOKINGGLASS, GLENN STANTON, MICHELLE RIOS, SAMPWE TARRANT, SHAUN TAYLOR-CORBETT, AND CHELSEA ZENO MEZZANINE THEATRE A.R.T./NEW YORK THEATRES 502 WEST 53rd STREET (10th AVENUE & 53rd STREET) PREVIEWS BEGIN WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 OPENING NIGHT SET FOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2024 PERFORMANCES THROUGH SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2024 TICKETS NOW ON SALE ALL PREVIEWS ARE $35 New York, NY (8/14/24) – Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer) in association with Tall Tree Productions LLC, today announced the cast and creative team for the Off-Broadway premiere of Distant Thunder: A New American Musical, the first mainstream Indigenous musical in New York City, with book by Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Shaun Taylor-Corbett, music and lyrics by Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Chris Wiseman, with additional music by Robert Lindsey-Nassif and Michael Moricz, and directed and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett. Previews begin at the Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres 502 West 53rd Street (10th Avenue & 53rd Street) on Wednesday, September 25th at 7:00pm with an official opening on Thursday, October 3 at 7:00pm. Performances will continue through October 27, 2024. In Distant Thunder, a child is taken from his Blackfeet tribe and returns as a young attorney with an opportunity that unwittingly sets off a firestorm. Pop-rock merges with Native drumming and dancing, fusing cultures in this ultimately joyful first-of-its-kind musical. "When Lynne Taylor-Corbett told me years ago that her son Shaun was working on a contemporary musical based on an amalgam of true events that take place on the Blackfeet Reservation, I immediately knew it was a perfect fit for Amas Musical Theatre," says Donna Trinkoff. "Shaun began his quest for identity at the age of 14 when he found a mentor in Darrell Robes Kipp, founder of the Cuts Wood School on the Blackfeet Reservation, who dedicated his life to preserving Pikuni language and culture. He encouraged Shaun to tell his story, and the seed was planted. The show deals with real life issues happening in Browning, Montana and across Indian Country with a score that fuses Native and pop music in a unique way that has not been experienced before. Now is the time to bring this show in its full glory to audiences in New York City and from here to the larger arena of American Musical Theatre around the country." The cast for Distant Thunder is Jeff Barehand, Spencer Battiest, Aubee Billie, Xander Chauncey, Bonale Fambrini, Brent Florendo, Chava Florendo, Angela Gómez, Irma-Estel Laguerre, Johnlee Lookingglass, Glenn Stanton, Michelle Rios, Sampwe Tarrant, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, and Chelsea Zeno. The creative team is Regina García (Scenic Design), E.B. Brooks and Younghawk Bautista (Costume Design), Anthony Pearson (Lighting Design), Ben Selke (Sound Design), James Woods (Music Director ), Michael Moricz (Musical Supervision/Arrangements), Brian Lawton (Associate Director/Choreographer ), Josh Iacovelli (Properties), Peter Feuchtwanger (Production Supervisor). Amber Johnson is the Production Stage Manager. Casting is by Stephanie Klapper Casting. Cultural Consultant is Brent Florendo and Blackfeet advisors are Smokey and Darnell Rides At The Door. Distant Thunder is presented by Amas Musical Theatre in association with Tall Tree Productions, Butler Tibetts, Paula Chaiken & Joe Kraus, Rand Fishkin & Geraldine DeRuiter, Paula Grosch & Mike Wardell, Willette & Manny Klausner, Isaac Koyfman and Tanya Scott, Richard & Sally Opper, Phoenix Theatre Company, Patricia Ripley and Butch Grier/Ripley-Grier Studios, Terry Schnuck, Andrew & Julia Wang and Jeff & Liesl Wilke. The performance schedule will be as follows: Tuesday-Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 3pm and 7pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $39-$49 ($79 premium) - All previews are $35 - and can be purchased online at www.amasmusical.org or by calling 212-563-2565. BIOS Lynne Taylor-Corbett (Co-Book/Director/Choreographer) was nominated for Tony Awards and a Drama Desk Award for Broadway's Swing! and received Drama Desk and Lortel nominations for My Vaudeville Man and Wanda's World. She directed and choreographed Cougar the Musical, KICK! and When it Happens to You Off-Broadway and adapted and directed The Lion King for Disney in Hong Kong. Her choreography can be seen in feature films Footloose, My Blue Heaven, and Bewitched. Her dance works have been commissioned by New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Company, Carolina Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet among others. Companies throughout the world have performed her works which have been seen on Live from Lincoln Center, Live from the San Francisco Opera House and on UNC-TV. Distant Thunder, written with son, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, showcased in 2022 at First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City produced by the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma a state that is the end of the Trail of Tears and home to 39 tribes. Ms. Taylor-Corbett is a member of the Society for Directors and Choreographers, and on the Counsel of Advisors for the Association on American Indian Affairs. Shaun Taylor-Corbett (Co-Book/Co-Music & Lyrics) Shaun I'Pyooksisstsiiko'om is proud to be a mixed-race artist of Amskapi Pikunni (Blackfeet), Scandinavian, Irish, and Black heritage, as well as being a member of the Kana'tsomitaiks (Blackfeet Crazy Dog Society). He was in the original production of In the Heights on Broadway and closed the show in the role of Sonny. He played Frankie Valli in the 2nd National Tour of Jersey Boys, Juan in Altar Boyz Off-Broadway, and Usnavi/Sonny on the First National Tour of In the Heights, as well as on Broadway. At Bedlam Theatre: Arcadia, A Winter's Tale, The Crucible, and Mary Stuart, and did three seasons as a company member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He is excited to continue his journey with Between Two Knees, written by the 1491s creator/writers of "Reservation Dogs" and "Rutherford Falls." You can hear Shaun's voice in the role of Coyote on the new Netflix animated series "Spirit Rangers," created by Karissa Valencia. Shaun co-narrated There There by Tommy Orange, which was nominated for an Audie Award in 2019, and recently narrated The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, also nominated for an Audie. He has narrated over 100 books. Other TV/Film: "Hi-5", "Discovery Kids", "Supremacy", "Gamer's Guide", "All My Children."www.distantthunderthemusical.com Chris Wiseman (Co-Music & Lyrics) is the president of Wiseguy Entertainment LLC – an East Coast based, television music production company. Chris's original music appears on all major networks including NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC and over 50 cable networks. His catalog includes music on hit shows including "The Voice," "Pawn Stars," "Real Housewives," NFL programming and much more. In addition to composing, Chris tours nationally with vocal group "Lights Out." He is an active, voting member of the Grammy Awards and is a member of the music peer group for the Television Academy/Primetime Emmy Awards. Robert Lindsey-Nassif (Additional Music & Lyrics) is a composer/lyricist/librettist who has worked on Broadway, off-Broadway and regionally with Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Miller, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Carol Burnett, Joss Whedon, the Shubert Organization and Disney Feature Animation. He is the recipient of the Richard Rodgers Award, the AT&T Award, and the Gilman Gonzalez-Falla Award given at Lincoln Center (Stephen Sondheim, Selection Committee Chairman). Michael Moricz (Additional Music & Lyrics/Musical Supervisor) is best-known as the music director of the Broadway League's annual Jimmy Awards, which he helped create in 2008 and arranged and conducted through 2021. He was the music director and pianist for the final five years of "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" on PBS and has composed original music for productions on the Showtime, Disney, Discovery, Fox and PBS networks. He is currently the conductor for Texas Ballet Theater and assistant conductor for the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. Michael has created special arrangements for John Lithgow, Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune, Linda Lavin, Marvin Hamlisch, Renee Fleming, John Kander, Ashley Brown, Teddy Pendergrass, Lee Roy Reams, the Broadway League, the Nederlander Organization and many others, as well as original orchestral works, chamber music, and incidental music for theatre. He composed two ballets for Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and has collaborated with Lynne on numerous theater projects, including Distant Thunder. Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer) now in its 56th year of continuous operation is New York City's award-winning pioneer in diversity and multi-ethnic casting in the performing arts since 1968. Amas ("you love" in Latin) is devoted to the creation, development and professional production of new American musicals through the celebration of diversity and minority perspectives, the emergence of new artistic talent, and the training and encouragement of underserved young people in the New York area. In recent years, Amas has emerged as a leading not-for-profit laboratory for new musicals, including Hip Hop Cinderella, The Gospel According to Heather, Romeo & Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona & Brooklyn, Broadway and the Bard, starring Len Cariou and Red Eye of Love, which was awarded the Joseph A. Callaway Award for Outstanding Choreography. Its production of The Other Josh Cohen received six 2013 Drama Desk nominations including Outstanding Musical, a 2013 Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Musical, and a 2013 Off-Broadway Alliance nomination for Best New Musical. Other shows that Amas has developed include A Taste of Chocolate, Triassic Parq, The Countess of Storyville, Distant Thunder, Marry Harry, Me and Miss Monroe, Aesop & Company, Signs of Life, Wanda's World, Shout! The Mod Musical, Lone Star Love, From My Hometown, Zanna, Don't!, 4 Guys Named Jose and Stormy Weather: Reimagining Lena Horne. Amas education programs include the Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy, Lens on Live Theatre and in-school theatre arts residencies designed in partnership with elementary, middle, and high schools. Tall Tree Productions - The name Tall Tree comes from the language immersion school in our story, which is based on the actual Cuts Wood School in Browning, Montana on the Blackfeet Reservation. The authors created this company to help convey the tremendous importance of preserving language and culture. As we continue to bring Distant Thunder to a wider community, we also aspire to support other Indigenous projects to help open the door for the treasure trove of talent waiting for support. The A.R.T./New York Theatres are a project of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A.R.T./New York), which provide state-of-the-art, accessible venues at subsidized rental rates, plus free access to top-line technical equipment, so that the city's small and emerging theatre companies can continue to experiment, grow, and produce new works. Founded in 1972, A.R.T./New York is the leading service and advocacy organization for New York City's 400+ nonprofit theatres, with a mission to assist member theatres in managing their companies effectively so that they may realize their rich artistic visions and serve their diverse audiences well. We accomplish this through a comprehensive roster of real estate, financial, educational, and community-building programs, as well as research, advocacy, and field-wide initiatives that seek to improve the long-term health and sustainability of the industry. Over the years, A.R.T./New York has received numerous honors, including an Obie Award, an Innovative Theatre Award, a New York City Mayor's Award for Arts & Culture, and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. For more information, please visit www.art-newyork.org www.amasmusical.org |
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| Link | http://www.amasmusical.org |
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