BLOOD BROTHERS Begins at Astoria Performing Arts Center Tonight

The Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) has announced Willy Russell's (Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine) BLOOD BROTHERS, musical staging by Christine O'Grady, musical direction by Julianne B. Merrill, and directed by Tom Wojtunik. BLOOD BROTHERS will play a limited engagement at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (30-44 Crescent St, Astoria, NY 11102. Entrance on 30th Road.) Performances begin tonight, May 2 and continue through Saturday, May 18. Opening Night is Saturday, May 4 (8 p.m.).

The Tony Nominated and Oliver Award Winning Best Musical BLOOD BROTHERS tells the tragic story of a mother who, unable to support her children, surrenders one of her newborn twins to a childless woman. Unaware that they are brothers, the boys grow up just streets apart in vastly different homes - one wealthy, the other poor. Despite their different upbringings, they become close friends. But when they fall in love with the same girl, their friendship is tested, and their fate sealed.

The musical debuted in 1983, winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. The recent West End revival was one of the longest-running musical productions in history; it opened in 1988, and ended its run on October 27, 2012, having played over 10,000 performances. The Broadway production opened in 1993 at the Music Box Theatre and closed in 1995 after 840 performances. The central role of Mrs. Johnstone has been played by, among others, Barbara Dickinson, Stephanie Lawrence, Kiki Dee, Petula Clark, Carole King, and Helen Reddy. The role of Mickey has been played by both Russell Crowe (in Australia) and David Cassidy (opposite his brother Shaun).

The production stars Colleen Hawks* (Shrek the Musical & The Boy from Oz, B'way) as Mrs. Johnstone, John Ashley Brown* (Grease, Nat'l Tour) as the Narrator, Rowan Michael Meyer* (Amadeus, Maltz Jupiter Theatre) as Mickey, Simon Pearl* (Les Miserables, B'way) as Edward, Kayla Wickes (Hamlet, Boomerang Theatre Co.) as Linda, Marisa Devetta* (APAC's The Secret Garden) as Mrs. Lyons, Matthew Labanca* (Young Frankenstein & White Christmas, B'way) as Mr. Lyons and Jonathan Gregg* (APAC's The Human Comedy & Ragtime) as Sammy. The ensemble includes Joey Donnelly (Non-Equity the Musical), Britain Gebhardt (APAC's Billy Witch & The Secret Garden), Mary-ElizaBeth Milton (Footloose, Nat'l Tour), Jan-Peter Pedross* (APAC's The Human Comedy & The Secret Garden), Jason Pintar (Titanic, Nat'l Tour) and Kristin Stewart (The Wizard of Oz, Nat'l Tour).

The production features scenic design by Stephen K. Dobay, costume design by Caitlin Cisek, and lighting design by Dan Jobbins. David M. Corsello is the sound designer, Aaron Sheckler is the props designer, Kenneth Garner is the dialect/accent coach, Ryan Kasprzak is the fight director, Jennifer Lane is the dramaturg and Michael Friedlander* is the stage manager. Casting by Scott Wojcik and Gayle Seay of Wojcik|Seay Casting.

BLOOD BROTHERS plays the following regular schedule through Saturday, May 18: Thursdays at 8 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Running Time: 150 minutes.

Tickets are $18, available online at www.apacny.org or by calling 888-596-1027. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Theatre Box Office, 30 minutes prior to the performance. Shows run at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 30-44 Crescent St (@30th Rd), Astoria, NY.

Directions: Take the N or Q Subway to 30th Avenue. Walk down 30th Ave. to Crescent St. (Mount Sinai Hospital is on the corner.) Turn left on Crescent Street. Walk one block south, then turn right onto 30th Rd. Entrance is second set of red doors on left.

Willy Russell (Book, Music & Lyrics) was represented on Broadway with his smash-hit transfer from London, Blood Brothers, as well as Shirley Valentine, for which he won the 1989 Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Play, and the Oliver Award for Best Comedy of the Year. His worldwide hit play and movie Educating Rita won London's SWET Award for Best Comedy, and in 1981, an Academy Award nomination for screenplay adaptation. Born in Liverpool, he left school at 15 to become a hairdresser before returning to education and becoming a teacher. It was while training to become a teacher that he wrote his first play, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, When the Reds. His adaptation of Alan Plater's Tigers are Coming O.K. was his first professional work, presented in Liverpool in 1973. This was followed by John Paul George Ringo... and Bert, which moved from Liverpool to the West End, winning the Evening Standard and London Theatre Critics Awards for Best Musical. Mr. Russell was commissioned to write a play for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The result, Educating Rita, ran on the West End for two years, has been performed all over the world and was made into a motion picture starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. Blood Brothers opened in Liverpool in 1983, before subsequently moving to the West End. In addition to the film Educating Rita he wrote screenplays for the movie versions of Shirley Valentine and Dancing Thru The Dark based on his plays Stags and Hens. His plays have been translated into almost every language, with productions currently running in Japan, Australia, South America, Scandinavia and Europe.

Tom Wojtunik (Director) is the Artistic Director of the Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC), where he directed The Secret Garden, Love Trapezoid (workshop), The Human Comedy, Children of Eden (NY IT Award, Outstanding Musical), The Pillowman, Ragtime and Proof. Other NY credits: The Secret Catcher (Ensemble Studio Theatre); The Groove Factory (NYMF); It Is Done (22Q Entertainment/Mean Fiddler); The Play About the Naked Guy, Edenville (NY IT Award Nomination for Best Director, Emerging Artists Theatre); Grease 3: Threase (UCB/The Pit);
The Miss Education of Jenna Bush (FringeNYC, Best Solo Show & Audience Favorite); Bright Lights, Big City (Marymount Manhattan College); The Who's Tommy, Man of La Mancha, Urinetown (NY IT Award, Outstanding Musical), Take Me Out (Gallery Players); I'm In Love With Your Wife (Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival). Tom is a member of the LCT Directors' Lab, the Ensemble Studio Theatre and Emerging Artists Theatre. BFA: Marymount Manhattan College. SDC Member. www.tomwojtunik.com

ASTORIA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (APAC), a not-for-profit organization, was founded in 2001 with a mission to bring high quality theater to Astoria, Queens, and to support local youth and senior citizens.

On its mainstage, APAC produces revivals and premieres of plays and musicals. APAC also develops new works through readings and workshops. Its flexible theater space changes with each production. To date, APAC has received 21 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations and 4 wins (Children of Eden & Ragtime), as well as an Off-Off Broadway Theatre Review Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical (Is There Life After High School?). In 2012, the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation honored APAC with its Caffe Cino Fellowship.

APAC offers free annual community programs, including a summer performance camp for children ages 8-13, an after school playwriting program for middle school students, and a performance program for Queens residents over the age of 60. These programs deepen ties with the community, and develop new audiences for theater. Diverse programming and consistent quality attracts a loyal and growing audience that reflects the diversity of Western Queens and also draws from the other boroughs and beyond.

In addition to its theater space within the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, APAC's offices are located within the historic Kaufman Astoria Studios. For more information on APAC, visit www.apacny.org.