Samantha Barks Leads AMELIE Workshop; Premieres at Berkeley Rep This August

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Berkeley Repertory Theatre will kick off its 48th season with the world premiere of Amélie, an inventive and captivating new musical directed by Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) written by Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss). BroadwayWorld has just confirmed that Les Miserables star Samantha Barks recently led a recent NYC workshop of the new musical.

Casting for the Berkeley run has not yet been announced. Stay tuned for more news!

Barks' theatre credits include: Chicago (Hollywood Bowl, LA); 24 Hour Plays (LA); Oliver! (UK tour); LES MISERABLES (Queen's); LES MISERABLES - 25th Anniversary (O2); Cabaret (Birmingham Rep). Film includes: The Devil's Harvest; Dracula Untold; The Christmas Candle; LES MISERABLES; A Hundred Streets. Television includes: Groove High.

Amélie captured our hearts in the five-time Academy Award nominated film. Now she comes to the stage in a stirring score by Daniel Messé of the acclaimed band Hem with lyrics by Nathan Tysen (The Burnt Part Boys) and Messé. Embark on a mesmerizing journey with inquisitive and charmingly shy Amélie as she turns the streets of Montmartre into a world of her own imagining, while secretly orchestrating moments of joy for those around her.

In four decades, four million people have enjoyed more than 300 shows at Berkeley Rep. These shows have gone on to win five Tony Awards, seven Obie Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, one Grammy Award, and many other honors. Its bustling facilities - which include the 400-seat Thrust Stage, the 600-seat Roda Theatre, the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, the Osher Studio, and a spacious new campus in West Berkeley - are helping revitalize an illustrious city. A not-for-profit organization, the Theatre welcomes an annual audience of 200,000, serves 23,000 students, and hosts dozens of community groups every year, thanks to 1,000 volunteers and more than 330 artists, artisans, and administrators. The Roda Theatre and the Thrust Stage are both located on Addison Street in downtown Berkeley, near bus lines, bike routes, and parking lots - and only half a block from BART. For more information, call (510) 647-2949 or visit: berkeleyrep.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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