'Gutenberg! The Musical!' Chicago Premiere June 19

The critically acclaimed musical comedy by Scott Brown and Anthony King, Gutenberg! The Musical! will make its Chicago premiere at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted. The six week limited engagement will preview June 19, open on June 25 and run through July 27. Tickets go on sale on May 15. Obie Award winning director Alex Timbers and co-director Ian Unterman will lead the creative team in Chicago, with musical direction by T.O. Sterrett.
 
In this hilarious two-man musical spoof, a pair of aspiring writers performs a backers' audition for their new project—a big, splashy musical about printing press inventor Johann Gutenberg, the evil monk who tries to stop him, and the beautiful woman who loves him.  With an unending supply of enthusiasm, Bud and Doug sing over endless songs and play over 30 roles in the outrageous play within a play. The duo hope that one of the producers in attendance will give them a Broadway contract, fulfilling their bright-eyed, and ill-advised, dreams.
 
Gutenberg! The Musical! was the first Off-Broadway transfer for the acclaimed Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, where it was originally developed in 2003 and showcased in 2005 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival as part of the Comedy Series. The show's critically acclaimed world premiere followed, opening at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London in January 2006. These performances featured authors Scott Brown and Anthony King in the starring roles of "Bud" and "Doug".

In September 2006, the U.S. premiere of Gutenberg! The Musical! was presented as part of the third annual New York Musical Theatre Festival, where it received three NYMF Awards, including Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing (Book) for Scott Brown and Anthony King. A limited engagement followed the festival at 59E59 Theater in December 2006. Gutenberg! The Musical! then transferred to The Actors' Playhouse in Greenwich Village in January of 2007.

Gutenberg! The Musical! is presented by John Pinckard. As an inaugural recipient of the prestigious T. Edward Hambleton Fellowship for gifted commercial producers, Pinckard has worked under the mentorship of Hal Prince, Margo Lion (Angels in America, Hairspray), Gregory Mosher (Artistic Director, Lincoln Center, 1985-94), and director Jack O'Brien (The Coast of Utopia, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels).
 
Pinckard had back to back successes at the New York International Fringe Festival: in 2005 with Silence! the Musical, the best selling show in Fringe Festival history and in 2006 with the return engagement of Never Swim Alone. His other notable credits include the New York premiere of Verbatim Verboten (director/producer) and the US premiere of Michael MacLennan's The Shooting Stage at The Culture Project (also director/producer).
 
Pinckard has served on the faculty of the University of Florida and has guest lectured at universities and colleges across the southeast. He is charter member of the board of directors of the League of Independent Theatre, a service organization for 99-seat theatres and Off Off Broadway theatre companies dedicated to preserving and advancing the well-being and influence of the independent and experimental theatre community in the cultural life of New York City and the nation.
 
Scott Brown, author of Gutenberg! The Musical! has appeared in several shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. He originated the role of "Bud Davenport" in the New York and London premiere of the show. Brown, as well as co-author Anthony King, was nominated for a 2007 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical for Gutenberg! The Musical!Offstage, Brown writes articles and reviews for Entertainment Weekly and Time.
 
Anthony King, author, has performed solo shows including Chosen at the New York City International Fringe Festival and DAY 8: Take Complete Control at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. On television, King has been featured on "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" and MTV's "Human Giant." He has starred in the Comedy Central Motherload show "All Access: Middle Ages." King's regional and New York City directing credits include 1940s Radio Hour, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Chorus Line, as well as many new shows including The Patriots (HBO Aspen Comedy Festival), Who's Your Daddy? (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), God's Pottery (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Listen Kid (NYMF 2005) and Mister (starring Anthony Rapp). He has written for GQ and Entertainment Weekly. King is currently the Artistic Director of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York where he also performs every Saturday night in the improvised comedy show REUBEN WILLIAMS: As Seen on TV.
 
Director Alex Timbers' credits include A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant at the New York Theatre Workshop, for which he won an OBIE Award and Garland Award for Best Director, Hell House at St. Ann's Warehouse, which was nominated for a Drama Desk for Unique Theatrical Experience, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Center Theatre Group in LA, and Boozy for The Culture Project for which he was recognized as "10 Best of 2005" by the DAILY NEWS and TIME OUT NEW YORK. Timbers is a recipient of fellowships from Williamstown, the Drama League, and Sundance, and he is the Artistic Director of award-winning theater company Les Freres Corbusier. He was nominated for a 2007 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical for Gutenberg! The Musical!
 
Musical Director T.O. Sterrett's Broadway credits include Pianist, Keyboards and Assistant Conductor for Wicked, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar (Revival), and the world-renowned Dance of the Vampires. He has been the Conductor/Music Director for Mos Def, Tommy Tune, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Liz Callaway, Katey Sagal, S. Epatha Merkerson, Stephanie Pope and Bobby Cannavale, among others. He has numerous performance credits in Carnegie Hall with Shirley Bassey. Sterrett is the composer for the PBS series "Great Projects: The Building of America," "The Trial of Adolf Eichmann," many other films. He is currently composing a musical theatre show with producer and writer Brian Hargrove.

The performance schedule for Gutenberg! The Musical! is as follows: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 P.M., Saturdays at 5:00 and 9:00 P.M., and Sunday at 3:00 and 7:00 P.M. through July 27.  Tickets are $35.00. Student and senior discounts are also available. Tickets can be purchased at the Royal George Box Office, 1641 N. Halsted, Chicago, or by phone at 312.988.9000. Tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster, 312.902.1500, Ticketmaster.com or all Ticketmaster ticket centers.  For more information, please visit www.gutenbergthemusical.com.