Emily Koch Stars as 'Elphaba' in WICKED, Beginning Tonight at Segerstrom Center

The WICKED tour is thrilled to welcome Emily Koch as Elphaba, Amanda Jane Cooper as Glinda, Megan Masako Haley as Nessarose and Sam Seferian as Boq at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa tonight, February 17, through March 6, 2016.

Tickets start at $49 and may be purchased online at SCFTA.org, by calling (714) 556-2787 and at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. For inquiries about group ticket discounts, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. The 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, March 5 will include audio description, open captioning and sign-language interpretation.

Emily Koch comes directly from the Broadway company of WICKED, where she was the Elphaba Standby. Other credits include Little Women at Palo Alto TheatreWorks, VaulueVille and Housewarming at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Emily is a Carnegie Mellon Musical Theatre graduate, a youngARTS finalist and Interlochen Arts Camp and Academy alumnus.

Amanda Jane Cooper is returning to WICKED after having played Glinda in the First National Tour. Also a Carnegie Mellon graduate, Amanda's credits include: Letter From Algeria, BUNKED! A New Musical, What the Butler Saw and Bye Bye Birdie, to name a few. She has also appeared on "Glee," Disney's "Jessie," "Bones" and "Masters of Sex."

Megan Masako Haley, new to the WICKED family, has performed in The King and I, Disney's Mulan, as well as appeared in episodes of "Blue Bloods," "Younger" and "Broad City."

Sam Seferian, a graduate of Penn State University, is also new to the WICKED Company. Regionally, he has appeared in productions at Paper Mill Playhouse, The MUNY and North Shore Music Theatre.

The company also features Wendy Worthington (Madame Morrible), Stuart Zagnit (The Wizard), Jake Boyd (Fiyero), Chad Jennings (Doctor Dillamond), and Mary Kate Morrissey (Standby for Elphaba) with Allison Bailey, Kerry Blanchard, Beka Burnham, Bridie Carroll, Jordan Casanova, Kennedy Caughell, Michael Di Liberto, Michael Drolet, Kelli Erdmann, Ryan Patrick Farrell, Dominic Giudici, Dan Gleason, Kali Grinder, Lauren Haughton, Ryan Jackson, Kelly Lafarga, Lauren Sambataro, Wayne Schroder, Tregoney Shepherd, Mark Shunkey, Ben Susak, Travis Taber, Jeremy Thompson and Justin Wirick.

The surprising tale of an unlikely friendship between two women in the Land of Oz, WICKED tells the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, long before Dorothy drops in. Elphaba, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. Glinda is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. The remarkable odyssey of how these unexpected friends changed each other's lives for good has made WICKED one of the world's most popular musicals.

WICKED has been performed in over 100 cities in 13 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, and Mexico) and has thus far been translated into five languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, and Korean. Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED is the winner of over 100 international major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Godspell, Academy Award®-winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman ("My So Called Life," "Once And Again" and "thirtysomething"), WICKED is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues) and features musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy, How To Succeed...).

Grammy Award-Winning Cast recording available on Decca Broadway. For more information about WICKED log on to www.wickedthemusical.com.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School, where students ages 3 - 14 are taught by acclaimed teachers utilizing the renowned ABT National Training Curriculum in studios utilized by the world's greatest dancers and choreographers.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family- friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events.

The Center's education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year. In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.