New Village Arts Kicks Off the Holiday Season With FOREVER PLAID: PLAID TIDINGS, Today

NVA presents the heartwarming and hilarious holiday show PLAID TIDINGS. A Special Holiday Edition of Forever Plaid, PLAID TIDINGS marks the return of Sparky, Jinx, Smudge, and Frankie, a teenage singing group who've been sent down to earth by the heavenly Rosemary Clooney to put a little harmony into a discordant world.

NVA has assembled a spectacular PLAID TIDINGS cast and crew to bring this charming feel-good holiday musical to life – and then some! The creative team for PLAID is almost entirely new to NVA, and we welcome local actor and director Jason Heil (who played Smudge at The Old Globe) to head the project.

Newcomers Bryan Banville (Frankie), Charles Evans (Sparky), Nathan Riley (Smudge), and Conor Tibbs (Jinx), make up the four-part harmonizers, affectionately known as "The Plaids." Lyndon Pugeda provides musical direction, and David S. Humphrey (another PLAID alum) will handle choreography.

Opening Night is Friday, November 23, 2012. Tickets can be purchased from the NVA website www.NewVillageArts.org, by phone 760.433.3245, or by visiting the NVA Box Office at 2787 State St, Carlsbad.

The show opens as the Plaids find themselves surprised to be back on Earth. But as the celestial guardians of harmony, they know they must have been sent for a special reason and mission: to bring selfless love back to the world through song! The Spirit of Christmas takes hold as the boys take you on a journey of your favorite Holiday memories. Filled with Christmas standards that have all been "Plaid-erized," the boys' Christmas Special is packed with all your holiday favorites, including Let It Snow, I'll Be Home for Christmas, Carol of the Bells, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Jingle Bells, and many more.

Stuart Ross directed the original New York production of Forever Plaid and many of the long-running productions around the world. He also helmed Forever Plaid: The Movie, which is slated for release in the spring of 2011. The Sound of Plaid, the coed glee club version of Forever Plaid, has been performed in schools and colleges around the country. At The Old Globe, Ross also directed Michael Cristofer's play Breaking Up and The Boswell Sisters (which he co-wrote for the Globe with Mark Hampton). He directed the critically acclaimed revival of Enter Laughing: The Musical (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Award nominations) last season in New York. At The Public Theater, he wrote the script and co-wrote the lyrics for the musical Radiant Baby, based on the life of artist Keith Haring. His adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers was workshopped at Roundabout Theatre Company. On Broadway, Ross co-wrote the book (with Barry Keating) of the Tony-nominated musical Starmites as well as The Radio City Music Hall Easter Show. Off Broadway he wrote A Leap of Faith (a one-woman show for Faith Prince), The Heebie Jeebies, Not-So-New Faces, Tea with Bea and Fun with Dick and Jane: The Musical. His current projects include Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, opening this fall in Los Angeles, and the Broadway transfer of Enter Laughing: The Musical.

Jason Heil, MFA from UC Irvine, is an actor and director making his NVA Debut with Plaid Tidings. Local directing credits include: Intrepid Shakespeare Company: Turn of the Screw, Moonlight Stage Productions: The Mousetrap, You Never Can Tell, Ring Round the Moon, Barefoot in the Park and the upcoming Born Yesterday. Other directing credits include Twelfth Night (Actors Repertory Theatre, Middletown, OH), Brilliant Traces (Finishing the Hat Productions, L.A.), Baby: In Concert (Shropshire Wolverine Productions), and The Visit, Jacques
and his Master, Manny & Jake, Recensio, and Closetland (UC Irvine). As an actor, Jason has appeared locally at The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Cygnet Theatre, San Diego & North Coast Repertory Theatres, ion theatre company, and Lamb's Players Theatre (Associate Artist) & regionally at A Noise Within, Arkansas & Tennessee Repertory Theatres, and the Utah, Lake Tahoe, Texas, & Marin Shakespeare Festivals.

Lyndon Pugeda is excited to return to New Village Arts after having played for Into the Woods in Season 10. Other musical direction credits include Once on This Island, Legally Blonde and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Lyndon has also played in the orchestra for other local theaters including Moonlight Stage Productions and Diversionary Theater. Lyndon is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego where he received a BA in Music: Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts. He is currently the Vocal Music Director at the Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts and a resident Music Director for the Rancho Buena Vista High School Drama Department. Aside from theater, Lyndon is a singer/songwriter who has performed at venues including the House of Blues and the San Diego County Fair.

David S. Humphrey is a multi-talented actor, singer, dancer and choreographer. Shows as an actor include National Tour: Forever Plaid and Plaid Tidings. Regional Theatre San Diego County: Oklahoma, Forever Plaid, Plaid Tidings with The Welk Resort; Bleeding Kansas with Moxie Theatre; Guys and Dolls with Moonlight Amphitheatre; Mixtape, Secret Garden, Into The Woods, South Pacific, 1776, and Cotton Patch Gospel with Lambs Players Theatre; A Little Night Music, Invention of Love with Cygnet Theatre; Tom Foolery with NCRT/Renaissance Theatre; 1776, I Love You You're Perfect…, Forever Plaid with San Diego CLO; Plaid Tidings with Broadway/San Diego; Forever Plaid with The Theatre in Old Town. Regional Theatre LA/Riverside County: Forever Plaid with CLO South Bay (Ovation Nomination); Plaid Tidings with La Mirada (Ovation Nomination); 1776 with Performance Riverside (Ovation Nomination). David is the original voice of Shadow the Hedgehog for the Sonic the Hedgehog video games with the Sega Corp., and the voice of Jack Keane for the action/adventure pc game Jack Keane. David is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association since 1998.

The cast brings fresh new energy to the NVA stage; all making their NVA debuts are: Bryan Banville, Charles Evans, Nathan Riley, and Conor Tibbs. Bryan Banville and Nathan Riley most recently appeared in Cygnet Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Man of La Mancha, "when they sing all together it is thrilling," Charlene Baldridge said of Banville, Riley, and their castmates. Charles Evans played Mark in the La Jolla Playhouse's "quirky, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining" The Car Plays. And Conor Tibbs recently finished runs in Zoot Suit at the San Diego Rep, and Sweeney Todd for Moonlight Stage productions.

The creative team features San Diego favorite Bonnie Durben on properties design, NVA's Executive Artistic Director Kristianne Kurner will be 'decking the stage' as set designer, Garrett Wysocki is doing sound, Kate Bishop will provide the costume design in shades of – you guessed it – plaid, Amber Steinbeck is our lighting designer, and Mark Patricio is the Assistant Stage Manager.

Tickets range from $27-33 for all performances. The performance schedule varies, and performances are available Tues-Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday & Saturday at 8pm, Matinees are Saturday at 3pm and Sunday at 2pm. A complete list of performance dates and times is available at www.NewVillageArts.org. New Village Arts is located at 2787 State Street in Carlsbad Village. Tickets can be purchased at www.NewVillageArts.org or by calling 760.433.3245.

New Village Arts has teamed up with local Carlsbad businesses to support our local warriors in a "Home for the Holidays" promotion with PLAID TIDINGS. NVA is honored to be working with Warrior Foundation, a San Diego-based organization that supports wounded and disabled military and their families. NVA patrons can purchase tickets to PLAID TIDINGS on behalf of a veteran, and for every ticket purchased, Carlsbad restaurants Flippin' Pizza, Knockout Pizza, and Senor Grubby's will donate gift cards to The Warrior Foundation. As a thank you to NVA patrons for their generosity, every ticket purchase will receive a free wine tasting at RELM Wine Bar. NVA is honored to partner with this excellent foundation to thank our military heroes with the offer of an evening out in Carlsbad with their families. More information can be found at www.newvillagearts.org and www.warriorfoundation.com.