BAM! to Open Inaugural Season with Three Legendary Musicals

BAM! (Bay Area Musicals), the newest non-profit theatrical organization to join the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area arts community, will kick-off its inaugural season with three of the most legendary musicals to ever hit the Great White Way! Founded in August 2014 by a group of local artists and community leaders, BAM! will be the premier regional musical theatre company focusing solely on musical theatre and offering widely popular classics as well as new original works. Dedicated to the craft and development of the American musical, BAM! will produce a series of musicals focusing on high production values at an affordable rate atypical to large houses and touring shows. BAM!'s inaugural three-show season will include: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (November 28 - December 19, 2015); Hair (February 27 - March 19, 2016); and La Cage Aux Folles (July 9 - 30, 2016). BAM! productions will take place at various venues throughout San Francisco, including the Marines' Memorial Theatre and the Victoria Theatre. Subscriptions range in price from $20 - $60 and are available by calling 415-340-2207 or visiting www.bamsf.org.

The vision for Bay Area Musicals! was born from the realization that San Francisco was in need of an organization specializing in professional musical theatre that presents classics as well as contemporary pieces, exhibits diversity of appeal and diversity of cultures, exhibits local and national talent, prepares emerging artists for success in the professional musical theatre industry, and cultivates original pieces from conception to premiere in San Francisco.

"I am thrilled to share San Francisco as a new source to experience top quality musical theatre," says Matthew McCoy, Founder and Artistic Director. "Since relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area three years ago, I've noticed a lack of local companies producing crowd-pleasing classics, primarily in San Francisco. My hope is to bridge this gap and offer accessible theatre experiences for a diversified audience of couples, families, and young people, as well as increased opportunities for musical theatre performers. The advisory board and team involved share a unified vision. We want to present classics, incubate original works, and make it accessible to the community as a whole. We look forward to sharing our unique vision with the San Francisco Bay Area!"

To fulfill all of BAM!'s objectives, McCoy put together a team of local artists and community leaders - including respected Bay Area arts professionals, experienced development directors, attorneys, and entrepreneurs. Combined, the team has over 200 years of experience in non-profit arts administration, event-based marketing and regional, international and Off-Broadway theatre. The team includes Daren A.C. Carollo (Artistic Advisor), Kimberly Dooley (Artistic Advisor), Jon Gallo (Resident Music Director), Wilson Hardcastle (Fundraising & Development), Michelle Ianiro (New Works), Kirk Johnson (Marketing & Sales Director), Matthew McCoy (Founder & Artistic Director), AeJay Mitchell (Managing Director), Benjamin Nguyen (Community Outreach), Jon Tracy (Artistic Advisor), and Aaron Vanderbeek (Webmaster).

BAM!'s 2015-16 season kicks-off with the 9-time Tony Award winning musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (November 28 - December 19, 2015). A satire of big busi ness and all it holds sacred, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a little handbook called "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant "company man," the office party, backstabbing co-workers, caffeine addiction and, of course, true love. This award-winning musical is known for such show-stopping songs as "Coffee Break", "Been A Long Day", "A Secretary Is Not A Toy", and "Brotherhood of Man". Performances of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying will take place at San Francisco's Marines' Memorial Theatre (609 Sutter Street).

Next, BAM! will present the 7-time Tony Award winner Hair (February 27 - March 19, 2016). Hair tells the story of Vietnam-era youths awkwardly but exuberantly creating their own rite of passage through the confusion around them. Among them are Claude and Berger; a pair of friends battling against Claude's draft notice, and Sheila, who is in love with both of them, but her politically-active lifestyle leaves her little time to act on her feelings. Ultimately, Claude has to decide if the hippie life is for him or go to Vietnam. With themes of alienation and civil disobedience Hair illustrates the '60s generation's search for meaning through various "be-ins," "love-ins" and protests. The rock & roll score exudes such hits as "Aquarius", "Hair", "Going Down", "Easy to be Hard", "Good Morning Star Shine", and "Flesh Failures/Let the Sun Shine". Hailed as the "ultimate American rock musical," by the New York Times, Hair will be letting the sun shine for 13 performances only at San Francisco's Victoria Theatre (2961 16th Street).

Closing out BAM!'s 2015-16 season is La Cage aux Folles (July 9 - 30, 2016), the thrilling and heart-warming musical that brought two men kissing to center stage of the American musical. La Cage Aux Folles centers around Georges and his lover Albin, who stars as Zaza at their St. Tropez drag nightclub, "La Cage aux Folles". Albin is the club's star female impersonator while Georges is the club's Master of Ceremonies. Problems arise when Georges' twenty-five year old son, Jean-Michel, a result from a brief encounter years back, announces that he is engaged to Anne Dindon. Anne is the daughter of a well-known homophobic politician, Edouard Dindon. Anne's parents want to come and meet Jean-Michel's mother and father. Little do they know that Albin, a man, has essentially been Jean-Michel's mother figure his whole life. This scenario propels audiences into side-splitting laughter as well as teary-eyed moments of tenderness. La Cage Aux Folles is known as Jerry Herman's best score; it includes such songs as "The Best of Times is Now", "Song In the Sand", "La Cage Aux Folles", and "I Am What I Am". The winner of 9 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Revival (two times!), La Cage aux Folles will star William Thomas Evans (Camelot, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Scarlet Pimpernel on Broadway; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat National tour) in the iconic role of Zaza. Performances of La Cage aux Folles will take place at San Francisco's Victoria Theatre (2961 16th Street).

Bay Area Musicals has created an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to cover the costs of their inaugural production, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

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