New Line Theatre to Stage Regional Premiere of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, 10/10-11/2

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," has secured the rights for the regional premiere of the taut musical thriller NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD to open its 23rd season, running Oct. 10-Nov. 2, 2013, and closing on Halloween weekend. The rest of New Line's 2013-2014 season will be announced later this year.

From the dynamic, up-and-coming team of writer-lyricist Stephen Gregory Smith and composer-lyricist Matt Conner (Nevermore, Partial Eclipse, The Hollow) comes this powerful psychological thriller, based on the classic 1968 American horror film, re-imagining George Romero's iconic walpurgisnacht for these times, zeroing in on the relationships among seven doomed strangers, who just may be the living dead themselves. Could it be that these seven are trapped in this house for eternity, reliving the last night of their lives over and over, as a deadly force from the outside threatens to find its way in? In this post-9/11 world, the metaphor is clear: Who are "they" and can we ever really be safe?

The show was workshopped in New York and has had only one production so far, at a small theatre in Maryland. New Line is very proud to present the regional premiere and the first professional production of this thrilling new work from these talented young writers.

New Line Theatre is a professional company dedicated to involving the people of the St. Louis region in the exploration and creation of daring, provocative, socially and politically relevant works of musical theatre. New Line was created in 1991 at the vanguard of a new wave of nonprofit musical theatre just starting to take hold across the country. New Line has given birth to several world premiere musicals over the years and has brought back to life several shows that did not do well in their original New York productions. Altogether, New Line has produced 69 musicals and 5 concerts of theatre songs since 1991. New Line Theatre was recently given its own entry in the latest edition of the Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. New Line receives funding from the Regional Arts Commission, the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

New Line's next show this season, the fist St. Louis production of the Pulitzer Prize winning rock musical NEXT TO NORMAL, runs Feb. 28-March 23, 2013, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, at 8:00 p.m., at the Washington University South Campus Theatre (formerly CBC High School), 6501 Clayton Road, just east of Big Bend. Tickets are on sale through Metrotix.com and all Metrotix outlets, including the Fox Theatre Box Office, or by calling 314-534-1111. New Line's current season ends in June with the regional premiere of the outrageous adult musical comedy BUKOWSICAL.

For other information, visit New Line Theatre's full-service website at www.newlinetheatre.com. All programs are subject to change.