Full Cast Announced for Steven Pasquale- Led THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY at Williamstown Theatre Festival

Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Director Jenny Gersten announced today the full cast and creative team for the sixth production, the third and final of the 2013 Main Stage season: The Bridges of Madison County will be presented on the Main Stage from August 1 - 18, 2013. Press night is Saturday, August 3 at 8:00 p.m.

Based on the best-selling novel by Robert J. Waller that captivated millions of readers, The Bridges of Madison County is brought to life onstage in a passionate new musical production written by acclaimed playwright, screenwriter and novelist Marsha Norman (Pulitzer Prize for 'night, Mother), with music and lyrics by Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade; The Last Five Years). Norman's additional Broadway credits include book and lyrics for The Secret Garden, for which she won a Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award, as well as the libretto for the musical The Color Purple; Brown has been hailed by The New York Times as "a leading member of a new generation of composers."

Directed by Tony Award winner and Resident Director of the Lincoln Center Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, Golden Boy, Awake and Sing!), The Bridges ofMadison County captures the lyrical expanse of America's heartland along with the deep yearning entangled in the eternal question, "What if...?"

Francesca, a beautiful Italian woman, played by Elena Shaddow (LES MISERABLES, The Light in the Piazza) marries an American soldier to flee war-ravaged Italy. Her new life on an Iowa farm is uncomplicated until the day a National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid played by Steven Pasquale ("Rescue Me," The Light in the Piazza) comes up her driveway looking for directions, forever changing the course of their lives.

"We could not be more thrilled to bring our audiences this stunning new musical," said WTF Artistic Director Jenny Gersten. "It is a deeply romantic and moving story about the loss of true love. We have a creative dream team in Bartlett Sher, Marsha Norman and Jason Robert Brown. With the Broadway engagement already announced, this is a rare opportunity to see it here first."

The cast features Nick Bailey ("East Enders," King Lear) as Michael, Whitney Bashor (White Noise) as Marian/Chiara, Daniel Jenkins (Big River) as Bud,Caitlin Kinnunen (Spring Awakening) as Carolyn, Michael X. Martin (The Producers) as Charlie, and Cass Morgan (1776) as Marge. The Ensemble includesJennifer Allen, John Paul Almon, Emma Duncan, Laura Shoop, and Tim Wright.

The creative team includes Michael Yeargan (Scenic Design), Donald Holder (Lighting Design), Catherine Zuber (Costume Design), Jon Weston (Sound Design), Deborah Hecht (Dialect Coach), and Thomas Murray (Music Director). Jennifer Rae Moore is the Production Stage Manager. The production is sponsored by James and Virginia Giddens.

As previously announced, the complete 2013 Williamstown Theatre Festival season runs from June 26 - August 18, 2013 and includes the highly anticipated World Premiere of The Bridges of Madison County, a new musical by Jason Robert Brown and Marsha Norman and a Nicholas Martin-directed production ofGeorge Bernard Shaw's classic Pygmalion on the Main Stage. The madcap revival of the Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers was an audience favorite and ended its fantastic run on July 13. On the Nikos Stage, audiences are currently enjoying a revival of Tom Stoppard's Hapgood (through July 21); the new musical Johnny Baseball by Richard Dresser (book), Robert Reale (music), and Willie Reale (lyrics) opens July 24; and The Debate Society's darkly comic thriller Blood Play opens August 7. The World Premiere of Bess Wohl's critically acclaimed American Hero wrapped up its run on the Nikos Stage on July 7. The season has seen the return of many Williamstown veterans including Kate Burton (in Hapgood), and Robert Sean Leonard (in Pygmalion), plus Tony Award-winning directorBartlett Sher making his directing debut at the Festival.

Tickets to The Bridges of Madison County are $70 ($65 for preview performances). Tickets for all Williamstown Theatre Festival productions can be purchased online at wtfestival.org, by phone at 413-597-3400, or in person at the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance Box Office at 1000 Main St (Route 2), Williamstown, MA 02167.

Since 1955, the Williamstown Theatre Festival has brought America's finest actors, directors, designers, and playwrights to the Berkshires, engaging a loyal audience of both residents and summer visitors. Each WTF season is designed to present unique opportunities for artists and audience alike, revisiting classic plays with innovative productions, developing and nurturing bold new plays and musicals, and offering a rich array of accompanying cultural events including Free Theatre, Late-Night Cabarets, readings, workshops, and educational programs. While best known for our acclaimed productions, WTF is also home to one of the nation's top training and professional development programs for new generations of aspiring theatre artists and administrators. WTF was honored with the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 2002 and the Commonwealth Award for Achievement in 2011.

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