New Rep Presents New Rep's Darling Divas Deck the Holidays

New Repertory Theatre, in residence at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, is spicing up this holiday season with New Rep's Darling Divas Deck the Holidays. This festive holiday cabaret is directed by Kate Warner and features New Rep favorites Michele A. DeLuca (Hot Mikado, Cabaret, The Wild Party, and Ragtime), Aimee Doherty (Hot Mikado, Speed-the-Plow, Cabaret, tick, tick... BOOM!, The Wild Party, Ragtime, and Into the Woods), Kami Rushell Smith (Dessa Rose), and Bobbie Steinbach (The Clean House, Romeo and Juliet, A Girl's War, The Waverly Gallery, and Stonewall Jackson's House). New Rep's Darling Divas Deck the Holidays opens for the press on Friday, December 17, 2010 at 7:30pm and runs through Thursday, December 23, 2010 at 7:30pm in the Charles Mosesian Theater at the Arsenal Center for the Arts.

Kate Warner, New Rep's Artistic Director, who will also direct this cabaret, states, "I am thrilled with the talent we have assembled. New Rep's audience is in for a treat. These four brilliant ladies are sure to entertain New Rep's audience with their fabulous voices, wit, and charming performances."

Todd C. Gordon will join Ms. Warner as the Musical Director for this cabaret.
Spice up your holidays this season with something hot- New Rep's Darling Divas Deck the Holidays. Listen to the vibrant voices of Michele A. Deluca, Aimee Doherty, Kami Rushell Smith, and Bobbie Steinbach, four vocal divas, as they jazz up your favorite sentimental and snazzy holiday songs, such as "Let It Snow," "Santa Baby," and "The Eight Days of Chanukah." Interwoven into the melodious and humorous festivities will be heartfelt readings from classic holiday stories like "The Gift of the Magi," "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," and "A Christmas Carol." New Rep's Darling Divas Deck the Holidays is sure to be fun entertainment for all this season.

New Repertory Theatre produces plays that speak powerfully to the essential ideas of our time. Through the passion and electricity of live theater performed to the highest standards of excellence, New Rep expands and challenges the human spirit of both artists and audience. New Rep presents world premieres, contemporary and classic works in several intimate settings. We are committed to education and outreach, including special dedication to the creation of innovative in-school programming and providing access to underserved audiences. New Rep is an active advocate for the arts and a major voice in the national dialogue defining the role of theater in our culture.

ARTISTS

Michele A. DeLuca is so happy to be returning to New Rep this holiday season. Other New Rep credits include Peep-Bo in Hot Mikado, Lu Lu in Cabaret, Dolores in The Wild Party (IRNE Award Best Ensemble), and Mrs. Houdini in Ragtime. Michele has also been seen at the Lyric Stage Company as Lois/Bianca in Kiss Me Kate, Young Sally in Follies, The Gypsy in The Man of La Mancha, and Soupy Sue in Urinetown. Other Boston credits include Maude in Funny Girl and Polly in Crazy for You at the Fiddle Head Theatre. Michele is a graduate of Emerson College.

Aimee Doherty is thrilled to be back home at New Rep, having appeared in Hot Mikado (Pitti-Sing), Speed-the-Plow (Karen), Cabaret (Sally Bowles), tick, tick...BOOM! (Susan), The Wild Party (ensemble/Queenie u/s), Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit), and Into the Woods (Cinderella). Other regional credits include: Grey Gardens (Young Edie), Follies (Young Phyllis), See What I Wanna See (Kesa/the wife/an actress) and Adrift in Macao (Lureena) with the Lyric Stage Company of Boston; Annie (Grace) and Honk! (Ida) with Wheelock Theatre; The Pain and the Itch (Kelly) with Company One; The Women (Peggy), Bubbly Black Girl... (Scarlet) and Company (Kathy) with SpeakEasy Stage of Boston; On the 20th Century (Anita) staring Alice Ripley with Overture Productions. Aimee has received IRNE acting nominations for her work in Cabaret, Speed-the-Plow, The Pain and the Itch, and Grey Gardens. Later this season, Aimee will be appearing in New Rep's The Last 5 Years as Cathy. In addition to acting, Aimee is a freelance environmental consultant with Doherty Environmental Consulting.

Kami Rushell Smith is thrilled to spend the holidays with her fellow darling divas! New Rep: Dessa Rose (Anabel/Dessa US). Other Boston area credits include: Harriet Jacobs in Harriet Jacobs (Underground Railway), Cindy/Dynamite in Hairspray (Reagle Music Theater), Princess Mariana in The Little Mermaid (Wheelock), Hero in Much Ado About Nothing (Actors' Shakespeare Project), Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (Shakespeare Now!) B.A. Carnegie Mellon, Masters in Musical Theater from Boston Conservatory. www.KamiRushellSmith.com.

Bobbie Steinbach has worked at many theatres in Boston and New England including: New Repertory Theatre, Actors' Shakespeare Project (Resident Actors' Company), the Huntington Theatre Company, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Boston Theatreworks, The Nora Theatre Company, SpeakEasy Stage Comany, Charles Playhouse, Trinity Repertory Theatre and Vineyard Playhouse. Favorite roles include: Madame Armfeldt: Boston Pops at Boston Symphony Hall & Tanglewood, Volumnia in Actors' Shakespeare Project's Coriolanus, Ana in The Clean House and Arshluis in A Girl's War at New Repertory Theatre, Carlotta Campion in Follies and Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Ernest at the Lyric Stage Company, The Stage Manager in Our Town for Boston Theatreworks, and the Nurse in CSC's Romeo and Juliet. She has received the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actress, and two Independent Reviewers of New England Best Supporting Actress awards. Bobbie started her cabaret career 1000 years ago in her one-woman show A Woman Alone Onstage With a Piano, A Stool, A Lamp, An Attractive Piano Player, A Few Cheap Theatrical Props and a Very Big Mouth, with pianist Ron Roy. Other cabaret shows include Holidaze: A Christian, A Jew and a Ho-Ho-Homo Too (with Bob Saoud and Kathy St. George), and New Punims (with Lori Glaser and Wayne Barker). She is currently working on a new piece, about her relationship to Shakespeare-In Bed with the Bard.
Kate Warner (director, artistic director) is in the second year of her tenure with this 27 year old company. Kate is continuing New Rep's mission of producing plays that speak powerfully to the essential ideas of our time, fostering new work, expanding our commitment to education and outreach and promoting New Rep as a major voice in the national dialogue defining the role of theater in our culture. Prior to coming to New Rep, Kate was Artistic Director of Dad's Garage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, where she developed innovations in season planning, business models, education programs and audience development. Kate has amassed an impressive history as both a director and producer as the previous Managing Director/Artistic Associate with Atlanta's Theatrical Outfit, which in December of 2004 moved into its new $5.4 million home, a renovated downtown Atlanta landmark, thus completing an award-winning strategic plan. Her body of directorial work includes, for Dad's Garage: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Skin, and Mojo; for Actor's Express: The Last Five Years, Pulp, and Octopus; for Theatrical Outfit: Waiting for Godot and The Island; for American Stage: Proof; and for Magic Theatre: Octopus. She has championed new work from playwrights such as Lisa Kron, Alice Tuan, Peter Nachtrieb, Chris Craddock, Kyle Jarrow, Suzan-Lori Parks, Megan Gogerty, David J (Bauhaus), Caridad Svich, Lauren Gunderson, Roberto Aguirre Sacasa, Ross Maxwell, Rolin Jones, David Holstein, John Pierson, Steve Yockey, Heather Woodbury, Chay Yew, and Greg Kotis. Kate serves as a board member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for non-profit theatres and will chair the 2011 National Conference in Los Angeles. She is also a member and facilitator of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors' Lab in New York, a member and panelist of the Directors Lab West in Los Angeles, and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. In summer 2004, Kate completed the Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders in the Arts at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the New Artistic Leadership Institute with TCG/Dance USA at the McCarter Theatre. Recognition for Kate's directing work includes a Suzi Bass Award Nomination for Best Musical 2008, Sunday Paper Top 10 Director 2007, Suzi Bass Award for Best Director and Best Play 2006, and Best Director Readers' Pick in Creative Loafing's Best of Atlanta 2007 and 2006. She is a graduate of Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI with degrees in Theatre and Anthropology.

Todd C. Gordon (musical direction) Having served as Music Director for New Rep's Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas, Hot Mikado, Cabaret (IRNE Nominee, Best Music Director) Gutenberg! The Musical, Dessa Rose, Side by Side by Sondheim, Lippa's The Wild Party (IRNE Nominee, Best Music Director), Ragtime (IRNE Award, Best Music Director), Into the Woods (IRNE Award, Best Music Director), The Threepenny Opera (IRNE Nominee, Best Music Director), and musical supervisor for According to Tip, Todd is thrilled to be working on New Rep's Darling Divas Deck the Holidays. He was seen as the onstage pianist for New Rep's Bill W. and Dr. Bob and has worked in the New England area on productions for Lyric Stage, Publick Theatre, Charles Playhouse/Second Stage, Stoneham Theatre, Brandeis University, and Emerson Stage.