Tickets on Sale for Carnegie Hall's WEST SIDE STORY, Starring Skylar Astin and Bianca Marroquin at Knockdown Center

Tickets are now on sale for Carnegie Hall's presentation of WEST SIDE STORY for three performances only March 4, 5, and 6, 2016 at the Knockdown Center, a restored 50,000 square foot former glass and door factory in Queens now serving as an art and event space.

The musical will star Skylar Astin (SPRING AWAKENING original cast on Broadway, the films PITCH PERFECT and PITCH PERFECT 2, and the upcoming Epix TV series GRAVES opposite Nick Nolte) as Tony, Bianca Marroquín (CHICAGO, IN THE HEIGHTS, THE PAJAMA GAME on Broadway) as Anita, and Morgan Hernandez, an 18-year-old phenom currently studying at The Boston Conservatory who will make her New York debut as Maria. Additional cast members are to be announced.

Conceived as an immersive celebration of community and connection, this production of WEST SIDE STORY is directed by Amanda Dehnert, and Marin Alsop, a protégé of Leonard Bernstein's, will serve as musical director and conductor, with professional artists in lead roles and the participation of more than 200 high school students from around the city both in the cast and in a chorus specially created for this presentation. The production team will also include choreographers Julio Monge (Fosse, Jerome Robbins' Broadway) and Sean Cheesman (So You Think You Can Dance), musical supervisor Leslie Stifelman (Chicago), and scenic designer Eugene Lee (Wicked, Saturday Night Live). See below for complete production credits.

Tickets, priced $25 to $65, are now available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. A limited number of $10 student tickets are also available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only.

The performances of WEST SIDE STORY are the culmination of The Somewhere Project, a season-long, citywide exploration of the famed musical presented by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) in celebration of Carnegie Hall's 125th anniversary. This creative learning project will engage people through events in all five boroughs of New York City, as well as in an online course, all inspired by "Somewhere," the classic song that forms the affirmative core of WEST SIDE STORY. Complete details will be announced later this year.

The Somewhere Project includes a two-part public forum on WEST SIDE STORY to take place in Carnegie Hall's Resnick Education Wing on Sunday, January 24 at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. Composer Thomas Cabaniss moderates the two panel discussions, which will explore the social issues in 1950s New York and the ways in which WEST SIDE STORY illuminates them (1:00) and how social issues can be addressed through the arts (4:00). Participants include director Amanda Dehnert, music director and conductor Marin Alsop, Carol Oja of Harvard University, and Jamie Bennett of ArtPlace America, with additional panelists to be announced. Tickets, priced at $10 for each forum or $15 for both, will be available later this fall at CarnegieCharge and carnegiehall.org only.

Inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the beloved American theater classic WEST SIDE STORY resonates as strongly today as it did when it was written in 1957. The collaboration between choreographer Jerome Robbins, composer Leonard Bernstein, writer Arthur Laurents, and lyricist Stephen Sondheim produced a timeless tale of rival street gangs and forbidden love in 1950s New York with music that has been performed and recorded by major orchestras and artists around the world, also inspiring an Academy Award-winning motion picture in 1961.

Program Information:

Friday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 6 at 3:00 p.m.

Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Ave / Queens

WEST SIDE STORY
Based on a Conception of JEROME ROBBINS

Book by ARTHUR LAURENTS
Music by LEONARD BERNSTEIN
Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM

Entire Original Production Directed and
Choreographed by JEROME ROBBINS

Originally Produced on Broadway by
Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince

By Arrangement with Roger L. Stevens

Skylar Astin, Tony
Morgan Hernandez, Maria
Bianca Marroquín, Anita
Remaining cast to be announced

Marin Alsop, Musical Director and Conductor
Amanda Dehnert, Director
Julio Monge, Original Choreography Reset
Sean Cheesman, Additional Choreography
Leslie Stifelman, Musical Supervisor
Eugene Lee, Scenic Designer
Tracy Christensen, Costume Designer
Edward Pierce, Lighting Designer
Nevin Steinberg, Sound Designer
David Benken, Technical Director
Stewart/Whitley, Casting

Tickets, priced $25 to $65, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

A limited number of student tickets priced at $10 are also available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.

Images courtesy Carnegie Hall

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