Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival Announces Creative Teams for 2015 Season

The Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival 2015 season will feature a slate of top-notch directors, choreographers, musical directors and designers. The flagship theatre, the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, will house West Side Story, The Light in the Piazza (Regional Premiere), Saturday Night Fever (US Regional Premiere), Sweeney Todd, the all new The Calamari Sisters' Big Fat Italian Wedding, and the first ever holiday show at the Playhouse -- Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings. The season also brings the hilarious comedy, Late Nite Catechism, downtown to Auburn Public Theater. And for the fourth consecutive year, the new-works series, The PiTCH, returns with new writing teams from all over the country presenting their new musicals in development. The PiTCH will run from June 11 - August 1.

Parker Esse will helm the opening of the season as Director/Choreographer of a dynamic new production of West Side Story. Esse's credits include NY City Encores/Jazz at Lincoln Center - A Bed and a Chair by Stephen Sondheim; Shaw Festival - Guys and Dolls; Arena Stage - Smokey Joe's Café, Oklahoma!, The Music Man; Goodspeed - The Most Happy Fella; Broadway - Finnian's Rainbow, A Tale of Two Cities (Associate Choreographer). In addition, Esse appeared in the 1996/1997 seasons at the Playhouse. Jose C. Simbulan will serve as Music Director. Simbulan played in the Broadway orchestras of Lestat and the revival of A Chorus Line) and brings extensive credits including Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, and Signature Theatre. Festival resident set designer, Czerton Lim (FLMTF -Cabaret, On the Town, Anything Goes) will design sets, Dan Ozminkowski is Lighting Designer and Tiffany Howard will design costumes.

Producing Artistic Director Brett Smock (Treasure Island - World Premiere/Pre-Broadway; FLMTF - On the Town, Cabaret, 42nd Street, Evita, A Chorus Line) will direct and choreograph the regional premiere of The Light in the Piazza. David Arsenault, assistant scenic designer for Constellations, currently on Broadway, will serve as scenic designer. Past Festival designs include Mary Poppins, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, My Fair Lady. Festival resident lighting designer Dan Ozminkowski returns along with Lucy Brown as Costume Designer. Jeff Theiss (Broadway - Lysistrata Jones FLMTF - On the Town, Mary Poppins, Cats) will music direct.

The Festival is proud to produce the first US regional production of the newly revamped disco megahit Saturday Night Fever. Directed and choreographed by Smock, this new production is in association with Theatrical Rights Worldwide and serves as the launch production for the show's regional life. Stanley A. Meyer, best known for his work on Disney's Beauty and the Beast on Broadway as well as the National Tour, is on board as scenic designer. Ben Hagen (Broadway - Assistant Lighting Designer for La Cage Aux Folles, A Little Night Music) joins the team as Lighting Designer. Tiffany Howard will design costumes. Longtime resident music director Corinne Aquilina (Broadway - Boy from Oz; FLMTF - Damn Yankees, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Singin' in the Rain; Composer/Lyricist - Treasure Island, The Littlest Witch, Pump N Go) will be Music Director for Saturday Night Fever.

The musical thriller Sweeney Todd anchors the season in the fourth slot and will be directed and choreographed by Igor Goldin. Goldin is recognized for his work on the Off-Broadway WWII musical, Yank! and is the director of Jane Austin's Broadway bound new musical, Pride and Prejudice, slated for production at LaMirada in April. Longtime Festival alum Czerton Lim will return as Scenic designer alongside Ben Hagen as Lighting Designer and Tiffany Howard as Costume Designer. Jeff Theiss will music direct.

For more information, call (315) 255-1785 or (800) 457-8897, or visit fingerlakesmtf.com.

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