The Hypocrites to Stage AMERICAN IDIOT at The Den Theatre

The Hypocrites will launch their 2015-16 season with the Chicago premiere of the smash Broadway musical AMERICAN IDIOT, featuring music by Grammy Award-winning punk rock band Green Day, book by Green Day frontman/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer and lyrics by Armstrong, direction by Steven Wilson, musical direction by Andra Velis Simon and choreography by Katie Spelman. AMERICAN IDIOT will play August 28 - October 25, 2015 at The Den Theatre Mainstage, 1329 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at at www.the-hypocrites.com. The press opening Sunday, September 6 at 3 pm.

The cast of AMERICAN IDIOT includes Luke Linsteadt as Johnny, Jay Cullen as Will, Steven Perkins as Tunny, Alex Madda as Heather, Becca Brown as Extraordinary Girl, Brian Keys as Favorite Son and Malic White as St. Jimmy with Isa Arciniegas, Marcos Barnes, Elisa Carlson, Dakota Hughes, Michael Kurowski, Aubrey McGrath, David Daniel Smith, Janelle Villas, Krystal Worrell and Alexander Zukoff. Additional casting to be announced.

Based on punk rock band Green Day's Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album of the same name, AMERICAN IDIOT follows three lifelong friends, forced to choose between their dreams and the safety of suburbia in a post 9/11 world. The musical features hits including "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "21 Guns," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Holiday" and the blockbuster title track, "American Idiot." A critical smash on Broadway and in London, AMERICAN IDIOT received a 2010 Tony Award nomination for Best Musical and won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

"I am thrilled to program Green Day's American Idiot in The Hypocrites' 19th Season as among the first in the nation to regionally produce this musical which perfectly encompasses the energetic spirit of a generation," comments The Hypocrites Artistic Director Sean Graney. "I long have wanted to bring American Idiot to our audiences since I heard about its development at Berkeley Rep in 2009. Steven Wilson, one of the most tenured member of The Hypocrites, joining our ranks just a year after our inception, will direct this production and I could not imagine a more perfect pairing."

The production team for AMERICAN IDIOT includes: John Zuiker (scenic designer), Mieka van der Ploeg (costume designer), Heather Gilbert (lighting designer), Rick Sims (sound designer), Pat Fries (production manager), Gabby Welsh (stage manager), Alyson Kulin (assistant stage manager), John Kelly (associate lighting designer), Rebecca Adelsheim (assistant director) and Spencer Meeks (assistant music director).