Know Theatre to Kick Off Season 19 with New Rock Musical GIRLFRIEND

Know Theatre kicks off season 19 with GIRLFRIEND, featuring Book by Todd Almond and Music & Lyrics by Matthew Sweet. Directed by Lindsey Augusta Mercer, with choreography by Kim Popa and musical direction by Erin McCamley, the show runs July 29 - August 27, 2016.

Nebraska, 1993. Two teenage boys - one a social outcast, the other the school's golden boy - develop a friendship that becomes so much more during a summer of self-discovery between high school graduation and the rest of their lives.

Taking place in the heydey of the mixtape, GIRLFRIEND is set to the irresistible songs from Matthew Sweet's landmark pop album of the same name, which Rolling Stone called "a rock 'n' roll valentine that delivers subtle wisdom with an exhilarating kick."

CCM alumnus Todd Almond was inspired to write the show by his own experiences as a gay teenager in Nebraska. In an interview with KPCC, Almond said, "I think that there's an operatic-ness about love within that album, and maybe I was just feeling so alone in Nebraska and I wanted so desperately to be in love like the people around me that I saw having this experience. ... I honestly felt like I was the only gay kid in my town - which wasn't true, I now know - and I thought that I was probably the only gay kid in my state, which of course is not true. But that sensation was pretty potent at that time."

Taking on the role of Mike, the guitar playing baseball hero, in his Know Theatre debut is Cary Davenport, known to Cincinnati audiences for his work at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and New Edgecliff Theatre. Joining him onstage as Will is Montez Jenkins, last seen at the Know in Moby Dick.

Making her mainstage debut as director is Lindsey Augusta Mercer, previously seen on Know's MainStage in The Bengsons' Hundred Days. Lindsey is the co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of Queen City Queer Theatre Collective. Her directing work has also been seen at Diogenes Theatre, the Carnegie, and Falcon Theatre. About GIRLFRIEND, Lindsey says,

"GIRLFRIEND throws out the dramatic principles of a traditional musical, exploring instead the way we experience music in our everyday lives. The play encapsulates those ordinary moments when we're listening to the radio, or when a conversation evokes a familiar lyric, and how the music we love transforms these moments into a transcendent, heightened experience.

Through a sweet summer romance, Todd Almond taps into that special way a song or album can define moments and even eras in our lives, reminding us that no matter how alone or "other" we feel, music lives to connect and transport us."

Also joining the creative team is Kim Popa, artistic director of local Dance Company Pones Inc., who brings her unique choreographic sensibility to this non-traditional musical. GIRLFRIEND also marks the debut production for new Know Resident Stage Manager Emily James.

Says Artistic Director Andrew Hungerford, "I love that we're kicking off our 19th season by bringing together a great group of local artists and collaborators, while highlighting an important undertold story. Being different can be incredibly isolating as a teenager, and this show is a potent reminder that sometimes all it takes is a connection with one person to change your world."

In that spirit, Know Theatre will be using the story of GIRLFRIEND to leverage community conversations about what it's like to grow up gay in America. In partnership with GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, Know will offer two pre-show conversations with diverse, intergenerational panels of LGBTQ individuals.

Before the shows on August 4th and 11th, join Know, GLSEN, and panelists including Estelle Riley, DarNell Benjamin, Jack Harrison, Stephanie Bailey, Oliver Snape, Olive Short, and more in the Know Theatre Underground for conversations about their experiences with teen romance.

GLSEN envisions a future in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, and Know Theatre is proud to partner with them to help bring this vision to life for all members of our community.

GIRLFRIEND runs July 29 - August 27 at the Know. Fall in love again with this new rock musical that gives voice to anyone who grew up in small towns, who didn't quite fit in, and who remembers the terror and thrill of first love.

Cast in Alphabetical Order:

Cary Davenport as Mike

Montez Jenkins as Will

Production Team:

Director - Lindsey Augusta Mercer

Choreographer - Kim Popa

Music Director - Erin McCamley

Scenic & Lighting Designer - Andrew Hungerford

Sound Designer - Doug Borntrager

Props Designer & Scenic Charge - Sarah Beth Hall

Todd Almond is a composer, lyricist, playwright and performer. As a performer, Almond was most recently seen as Ariel in his musical adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest in Central Park (Public Theatre). He also recently performed with Sherie Rene Scott in Piece of Meat at NYC's 54 Below, London's Hippodrome and the Cabaret Festival in Adelaide, Australia. His television roles include a recent appearance on Law and Order SVU. His favorite theatrical credits include Odyssey at The Old Globe in San Diego, I Am My Own Wife at Actors Theatre of Louisville (and Cincinnati's Ensemble Theatre), People Are Wrong (with They Might Be Giants frontman John Flansburgh) at the Vineyard Theatre, and 2 Pianos, 4 Hands at Kansas City Rep. Learn more about Almond by visiting www.toddalmond.com.

IF YOU GO:

GIRLFRIEND

Book by Todd Almond
Music & Lyrics by Matthew Sweet

When: 8:00pm July 29, 30, 31 and August 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27; 3:00pm August 7, 14, 21

Where: Know Theatre of Cincinnati. 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

Tickets: $25 regular Price; $30 opening night; $15 Rush tickets at the door 10 minutes prior to curtain (when available)

FREE performances on Wednesdays, as part of Know's Welcome Experiment initiative. Advance reservations to Welcome Experiment performances are $5.00.

Walkup tickets are available for free the day of the show.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or calling 513.300.5669 (KNOW).

Know Theatre is Cincinnati's Theatrical Playground. The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.