Wilmington Drama League Opens Season With THE LIFE, Opens 9/16

The Wilmington Drama League announces that the first show of the 2011-2012 season will be the award-winning musical, The Life, opening September 16, 2011 at 8:00 pm at the Wilmington Drama League. The Life features direction by Tina M. Sheing, music direction by Matt Casarino, and choreography by Jody Anderson. The show runs September 16, 2011 through October 1, 2011 at the Wilmington Drama League, 10 West Lea Blvd. Tickets cost $11-$20 and are available by calling 302-764-1172. More information can be found at www.wilmingtondramaleague.org.

Featuring a book by David Newman, Ira Gasman, and Cy Coleman, with music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Ira Gasman, The Life is a dark look at the prostitutes who lived and survived the streets of 1980s New York City. Director Tina M. Sheing says that The Life, "focuses on the strength of these women who come together to survive any situation. They rise above the physical and verbal abuse and help each other in their greatest time of need."

The Life follows Sonja and Queen as they deal with the trials and tribulations of life as a prostitute. Queen's boyfriend and pimp, Fleetwood, is trying to get ahead in the game and grab the power. Sonja, a veteran prostitute, has seen it all and tries her best to help Queen escape New York and follow her dreams. Through it all, the women learn their own worth and work together to escape the life.

The Life features music by Cy Coleman, who is best known for his working girl musical, Sweet Charity, began his career as jazz musician, leading the Cy Coleman The jazz influence is heard in many of Coleman's Broadway ventures including his award-winning scores for City of Angels and The Will Rogers Follies.

The Life opened Off-Broadway on July 30, 1990. It closed on August 16, 1990. Seven years later it opened on Broadway, where it received 11 Tony Award nominations and took home the awards for Best Featured Actor and Actress in a Musical.

The Wilmington Drama League production features a cast of Delaware and Philadelphia area actors including: Mike Renn (JoJo), Nick D'Argenio (Memphis), Timothy Lamont Cannon (Fleetwood), Sharon Brown Ruegsegger (Queen), Rebecca Gallatin (Sonja), Kellianne Quirk (Mary), Patrick Sutton (Lou), and Jason Tokarski (Lacy).

About Wilmington Drama League

The Wilmington Drama League's long and noble performing arts tradition traces back to 1933, when a small band of enthusiasts began staging plays on the third floor of an old grist mall at 18th and Market Streets. Seven years later, the success of this venture in community theatre enabled the Drama League to relocate to its own facility on West Lea Boulevard.

Since then the play, most assuredly, has been the thing at WDL. In all its years of operation, the Drama League has mounted innumerable adult and children's theatrical productions. The talents and energies of thousands of volunteers - actors, directors, set designers and builders, lighting and sound engineers, as well as costume, makeup, and prop technicians - have transformed our stage into the compelling fantasy worlds created by playwrights ranging from Albee, Beckett and Chekhov to Mamet and Miller, Simon and Shakespeare, Wilde and Williams.

Today, the Wilmington Drama League has gone beyond exciting theatrical entertainment. We now offer expanded educational and performance opportunities to your community. Our facility is available for use by other responsible community performing arts groups. While we will focus on providing imaginative, entertaining, and affordable theatrical experiences for patrons and participants, we look forward to building our reputation as a vital resource for community performing arts.

 

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