Nancy Anderson, Alison Luff and More to Star in Theatre Aspen's 31st Season

Casting is complete for award-winning Theatre Aspen's 31st season. Several Broadway notables make up the company, some starring in multiple roles this season which includes the musical comedy The Full Monty (opening June 24th), the musical Little Women (opening July 2nd), and a brand new comedy by Sandy Rustin called The Cottage (opening July 24th).

Carbonell Award winner Mark Martino will direct and choreograph The Full Monty featuring a book by five-time Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize nominee Terrence McNally (Ragtime, Master Class) and music and lyrics by David Yazbek (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). Tally Sessions stars, with Mary Stout as Jeannette, Nancy Anderson as Georgie, James Ludwig as Harold, and Michele Ragusa as Vicki. Also starring is Dane Agostinis (Dave), Randy Donaldson (Horse), Ben Liebert (Malcolm), Spencer Plachy (Ethan), Erica Aubrey (Pam), Amber Carson, John Caliendo, Todd Fenstermaker, Ed Foran, Bailey Frankenberg, Richard Jarrett, Elise Kinnon, Kyra Wharton and Carter Graham as Nate.

Alison Luff (Ghost, Wicked) stars as Jo in the musical Little Women, based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott. (book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein). Also starring is Joan Hess as Marmee, Ken Krugman as Professor Bhaer and David Penhale as Mr. Laurence, with John Caliendo (Mr. Brooke), Jessica de Jong (Meg), Rodney Ingram (Laurie), Sydney Patrick (Amy), Wendy Perkins (Aunt March) and Alie Walsh (Beth). Theatre Aspen's Executive Artistic Director Paige Price directs.

The Cottage is a farce inspired by the works of Noel Coward and set in the 1920s English countryside. Written by Sandy Rustin, the show stars an ensemble cast of Nancy Anderson, Bailey Frankenberg, Michael Kostroff, Spencer Plachy, Mark Price and Michele Ragusa. Don Stephenson, who recently directed the star-studded Titanic at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, will direct.

The season's design team is Paul Black (lighting and set design), R. Thomas Ward (set design), Nicole Harrison (costume design), Kevin Brainerd (costume design), David Thomas (sound design), Nevin Steinberg (sound design) and Diana Ben-Kiki (wig design).

Theatre Aspen recently announced an exciting new initiative to support developing musicals and innovative theatrical projects, with the early workshopping of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's musical Alice By Heart, based on the Lewis Carroll novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Sheik and Sater are best known for their 2007 rock musical Spring Awakening which won eight Tony Awards® including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. On May 31st at the Wheeler Opera House, audiences will have the opportunity to have an insider's look into the development of the new musical under the direction of Lear deBessonet (Good Person of Szechwan), with choreography by Chase Brock (Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark).

Cast for Alice By Heart includes Riley Costello (Everyday Rapture), Mike Faist (Newsies), Noah Galvin (The Burnt Part Boys), Molly Gordon (Sweeney Todd, Lincoln Center), Stephanie Hsu, Rodney Ingram, Nathaly Lopez (What's It All About?), Andrew Mueller (Peter and the Starcatcher), Sydney Patrick, Sydney Shepherd (First Date), Marrick Smith and Phillipa Soo (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812).

Theatre Aspen's summer productions take place in the Hurst Theatre in Rio Grande Park and will be underwritten by season sponsor ANB Bank, with the generous support of Liz and Jane Armstrong, Nancy Wall and Chuck Wall, Soledad and Bob Hurst, Hays Private Client, Jim and Brenda Grusecki, The City of Aspen, Les Dames d'Aspen, Shane Aspen Real Estate and The Aspen Club and Spa. Media sponsors include The Aspen Times, Aspen Daily News, Aspen Public Radio, KSPN/KNFO, Aspen Sojourner, and Aspen Magazine.

Season passes and tickets are on sale now. The box office number is 844-706-7387. For further information, contact Theatre Aspen at 970-925-9313 or visit www.theatreaspen.org.

Theatre Aspen (Aspen Non-Profit Business of the Year in 2012) was awarded the "Outstanding Regional Theatre" Henry Award in Denver in 2009 and Alison Luff won a Best Supporting Actress Denver Post Ovation Award for her work as Olive in Theatre Aspen's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Recent Ovation nominees include Joan Hess, Beth Malone, Aaron Rhyne, Julia Foran and Sandy Duncan. Theatre Aspen's mission is to entertain, enlighten, enrich, educate and challenge the residents and visitors of the Roaring Fork Valley through professional quality theatrical productions, new play development initiatives and a broad spectrum of education programs.