Theatre Aspen to Offer Sneak Peek of Duncan Sheik & Steven Sater's ALICE BY HEART Tomorrow

Theatre Aspen's new play development series is underway, with the early workshopping of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater musical Alice By Heart, based on the Lewis Carroll novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland this Saturday, May 31st, at the Wheeler Opera House at 7:30 pm. 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.

From the creators of Spring Awakening, comes Alice By Heart: a fresh, modern, musical take on Alice in Wonderland. Originally commissioned by London's Royal National Theatre: Connections, Alice By Heart features a book by Steven Sater with Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam), lyrics by Sater, and music by Duncan Sheik. Presented in association with Kurt Deutsch, Grammy Award-winning founder of Sh-k-boom/Ghostlight Records, the musical will be directed by Lear deBessonet (Good Person of Szechwan), with musical direction by Jason Hart and choreography by Chase Brock (Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark). The team is workshopping the piece and will host a sneak-peek into their rehearsal process. Tara Rubin Casting has assembled the company of young actors, including 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). Production Stage Manager is Kevin Carson.

Theatre Aspen Board members Barbara and Franklin Carson have underwritten the workshop, underscoring the theatre's commitment to help artists develop work from the very early stages through production. Additional support was received from the Somerled Charitable Foundation.

Theatre Aspen's summer productions take place in the Hurst Theatre and will be underwritten by season sponsor ANB Bank, with the generous support of Barbara and Franklin Carson, Liz and Jane Armstrong, Nancy Wall and Chuck Wall, Hays Private Client, Jim and Brenda Grusecki, The City of Aspen, Shane Aspen Real Estate, Les Dames d'Aspen and The Aspen Club and Spa.