BRONIES: THE MUSICAL Opens at Third Street Theatre Tonight

Third Street Theatre in association with Oddbird Theatricals is thrilled to present the World Premiere, fully-realized production of the Hollywood Fringe Festival Best Musical Award-winning, BRONIES: THE MUSICAL, with music by Joe Greene, book and lyrics by Heidi Powers and Tom Moore, choreography by John Todd, musical direction by Jennifer Lin and direction by Richard Israel. BRONIES: THE MUSICAL began previews Thursday, September 25; will open tonight, September 27 and run through Sunday, November 1 at the THIRD STREET THEATRE, 8115 W. Third Street in West Hollywood.

BRONIES: THE MUSICAL tells the story of three outsiders who find purpose, meaning, love - and each other - all thanks to those fantastical cartoon ponies so many may love as the ultimate super-fans! BRONIES: THE MUSICAL explores the phenomenon of fandom through the lens of pony fans - including all the passion, the awkwardness, the creativity, and the community it can inspire. BRONIES; THE MUSICAL won Best Musical at Hollywood Fringe Festival 2014, as well as the THIRTY90NE Golden Elephant for best director/producers, and a Producers' Encore Award.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST:

RICHARD ISRAEL (Director) is the recipient of a Career Achievement Award for Directing from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. Recent directing credits include Floyd Collins for La Mirada Theatre, 110 In The Shade for the Actors Co-Op, Avenue Q for DOMA Theatre Company, Kiss Me Kate and Once Upon A Mattress for Cabrillo Music Theatre, The Burnt Part Boys and Falsettos for the Third Street Theatre, Gypsy for West Coast Ensemble (LA Weekly Award nominations for Directing and Outstanding Musical) and the world premiere of Having It All at the NoHo Arts Center (7 Ovation Award Nominations). Other directing credits include Meet Me In St. Louis for Musical Theatre West, A Christmas Carol for the Norris Theatre and Bell, Book and Candle for The Colony Theatre, as well as the critically acclaimed West Coast premiere of Anita Bryant Died For Your Sins, the Los Angeles premiere of Big - The Musical, Assassins (LA WeeklyAward nominations for Direction and Outstanding Musical, LADCC Award for Musical Ensemble)and Floyd Collins - all for Hollywood's West Coast Ensemble Theatre. For the Musical Theatre Guild, he has directed High Fidelity, One Touch Of Venus, High Spirits and Violet as well as staged readings of The Front, Dani Girl and Rocket Science for the Festival Of New American Musicals.

JENNIFER LIN (Musical Direction) works as a music director and accompanist throughout Southern California. She studied Music Composition at UCLA, where she was resident music director of Act III Theatre Ensemble. Music directing credits include Things to Ruin, Fellowship! The Musical Parody of The Fellowship of the Ring, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Sweet Charity, See What I Wanna See, The Wild Party, as well as The Pokémusical, which won Best Musical in the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival. In addition to working in theatre, Jennifer teaches piano and singing for Experience Music Academy and is a staff accompanist at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

JOHN TODD (Choreographer) Recent director/choreography credits include: a new half hour pilot for the FOX network, "The Muppets Most Wanted," "Sofia The First," "Monster's University," "Jake and the Neverland Pirates," and "Mulan" stage shows for Disney. COMMERCIALS: Rayban eyewear and Scope w/Ryan Seacrest. THEATER: "Annie Get Your Gun" (SDMT), "The Music Man" (MTW), "Kiss Me Kate" (Cabrillo Music Theatre) "Sunset Boulevard" (MTW), "Company" (Crown City), "Bells Are Ringing" and "Anyone Can Whistle" (MTW), "Jasper In Deadland" (PMT), "Falsettos," "The Full Monty" (Third Street Theater), "Gypsy" and "Merrily We Roll Along."
FILM & TELEVISION: "Samantha Spade Ace Detective," "The Office," "Saving Mr. Banks," "Mad Men," "About A Boy." Mr. Todd has also created 3 works for Houston Ballet. As a performer, Mr. Todd's Broadway credits include, "Movin' Out" (original cast) and "The Phantom of The Opera." FILM & TELEVISION: "Bourbon Street" (series Regular), "As The World Turns," "Sex And The City," "Law and Order," "Days Of Our Lives," Jack The Giant Slayer," "Gnomio and Juliet," "The Muppets," "Alpha and Omega," "Jackass Number Two," "A Christmas Carol," and "Spells" (with John Lithgow).

HEIDI POWERS (Book & Lyrics) is the cowriter-producer of last year's Fringe smash, The Real Housekeepers of Studio City, Heidi has a BFA in theatre directing and a BA in writing from The University of Michigan, where she managed The Rude Mechanicals and directed Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Ancient History and The Most Massive Woman Wins. By day, Heidi is a mild-mannered entertainment marketing and copywriting guru for companies including Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal. By night, she and her partner fight crime [where fight=write & crime = scripts for film, TV & stage.]

TOM MOORE (Book and Lyrics) is a longtime editor of documentary television, with recent projects including History Channel hit Down East Dickering and Mike Rowe's new CNN series, Somebody's Gotta Do It. A graduate of Wesleyan University, Tom has collaborated with Heidi Powers on The Real Housekeepers of Studio City ("Most Promising New Musical," StageSceneLA), animated television pilot Bubble Gumshoe, and numerous other scripts for stage, screen and web, as well as one marriage.

JOE GREENE (Music) is a transplant from Chicago, where he studied musical theatre at Columbia College. After moving to Los Angeles, he studied under the Academy for New Musical Theatre and performed as half of The Boofont Sisters musical duo on America's Got Talent. In addition to Bronies! Joe has also composed The Real Housekeepers of Studio City, The Grundy County Corn Fest Queen, The Pirate Nuns and Nothing Personal. Also an actor, Joe appears in Bronies!as Hank, the comic shop owner. Los Angeles Theatre: The Real Housekeepers of Studio City (Theatre Asylum) Jingling for Jesus (Cavern Club Theatre), The Liza and Lorna Show (The Celebration Theatre). Regional Theatre: Chicago(Pheasant Run Theatre), Guys and Dolls (Red Barn Playhouse), Grease (Red Barn Playhouse), Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat (Wagon Wheel Theatre), Ellis Island (American Family Theatre) Film: Flirting With Anthony. Television: Watch What Happens Live, Richard Simmons Project Hope.
The cast of BRONIES: THE MUSICAL features (in alphabetical order): Joey Acuna, Brielle Batino, Anna Grace Barlow, Mark Gelsomini, Molly Gilman, Joe Greene, Stephanie Hayslip, Taylor Helmboldt, Rachel Hirshee, Hannah James, Josey Montana McCoy, Tom G.. McMahon, Blaine Miller, Shelley Regner, Gabby Sanalitro, Richy Storrs and Charlotte Mary Wen.

BRONIES: THE MUSICAL is being produced by Third Street Theatre and Oddbird Theatricals and has assembled an award-winning design team. The Set Design is by Joel Daavid. The Lighting Design is by Brandon Baruch. The Costume Design is by Michael Mullen. The Puppet Design is by Russ Walko. Props Design is by Nicholas Acciani. The Casting Director is Amy Lieberman. The stage manager is Ken Phillips.

Crafting those fuzzy "pony" wonders is master puppeteer and builder RUSS WALKO. Russ' handiwork was recently featured in the puppet episode of NBC's "Community." Russ has also built and operated puppets for "The Simpsons," performed as a puppeteer with "The Pee-Wee Herman Show" live at Nokia Center, as well as at the Grammy Awards during Cee-Lo Green's puppet-themed performance of "Forget You." Russ studied puppetry with The Sesame Workshop as well as The Henson Company's ribald improv show, "Puppet Up!"

BRONIES: THE MUSICAL will preview on Thursday, September 26 & Friday, September 27 at 8pm and will open on Saturday, September 28 and run through Sunday, November 1 at the Third Street Theatre, 8115 W. Third Street in West Hollywood. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 3pm. Ticket prices range from $25 - $30. Preview Tickets are $20. For tickets, visit www.showclix.com/event/3873449 or call 1.888.71.TICKETS (84253) or for more information visit www.broniesthemusical.com.

What do Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Red Skelton, Gene Kelley, Madonna, Michael Jackson and the celebrities of "Dancing with the Stars" all have in common? They have all danced on the floors of the THIRD STREET THEATRE! This historical building served as a rehearsal studio & supper club in the 1940's for CBS, Raleigh, and Paramount Studios. In the '80s and '90s, the building became the famed "Dupree Dance Academy" - where every dancer who dreamed of stardom trained. The current home to YADA (The Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts), for the past 12 years the THIRD STREET THEATRE is proud of its transformation into a 99-seat Equity Waiver Theatre in the ultra-trendy Third Street Shopping area!