Chance Theater Presents World Premiere of THE BOY IN THE BATHROOM, 4/15-5/22

PREVIEWS: APRIL 15-22
REGULAR RUN: APRIL 23 - MAY 22, 2011

Book and Lyrics by Michael Lluberes
Music and Additional Lyrics by Joe Maloney
Directed by Oanh Nguyen

Chance Theater presents the World Premiere production of the quirky award-winning musical, The Boy in the Bathroom, April 23 - May 22, 2011. The play is directed by Chance Theater Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen. The production is a proud participant in both the 4th Annual Festival of New American Musicals and Arts Orange County's Imagination Celebration.

Featuring book and lyrics by Michael Lluberes with music and additional lyrics by Joe Maloney, The Boy in the Bathroom is about David, who has lived in his bathroom for a year. He eats the flat food his mother slips under the door, writes his college thesis on rolls of toilet paper, and decorates the room with origami birds. But, when Julie comes into his safe existence, a relationship begins (through the bathroom door) that makes David question whether there is finally a reason to stop hiding and step outside. The Boy in the Bathroom is filled with rich melodies and new songs that remind us all of the magic that can exist when we lower our guard and take a chance on life.

The Boy in the Bathroom was originally developed at The New York Musical Theatre Festival. The show was honored with four NYMF Excellence Awards including Best Book and Best New Musical. The show was featured in an ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop with Stephen Schwartz, a New World Stages Workshop and at The Festival of New American Musicals. The musical received an Anna Sosenko Trust Award, was a Richard Rodgers Award Finalist and was most recently awarded The 2011 American Harmony Prize.
"Chance Theater has a reputation for their bold, intimate treatment of musicals, so we thought our show could be a perfect fit," said Lluberes. "I had a wonderful experience last year doing a Chance workshop of The Boy in the Bathroom with artistic director Oanh Nguyen. He has a really exciting take on the material and has pushed us further in developing the musical. As a writer, I'm interested in stretching the boundaries of musical theatre and it's exciting to find a company like the Chance who takes so many artistic risks."

"The On The Radar workshop production of this musical last May was a big hit with our audiences and our artists," says Nguyen. "It's a funny and unique musical that has the depth of storytelling you'd normally expect in a play. On top of that, the music soars and stays with you long after the final blackout."

NYTheatre.com calls The Boy in the Bathroom "a funny, beautiful, solid piece of theatre...a perfect example of a great modern musical." Broadway Bullet called the show "endlessly charming and engaging."

ABOUT THE CREATORS OF THE BOY IN THE BATHROOM
As a writer/director, Michael Lluberes wrote book, lyrics and directed The Boy in the Bathroom, Which had its initial workshop showcase at The New York Musical Theatre Festival. The show was honored with four NYMF Excellence Awards including Best Book and Best New Musical. The show was featured in an ASCAP Disney/Musical Theatre Workshop with Stephen Swartz, a New World Stages Workshop and The Festival of New American Musicals. The musical received an Anna Sosenko Trust Award, was a Richard Rogers Award Finalist and was most recently awarded the 2011 American Harmony Prize. Other writing includes The Geranium on the Windowsill Just Died (Urban Stages), the upcoming Oxymorons and The Fatty Arbuckle Project. Michael is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and a proud member of Actors Equity, The Dramatists Guild, The Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and The Acting Company. He lives in New York.

Joe Maloney is a musical theatre writer and composer living in New York City. In addition to writing the music and additional lyrics for The Boy in the Bathroom, Joe also wrote music, book, and lyrics for Hint (book and lyrics with Bonnie Milligan, based on the work of the Backyard players) which was performed at the Minetta Lane theatre as part of the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival. Other musical theatre writing credits include Ready or Not and Truth Be Told. He is currently developing several new musicals. Joe is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and a graduate of the Ohio State University Department of Theatre.

ABOUT Oanh Nguyen
Oanh Nguyen co-founded Chance Theater in 1999, where he is currently Artistic Director. He also serves as the Producing Associate at South Coast Repertory, as part of TCG's New Generations Program. Oanh was awarded the Outstanding Artist Award by Arts Orange County and is a recipient of the TCG Nathan Cummings Young Leaders of Color fellowship. He was also recently inducted into Anaheim High School's Hall of Fame. Oanh is on the board of the Network of Ensemble Theaters and on the advisory board of the Anaheim High School Performing Arts Conservatory. He's a proud member of SDC, SAG and AFTRA. Nguyen recently directed the West Coast premiere of Po Boy Tango by Kenneth Lin at the nation's premiere Asian theater company, East West Players. He was also the associate director of the world premiere of The Happy Ones by Julie Marie Myatt at South Coast Repertory (nominated for two LADCC Awards, including Best Production). Other directing credits include: world premiere of The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat by Tony Award winner Mark Hollmann, Three Days of Rain (O.C. Register's Top Ten and O.C. Register's Best Directors), Bash, Lee Miller: The Angel and The Fiend (commissioned by the Getty Museum), Goodnight Children Everywhere, Tape, Closer Than Ever (L.A. Times Critic's Choice), Porcelain (GLAAD Media Award Nomination, Back Stage Critic's Pick, O.C. Register's Top Ten), Cabaret (Back Stage Critic's Pick), Into The Woods (Back Stage Critic's Pick), The Laramie Project, Jesus Hates Me (remounted at South Coast Repertory), Inventing Van Gogh, Frozen, The Last Five Years, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Rabbit Hole (Back Stage Critic's Pick), Hair (LA Weekly GO!, five Ovation Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Musical, and six LADCC Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Revival), Merrily We Roll Along, Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter (Ovation Recommended), and the Chance's original staging of The Who's Tommy (recently remounted at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, five Ovation Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Musical, three LADCC nominations, two Garlands, Back Stage Critic's Pick).

 

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