Pennington Players to One-Night-Only Performance of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, 5/21

The Pennington Players are pleased to announce a one-night only special event performance of Jason Robert Brown's song cycle, Songs for a New World, on Saturday evening, May 21, 2016 at 8:00PM.

This unique concert performance will be the Players' first at the historic 1867 Sanctuary, a new community arts and cultural center at 101 Scotch Road in Ewing, NJ (www.1867sanctuary.org). The cast teams singers Shannen Doyle, William Kamps, Tressa McAllister Scibilia, and Tim Walton with a three-piece band headed by pianist Michael Gilch. As an added attraction, this production will also feature an exhibition of original artwork by a series of local artists, inspired by Brown's song cycle.

SPACE IS EXTREMELY LIMITED. Tickets are only $20 ($15 for students and seniors, $18 for Pennington Players members). To purchase tickets, visit:

www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2530519.

About the Show

Songs for a New World is a cycle of 16 loosely-connected stories, each told in song; it was the first produced work by Jason Robert Brown, the award-winning composer of Parade, The Last Five Years, and The Bridges of Madison County. Although the historical settings and context of the songs vary, each tells the story of a single moment of decision - about "hitting a wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back." Brown transports his audience from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue to meet a startling array of characters, ranging from a young man who has determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich ends unexpectedly.

The Pennington Players presentation will also feature a one-time only exhibition of original artwork inspired by Songs for a New World, created by local artists. At press time, the roster of artists included Brittany O'Brien, Lauren Kamps, Lora Durr, Robert Gougher, Diane Lufrano, and longtime Pennington Players Dottie Farina and Alan Naidoff.

About the performers:

Shannen Doyle is so excited to be part of this beautiful show with this amazing group of people. She has most recently performed at Kelsey Theatre in Mercer County in The Addams Family (Wednesday Addams) and Violet (Violet Karl); other area credits have included Little Women (Jo March), Once Upon A Mattress (Winnifred), Noises Off (Dotty), and Spring Awakening (Adult Female), for which she earned a Perry Award Nomination. She holds a BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. Shannen would like to thank Frank, Shannon, Mike, Vianna and the rest of the creative team for the opportunity; thank you for being amazing mentors as well as friends. Thank you also to Bill, Tim, and Tressa. Much love to my family and friends!

William Kamps is honored to be able to participate in this special William was most recently seen in Cabaret Your Way with Rooftop Collab-orative Theatre, but his last Pennington Players production was in the role of Father in Jeanine Tesori's Violet. Other previous productions include The Secret Garden (Archibald Craven), Next to Normal (Dan), The Wedding Singer (Robbie Hart), Assassins (John Wilkes Booth), Ragtime (Younger Brother), Les Miserables (Bishop), and many more. Thank you to Frank, Shannon, Mike and Vianna for this tremendous opportunity, and to Lauren, Caraline, and Isaac for letting their husband/Dad pursue these moments. And as always, all glory to Him.

Tressa McAllister Scibilia is a graduate of Muhlenberg College who has performed professionally for more than 16 years. Previous shows include Les Miserables (Fantine), Evita (Evita), Carousel (Julie Jordan), The King and I (Anna Leonowens), Will Rogers Follies (Betty Blake), Into the Woods (Cinderella), and My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle). Tressa has had the pleasure of performing opposite various television and film stars, including Linda Dano (One Life to Live), Eddie Mekka (Laverne and Shirley), and Peter Scolari (Bosom Buddies and Newhart). Tressa also had the honor to sing The National Anthem for former President George W. Bush in a private reception. This September, she will be playing Ellen in Miss Saigon at Kelsey Theater opposite her husband Michael. Her favorite role is being Mommy to her two wonderful sons Ceol (4 years old) and Corwyn (18 months).

Tim Walton was last seen at Plays in the Park of Edison, NJ, as Judas in Jesus Christ, Superstar. Other New Jersey credits include ...Spelling Bee (Mitch Mahoney), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II - Voice), Dreamgirls (Tiny Joe Dixon), and many others. Tim is a graduate of the College of New Jersey and is a music teacher and theatre director at Franklin High School in Franklin, New Jersey.

Pictured: Shannen Doyle