Photo Flash: Take a Look at Photos From LOVE IN HATE NATION at Two River Theater

Two River Theater (Artistic Director John Dias, Managing Director Michael Hurst) presents Love in Hate Nation, a world-premiere musical written (book, music and lyrics) by Joe Iconis, directed by John Simpkins. Love in Hate Nation has music direction and vocal arrangements by Annastasia Victory, music supervision and orchestrations by Charlie Rosen, and choreography by Mayte Natalio. Love in Hate Nation opens to the press on Friday, November 15 at 8pm and continues through Sunday, December 1 in Two River's Rechnitz Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ. Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or tworivertheater.org.

The cast of Love in Hate Nation includes Sydney Farley (Ya-Ya), Amina Faye (Susannah Son), Jasmine Forsberg (Rat), Lauren Marcus (Miss Asp), Kelly McIntyre (Sheila Nail), Lena Skeele (Dorothy), Emerson Mae Smith (Kitty), Ryan Vona (Francis, Buzz, Doc Shock, Others), and Tatiana Wechsler (Judith).

The design team includes scenic designer Meredith Ries, costume designer Karen Perry, lighting designer Isabella Byrd, and sound designer Palmer Hefferan. The hair & wig designer is J. Jared Janas and the fight director & intimacy consultant is Rocío Mendez. The casting is by Telsey + Casting, Rachel Hoffman, CSA and Lily Schneider. The assistant stage manager is Nicole Kuker and the production stage manager is Amanda Michaels.

A turbulent rock romance set in a 1960s Juvie Hall, Love in Hate Nation uses classic "bad girl" movies as the inspiration for the story of young people caught between eras of a changing America. Sixteen-year old Susannah Son is carted off to the National Reformatory for Girls (a.k.a. Nation) to get her head put on straight. There she meets the aggressively incorrigible Sheila Nail, and a relationship forms which leads to an all-out "revolution in the institution" as they attempt to break out of the boxes society has created around them. Girl Group Wall of Sound harmonies are filtered through a punk rock spirit in this rebellious and romantic new musical.