Photo Flash: Pipeline Theatre's FOLK WANDERING Celebrates Opening Night

Due to popular demand, Pipeline Theatre Company (Ari Schrier, Artistic Director; Natalie Gershtein, Producing Director) is proud to announce a one-week extension of the world premiere production of Folk Wandering, a new musical conceived by Jaclyn Backhaus (Men on Boats) and Andrew Neisler (Clown Bar), featuring a book by Backhaus; music by collaborating composers Blake Allen(Boston|Nebraska), Backhaus, Mike Brun (Music Director, Mr. Burns), Andrew R. Butler (Finn the Fearless), Joel Esher (PharmaBro: an American Douchical!), Alex Fast (The Drawer Boy), Jo Lampert (Joan of Arc: Into The Fire), Barrie Mclain (Hundred Days), Annie Tippe (Director, Ghost Quartet), and Dominique Toney ("Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"); and lyrics by Allen, Backhaus, Brun, Butler, Esher, Lampert, McLain, and Tippe. Andrew Neisler will direct.

Folk Wandering will play the Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T./ New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street) and will begin previews tomorrow, February 23, 2018, and officially open on March 4. Folk Wandering will now play through March 25, 2018.

The additional performances are as follows: Tuesday, March 20th at 7pm; Wednesday, March 21st at 7pm; Thursday, March 22nd at 7pm; Friday, March 23rd at 8pm; Saturday, March 24th at 3pm and 8pm; and Sunday, March 25th at 3pm.

Folk Wandering will be performed Tuesday-Sunday. All performances February 23 through March 8 will be at 7pm. Beginning March 9, the performance schedule for Folk Wandering is as follows: Tuesday-Thursday at 7pm; Friday & Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 7pm. Please note that the extension schedule includes matinee performances on Saturday, March 24th at 3pm and Sunday March 25th at 3pm.

Tickets to all performances are available now at www.pipelinetheatre.org/tickets. Tickets range from $25 to $65.

The cast of Folk Wandering includes Kim Blanck (Little Match Girl Passion), Andrew R. Butler (The Skin of Our Teeth), Seth Clayton* (The Madrid), DeMone (Ragtime), Adrian Blake Enscoe (Billy and the Killers), Morgan Siobhan Green (Sweetee), Lena Hudson (You on the Moors Now), Kate Loprest (First Date), Dan Tracy* (Once National Tour), Jordan Tyson (Sweetee), and Nicole Weiss (Pinkalicious).

In 1911, Rosealia dreams of a better life.

In 1933, Kai struggles to keep her daughter safe.

In 1955, Hannah finally fights for herself.

Folk Wandering is a sweeping new musical conjured from the hearts and minds of Jaclyn Backhaus, Andrew Neisler*, and nine emerging singer-songwriters. This expansive story investigates the making and breaking of the American dream across three bygone generations. Join Pipeline Theatre Company and their band of troubadours this spring for an awakening of the hope, heartache, and longing that binds us all together.

Backhaus began developing Folk Wandering with Neisler in 2010, and it was created collectively alongside an ensemble of nine of New York's most exciting emerging songwriters and in collaboration with actors Jessie Barr ("Manhattan Romance"), Kim Blanck, and Lena Hudson. Since then, workshops have been presented at Joe's Pub, Ars Nova, Fresh Ground Pepper, and the Polyphone Festival in Philadelphia, culminating in its 2018 world premiere production with Pipeline Theatre Company.

Folk Wandering will feature arrangements by Brun and Esher, with orchestrations by Allen and Brun. Folk Wandering will feature music direction by Ellen Winter (36 Questions), set design by Carolyn Mraz (Thomas Paine in Violence), lighting design by Christopher Bowser* (Secret Supper: The Musical), costume design by Heather McDevitt Barton (Of Government), sound design by Jim Petty of Five Ohm Productions (Noise), prop design by Emmie Finckel (KPOP), production management by Jenny Beth Snyder (Beardo), and stage management by Kristy Bodall* (Ghost Quartet). Casting is by Telsey + Company / Lauren Harris.

Folk Wandering is made possible, in part, thanks to a producing partnership with Triumph Productions, Christopher Schout and Wayne Zink.

In 2017, Pipeline Theatre Company presented the acclaimed New York premiere of Jason Craig & Dave Malloy's Beardo. Featuring book and lyrics by Jason Craig (Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage), music by Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), and direction by Ellie Heyman (The Traveling Imaginary), Beardo opened February 12, 2017 and ran through March 5, 2017 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Music.

*Denotes Pipeline Ensemble Member

ABOUT PIPELINE THEATRE COMPANY

Pipeline Theatre Company (Artistic Director, Ari Schrier; Producing Director, Natalie Gershtein) believes that an unbridled imagination is a force of magic with the power to provoke a more courageous and compassionate world. Pipeline's most recent productions, CLOWN BAR, THE GRAY MAN, and BEARDO are clear examples of how Pipeline goes big to create spectacular one-of-a-­kind events. CLOWN BAR by Adam Szymkowicz was named a New York Times Critics' Pick and completely sold out it's extended run at The Box. Reviewers called it "a perfect storm of ridiculousness," "unabashedly silly but also shrewd," and added "the team responsible should be hired by everyone for everything all the time immediately." Of Andrew Farmer's THE GRAY MAN, The New York Times said "...so ambitious, the production values are exceptional, if you see a lot of theater, you'll admire the chances it takes." Of Jason Craig and Dave Malloy's BEARDO, Pipeline's most recent production, TheaterMania declared: "...an unforgettable theatrical experience. The score is both tuneful and daring resulting in stunning performances and the most breathtaking first act finale this side of Les Misérables."

ABOUT A.R.T./NEW YORK

The A.R.T./New York Theatres are a project of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A.R.T./New York), which provide state-of-the-art, accessible venues at subsidized rental rates, plus free access to top-line technical equipment, so that the city's small and emerging theatre companies can continue to experiment, grow, and produce new works. Founded in 1972, A.R.T./New York is the leading service and advocacy organization for New York City's 375+ nonprofit theatres, with a mission to assist member theatres in managing their companies effectively so that they may realize their rich artistic visions and serve their diverse audiences well. We accomplish this through a comprehensive roster of real estate, financial, educational, and community-building programs, as well as research, advocacy, and field-wide initiatives that seek to improve the long-term health and sustainability of the industry. Over the years, A.R.T./New York has received numerous honors, including an Obie Award, an Innovative Theatre Award, a New York City Mayor's Award for Arts & Culture, and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. For more information, please visit www.art-newyork.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION pipelinetheatre.org

Photo credit: Marcus Middleton