Holiday Local Tradition AVENUE Q Returns to NCTC

This December, NCTC brings the holiday cheer with everyone's favorite foul-mouthed, feel-good musical: the return of NCTC's award-winning production of Avenue Q, with music, lyrics and original concept by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marxand book by Jeff Whitty. Proclaimed by San Francisco Travel Magazine as "a local tradition," this "year-in, year-out hilarious, high-energy, and heart-warming production" (TheatrE Eddys) won over critics and audiences alike in its previous engagements in NCTC's intimate Decker Theatre. Declares the San Francisco Examiner, "only the Grinch could prevent the laughter-filled show from selling out night after night."

Avenue Q runs December 2, 2016 - January 15, 2017 in NCTC's Decker Theatre. Opening Night is Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 8pm. Tickets are $35 - $60 and are available at nctcsf.org or by calling (415) 861-8972.

Due to popularity, NCTC has added Tuesday evening performances for Avenue Q. Performances are Tuesdays - Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm.

Ring-in the New Year with Avenue Q, a special New Year's Eve performance, will be presented Saturday, December 31, 2016, complete with complimentary champagne toast and festive early start time of 7pm. Tickets are $60 are available at nctcsf.org or by calling (415) 861-8972.

Avenue Q is the laugh-out-loud, Tony Award-winning musical that tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. Once there, he meets Kate (the girl next door), Rod (the Republican), Trekkie (the internet sexpert), Lucy The Slut (need we say more?), and other colorful types who help Princeton finally discover his purpose in life.

NCTC's production is directed by Dennis Lickteig, with musical direction by Matthew Lee Cannon and orchestrations and arrangements byStephen Oremus.

Special Engagements:

During the run of the show, theatre lovers can enjoy many special events:

• Onstage Insight, Post-Show Discussion after the following performance:

• • Sunday, December 18 at 2pm- Panel discussion featuring the cast, moderated by the play's director.

• Low-cost Previews: Friday, December 2 - Friday, December 9.

• Opening Night will take place on Saturday, December 10 at 8pm. The performance will be followed by a reception with the cast, designers and director, catered by 16-17 Season Restaurant Sponsor, Mina's Brazilian.

• Ring in the New Year with Avenue Q - special New Year's Eve performance Saturday, December 31, at 7pm. Tickets are $60 and includes a complimentary champagne toast.

Composer and Lyricist Robert Lopez's first two Broadway musicals, Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, have both been critical and commercial smash hits and Best Musical Tony Award winners. He shared Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book for The Book ofMormon. He also shared a Tony for Best Original Score and a Grammy nomination for Avenue Q. With wife Kristen Anderson?Lopez, he co-wrote the smash Disney film Frozen, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Let it Go"; Finding Nemo: The Musical (playing at Walt Disney World since 2006), the Broadway?bound original musical Up Here and songs for Winnie the Pooh (Disney feature animation, 2011). He shared two Emmy Awards for his music for The Wonder Pets and an Emmy nomination for the Scrubs musical episode.

Composer and Lyricist Jeff Marx with Robert Lopez made their Broadway debut with Avenue Q. They began writing Avenue Q in the BMIWorkshop in 1999, thinking it was a great idea for a TV series. Three years later it was produced Off?Broadway, Broadway (with three TonyAwards), Las Vegas and London. They also collaborated on new material for a Muppet movie called Kermit, Prince of Denmark (which received the coveted Ed Kleban Award) and Ferdinand the Bull, a children's musical for TheatreWorks/USA.

Librettist Jeff Whitty won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Avenue Q, which ran six years on Broadway and then moved toits current home Off-Broadway at New World Stages. He also wrote the book to the musical version of Tales of the City, which premiered at American Conservatory Theatre in 2011. He newest musical was Bring It On, with a score by Tom Kitt, Amanda Green, and Lin?Manuel Miranda, which had an extended limited run on Broadway in 2012, and was nominated for a Best Musical Tony Award. Whitty's plays includeThe Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler, The Hiding Place, The Plank Project, Balls, and Suicide Weather, and have played at OregonShakespeare Festival, the Alliance Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, South Coast Repertory, Vineyard Theatre, and The New Group.

Director Dennis Lickteig returns to direct Avenue Q, having staged the previous three runs at NCTC. Past NCTC collaborations include the regional premiere of The Nance by Douglas Carter Beane, the world premiere of Brad Erickson's American Dream, The Lisbon Traviata, LipsTogether, Teeth Apart, The Story of My Life, The Busy World is Hushed, Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins, The Sugar Witch, Act A Lady, ThrillMe, Farm Boys, Theatre District and Harvey Milk -The Musical. Other recent directing projects include: Parade and The Heiress for Palo Alto Players; The Story of My Life (Contra Costa Civic); Thoroughly Modern Millie and The King and I (Broadway By the Bay); Forum, Sunday in thePark with George, Anything Goes (CCMT); A Little Night Music, Closer Than Ever, Crimes of the Heart (Hillbarn Theater).

The Purple Cast of Avenue Q will play Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday performances and features Audrey Baker, Morgan Jade Booker, Scott DiLorenzo, Monica Ho, Juliana Lustenader, Brendon North, and Kyle Stoner.

The Orange Cast of Avenue Q will play Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances and features William Giammona, Sam Jackson, Chris Morrell, AeJay Mitchell, Zac Schuman, Pam Sevilla, Stephanie Temple and Erin Yvette.

The creative team of Avenue Q also includes Choreography by Rory Davis recreated by Stephanie Temple, Scenic Design by Kuo-Hao Lo, Costume Design by Wes Crain, Lighting Design by Virginia Herbert, Puppet Direction by William Giammona and Chris Morrell and Puppet Design by Travis Howse.

New Conservatory Theatre Center has been San Francisco's premier LGBTQIA and allied performing arts institution and progressive arts education conservatory since 1981. NCTC is renowned for its diverse range of innovative, high-quality productions, touring productions andshows for young audiences; its foundational anti-bullying work with youth and educators through YouthAware; and its commitment to developing new plays to expand the canon of queer and allied dramatic work.