NCTC Presents Smash Off-Broadway Hit Musical, THE VIEW UPSTAIRS By Max Vernon

In May, New Conservatory Theatre Center is thrilled to present Max Vernon's The View UpStairs, directed by NCTC Founder & Artistic Director Ed Decker with musical direction by Kelly Crandell. When impulsive entrepreneur Wes buys a dilapidated building in the French Quarter of New Orleans, he's magically transported to its glory days: the UpStairs Lounge in 1973. Serving as a home, a church, and a gay dive-bar, the UpStairs was its own kind of paradise. As Wes meets the larger than life lounge regulars, he learns what has been gained and lost in the fight for equality, and how the past can help guide all of us through an uncertain future.

The View UpStairs runs May 10 - June 9, 2019. Opening Night is Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 8pm. Tickets are $35-60 and available at nctcsf.org, emailing boxoffice@nctcsf.org or by calling (415) 861-8972.

Audiences can enjoy these special events during the run of the show:

· Opening Night will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 8pm. The performance will be followed by a catered reception.

· Onstage Insight, Post-Show Discussion after the following performances featuring the cast, moderated by the director:

o Sunday, May 26 at 2pm

· More events to be announced!

Playwright and composer Max Vernon is a three time Drama Desk nominee, Out100 Honoree, and recipient of the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, Richard Rodgers Award, Jonathan Larson Grant, New York Stage and Film's Founders Award, New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship, and the JFund Award from the Jerome Foundation. He has been a Dramatist Guild Theatre Fellow, MacDowell Fellow, and an artist in residence at Berkeley Rep, Ars Nova, Kimmel Center (via The Public Theater), Disney Creative Entertainment, and Rhinebeck Writer's Retreat, among others. His musical, KPOP, enjoyed a sold-out, extended run at Ars Nova this past October and was the most nominated Off-Broadway show of the 2017-2018 season.

The cast of The View UpStairs includes David Bicha (Richard), Jessica Coker (Henri), JESSE CORTEZ (Freddy), Linda Dorsey (Inez), Gary M. Giurbino (Cop), Chris Morrell (Dale), Nick Rodrigues (Wes), Anthony Rollins-Mullens (Willie), Coleton Schmitto (Patrick), and Cameron Weston (Buddy).

The creative team includes wig design by David Carver-Ford, sound design by Wayne Cheng, costume design by Wes Crain, production audio engineering by Taylor Gonzalez, scenic design by Devin Kasper, fight choreography by Kristen Matia, lighting design by Mike Post, stage management by Kaitlin Rosen, choreography by Rick Wallace, and props design by Daniel Yelen.

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