Ray of Light Theatre Sets YEAST NATION Cast; Performances Begin 10/3

Ray of Light Theatre, San Francisco's non-profit musical theatre company, today announced the cast and production team behind the second show in its season of new musicals that explore the distant past. Opening October 3, 2014, at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco, Yeast Nation (the triumph of life) teams Ray of Light up with Tony-winners Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann, the brains behind the smash-hit Urinetown, to develop the West Coast premiere of this bizarrely hilarious rock musical. In the year 3,000,458,000 B.C., the salt-eating yeasts are the only living creatures on earth, and they're up against a food shortage, a strange new emotion called "love" and the oppression of a tyrannical king. When the king's dreamer of a son ventures out of the known yeastiverse, the yeasts' story - and ours - is changed forever.

This West Coast premiere production is the product of a collaboration with Ray of Light and writers Greg Kotis (book and lyrics) and Mark Hollmann (music and lyrics). Kotis conceived the musical almost twenty years ago as "a contrarian, environmentalist anti-musical and it would tell the tale of the first musicalizable moment in all of time." After performances in Alaska, New York City and Chicago, Kotis and Hollmann chose Ray of Light for the West Coast premiere production. The writers worked side-by-side with Ray of Light staff and cast during a week-long workshop in July, which concluded with a presentation to early subscribers.

"The workshop showed us that this musical has electricity, primordial as it may be," said Jason Hoover, Yeast Nation director and Ray of Light Theatre artistic director. "The audience had no clue what to expect, yet connected with the bizarre story of these 'yeasts' and laughed all the way through the show's hilarious book and score. Yes, it is possible to connect with singing yeasts!"

Ray of Light has assembled a cast of eighteen of the best and most talented performers in the Bay Area to round out the Yeast Nation cast. Spanning backgrounds in opera, modern and classical dance, as well as cabaret and musical comedy, this group will bring the world's first living life forms to life with grace and humor.

Click here to meet the cast.