Ensemble Theatre Company Continues Anniversary Season with THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE

Elvis has indeed left the building! ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) is thrilled to announce the second show of its 40th Anniversary Season, THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE, written by Matthew Lopez, directed by Jenny Sullivan with choreography by Jamie Torcellini. THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE begins previews on Thursday, December 6, opens on Saturday, December 8, and runs through Sunday, December 23, 2018 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

In a run-down bar in the Florida Panhandle, Casey's career as an Elvis impersonator is not going well. With his young wife now pregnant, his luck changes when he meets an aging drag queen. THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE is an uplifting music and dance-filled comedy for the holidays. (Please note: the play contains adult language.)

"We are just thrilled to spend the holidays with this hilarious and touching new show that has been wowing audiences from coast to coast," said ETC Artistic Director Jonathan Fox. It's a funny, moving and uplifting story for the season that I know our subscribers and audiences are going to adore."

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

Matthew Lopez (Playwright) is the author of The Whipping Man, one of the most celebrated and widely produced new American plays of the last decade. The Manhattan Theatre Club production received Obie, Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle awards including the John Gassner New Play Award. The Legend of Georgia McBride premiered at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and ran off-Broadway at MCC Theatre in a production that received multiple Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle nominations, including Best Play. Other plays include Somewhere (Old Globe, world premiere), Reverberation (Hartford Stage Company, world premiere), The Sentinels (London's Headlong Theatre Company) and Zoey's Perfect Wedding.

Jenny Sullivan (Director) is a beloved Santa Barbara director who has charmed ETC's stage with many award-winning productions. Her ETC directing credits include Baby Doll,I Am My Own Wife, Good People, Tea at Five (with Stephanie Zimbalist), The Year of Magical Thinking (with Linda Purl), The Lion in Winter (Indy Award), and several others. Her productions have been seen in Los Angeles, at Long Wharf Theatre, and off-Broadway.

Jamie Torcellini (Choreography) is an actor and director, as well as choreographer. He appeared in ETC's recent production of The School for Lies and starred in The Mystery of Irma Vep. He directed ETC's productions of The 39 Steps and Tell Me on a Sunday. Jamie has performed in many Broadway shows since 1980, including Cats (Mr. Mistoffelees), Little Johnny Jones, Me and My Girl, Jerome Robbins Broadway, Man of La Mancha and the original company of Billy Elliot.

The Cast of THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE features a stellar cast from around the country. Stephen Michael Spencer, who is an audience favorite at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, plays the title character, a young Elvis impersonator who gets pressed into service as a drag queen. Bill Brochtrup, who plays his mentor Tracy, is best known for his long running roles on ABC's "NYPD Blue" and TNT's "Major Crimes," and was most recently on stage in South Coast Repertory's The Sisters Rosensweig and Shakespeare in Love. J.Stephen Brantley, who joins the cast from New York City, is the 2017 recipient of the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award and winner of the Micheál MacLiammóir Award for Best Actor at the 2013 Dublin International Gay Theatre Festival. Carlton Byrd was last seen in the Seattle Repertory Theatre/Arena Stage co-production of Two Trains Running and KEIANA RICHÀRD was recently Producer and Assistant Director of the Ovation Recommended American Saga - Gunshot Medley: Part 1, as well as, starred in the critically acclaimed Wood Boy Dog Fish with Rogue Arts Ensemble.

Scenic design is by Keith Mitchell. Lighting design is by Jared A. Sayeg. Costume design is by Alex Jaeger. Sound Design is by Randall Robert Tico. Properties Design is by John McElveney. The Production Stage Manager is Abigail Strange.

THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE is made possible through the generosity of the 2018-19 Season Sponsor Leatrice Luria. Additional sponsorship is provided by Parm and Frank Williams & The Corwin D. Denney Foundation through Andy and Jo Gifford.

THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE previews on Thursday, December 6, opens on Saturday, December 8, and runs through Sunday, December 23, 2018 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, with an added Tuesday 7:00pm show on December 11 and a Saturday 4:00pm matinee performance on December 15, 2018.

All preview tickets are $40. Regular adult ticket prices range from $60 to $75 with discounts available for seniors. Student tickets are available for only $25 each, and tickets for patrons age 29-and-under are always just $40. Single tickets are available through the ETC box office at (805) 965-5400, or online at etcsb.org. For group sales information, please call (805) 965-5400. Prices subject to change.