5th Avenue Theatre and ACT Presents VANITIES, 2/4-5/1

The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT - A Contemporary Theatre announce the Northwest premiere of Vanities: A New Musical, running at ACT from February 4 to May 1, 2011.

With a book by Jack Heifner (who wrote the original play on which the musical is based) and music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum, Vanities: A New Musical focuses on the friendship of three women who journey from high school innocence in the early '60s of the Kennedy era to maturity in the "me-centered" ‘80s. As the story moves across the decades, their relationship is tested both by the world and each other.

"I've known the original play Vanities for a very long time, and fell in love with it after it first opened," said David Armstrong, Vanities: A New Musical Director and The 5th Avenue's Artistic Director and Executive Producer. "It totally grabbed me - it is stylish in its writing, arresting in its conception, and had a lot of impact on the theatre of the day. And now, I'm thrilled to be directing the re-envisioning of this new musical version. Jack is enhancing the script. David is adding new songs. It is a tremendous work, and a real event for Seattle to run 101 performances!"

Kurt Beattie, ACT's Artistic Director, adds, "Vanities is a significant work. It investigates, it entertains and it engages. And it conveys a truth about humanity isn't limited to a particular gender."

Seattle-based actors, Cayman Ilika, Jennifer Sue Johnson, and Billie Wildrick will play Kathy, Joanne, and Mary respectively. "It's a tough role in any form," said Armstrong. "These women really need to act, and they also really need to sing. And they need to age 20 years on stage, and still be believable! Add to that, the ladies never leave the stage; as they age across the decades, they change all their costumes and wigs by themselves, on stage, which requires an amazing range of talent to orchestrate while still performing."

The original play Vanities was a phenomenal success and ran for five years off-Broadway from 1976 to 1980, and has since been staged in virtually every city and town across America (and most countries around the world). It has been hailed as one of the first dramatic works to address the ways in which the cultural changes of the 1960s and ‘70s affected the lives of women who came of age during that tumultuous period.

A musical version of Vanities has had productions at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, The Pasadena Playhouse, and New York's Second Stage Theatre in 2009. For the new musical version produced by The 5th Avenue and ACT, both Heifner and Kirshenbaum are in residence during the rehearsal process as this new work continues to grow and develop, both enhancing the book and adding and replacing new musical numbers.

"I'm thrilled to be here working with Jack on one of my favorite collaborations," said Heifner. "We have a chance to go back and make Vanities even better."

"I wrote Vanities in my 20s and I never thought I would spend my life working on one play. It is such a gift! I'm very grateful," said Kirshenbaum. "There is so much more to explore, so much more about the people I didn't know, more about myself I didn't know. The play is still speaking to me. It has been such a blessing. I'm really looking forward to this next version!"

The production of Vanities: A New Musical marks a new chapter in cooperation between The 5th Avenue and ACT, who previously worked together on 2001's A Little Night Music. The show will be presented at ACT in its Falls Theatre-an intimate 400-seat space that perfectly suits the needs of this new musical-with costumes and sets also being constructed at ACT.

Ticket for Vanities: A New Musical start at $55 and are available at both theaters:
Purchase at The 5th Avenue Ticket Office at 1308 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 9810, by calling 206-625-1900 (toll-free 888-5TH-4TIX; 888-584-4849), or online at 5thavenue.org.
Purchase at the ACT Ticket Office at 700 Union Street, Seattle, WA 98101, by calling 206-292-7676, or online at acttheatre.org.

CAST (in alphabetical order)
Cayman Ilika ...............................................................................................Kathy
Jennifer Sue Johnson ................................................................................ Joanne
Billie Wildrick ...............................................................................................Mary
Abby Duke Pollard ...............................................................................Understudy

CREATIVE TEAM
David Armstrong......................................................................................Director
Ian Eisendrath .................................................................................Music Director
Matthew Smucker ........................................................................ Scenic Designer
Catherine Hunt ......................................................................... Costume Designer
Tom Sturge....................................................................................Lighting Designer
Ken Travis .........................................................................................Sound Designer
Jeffrey K. Hanson ............................................................................. Stage Manager
JR Welden ..........................................................................Assistant Stage Manager
Eric Jensen ......................................................................................Assistant Director
Brendan Patrick Hogan ......................................................Assistant Sound Designer
Susannah Scott ...............................................................Assistant Lighting Designer
Faith Seetoo ....................................................................... Associate Music Director
Alyssa Keene .........................................................................................Dialect Coach

About The 5th Avenue Theatre
Winner of two Tonys (for Hairspray and Memphis), The 5th Avenue Theatre is one of the nation's premier incubators for new musicals. In the past decade it has produced 10 world premiere musicals, six of which have gone on to Broadway productions, as well as producing contemporary and classic musicals lauded by critics and audiences alike.

Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, this exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernie Griffin and Producing Director Bill Berry, The 5th Avenue Theatre attracts an annual attendance of more than 287,000 and ranks among the nation's largest and most respected musical theater companies.

In addition to its main stage productions, The 5th Avenue Theatre is also committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its extensive Educational Outreach Program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program, and Spotlight Nights. For more information about the Theatre, its season and its programs, please visit 5thavenue.org.

Special thanks to The 5th Avenue 2010-11 season co-sponsors Safeco Insurance and US Bank.

About ACT: A Theatre of New Ideas - Raising Consciousness Through Theatre
Located in the heart of downtown Seattle and serving a population of curious, open-minded, and brave audiences, ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is the only theatre in Seattle dedicated to producing contemporary work with promising playwrights and local performing artists since 1965. A theatre of new ideas, ACT serves as a cultural engine that makes plays, dance, music, and film that touch us. Because contemporary life demands examination, ACT is driven to inspire and strengthen our diverse community through works that advance our understanding of human life. With more than 100,000 people who attend shows annually, ACT is an interactive community where artists and the public witness, contemplate, and engage in dialogue on today's thought-provoking issues, ideas and art, presented with intelligence, insight, and humor. ACT gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our 2011 Season Sponsors: ACT Foundation, ArtsFund, The Eulalie Bloedel Schneider Artists Fund, The Mayor's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and The Shubert Foundation.