University of Washington Musical Theater Program presents PIPPIN for Third Annual Production

The University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences presents the third annual production of the UW Musical Theater Program, Pippin. The production runs March 10th through March 19th at the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse at NE 41st Street and University Way NE.

After failing out as a warrior, a young prince named Pippin goes on an epic journey of self discovery replete with sex, drugs, murder, and, of course, singing and dancing. Pippin's quest to be extraordinary is set to an unforgettable score by four-time Grammy winner, three-time Oscar winner, and musical theatre giant Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell), and features blistering, new, Fosse-style choreography. Though it had its Tony Award winning Broadway debut in 1972, Pippin feels utterly current, asking us where we can look to find light through darkness and hope through uncertainty.

The UW Musical Theater Program is a collaboration between the Dance Program and the Schools of Music and Drama. In its first two years of existence, the UW Musical Theater Program produced Sweet Charity, directed by Program Director Wilson Mendieta, and the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by Broadway director and UW alumnus, Brandon Ivie.

"This production engages heavily with the issues of today," says Mendieta, who directs this production. "We are not changing any of the material, all the original text is there, but we are placing it in a modern context. It's amazing how relevant the play continues to be 45 years after its creation." The production examines the power of choice, Mendieta says. "This play looks at the power of individuals to forge their own paths. And it asks, after encountering the darkness of the world, is there hope at the end of the tunnel? And does the human spirit prevail?"

Pippin
Presented by the University of Washington Musical Theater Program
in collaboration with the Dance Program, the School of Drama, and the School of Music
Director: Wilson Mendieta
Choreographer: Steven Sofia
Music Director: Jordyn Meeker

March 10 - 19, 2017
Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse
4045 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Performance Dates
Previews: Wednesday 3/8 and Thursday 3/9 at 7:30 PM
Opening Night: Friday 3/10 at 7:30 PM
Regular Performances:
Saturday 3/11 at 7:30 PM
Sunday 3/12 at 2:00 PM
Wednesday 3/15 at 7:30 PM
Thursday 3/16 at 7:30 PM
Friday 3/17 at 7:30 PM
Saturday 3/18 at 7:30 PM
Sunday 3/19 at 2:00 PM

Ticket Prices:
Regular: $25 at the door, $23 in advance
UW/Student/Senior: $20 at the door, $18 in advance
TeenTix: $5 at the door, day-of-show (with advance sign-up at TeenTix.org)

MORE ABOUT Wilson Mendieta
Wilson Mendieta has worked with Chita Rivera, Tony Stevens, Patty LaBelle, Alan Johnson, and Brian Stokes Mitchell, to name a few. His performing credits include the Broadway companies of Man of La Mancha and Bombay Dreams, the National Tour of Chicago, and the Off-Broadway company of Celia, The Musical. His regional credits include playing Bernardo in West Side Story at TUTS, PCLO and Trinity Rep, Contact at Asolo Rep, and playing Paul in A Chorus Line at Walnut Street [Critics' Choice nomination for a Barrymore Award-Best Featured Actor in a Musical]. His on-camera credits include Law & Order, All My Children, and Dancing with the Stars. Mendieta's research on teaching business skills to performing artists has been invited for presentation at conferences in Hawaii, Greece, and the University of Washington. An alumnus of the University of Washington, Mendieta received an MFA in Dance and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. He serves as the Director of the Musical Theater Program.

MORE ABOUT Steven Sofia
Steven Sofia is a Broadway performer, dance captain, choreographer and dance and Pilates teacher. His Broadway and National tours credits include: Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, Chicago, Kiss Me Kate, Beauty and The Beast, Guys and Dolls ('92 revival) and Jerome Robbins' West Side Story. Some other credits include: A Chorus Line at Olney Theatre [Helen Hayes Award winner for the Best Musical in 2013], An evening with Betty Buckley at Carnegie Hall, Applause at City Center's Encores, Susan Stroman's Contact with Sarasota Ballet at Asolo Rep. Theatre, and several Tony Awards and Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade presentations. He also danced with The American Dance Machine where he worked with such choreographers as Ron Field, Agnes DeMille, Buzz Miller and Gwen Verdon, to name a few. He has been an assistant to Broadway choreographers Tony Stevens and Chris Chadman. Steven choreographed the National Tour of Chicago for Troika, a number for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with Andy Williams, and productions for the Wings Theater. He also directed and choreographed Pippin for NYU's Cap21. Steven has been on the dance faculty at NYU, Cap21, SUNY Purchase, Marymount College, Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. Steven is also a certified classical Pilates instructor.

MORE ABOUT JORDYN MEEKER
Jordyn Meeker is the owner and vocal teacher at EDGE Performing Arts & Dance. She also directs and musically directs around the greater Seattle Area. Currently, Jordyn is on the creative team at University of Washington for their newly created Musical Theatre Department. She holds a Bachelors of Music from Washington State University with a minor in Business Administration. While in school, Jordyn focused on vocal performance with classes in education and business. She has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall and Avery Fischer hall in New York City, and held lead rolls in shows such as Avenue Q, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Baby, the Musical, and Jane Eyre. Currently, Jordyn is a continuing voice student of Dr. Kari Ragan in Issaquah, Washington and sings with Restless Vocal Band and in local theatre shows. Jordyn is a three-time first place winner in the NATS Musical Theatre Competition and was a finalist in Washington-Idaho Young Artists Competition.

MORE ABOUT Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz has contributed music and/or lyrics to Pippin, Godspell, The Magic Show, The Baker's Wife, Working, Rags, Children of Eden, My Fairytale, and Wicked. He collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the songs for Disney's Enchanted, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and wrote the songs for DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt. He has written an opera, Séance on a Wet Afternoon, English texts for Bernstein's Mass, and two musicals for children, Captain Louie and My Son, Pinocchio. Schwartz has released two CDs of original songs, Reluctant Pilgrim and Uncharted Territory, and his career is the subject of the book Defying Gravity. He is a past president of the Dramatists Guild Council and has been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Other awards include three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and four Drama Desk Awards.

MORE ABOUT Roger O. Hirson
Roger O. Hirson is an American dramatist and screenwriter best known for his books for the Broadway musicals Walking Happy and Pippin, for which he received a Tony nomination. His television work includes writing for The Goodyear Television Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theatre, and The DuPont Show of the Week, among others.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON MUSICAL THEATER PROGRAM
The University of Washington College of Arts & Sciences is offering a new program of study in Musical Theater culminating in a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Individualized Studies. Through a cross-departmental partnership between the School of Drama, the School of Music, and the Dance Program, the Musical Theater Program offers a dynamic range of coursework and practical application, including robust training in acting, singing, and dancing through curriculum, performance projects, faculty and student directed productions, and special workshops with leading musical theater professionals. The program is designed to graduate well-rounded individuals equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to transition into the musical theater profession, and to approach their careers from an entrepreneurial perspective. Currently in its third year of programming, the University of Washington Musical Theater Program produced Sweet Charity in 2015 and the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in 2016.